VELUX EHF CL coaching debut for Vranjes

SG Flensburg-Handewitt fired coach Per Carlén, but they soon found a replacement in the guise of the club’s former team manager, Ljubomir Vranjes.

The 37-year-old will make his debut as a VELUX EHF Champions League coach on Sunday against HC Croatia Zagreb.


ehfCL.com: It’s been a week since you succeeded Per Carlén as the coach of Flensburg. How did that first week go?

Ljubomir Vranjes: The emotions went up and down. A lot of things have happened within a short time, and I haven’t yet found the time to really take it all in.

In the Bundesliga I’m very happy that we now have four more points in the bank. The games against Rhein-Neckar Löwen and VfL Gummersbach were not easy, but we gained narrow victories.

ehfCL.com: The important game against Croatia Zagreb is coming up on Sunday. What are the chances for Flensburg?

Ljubomir Vranjes: I think it looks good. We’ll be playing at home and we have an incredible thirst for winning.

We aim to reach second position in our group, so we have to take the first step by beating Zagreb on home soil.

ehfCL.com: Where do you feel the strengths of Croatia Zagreb lie?

Ljubomir Vranjes: Zagreb is technically a very good team that has individually-strong and creative players. We expect a high-quality, Balkan-style of handball from them.

ehfCL.com: What is the goal of Flensburg in the VELUX EHF Champions League?

Ljubomir Vranjes: We wish to prove that we can compete with the best teams in Europe. We want to reach the quarter-final stage as a minimum goal.

ehfCL.com: How is next year’s team developing at Flensburg?

Ljubomir Vranjes: Lars Kaufmann and Holger Glandorf recently signed contracts to join Flensburg next season, and with such players in our squad, we believe that we have a bright future.

As both players will only join us in the summer, we now need to concentrate on the present. Our immediate goal is to beat our Croatian opponent on Sunday.

The VELUX EHF Men's Champions League Group D game SG Flensburg-Handewitt VS (GER) VS. HC Croatia Osiguranje ZAGREB (CRO) on Sunday 21 November 2010 at 15:30 hrs (local time) is our „Match of the Week" and will be broadcast live on our free-of-charge web stream on ehfTV.com, including English commentary by Tom O'Brannagain.