Balkan-Scandinavian symbiosis inspires Vardar on Pytlick’s return to Denmark

Vardar have done excellently to bounce back from their opening defeat with a string of good performances, most recently against Midtjylland in Skopje. As the Women's EHF Champions League Group Matches reach their midpoint, Vardar travel to central Denmark full of confidence and with hopes of repeating their last week’s performance.

But despite the talent-laden Vardar squad, all eyes will be on Jan Pytlick as Vardar tactician makes his return to Denmark after a seven-year tenure with the Danish national team, which ended in 2014.

Pytlick will be no stranger in the home of FC Midtjylland the Ikast Brande Arena, having crossed swords with Vardar’s Women’s EHF Champions League rival a number of times back in his coaching days with GOG Gudme and Esbjerg.  

“I am really looking forward to visiting Denmark again and the Ikast Brande Arena in particular.

“Actually, it has been quite a number of years, since I last appeared in a Danish arena with a club team, so it will be fun to try that again, and furthermore, I have always liked to visit Midtjylland.

Known for the excellent atmosphere their fans make at home, Midtjylland will hope for passionate support of their “eighth player” in order to take revenge for the nine-goal rout in Skopje last Sunday. Pytlick however, relishes the experience of facing the diligent Danes in front of their home fans.

“They have a special atmosphere in their arena, which I always enjoyed, when I was there watching league matches or European matches during my time as Danish national team coach.

“I also think their spectators are particularly on their marks for the big matches such as Champions League matches, so I am sure it will be a great experience Sunday,” Jan Pytlick.

A connoisseur

Midtjylland have come a long way since Pytlick’s triumphant days of club coaching, and their MVM EHF FINAL4 appearance in 2013/14, as well as recent away win against hotly-tipped favourites Györ speak in favour.

In the eyes of such a connoisseur of Danish handball, Midtjylland certainly have the means to surprise. Pytlick holds his compatriots in right regard, claiming their performance in Skopje was not a merit they should be judged upon.

“We know that playing at home and playing away are often very different in these matches, and I definitely think Midtjylland can play much better than they did in Skopje, so I expect a difficult match.”

“The 5-1 defence, which they practiced for a while in the second half was new to us, but of course, we have talked about that and also about further solutions to their 6-0 defence,” says Jan Pytlick.

Another thing speaking in favour of Vardar, ahead of the important away match is Pytlick's knowledge of the Midtjylland players from his time as national coach of Denmark. An asset Vardar will certainly look to exploit again in their second match.

“Of course, that meant a lot in the first match. I knew everything about the way they played and could pass that information on to our players, and of course, this will be an advantage for the second game against them too.

“However, you also have to adjust the amount of information you pass on to your players to what they can absorb. Of course, I could give our girls all kind of information about Midtylland, but it is a question of balancing it,” admits Jan Pytlick.

“In the EHF Cup final between Team Tvis Holstebro and Rostov-Don last season, Rostov coach Jan Leslie obviously knew everything there was to know about the Holstebro players, but at least in the first match, his players did not manage to handle that information and lost by 13 goals,” remembers Pytlick.

A great chemistry

With Scandinavian coaches on the benches of both teams, one may think the upcoming match in Ikast will be a duel between Jan Pytlick and Helle Thomsen. However, the presence of Indira Kastratovic in the team makes for the unique Balkan-Scandinavian symbiosis adding variety in Vardar’s game, as two distinct approaches work in cohesion proven to get the best result.

“It was the Balkan temper that won us the match in Skopje, while Jan’s tactical influence was apparent in our good performance. This time round, I believe his vast Scandinavian knowledge will help us prevail against Midtjylland again,” said Indira Kastratovic, who will orchestrate the all-important match from the sidelines alongside Pytlick.

Jan Pytlick has been an instant hit at Vardar, delighting many with his approach and vision to instill vast tactical awareness onto the game plan of the star-laden Vardar team. His associate Kastratovic is also full of praise of the Dane’s influence.

“First and foremost, Jan is a great person as much as he is a marvelous coach. We have a great chemistry working together and I feel we add up perfectly to each other’s qualities, and the players feel it too.

“In relation to that, everything is blending well here at Vardar but I feel have not reached our pinnacle just yet. There is more to come from this team and Jan and I will make sure we are well on our way to our best handball.

“As a team, we have shown we’ve got a lot of soul. We are a family! We have the right mentality and above all, every single one of us loves handball. We come into each and every match with desire to show what we know best, and that is playing handball. This one should be no exception.”