Rot-Weiss Köln will bid for a second EHL title this week on the Wagener Stadium off the again of a powerful 5-2 win over Harvestehuder THC.
It was a robust technique to bounce again following their 2-1 defeat to Mannheimer per week earlier on their return to Bundesliga motion.
** article by Markus Lehnen
One purpose for that early restart was to cut back the drawback they’ve in opposition to Dutch and Belgian sides who return earlier from their winter cease.
With Easter coming early this yr, the problem is an acute one however not fairly so dangerous as some years for the German champions.
“The drawback is certainly smaller this yr, that’s good,” stated Cologne’s Dutch head coach Pasha Gademan. He’s in all probability much less glad with the present scenario in his ahead line.
Rot-Weiss’s high scorer within the first half of the season with eleven objectives, Christopher Rühr, suffered a torn cruciate ligament within the semi-finals of the Olympic qualifying event for Germany and can be out injured for the primary half of 2024.
Essentially the most logical alternative, Elian Mazkour, not too long ago suffered an ankle ligament harm in coaching and so may also be out.
Nonetheless, the 11-time German champions nonetheless have a aspect full of star expertise like world champions Mats Grambusch, Tom Grambusch, Jean-Paul Danneberg, Thies-Ole Prinz and Timur Oruz in addition to Johannes Große (who solely missed the World Cup as a consequence of harm).
In Antheus Barry, Fabio Seitz, Luis Höchemer, Aron Flatten and Michel Struthoff, in addition they have 5 Beneath-21 world champions.
Earlier than Christmas, they turned “fall champions” with the identical variety of factors as Uhlenhorst Mülheim and are heading for the playoffs, the place the boys from the Rhine’s huge aim is nothing lower than the fourth championship title in a row.
And the EHL title would carry additional resonance as Gademan (again to the Netherlands), Mats Grambusch (to hometown membership Gladbacher HTC) and Große (to Membership an der Alster) have already indicated they may transfer on this summer season.
Their path to the title begins with a date in opposition to Belgian league leaders Royal Léopold “There are actually excessive hurdles in our half of the draw,” Gademan says.
“Our issues are well-known: We lastly had an extended preparation for the EHL however Chris and Eli at the moment are out, and Timur Oruz will hopefully be again in time.
“We’ve to cope with that someway; individually, after all, we’ll miss their high quality which we must compensate for in different methods.
“We confirmed how this works in opposition to HTHC; we’ve got to be related to one another, talk and inspire one another, at all times exhausting however truthful.
“All the things has to work nice if we wish to win one, two and even all three video games. It will likely be troublesome, however we’re additionally an excellent staff that may do it.”
As for his or her FINAL8 opponent: “Léopold is primary in Belgium, they rating a number of objectives with Tom Boon and Gauthier Boccard. It is a good staff with a great construction. We’ve to beat them first and solely then can we plan the following steps.”
Captain Mats Grambsuch provides: “In fact the EHL title can be an exquisite finish to my time at KTHC.
“Nonetheless, we’ve got very robust opponents on the highest worldwide degree once more this yr. As a staff, we’ll miss Chrissi in an unbelievable variety of areas. His high quality can hardly be put into phrases.
“However we’ll particularly miss him as a man. We received’t be capable of substitute that.”
On Rot-Weiss’ probabilities with out each high strikers, he provides: “The draw is certainly robust, but it surely at all times is from the quarter-finals within the EHL.
“Thus far I haven’t given an excessive amount of thought to a possible semi-final/remaining. With Leopold we’ve got fairly a problem forward of us. We are going to miss Chrissi and Eli very a lot, each of them are assured objectives, particularly in knockout video games.
“Nonetheless, I nonetheless see us as favourites within the quarter-finals. The breadth of our staff is robust sufficient to compensate for such absences in different methods.”