- Wiegert seeks a tight contest in the title bout against Foxes and Flensburg
Coach Bennet Wiegert of SC Magdeburg is anticipating a tight contest for the championship in the Handball Bundesliga. "I believe more teams will be competing at the top end since I notice the performance consistency within the Bundesliga is gradually narrowing down," shared Wiegert as the season commences on Thursday. Apart from Berlin, who gave SCM a tough time last season, Wiegert also anticipates pushback from SG Flensburg-Handewitt.
More room for errors
At 42, Wiegert wishes that teams battling for the title face fewer severe consequences for mistakes. "From a coach's standpoint, I hope that mistakes aren't met with such severe penalties and that there's a more balanced situation," expressed Wiegert. Last season, SCM managed to endure only two losses and two draws, securing the title with a six-point advantage.
SC Magdeburg kicks off this season on Saturday against HSG Wetzlar (6:00 PM/Dyn), but the match will only be debated from Thursday onwards. Prior to that, Wiegert wants to focus on the team's Supercup loss against Berlin. "There's still some work left to be done," assessed the coach.
Safety measures with Magnusson and Bergendahl
Felix Claar and Tim Hornke will definitely be absent, and care is being taken with Omar Ingi Magnusson and Oscar Bergendahl. "Given that we're unsure if the injuries have fully healed," explained Wiegert about the situation. Additional injuries may also impact the roster, but Wiegert chose not to elaborate any further.
Despite the heavy workload and injury concerns, Wiegert continues to remain hopeful. "We've still got a fantastic squad. I'm not going to shut the doors and say, oh, this will be tough," reassured the coach. Emitting such sentiments could demotivate the team. Wiegert commended new addition Manuel Zehnder. "I'm consistently amazed by how well he's adapting," Wiegert praised Zehnder, who's the team's top scorer. "However, he's only been here for two weeks, so we're handling him with kid gloves."
In the highly competitive Handball Bundesliga, Coach Wiegert expects multiple teams to challenge SC Magdeburg's title dominance due to the narrowing performance gap between teams. With anticipation of tough matches from Berlin and SG Flensburg-Handewirt, Wiegert hopes for a more lenient approach towards errors, believing that fewer severe consequences for mistakes will create a more balanced situation.
