By Nicklas Thygesen
Oscar Carlén has begun his first season as head coach at Skjern Håndbold. The first week of training has been completed, and right now it is mainly about getting to know the players and the group.
– As a new coach I need to get to know all the players. The group and the roles must fall into place, and right now it is very much about observing and forming a picture of both the individual and the team as a whole, says Oscar Carlén.
– I analyze almost everything – how people function, react and act. Maybe sometimes a little too much. But it is about getting to know the players and building the security and trust that we will need.
High demands of each other
The first week has also included physical tests, and the feedback here has been positive.
– It has looked really good. Many have set personal records, so the players have returned in good physical condition. There is a really good atmosphere on the team, and we must build on that. But there must also be room for toughness and honesty. We must be able to set demands of each other. We have a good mix of experienced players and young players who want to move forward. It is important that everyone wants to develop – whether physically, technically or in other areas, says Oscar Carlén.
Roles must fall into place
Carlén already has a fairly clear picture of some players, while other roles must be found in the coming weeks.
– I am blessed with a really good squad with many skilled players. For some I know quite precisely where I have them, while I need to look closer at others. I am sure the picture will already become a bit clearer towards the first training match on Saturday.
One of the questions is the composition in the backcourt, where Skjern only has one left-handed back player.
– Among other things, we must have plays ready with a right-handed player on right back. We have several players who are good there, but who and how we will do it we must have tested in the start-up, says Carlén, who especially highlights training quality as a focal point.
– We train five times as much as we play matches. Therefore the quality from player 8 to 15 is enormously important. I have a really good feeling about that in this squad, and it is decisive if we are to raise our level, he says.
Strong opponents await in friendly matches
Paris Saint-Germain, GOG and Aalborg Håndbold are among the opponents in the start-up, while HC Midtjylland will be a different kind of test ahead of the cup match against Tønder.
– Some really strong teams await, where we must test some new things at both ends of the court. Maybe it will already be clear on Saturday, but the question is how long it will take before we become really good at it. We will also test things that we afterwards assess do not work. That is what the training matches are for.
In the longer term Carlén points to one area in particular where Skjern must move.
– Looking at last season, the performances were a bit inconsistent. If we want to be at the very top, we must be more stable. Whether we succeed with that, we will only get the final answer to in a year, says Skjern's new head coach.
