Handball national coach Christian Prokop is pleased about the comeback readiness of goalkeeper Johannes Bitter,”I am very happy that he is there. He’s hot for the national team,”Prokop told the SID.
He’s hot for the national team,”Prokop told the SID. Three and a half years after his last international match, former World Champion Bitter is standing in the provisional squad of the title holder for the European Championship in Croatia in January.
“Jogi is a win-win for every team because of his personality and charisma. He enjoys the highest respect among his opponents,”said Prokop. Talks with the 35-year-old keeper were “very positive”. With the nomination, he paid tribute to “his strong performance in the Bundesliga”. It is very important to have “adequate replacement” in case of possible failures.
After the World Cup in Sweden in 2011, Bitter left the national team and three years later, he had only returned briefly for the World Cup play-offs against Poland. Bitter, who played a major role in winning the title in Germany in 2007, is currently working on a torn muscle fibre in his left thigh.
“He will not be able to make a training session until the end of the year,”said Prokop, who will reduce the squad to 20 players by Christmas. Alongside the regulars Silvio Heinevetter, Andreas Wolff and Carsten Lichtlein, Bitter is the fourth goalkeeper in the provisional 28er line-up.
From this pool of players, which will take place on 12. The team of the “Bad Boys” is to be definitively named and comprises a maximum of 16 players. During the European Championship 2018, a maximum of six changes with players of the extended 28-man squad are possible: two each during the preliminary and main round as well as two on the final weekend.
Prokop starts the preparation with a short course on 28. and 29. December in Kamen-Kaiserau. On the second. The DHB team will meet in Stuttgart on 1 January and play two international matches against Iceland (5th place). January in Stuttgart, 7. January in Neu-Ulm).