Julian Köster: DHB-Star warnt vor Übermut vor der WM 2027

Handballer Julian Köster, 25, recently crowned Vice-European Champion, is not only “one of the best defensive players in the world,” as lauded by national coach Alfred Gislason during their appearance on das aktuelle sportstudio. Köster also demonstrated a remarkable ability to articulate his thoughts at a high level.

When asked by moderator Sven Voss if the upcoming World Championship on home soil made winning the title the next logical goal, Köster smiled and deflected the question.

Gislason also cautioned against setting expectations too high. He acknowledged they had come closer to “superpower Denmark,” as demonstrated in the final of the EM 2026. However, to reach the World Championship final on January 31, 2027, in Cologne, he warned against “allowing ourselves to slack off.”

This caution stemmed from the surprising defeat against Serbia, to which Gislason contributed with an ill-timed timeout (“Buzzer-Gate”). Köster admitted that the near-elimination in the preliminary round had caused “extreme stress” for the team. However, the coach “reacted impressively” by publicly taking full responsibility. “That took the pressure off us.”

The intensity of the media headlines demanding Gislason’s premature dismissal has prompted reflection. “The media landscape has changed,” Gislason said with a serious expression.

“Headlines and criticism have become a business plan. The bigger the headline you deliver, the better.” He noted that at its core, after the game against Serbia, the issue was something else.

He had already achieved his mission of guiding the young team to the world stage during his four years in office. He communicated this to the team, stating, “I have already won. You just have to bring it onto the court,” he said with a smile.

According to Köster, who now has 84 international appearances, the DHB selection is structured very differently from Denmark, which relies on its stars Mathias Gidsel and Simon Pytlick. Köster, who, like soccer international Florian Wirtz, was socialized at Grün-Weiß Brauweiler near Cologne, said:

For the back player, the team, which won Olympic silver in 2024, is only at the beginning. This is evidenced not only by the integration of the six junior world champions of 2023, who, like goalkeepers David Späth, Renars Uscins and Justus Fischer, already play central roles in the team.

But there are also very successful German youth teams. “That gives us hope for the future,” says Köster.

Köster also celebrated his first successes in his youth, being named best defender in the All-Star Team at the U19 World Championship. Even then, Gislason, then coach of THW Kiel, had observed him and remembered his talent when he became national coach in early 2020. “I asked the assistant coach: ‘Where is this Köster?'”

He was still on the bench in Dormagen at that time. But Gislason continued to observe Köster, and when he also showed his old talent in attack in Gummersbach, he helped him make his debut in the national team as a second-division player in the fall of 2021. It was, as the EM 2026 proved, not a bad decision.

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