Uwe Gensheimer has completely returned to everyday life. The last cup weekend, including the nerve-wracking final and the celebration after the victory over SC Magdeburg – that’s part of the story of days gone by. A nice story, but one from yesterday.
“Of course it’s a satisfaction to finally win the DHB Cup at the eleventh attempt,” explains the 36-year-old from the Rhein-Neckar-Löwen, “this whole weekend with its dramaturgy is not so easy to put away mentally and physically. But now the focus is on the next game.”
However, Gensheimer is not quite as hard-nosed as it might seem at first glance. Again and again the left winger had been in the Final Four, again and again he had lost. And this year, too, it remained exciting up to the last second of the seven-meter throw – not least because Gensheimer scored eight goals in the game, but also missed six clear chances.
The relief was all the greater when he and all of his teammates converted their penalty throws after him. When it finally became clear that the trophy would come to Mannheim. When he could be sure that he hadn’t screwed it up. Neither for himself nor for the team.
The lions are back at the top of the league
“Everything really fell away from me,” Gensheimer looks back. At the moment of victory, he collapsed to the ground and let his emotions run free. In the run-up, many had treated him as the tragic figure of the cup. Because he was not present at Mannheim’s only DHB Cup win in 2018, as he was playing for Paris St.-Germain at the time.
Gensheimer defied everyone, went ahead as one would expect from the former captain of the German national team and ultimately expanded his trophy collection, which, in addition to numerous personal awards, includes the European Cup, the German championship and several titles in the French league.
One day you’re celebrated, the next you’re through. That may not always be fair, but we players can often assess that very well ourselves.
Uwe Gensheimer
“It’s always fast, in both directions. One day you’re celebrated, the next you’re through. That may not always be fair, but we players can often assess that very well ourselves. And there are a lot of worse things in life,” says Gensheimer, who has calmed down a bit on these things over the years.
Meanwhile, he successfully brings this calmness to the lions. The team, led by coach Sebastian Hinze this season, offers a mixture of experience and young, up-and-coming players and has surprised quite a few critics. Led by middle man Juri Knorr, the Mannheimers have played their way back to the top of the Bundesliga with their fast and creative handball after years of crisis, but recently suffered four defeats in a row.
Goalkeeper Milosavljev is missing for the foxes
“At some point you look at the table and when you’re at the top there, that gets your thoughts rolling. That wasn’t good for us,” explains the veteran. Suddenly it was more about what the team could lose than what there was to win. The pressure increased, and with it the possibility of failure.
A comparable development was recently observed among foxes. For weeks in first place in the Bundesliga and unbeaten in the European League, they stumbled a bit, made inaccuracies in attack and lacked compactness in defence.
But just as Mannheim rose almost like a phoenix from the ashes in the cup, coach Jaron Siewert’s team also managed to break free and secured their ticket for the Final Four of the European Cup in a hard-fought game against Kadetten Schaffhausen on Tuesday.
When the two clubs meet this Sunday (4:05 p.m., live on Sky) in the Max-Schmeling-Halle, the question now arises as to who will be better able to show the necessary ease, who will have more momentum from the youngest success can take away.
The Berliners will have to do without their number one goalkeeper Dejan Milosavljev, who tore ligaments in his ankle against the Swiss and will be out for several weeks. “It would be a major setback for the Foxes to lose a home game against us. We’ll be happy to take up the waiting position again. And we’ll try – like last weekend – to give everything we’ve got,” says Gensheimer.
Will it still be enough for the championship in the end? So he keeps a low profile. “If we look at the table soberly, we’re a bit off the top. There are others in a better starting position. But let’s see, anything is possible,” says Uwe Gensheimer. Apparently he hasn’t completely given up on the next title. But for now the focus is on the next game.
