Overview
- Alfred Gíslason publicly rebutted Bob Hanning’s criticism of his selections, calling it unusual for another national coach to weigh in and defending the omission of Tim Freihöfer.
- Gíslason emphasized defensive strength and positional flexibility with a young group, while confirming Andreas Wolff as clear No. 1 in goal and praising veterans Rune Dahmke and Jannik Kohlbacher.
- Germany convened its pre-tournament camp in Hannover and will face Croatia in warm-ups on January 8 in Zagreb and January 11 in Hannover.
- The preliminary round in Herning features Austria on January 15, Serbia on January 17, and Spain on January 19, with powerhouses such as Denmark, France, Norway or Portugal likely in the main round.
- DHB president Andreas Michelmann linked the coach’s contract security to EM results, while Gíslason said he feels only self-imposed pressure and stays focused on the team.