Swiss national handball coach Andy Schmid is living in a bubble of his own at the European Championships. His full focus is on the second preliminary round match against Slovenia in Oslo on Sunday (20:30).
18.01.2026, 05:00
18.01.2026, 08:20
SDA
Andy Schmid looks a little tired the morning after the 28:28 in the European Championship opener against the Faroe Islands, which is logical after little sleep. He analyzed the game well into the night, in particular the weak phase at the start of the second half, when the deficit grew from 13:15 to 13:19 (36'). "We went for the finish too early or took too many risks," Schmid looks back.
The 42-year-old is currently in a bubble. According to his own statement, he has spoken to his Norwegian wife "maybe four or five times" on the phone in the last 15 days. His entire focus is on the European Championships. "Everything else is on a bit of a standstill."
Shortly after the conversation, a training session is scheduled for the team. However, it is not possible to work intensively there, says Schmid. "If I already have tired legs, then I don't want to know how the players feel." The main thing is to "sharpen their senses again and take the last emotions out of yesterday's game. For me, there are two fields in which we operate. On the one hand, the professional side when it comes to handball, and on the other, taking a deep breath and being who we are."
Against the Faroe Islands, it was also a battle against the crowd. Around 6,500 fans dressed in white from their home country supported their opponents loudly. The atmosphere is likely to be fundamentally different against Slovenia, as significantly fewer spectators are expected, although Schmid sees this "more on the positive side".
The Slovenians, who defeated Montenegro 41:40 in their opener, will be without several key players due to injury, including the dangerous Aleks Vlah and goalkeeper Klemen Ferlin. Nevertheless, they still have a strong line-up, including FC Barcelona set-up men Domen Makuc and Blaz Janc. "They have a very strong front seven," says Schmid. However, the Slovenians' game is somewhat more predictable than that of the Faroe Islands. However, in handball you can use the same phrases before every game. "Ultimately, we need three or four players to hit their form on the day, then we have a good chance of winning."
