At the European Women's Handball Championship, the selection of the German Handball Federation (DHB) is fighting against an attribute that sticks to her like chewing gum under her shoe: when it comes down to it, she loses her nerve.

The opponents are then either more ripped off, more determined or harder.

The groundhog also greeted on Monday evening, because the selection of national coach Markus Gaugisch sniffed the point in the 37th minute at 16:16 through Emily Bölk, who was strong in the end, before the well-known melange set in and it was 25:29 in the end.

Hosts Montenegro, a country with 621,000 inhabitants, won and qualified for the main round, while Gaugisch's women are fighting for progress against Spain this Wednesday (8.30 p.m., Sportdeutschland.tv) - and traveling home if things go unfavorably.

“It was also a form of mental strength”

Gaugisch knows the discussion about Germany's elite players.

Understandably, he doesn't like her very much.

Activating from Montenegro's capital Podgorica, he said on Tuesday afternoon: "I'm trying to take a differentiated view, a generalized approach doesn't help.

We gave everything we had against Montenegro and we handled the pressure from the hall well.

That was also a form of mental strength.”

Sure, his team didn't go under at 20:24 in the 51st minute, but fought back, led by Alina Grijseels and Emily Bölk.

But there was just too much missing to get the possible point: Neither the goalkeeper's performance nor the hits from the outside or pressure from the right backcourt were enough to relieve the German game, which was crowded in the middle.

Gaugisch pointed out that there were also three or four strange whistles from the referees from Moldova in the disadvantage of the Germans, but did not complain: “That’s how it is abroad.”

However, what gave him and the team courage was commitment and will, especially in attack.

And by no means does it seem as if the DHB women are now going into a duel with Spain, the team that threw them out of the tournament at the World Cup a year ago, back then in the quarter-finals, with shaking knees: "It's definitely a final, that we look forward to.

We play to win every time and it's no bigger or smaller pressure - we want to get into the main round.

We are confident enough to say that we want to win," said circle runner Meike Schmelzer.

The German team already seems better prepared for major tasks than in December 2021.

Corona-free courses with decent test game performance have contributed to this;

the fresh wind of the new national coach is also part of it.

Markus Gaugisch himself trusts the known systems and processes even where there have been problems up to now: Julia Maidhof will still find her way into the tournament, he said.

What worries him, however, is the high strain on the frequent players Grijseels and Bölk, who took a lot on Monday evening: "We have to distribute it better because then it's harder to calculate." Tournament so far only seen from the bench.