
Wislander: An incredible change in 30 years

Sweden were the first-ever team to win the Men’s EHF EURO, raising the first trophy in 1994 and repeating it four more times since.
Apart from the 2022 gold medal of the new generation led by head coach Glenn Solberg, all other titles were the work of the famous ‘Bengan Boys’. Under the helm of national team coach Bengt ‘Bengan’ Johansson, Sweden won four European championships (1994, 1998, 2000 and 2002) and two World Championships (1990 and 1999), with four other world medals and three Olympic medals.
It was the era of Ola Lindgren, Staffan Olsson, Stefan Lövgren, Magnus Wislander and Martin Frandesjö who are, to this day, the only five players that have won four European titles. Today, many of them have different roles, with several having moved into coaching – including Olsson, who is leading the Netherlands at the EHF EURO in Germany.
Wislander, meanwhile, won 13 medals with the Swedish national team and was also MVP at the EHF EURO 2002, World Player of the Year in 1990 and Player of the Century. He is still the most-capped Swedish player at the EHF EURO with 40 appearances, alongside Tomas Svensson, while scoring 126 European goals and has earned many more awards over his career; he was also inducted into the EHF Hall of Fame.
Wislander is commentating for Swedish radio at the EHF EURO 2024 and ahead of the third match day in Hamburg, he sat down to offer his thoughts on the tournament so far.
eurohandball.com: You've been watching Sweden from the start of the Men's EHF EURO 2024. What are your first impressions of the team?
Magnus Wislander: My first impression was they started a bit slow. They had two easy games against Bosnia and Georgia and it was not a surprise how they played these two games. In the last group game against the Netherlands, Sweden had some problems and I think the defence was not so good. Also, in the offence, the ball did not have an easy flow. I think there was also a lot of pressure in that game.
In the main round against Slovenia, it was an old Swedish school of handball - very good defence, goalkeeper and fast counter-attacks. A lot of easy goals. Sweden have two different lineups with Jim Gottfridsson and Felix Claar. They are playing a bit differently.
The lineup with Claar had some problems in the beginning against Slovenia, it was a bit slow and Sweden could not get forward. They have changed that to different lines, and with Gottfridsson having the flow and not so tight in the middle, they have used the whole court. I thought it was a very good game for the Swedish team and in the end an easy win. It was a good step forward.
Denmark are one of the best teams in the tournament, maybe France also, but Sweden are also a great team and they did a good game against Denmark. It maybe was not nice game to watch with a lot of fight, but also Sweden had to work a lot to get the goal. The Danish team made that a bit easier, I think.
What is their biggest strength compared to the other teams, something that could help them get to Cologne?
The whole team. Sweden have a lot of good players in each position, you can change and every player who gets on the court does good work. It is really the whole team, not just one player or individual quality.
How would you grade the current Swedish players in your former position (line player/centre back)?
Felix Claar and Jim Gottfridsson are among the best centre backs in the world. Handball today is now a bit different than 30, or 40 years ago. Sometimes I miss how we played, with a look of the eyes and intuition. But, the two of them have that.
Claar is good in one-on-one, while Gottfridsson is the true playmaker. Oscar Bergendahl is a very strong line player, but doesn't get the ball so much and sometimes he moves a bit slowly and they don't see. Those positions have special work together and a lot of teams have that. Also, you have a centre back to take both defensive players in the middle and tip the line player in diagonal. I think it's always the same.
I miss the pass over the head like the ones from Staffan Olsson, Stefan Lövgren, Magnus Andersson. It was a bit easier. When you watch today, there is not much defensive player can do and there are a lot of goals from the line. Even in the game against Denmark, the Danish side made it three times to Magnus Saugstrup and average defence players stand with their hands in their pockets. Perhaps, today you have to play like that in handball, but I miss that old defence – clever defensive players, with more power. Today the game is much faster.
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What do you like about the handball played at this Men's EHF EURO 2024?
I like the fast handball like the Netherlands play. You get a goal and you have to make a goal even faster. I have seen incredible players at this European championship – Luc Steins, Mathias Gidsel and a few good goalkeepers. So, I think it is a very good level of handball.
In the groups I was following in Mannheim and now in Hamburg, there is not a lot of seven-against-six and that was also good in my opinion. We saw Austria who was playing it well, I also saw the Faroe Islands. Perhaps the teams that are not so good can use that to be level with top teams. So, it is good and not good.
Who are your favourites to win the Men's EHF EURO 2024?
Denmark.
How much did the Men's EHF EURO develop and change since your four titles, especially the first one in 1994?
We do not have to talk much about handball. It is a different play. From the organisation, it is an incredible change. In Portugal in 1994 there were no spectators, it was just the beginning. It was a tournament with great teams and tough games. We played almost every day and maybe, in those terms, it was a bit harder. It was a shorter tournament. Now, everything is on a higher level and the tournament is long. And for the players, I think it is very good.
Are you enjoying your current role at the Men's EHF EURO 2024 as the commentator for radio?
I love it. I started in 2005, directly after retirement and the European Championship 2004 in Slovenia. It was the World Championship in Tunisia so it is almost 20 years since I am on the radio. I go to every major competition, I went to some of the Olympic Games, so it is perfect for me. because I can watch the games and have two legs in handball still.
It was difficult in the beginning, to watch and I had to learn what I could say, and what I couldn't say. How will my old teammates react when I tell them they were bad today or why they did something? But I gave myself one rule – after every game, I must go to the player and tell him in the eyes what I said about his play. You can't be up or down, you have to be in the middle, make critic and stand behind it.
At the first Swedish media call in Mannheim, Jim Gottfridsson said: “When you are a Swedish guy and playing for Sweden you always have pressure on your shoulder. When guys like Magnus Wislander are on your side and they always won something, of course, there is some pressure but we can turn it around. We are happy to play with it because when you have pressure you know that the people care about it.”. It shows the respect players have towards you.
I know all the people in the Swedish team and I can talk to everyone. I have trained some of the players in Sweden. Of course, you can feel the respect.
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