On Saturday, the current third last of the LIQUI MOLY HBL will travel to table leader Füchse Berlin. "The game is easy for the heads, we have nothing to lose. On the contrary, we want to grab the chance to prepare for the next games. A look at the table shows that we're not the favourites," says Horvat.

In December, the 44-year-old succeeded Benjamin Matschke as HSG head coach - at that time still in a double function, because he was also coach of the Croatian national team at the World Championship in January. But after finishing ninth, he and his assistant coach Ivano Balic were fired. "It makes things easier for me as I now have a clear focus and don't have to worry about two teams. Now it's all about Wetzlar. We want to break something," says Horvat: "It was my dream to become a coach in the HBL."

As far as the newcomers are concerned, he puts a lot of emphasis on Kuzmanovski: "He can help us in several back court positions. Our new young pivot Pliuto wants to prove himself in the Bundesliga and is highly motivated. I'm sure Nikita can help us." In general, six weeks of preparation with a full team would be the best, especially for a new coach, but: "We don't have the time, we have to work even closer together."

His biggest wish is a return to the old home strength: "We have to burn at home," says the coach, who’s team clearly lost the first home game of the new year against TSV Hannover-Burgdorf. "Especially at home it's just a mental thing, we can play handball. We proved that, for example, in the close cup defeat in Flensburg, that we can keep up with top teams. Handball is such a simple game where little things make all the difference. And we have to work meticulously on these details.”

Looking ahead to the second half of the season, Horvat is optimistic: “We will fight for every millimeter. I'm very motivated, I have a longing for success in Germany." Successes like he's already celebrated at the Croatian club RK Nexe from the small town of Nasice, which he led to the final tournament of the European League in 2022. However, this cannot be transferred one-to-one to HSG Wetzlar: "Every league is different, every league has its challenges."

Photo: Vogler