LFH Division 1, Women Round 17

LES NEPTUNES DE NANTES VS JDA BOURGOGNE DIJON HANDBALL 24/02/2024 CET 8PM

Putting your head back on the field
Here are two clubs where there is a lot of turmoil behind the scenes. On the Dijon side, even though we don't have more information since the eviction of their coach two weeks ago. While on the field, the results were there. One can imagine many disagreements in the Dijon offices. And on the Nantes side, apart from the changes of coaches, who will not be kept next year, whether it is the head coach or the assistant coach (Jérôme Delarue who will take over Besançon next year). There is also the departure of 8 players known for the moment, thus a turnover of the squad of almost 50%. But also an interview with Tamara Horacek that can shed light on what is happening during the week in training. In addition to having criticized her goalkeepers, she also expressed the feeling of not training well. And obviously if the quality of training is not there, it's difficult to perform well afterwards. That's certainly why they had two low-quality matches with two defeats as a result. One in the EHF Cup and the other this Wednesday 33 to 28 in Brest. A match where they only existed for the first 10 minutes. So the field is clear for Brest until the last day of the championship and the reception of Metz.

Same punishment for Dijon with a defeat that is disorderly. A good slap taken against Plan de Cuques 33 to 25 and this at home. When the head is not focused on handball, it's difficult to be performant afterwards.
The only point of satisfaction on the Dijon side, and it is not the least, is the signing of Nadia Mielke-Offendal. This Danish center-back knows the championship well. She is very impactful and is having a season of great quality at Chambray. This makes her one of the best center-backs in the championship. So here is a slight bright spot in the middle of all these clouds. What should this mean on the field? Despite all this, you still have to play well. To finish a season that has been well started. It's not time to waste the work done. So we imagine that Nantes, with its ball speed and isolations to bring Léna Grandveau's penetrations, should make the difference offensively.

However, it is worth noting an important element that should help Dijon in its reading quality. The injury during the last match of the Neptunes' designated defender: Anna Lagerquist. She should be sorely missed. This, combined with the freedom of the long-range shooters to express themselves, should give many opportunities to the Dijon shooters. Claire Vautier and Celine Sivertsen, the starting backcourt players, should finish as the top scorers of their team to validate the quality of Burgundian play.

We therefore expect a victory for Nantes by 4 to 5 goals difference. The match could conclude with a score of 36 to 31.


ES BESANÇON FÉMININ VS PARIS 92
24/02/2024 - CET 17:00

Perhaps the feat of the day
Besançon thrives in big matches. They must be filled with regret after losing in the last 3 minutes of their match against Chambray. They will have nothing to lose against Paris. And it's in these moments that they perform best. Paris, who managed to win in a tough match against Toulon. Yet the 3500 children who came to see them did not stop cheering in a packed Coubertin. Parisian weaknesses were fully exposed in this match.

Besançon will need to exploit this and do so for 60 minutes if they wish to win. Indeed, the challenge lies in facing the power and physical strength of the opponent. But the mobility and intentions are weak. Collective play can therefore flourish against defenders who lack mobility. Clarisse Mairot should therefore have a big game. Her duels against Camila Micijevic will naturally make the difference. It's up to her or her teammates to exploit these points of fixation well. And Pauline Robert is getting better and better on the right-handed position. Besançon thus has the weapons to succeed. Ball control will be a key element.

The other decisive point will be to reduce the impact of the opposing duelists. Méline Nocandy continues to wreak havoc in opposing defenses. She, the future Brestois and French international, is the linchpin of the Parisian attack. There is no doubt that Sébastien Mizoule will have devised a plan to reduce her impact. Because once her impact is reduced, it is necessary to tighten the ranks on Coura Kanouté, who is currently in great form, and put pressure on the other backcourt players. Besançon, in this case, has mobile players. So this should put pressure on the attack advocated by Yacine Messaoudi.

It is therefore through all this tactical analysis that we estimate Besançon capable of achieving the feat of the day. We therefore believe that they can win with a score of 32 to 30.


HANDBALL PLAN DE CUQUES VS BREST BRETAGNE HANDBALL 24/02/2024 CET 19 :30 PM

Trap match
Two teams coming off two great performances are facing each other. First, Plan de Cuques, who easily won in Bourgogne with a 33-25 victory. A victory that was controlled from start to finish and in all sectors. The same principle applies to Brest after their big win against Nantes. A match that could have been daunting against the 3rd placed team. Yet we mainly observed Brest's mastery. They are still charging towards the title. And everything should be decided for the purists of incredible scenarios, in the last match of the season. And a duel that could be full of danger against Metz. However, attention must be paid to avoiding unexpected missteps beforehand. After their fine draw in Gyor for the Champions League, it will be necessary not to fall into a decompression trap. So beware of this tricky match in Provence.

And the trap should be avoided by the Brest goalkeepers. With Julie Foggea absent from the goal, the keys have been handed to Katharina Filter. This 24-year-old German goalkeeper tends to save all unworked shots. So Justine Martel may come out on top on her right wing, but Chloé Bellonet could struggle with her readable shots. Katharina's wingspan gives her an advantage. The same goes for Daphné Gautschi, a good shooter indeed. But primarily a powerful shooter. She will need to work on her shots technically if she wants to avoid being caught. The mobility of the Brest defense should therefore make the difference, as they will not necessarily be behind against the passing speed qualities of their opponents. The goalkeeper will therefore be in a comfortable position to make saves. Only Elisabeth Chavez, the pivot, should fare well against this layered defense. She may leave some space in the sequences for the opposing pivots. But the timings are tight to be easily found.

But that's where the defense will be vulnerable. While it should be strong in attack, its weaknesses in one-on-one situations should allow Jenny Karlson to shine. This Swedish center-back is incredibly explosive. Once she decides, she can do everything at 10 miles per hour. But this is controlled by her changes of pace. She is very surprising for a defense. So it will only remain to exploit around her game.

Despite the possible decompression, we still expect a victory for Brest. They know the road that remains to be climbed towards the French championship title. So even if the victory should be more complicated than usual, they should win by 5 goals and pull away as the match progresses.


MÉRIGNAC HANDBALL VS ST AMAND HANDBALL PORTE DU HAINAUT, 24/02/2024 CET 19:00

Watch out for the losers
Mérignac, second to last with 24 points, are facing St. Amand, one place above with 24 points as well. Here's how to understand that it's a crucial match for relegation, a six-pointer. Beware of the losers tonight. Perhaps the home advantage will make the difference in this matchup. St. Amand will have to travel across France and conserve energy for the match. Will St. Amand manage to recover from their unacceptable defeat against the bottom-ranked team, Stella? It may not bring serenity, but it could give them some necessary pride to fight as they should. The Mérignac defense should take the upper hand. With their tight defense in the center, they should once again leave solutions to the opposing wingers. It's not a sure thing for St. Amand's wingers. They are very inconsistent in their shooting accuracy and often struggle against good opposing goalkeepers. St. Amand could therefore be stuck at 27 goals.

One wonders where Stevia Pascoal has gone, always present on the field but no longer contributing much to her team. The victory of the northerners could be linked to a great performance from their starting left-back. On the other side of the field, Mérignac should be able to play their game. It all depends on their shooting accuracy. If the percentage is correct, they should be able to score 30 goals against a defense that is subjected to the opponent's play.

Nele Antonissen, the best player and scorer, should score the most goals in this game. She will help her teammates and her team to win in a tense match that should be decided by managing the low points of the game.


TOULON MÉTROPOLE VAR HANDBALL VS OGC NICE CÔTE D’AZUR HANDBALL, 24/02/2024 CET 16:30

Southern Derby
A difficult South derby to predict. Toulon's team is facing major defensive difficulties but is coming off a good performance, losing by only 4 goals to Paris. Their attacking game causes problems for other teams. Nice, on the other hand, is improving. They have finally moved out of the relegation zone after their 28-22 victory against Strasbourg. However, they are struggling offensively. It's an enticing derby because anything can happen. And it remains a crucial match for survival with 5 teams separated by just one point to avoid relegation, including Nice and Toulon.

In defense, Toulon's set plays can be challenged by Nice's defensive intentions. Nice's rotating defense is interesting. They concede few goals from long-range shots early on and can support each other if they lose their duels. The key for Toulon will be to find solutions in the second phase. During this time, they will find more solutions all over the court. Otherwise, they will have to rely on a good connection with Manon Loquay, their pivot. Or try to exploit spaces left open by Nice's rotating defense with their set plays. The wingers might find solutions inside the defense, but it's not necessarily their style of play. So unless it's worked on by Joël Da Silva during the week, they may struggle against this defense.

On the other side of the court is where the match will be decided. Between Toulon's weaknesses in duels and Nice's countless lost balls. They struggle to get into motion and consequently force their game, often giving the ball to their opponents. And if that happens, Toulon's fast-paced game will come into play. And we will see Nice's defense gradually collapse due to a decrease in psychological commitment due to their mistakes. It's a vicious circle. Toulon's staggered defense may increase ball recoveries by taking risks in their defensive intentions. However, one player should be able to exploit the opponents' weaknesses. That player is Wendy Semedo, with her quality in duels. She should impact all of Toulon's defenders and be one of the top scorers for her team.

In the end, we expect a very close match. It could realistically end in a draw, with a scoreline around 28 goals.


STELLA SAINT-MAUR HANDBALL VS CHAMBRAY TOURAINE HANDBALL 23/02/ 2024 CET 19:30

Under 20 goals
Will Saint-Maur achieve a second consecutive feat? Not certain this time against the Chambray team, quite consistent in its performances. But we are happy for Stella, who have finally returned to victory in a beautiful match against Saint Amand, winning 27-25. The worst attack in the league managed this time to surpass its standards. Meanwhile, Chambray struggled throughout the match to win against Besançon. They managed to pull ahead in the last five minutes to win by just one goal. Confidence will therefore be present. They need to learn to win this kind of opposition where they play less well, and they did it. Now it's time for this duel where one of the best defenses in the league faces the worst attack in the league.

Stella should therefore remain under 23 goals. Certainly, Djeneba Toure has shown that she can bring danger in attack, but it's too inconsistent for the moment. But we imagine Mathilde Plotton feeling relieved and less isolated offensively. Stella needs

Djeneba Toure's consistent performances to be more impactful in attack. This balances the game. But it's not easy for a right- handed player on the right to bring danger and initiate strong phases. She should mainly exploit the movements of her teammates. And there her dueling qualities could favor defensive imbalances. But once again, she will have to go through Agathe Quiniou. The future Nantes goalkeeper continues her work in this league. What consistency in her impressive performances. She should still and especially take the upper hand over Djeneba in the 1-2 interval but above all, put the two opposing wingers in difficulty. Stella will therefore have few opportunities to score more than 25 goals.

And that should not be enough. The Chambray backcourt players exploit the work of their center-back Nadia Offendal to the fullest. The latter flattens the defense with her strong phases. And Laurie Puleri, the left-back, as well as Laura Van Der Heijden, just have to exploit and shoot from afar. This worked perfectly in the last match with 13 goals between them. And it should happen again this weekend against the central defense of Chambray. The Plotton sisters will naturally have to engage in duels with Nadia and will therefore be late in the crossed sequences. Indeed, they lack a bit of mobility to be even more effective.

We therefore expect a victory for Chambray Touraine by keeping Stella to less than 23 goals. The gap should be around 8 goals in the end.


STRASBOURG ACHENHEIM TRUCHTERSHEIM HANDBALL
VS METZ HANDBALL, 24/02/2024 CET 18:30

A match of extremes
The match of extremes indeed, but not in terms of the standings, rather the most prolific attack by far against one of the weakest defenses in the league. Metz, averaging 37 goals per match, is obviously the best attack this season. They have successfully exploited modern handball and the new rule on quick restarts, which brings more speed to the game. On the other hand, Strasbourg has the second-worst defense in the league, conceding an average of 31.4 goals per match, despite Léa Fargues making some impressive saves, averaging 7 saves per match.

What can we expect, if not that Metz could break the record for the most goals scored in a single match in the LFH. This would set two records in one evening. Indeed, the record for spectators in the LFH is expected to be broken this Saturday with over 5600 spectators expected at the Rhénus in Strasbourg. It will be a great spotlight for these spectators who should witness a lot of spectacle and goals. This could attract new players in the future.

So here's what we imagine. A Strasbourg team will already concede a lot of goals on fast breaks, primarily by Chloe Valentini's counterattacks but also by Lucie Granier on the wings. Then they will exploit the shortcomings in transition defense with questionable speed and a vulnerable attack-to-defense transition that puts them in danger in the center. Kristina Jorgensen should exploit all these errors on the fly. And if not, she will work with Sarah Bouktit stationed on the post defender. And who will serve her? Obviously, the indispensable Kristina Jorgensen, the Danish center-back who has a very effective relationship with her pivot. And the strength of her teammate to hold her position allows her to be even more effective in her work.
And then if they manage to control all this open space play, they will still have to manage the continuity of Metz's game. Made up of movements, crosses, and wingers who bounce the ball, Metz's quality of combinations is not lacking. And this against a defense that lacks disruptive intentions of opponent's runs and timings. So, it should be a blessing for the Mosellans, which will bring Louise Burgaard and Anna Mette Hansen on long-distance shots in the center of the defense.
And once the work is done, we will see, as we announced in the previous match, the young talents who will have to maintain offensive quality if we want a record number of goals. We imagine that this may be in the back of the coach and players' minds even if it's not really in the French spirit to chase records.

But we want it and we expect it for the spectacle. Metz should therefore win handsomely with a minimum of 15-goal difference. But above all, an attack that could exceed 46 goals...