Following a 29–31 defeat against Rhein-Neckar Lowen, Flensburg parted ways with coach Nicolej Krickau in 2024, effective immediately. Now, the current Fuchse Berlin coach speaks out in greater detail for the first time about the reasons behind his dismissal at the time.
"The way I wanted to lead the squad definitely didn't align with the way Holger Glandorf (sport director) wants to lead the team," Krickau explains in retrospect on the "Kontranapad" podcast at www.handball-world. There were differences, particularly regarding how to handle defeats: "My approach to deal with losses is definitely not the same as the one in Flensburg."
Instead of engaging in numerous discussions, he had wanted to "work much more proactively, working on our process and with our players."
Krickau acknowledges that he could have adapted more to the expectations of Glandorf and Ljubomir Vranjes. "But I’m pretty sure that doing so would have caused me to lose the team—and I wasn't prepared to let that happen," the Dane says. That is why he preferred to do "what I felt was right for these specific players."
He did not fundamentally change his leadership style after his departure. At Fuchse Berlin, however, that style aligns better with the vision of the club's leadership: "My leadership style matches the way Bob (Hanning) and the board wants to do business , even when we lose, and consequently I feel more at ease."
Despite the split, his assessment of his time in Flensburg remains positive: "Moving to Flensburg was definitely the right decision for me. It was a big dream of mine."
