in the Midst of the lunch was Nikolaj Jacobsen interrupted. And surprised.

on Thursday afternoon snuck B. T. and consultancy company Coachers into the restaurant at the Hotel Scandic Jacob Gade in Vejle, denmark, where the Danish national coach in denmark ate with some trænerkollegaer.

But now national coach also call themselves this Year's Coach 2019 in Denmark.

the 48-year-old Nicholas Jacobsen, who won Thursday the price to be behind the herrelandsholdets WORLD cup triumph on home soil in January. A triumph, he has a hard time not to smile over the day.

"It means a lot. I have also said, that I to my days end will remember the 18 days and especially on Sunday in Herning. I'm mega proud that I can call myself world champion for the rest of my life. There are not many, gets to. On the way, it means that extremely much," says Nikolaj Jacobsen.

For him it was not only a triumph for themselves, for the men's team, for Danish handball. With the then cheftrænerjob in the German Rhein-Neckar Löwen at the side of the coach the job was not much time for the family.

"I have sacrificed much for it here, and my family has sacrificed much for it here. Somewhere we can all five (His wife and three children, red.) call us world champions. It is not only me that puts things to the side, it makes the also. So it was a great redemption to be allowed to stand it. Very overwhelming," he remembers.

the Hardest by itself

the WORLD cup victory came in Nikolaj Jacobsen's other finals, as coach. He remembers the enormous pressure that was on both him and the squad to perform at home and to hive the only trophy home, which was missing in the Danish Handball Federation pokalskab.

the Year before, it was only been for fourth place at the european championship, where there was also the expectations and aspirations for more. It taught both he and the players of the forward to the WORLD cup on home soil.

"I think we learned to know each other better, me and the players. They knew more about what I expected, and what we should expect of each other," he says.

Also in relation to the communication between Nikolaj Jacobsen and the players they found a balance. Mads Mensah Larsen told to B. T. for Nikolaj Jacobsen's large temper, which at times allows himself to reveal on the bench.

Although, remember Nikolaj Jacobsen, that, for example, Niklas Landin mentioned in connection with the european championships in 2018, that he was always a big fan of landstrænerens hot-headed outburst.

"So we chose to recruit goalkeeping coach Michael Bruun to attend to the things, so we are not having to concentrate so much on the. Michael helped to prepare them, and it gave a completely different calm on the post," he says.

in turn, he is also tough by itself, when a show gets to rumble, says Nikolaj Jacobsen, when he should tell about what distinguishes him most as a coach.

"I always take a starting point in the game and the good mood. So I try always to go in front of at to be 100 percent prepared. The claims I make for myself, I would also like to be able to provide to the players, and I can't live up to the requirements themselves, it comes to sound hollow."

"I shall claim to myself, and the first that always gets skældud of me after the fighting, is myself. And I'm probably the hardest on me, even when we lose."

A better coach

Whether we see a different Nikolaj Jacobsen at the european championships in January, we do not know yet. But something has changed.

Cheftrænerjobbet in the Rhein-Neckar Löwen, he thanked of from in the summer, and now he works only professionally as a coach, while he is a voluntary assistant at the GOG's U19-team.

It is going to give much more time for the national team.

"I was a little excited at the Golden League to be on the bench for the first time in some time. But it reassured me that it was a bit like learning to ride a bike. You forget it not. So now I'm just looking forward to getting started."

you will Become a better coach now, where you are stopped as klubtræner?

"I hope so. There is no doubt that there are some mechanisms where it is nice to stand in it daily and constantly be challenged two times a week. But on the other hand, it provides better opportunities to prepare ourselves better time to look at their own matches, where we can improve ourselves," says Nikolaj Jacobsen.

And it also provides familiefaren law to some things he has dreamed about for years. Therefore, there is not any other job within or outside of the håndbolden that entices.

"It gives me some options håndboldmæssigt, but also family, where I for the first time in 30 years can be allowed to plan a weekend for my own desire rather than to look at one or another of the tournament schedule, which has planned the next of 10.5 months for my part," says this Year's Coach of 2019.

Date Of Update: 05 December 2019, 22:00