Haukar have emerged as the team to beat in Iceland, Gunnar Róbertsson is producing extraordinary numbers, and Fram are struggling despite their recent championship pedigree. In the latest edition of The Weekly Wrap-Up, handball experts Arnar Daði Arnarsson and Styrmir Sigurðsson discuss the biggest talking points in the Icelandic men’s league.
The Icelandic men’s league is producing plenty of talking points this season. Haukar have been close to unstoppable, a new generation of young talents is taking centre stage, and several established clubs are struggling to meet expectations.
To break down the biggest stories, GoHandball spoke to Arnar Daði Arnarsson and Styrmir Sigurðsson about the players to watch, the teams exceeding expectations and the clubs with plenty of work to do.
Iceland has several exciting young talents, but who has impressed you the most so far?
Arnar Daði Arnarsson:
“Gunnar Róbertsson, Ómar Darri Sigurgeirsson and Freyr Aronsson all made their breakthrough in the Icelandic league last season, becoming key players for three of the biggest clubs in the country. All three have continued where they left off and have been outstanding this season.
Brynjar Narfi Arndal is a slightly different case. He is two years younger than the others and had a relatively small role at FH last season, but he has taken a massive step forward this year.
I’m not going to pick one of these players over the others because they have all impressed me. However, Brynjar Narfi has been the biggest positive surprise for me. I didn’t expect him to have such an important role this early in the season, and certainly not to perform at such a high level while taking on so much responsibility.”
Styrmir Sigurðsson:
“The league is overflowing with extreme talent this season. Between these players, I think it is fair to say that Gunnar Róbertsson has been the most outstanding.
He has 90 goals in seven league games this season, and his shooting percentage is 83 percent, which is crazy for a left back. He is also fifth among the top scorers in the EHF European League. I could write an essay about the other players, but if I have to pick one, Gunnar Róbertsson is my choice.”
Which of these young players do you believe will have the biggest career?
Arnar Daði Arnarsson:
“That’s the million-dollar question! Gunnar, Freyr and Brynjar Narfi are quite similar types of players, and I genuinely believe all three have the potential to reach the very highest level in world handball.
Ómar Darri has a different set of qualities. He has a significant height advantage over the other three and is more of a traditional backcourt shooter. The question for me is where he would fit best in European handball, because the other three are more suited to the fast-paced, dynamic style of handball that the best teams in the world want to play today.”
Styrmir Sigurðsson:
“I don’t like to say it since he is only a teenager still, but I think Brynjar Narfi Arndal will have a huge career in front of him if all the stars align perfectly. He has been compared with Aron Pálmarsson, and I think that says it all.”
Haukar have been outstanding so far. Which team has impressed you the most, and why?
Arnar Daði Arnarsson:
“It’s impossible to overlook Haukar’s performances. They have been absolutely outstanding in every aspect of the game. Defence, goalkeeping, attack, fast breaks… they have been an absolute joy to watch. Haukar have struggled with consistency in recent years, even under highly experienced coaches such as Aron Kristjánsson and Rúnar Sigtryggsson. But this season, they’ve had maybe ten bad minutes in total, and hardly anything beyond that.
The consistency, the work ethic, the tactical intelligence, the quality… it’s all been incredible. They seem to have the complete package.”
Styrmir Sigurðsson:
“Haukar have impressed me the most, led by Freyr Aronsson, another young talent. They have the greatest squad depth and are simply killing their opponents. They have two players in each position, so their strength doesn’t dip when they start to rotate.”
Which team has been the biggest disappointment so far?
Arnar Daði Arnarsson:
“I expected more from Þór Akureyri. They brought in four Danish players ahead of the season, and I was quite optimistic about their chances. Unfortunately, the results simply haven’t been good enough. They haven’t taken the step forward that I expected and hoped they would.
It’s also impossible to ignore Fram. To some extent, they can point to their significant injury problems as an explanation for their struggles, but they’ve conceded an average of 37.5 goals per game. That’s simply unacceptable, regardless of the circumstances.”
Styrmir Sigurðsson:
“I would say Fram. They are facing major injury problems. They were the Icelandic champions two years ago, and six key players are injured. They have been really poor recently, and the lack of energy is concerning. If they get all their players back healthy for the second half of the season, this is a team you don’t want to face in the knockout phase.”
Can anyone compete with Haukar for the championship, or are they already too far ahead?
Arnar Daði Arnarsson:
“The regular season and the playoffs are two completely different things. Right now, I honestly don’t see any team challenging Haukar over the course of the regular season. But that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll have a significant advantage when the playoffs begin. There’s still a long way to go, and plenty can happen. Teams can improve, circumstances can change, and a lot can develop between now and the playoffs.
However, based on what we’ve seen so far, and particularly considering the level Valur have shown in the group stage of the EHF European League, I think a championship final series between Valur and Haukar could be absolutely fantastic.”
Styrmir Sigurðsson:
“Yes, I believe FH and Valur can compete with them. Both teams are playing in the EHF European League, so they are playing more frequently than Haukar at this stage. FH are also getting to know their new manager, Aron Pálmarsson, and his ideas, especially in defence. Valur will also be up there with Haukar and FH. With Gunnar Róbertsson playing as he is and Björgvin Páll Gústavsson in goal, you can’t write off Valur.
But as things stand today, I would put my money on Haukar winning at the end of the season.”