Brazil's National Team

    Next Monday coach José Roberto Guimarães will announce the NT's roster. Some players will surely be called like Jaqueline, Paula, Sassá, Mari, Sheilla, Fofão, Walewska, Fabiana and Fabi. There are only a few doubts in my opinion:


    1) who will be the back-up setter: Fernanda Venturini, Carol Albuquerque, Josefa Fabíola or Dani Lins? I think Carol A will be the one, but there's a strong lobby from the Brazilian Olympic Comittee and the Brazil's Volleyball Federation for Fernanda Venturini, so it's hard to predict!


    2) will there be an specific back-up opposite? The coach may call Joycinha for this position, or maybe Mari and Natália can play both as opposite and outside hitter. I'd like to see these two players in the roster, but this is not likely to happen, cause the coach likes Sassá


    3) Who will be the 3rd middle-blocker? Will he call a 4th middle-blocker? Carol Gattaz, Thaísa and Adenísia are the candidates. If I were to choose, I'd choose Adenísia, but then again, I don't think this is the coach's preference, he is bound to call Thaísa or Thaísa and Carol.


    I hope both Natalia and Adenisia have chances in the Grand Prix, at least.

    Tomorrow after the men's league match, José Roberto Guimarães will release Brazil Women's NT roster for both the WGP (who cares about it?) and the Olympic Games. There are rumours that Fofão told the coach she would ask to be dismissed from the NT in case Fernanda were called, so, the coach decided already he won't call Fernanda Venturini. Fofão's substitute might be Carol Albuquerque. Mari will be back to the NT and players like Fabiana, Walewska, Jaqueline and Paula will also be in this roster.


    There will be 19 players in the Brazil's NT roster, but only 14 or 15 will be practising in order to prepare for the 2008 competitions.

    Quote from HungryNecro

    I hope Mari would make it again in the national team. Is her attitude problem really that bad?

    Well, I've seen Mari practising many times and honestly I don't think she even has an attitude problem...



    And it's silly (not to mention it's stupid) to have 19 players called and only call 14 (or 15) players... the expenses of putting all of them to practise in Saquarema wouldn't go to the roof, and if he decided to change some player due to performance, he'd have a substitute already practising...


    Honestly, if Fofão really said that to Zé, I disaprove her behavior totally.


    Also if he even calls Carol Gattaz this time I'll be sure he is protecting her... :pinch:

    The list just came out.... 14 names


    Fofão and Carol Albuquerque,Walewska, Fabiana, Thaísa, Carol Gattaz, Jaqueline, Paula Pequeno, Sassá, Mari, Valeskinha, Sheilla, Joycinha and libero Fabi!



    I didn't like the fact that Zé called Carol Albuquerque...she is not playing well...always Tiemi get inside her place...and she was only the 8th best setter at Superliga (playing at the second best team in Brazil..and with three strong spikers as Paula, Natalia and Elisângela...not forgetting Dani Scott too!!!)...witch is terible...and on the otther hand Dani Lins is doing an amazing job...everyone is talking about....yesterday after the final match...Bernardinho said a lot of good things about her!!! And she is not only the future of Brasil...as she is much better than Carol!!!!!!
    At least Zé should had call her for the trainings...cause like I said she is the future...he should use Grand Prix to put to play.....and now what...only 14 players!!!!He will make all them tired to Olympic games...cause he will have to take all to all fases of Grand Prix!!!!
    Once again he make the bad choises....he is the fact Brazil always looses in my opinion!!!!!
    Last year he explaining why Carol was out of World Cup...he said that she had her chance and didn't went well!!!That's why he called Fabíola...now he come back with Carol...but she did a terible season..not giving him a reason to come back...I really don't understand Zé Roberto!!!!!!

    Well, in my opinion he put on the roster three players that should be out... Carol Gattaz, Joycinha and Carol Albuquerque...
    Joycinha, well, about her, she's not bad, but I can't see her on the NT. Certainly she'll be out when he reduces the team to 12 players if she plays for NT like she plays for her club.
    Carol Albuquerque was the 2nd setter for almost the entire championship, even if in decisive moments she was a bit better than Tiemi, also is not totally on NT level. Ok, better than Marcelle, better than Fabiola (in this season she was awful), but still not good.
    And Carol Gattaz, even if she did NOTHING in Jesi, and NOTHING in the past 3 seasons, she's still there. Adenizia should be in her place, if one of the middles will be out anyway... a young person instead of Gattaz would be much more reasonable. But well, Zé is not reasonable.


    At least I agree with Valeskinha and Mari back.

    It's nice to see Valeskinha again! But...frankly speaking I regret that Fernanda Venturini will not play in Beijing...I love spectacular come backs :P

    I really liked Zé Roberto's roster for the following reasons:


    1) Carol Albuquerque surely deserves a chance in the NT. I acknowledge her technique should improve but her ball's distribution is very good. Besides, she's a very daring setter and until the last round of the semifinal playoffs she was ranked the 2nd best digger of the Brazilian League. In addition to this, she was the best Brazilian server in the World Grand Prix last year. The most important thing, though, is the fact that when the team needed her she showed the team could count on her. Dani Lins had her chances in the 2006 Pan-American Cup and she played awfully, we even lost to Puerto Rico with her on court. It's an offense to hear that Dani Lins is better than Carol Albuquerque. Carol has much more personality than her, she's better in serving, digging and attacking (she's left-handed and her spikes are very good). Carol's distribution of balls is better than Dani Lins, the only thing Dani Lins is better than Carol is in the plastic of the movement of setting, which means nothing to me. I think there was no better choice for the 2nd setter of the team!


    2) I thought Thaísa would grab her spot in the National Team last year and Carol Gattaz would never be called again, cause Thaísa is taller than Gattaz and much better than her in attacking and serving, but Thaísa didn't show her value when she was given a chance. In last year's Grand Prix Thaísa served awfully, her attacks were blocked all the time and her blocks were uneffective. Carol Gattaz started in the bench and eventually got back her position in the starting-six.


    3) Joycinha played much better than Renata in the last two seasons. Renata is not that tall and Joycinha's serves are much stronger than Renata's. It was a wise decision to call her.


    I'd like to see Adenízia and Natália in this roster, but overall I really liked it! I hope these girls could do their best this year!


    Go Brazil!

    T-shirt number of Brazil's team players:


    01 - Walewska
    02 - Carolina Albuquerque
    03 - Mári
    04 - Paula
    05 - Caroline Gattaz
    06 - Thaísa
    07 - Fofão
    08 - Valeskinha
    09 - Fabiana
    10 - Sassá
    12 - Jaqueline
    13 - Sheilla
    14 - Fabi
    18 - Joycinha

    did ze roberto explain why she did not call fernanda to the national team? because i think that if brazil really wants to have a strong team, fernanda should be in even if she will just be a back-up setter to fofao. so that when fofao is in the front row and sheila is at the back, mari can replace fofao in the front and fernanda can replace sheila at the back. brazil is heavily reliant on its setter so more than anything else, roberto should get the best setters to the olympics.

    Celso...you really cheer for Finasa and can't put your passion out to think reasonale over NT ins't it??Cause really...I understand that maybe you like the player...and has the natural tendence...I can say that...cause I have for Dani Lins


    Sorry...but really Carol Albuquerque???Well...she was the 8 best setter...she didn't have this spetacular season you think....if her distribution is so good...why Thaisa made so many blocks at the final...?And why was Ana Tiemi that was setter at the decision moments...changing the game for Finasa against Brusque together with Suelle??And again at the final...
    And if her service was good at last year GP...why she was out of World Cup???
    Come on...she can't hardly move on court...


    And ok...maybe Dani don't have to be in NT...but there are a lot of names that I could put at NT as setter before Carol...


    What I don't understand in Zé Roberto...is how he can use some avaliation with some players...and with others use a hole different one...and change everything....


    But I won't argue with you...you have your taste...I have mine...but I'm sure that if Bernardinho was Brasil coach...the things would be very different in terms of results...since is something, like you said before, that is the most important....


    I just can't imagine what would happen to Brasil if Fofão get an injury at Olympic games....

    if fofao is injured, that is the end for the brazil team. maybe internal conflicts are bothering the team. that is sad. if they want to win the olympics, they should set aside all their personal issues and egos and just think of what is the best for the team and their country. why is it that the brazil players have so many personal issues against one another? is this also similar to other national teams? i hope this is not happening to my russia team.

    Well, I think we can argue for a very long time when the subject is setters. As I said I didn't like Carolina's name on the roster, but when I think about the other options, I see that there are no other options.
    I mean, don't be mad at me hehe but Brazil doesn't have a good setter besides Fernanda (and Fofão). So the point is: which is not worst among all those...
    I'd prefer Fernandinha, maybe Dani Lins, but I agree with who thinks this is not the year to try them out.

    Joana,


    I like Dani Lins, but I think Carol has more to offer to the National Team right now. When it comes to your adored setter, she was several times replaced by Camila Adão. The truth is Camila Adão replaced Dani Lins much more frequently than Ana Tiemi replaced Carol Albuquerque.


    You offend me with all this non-sense talk about not being reasonable. Please, don't oversimplify the matter. My arguments were grounded in real evidences, and yours in a stupid suspicion about my personal preferences. I expressed myself pretty clearly in the last post, when I gave the reasons why I prefer Carol, and you just ignored it. My preference for her has nothing to do with the fact that she plays for team A or team B. Anyway, I think there's no point in discussing this subject with you, not because your mind is totally made up about this subject, but because you can't even stop and think about what I'm saying.


    I totally disagree with your point of view when it comes to Zé Roberto's criteria used to chose the players, he was definitely sensible and honest. I just can't see any contradiction in his behaviour. Bernardinho, on the other hand, is totally contradictory. He doesn't want Ricardinho in his team, but he wants his wife to be in the women's team. Bernardinho had a go at training the women's team and he called Kátia Lopes (who the hell is this player?) as Fofão's substitute . That was an idiotic decision, especially if we remember Fofão had serious knee problems in that competition, so, even if Zé Roberto wants, it will be hard for him to overcome Bernardinho's stupid decisions.


    Pinoy,


    Fernanda wasn't called cause she is a retired player, not a player in activity . She hasn't entered a volleyball court for more than one year. How come can the coach evaluate her game? Even if technically and physically she was on the top of her form (it is common knowledge she's far from her top form, even Fernanda herself admitted that),it would be risky to call her again, because of her vanity and her arrogance.

    If Fofão gets injured, it won't be the end of Brazil's Team. In 2005 Brazil's team couldn't count on her settings and the team's performance wasn't compromised. Of course her precise and fast settings boost the team's performance, but it won't be the end of the world if we lose Fofão due to an injury problem. I acknowledge the team may suffer in the beggining to get used to the other setter's style of playing, but after the adaptation period, the team will be able to make do well.


    When it comes to Brazil's team, as far as I'm concerned, there are no relationship problems so far. I hope such problems won't happen till the end of the OG.


    Lothie,


    I agree with the majority of the things you said!

    Celso...first I'm sorry but I never meant to desrespect you.....I did read your point of view over you liking Carol....is just that I don't agree...that's the reason I said I can't argue with you...is just two points of views totaly different...we would be argueing forever...hehe....and since I respect the fact the everyone has your own taste...I don't think is necessary for us to do that right?! ;)




    I'll tell my opinion.....yeah..is true...Dani was substitute many times for Camila Adão last season...but this one?No way...DAni played really well...Specially the end of Superliga...When I said about that Zé Roberto didn't use the same criterio....is that last season he said he wouldn't call Dani and Arlene cause they both made a terible final of superliga(and I can understand that...)...but then this don't happen this season....he says that we don't have a young player that can take the space of Fofão...but who is this fall...if I can remeber well....since 2004 Dani Lins and Ana Tieme had names really well defined for this....and ok...maybe is not time for them to go to an Olympic...but not taking not even to train....when I see Barbolini's call...how things are so different...of course he knows that the setters that are going to Olympic games are Lo Bianco and Ferretti..but even so he called Rondon....cause only like this we start thinking of the future of your country...


    And about Bernardinho...well...first I don't know if you watched "Bem Amigos"...but he never said that he wanted Fernanda back to this team...on the other hand...(like I said before...one of the reasons I didn't like that Fernanda did the anoucement...is that she put Bernardinho on a terible situation....since he had said many times that he would work to put Dani Lins in NT!!!)...and when asked about if he would ake Fernanda...he said that he could not answer that....that Zé Roberto should act with his thoughts and believes of the group!!
    And about Katia calls...yeah....was truly weird...but if I also remember...he had first called the same Carol Albuquerque...but he decided to cut her...when she didn't wnat to loose weight for going to the Olympic Games....but again...it was weird Katia being there...I agree wth you....but looks like Bernardinho learned with his mistake...and he is definetly a much better coach now than before...is life...living and learning...hehe


    This is my opinion....I don't know...looks like Zé can't control the group...and this is for me the reason we don't win...cause the players we have...

    Well, I know I'm going to cut off totally the subject, but ... :P


    My problem with coaches is not to see them making a mistake. My problem with a coach (Zé) is to see him insisting on the same mistakes, year after year. I don't think he's sensitive and honest when he choses players, and yes, I have a problem with Gattaz being on NT. She was good in 2005, but did nothing in 06, 07 and first half of 08. And he didn't prepare any young player as MB, in fact I think Thaísa went there only because she did a job with Bernardinho and "got the attentions" on her own. Until it was evident that Zé should at least call her for training, he acted like she didn't exist. He did that with at least 4 other players in the NT... and still does it with many others.


    I agree with Joana that he should take to training some young players, just like Barbolini does. If you already have a sportive complex, what is the difference of taking 14 or 19? Or even more players...


    Celso, the only point I completely disagree is when you say that in 2005 Brazil could just do fine with Marcelle and Carol. Maybe they did great in one, maybe two games (both against China). But let's face it... even if they had some merit on winning, they had easy games on most of the year. If they had found complete teams, it would be more or less like in the WCH in 2006... Fofão injured, Carolina had to play and Brazil almost lost of NETHERLANDS by 3-0!!! (ok, nothing against the dutches, but that would not happen if Fofão was there since the beginning)... Then in 2007, Brazil did a lousy work in the GP with Carolina and Fabiola... the point is... I don't think Fofão is necessary but I think it's too early to say that without her the performance of the team wouldn't be compromised.


    And again, Ceslo, don't be naïve. There are several problems of relationship in the NT, with or without Fernanda.

    I didn't say there were not problems of relationship among the players of Brazil's NT. I said I've never heard of any problem so far. If you know what's happening, please tell me so. I may be not as knowledgeable as you, Lothie, (when it comes to everyday's life of the Brazil's NT players), but htat is completely different from being naive.


    When it comes to the number of players called, the explanation for that is simple. There won't be enough time for testing. Zé Roberto did that for the last 3 years and now he's focusing on the team's preparation. He'll be able to work on each player's flaws more intensely and I think this is the wisest thing to do.


    As regards the team's performance in 2005, I think your critics are groundless, I don't see any point in underestimating what Carol and Marcelle did for the team. If the other teams were not complete, neither was Brazil. In 2005 we played the WGP without Walewska, Fabiana and Mari, not to mention Fofão, and we lost Paula for the World Grand Champions Cup because of her pregnancy. If the other teams didn't have their full power, neither had Brazil. Brazil's team and Carol's achievements in 2005 were important and should not be underestimated.


    Just for the sake of curiosity, in the match against Netherlands in the World CHampionship, Brazil won the first set. How come would Brazil lose this match by 3-0?


    Finally, it goes without saying that Brazil's team has a lot of problems to solve, neither of them, though, will be solved with Fernanda Venturini's or any other setter's' presence. The players of this very roster can do a good job in the Olympic Games (I'm not saying they will finish 1st) and I choose not to criticize them before they even start to practise with the National Team.

    I think overall, Ze Roberto made a good decision, hard but good choice. It was probably going to add more problems to the already difficult environment inside the team.


    Regardless, Fofao is one of the best setters in the world, but gives some advantages in front of the net... in that case (specially if Brazil plays againts Russia or Cuba) that would be very important to have Carol ready to come out.


    Also a little surprised for Natalia being out... she is the best (or one of the best) young players in the world. I guess, this time Ze Roberto preferred experience players.... good luck Brazil.

    I don't think that Zé Roberto should call more names to make tests...of course not...on the other hand...for me he should have the hole names in his mind for now!!!And I also don't think that Barbolini that called 18 players or Caprara that called 21(!!!) are thinking of making tests...of course Barbolini didn't called Rondon to make test if she would be able to be in the team...he know already that the setters will be Lo Bianco and Ferretti...the thing is that he is looking just for the future...


    I think the most importatn of calling more names...would be for : first...rest some players from GP....I don't think we sould take Fofão or Sheilla and other girls for this tiring championship...they don't need that....and for that rule of 9 players from World Cup...they only need to be on the list of 18 players...don't need to be playing...so he could rest for players that are now at the Europe on a massive championship...and took 4 more girls...


    And second...I think the players that are training would be much more motivated if there were some one behind them....what efford Carol will do if she plays bad there is no one to take her spot??!!!Wouldn't be cleaver to take Dani to always be chalenging Carol...maybe Nathalia to be chaleging Mari...or anu other girls...fighting for one spot players give much more in my opinion...and I think this would be really good for the team!!!!!