Time for a new topic...
After 9 years with Guidetti it will be a new start for NT with Luciano Pedulla as new coach.
Most important tournaments:
- Montreux
- European Games
- World Grand Prix
- European Championship
In a first interview with Volleyball Magazin, Pedulla said that he intends to play a similar style as he does in Novara with NT, that means many backrow attacks, libero switching between pos. 5 and 6 and quick transition play with players that find solutions also in difficult situations. He is open for many tactical options, for example he could also imagine Kozuch playing as OH if any of the young OPPs will do a good job. So far he has only contacted the players which are in Italy (Brinker, Möllers, Kozuch), but he will talk to Fürst to see if there is any chance she'll change her mind. About new players in this interview he mentioned only Julia Schaefer (1996 OH/OPP from Münster) and Marie Holstein (1997 OH from Schwerin), but he has several more players in mind.
Time to make some guesses about the roster
Setters: Kathleen Weiss said that she wants to play in Rio, so she'll be there. With Mareen Apitz you never know when she wants to play in NT, but if she wants she'll definitely be there as well. Pedulla has worked with Lena Möllers in Novara and this season she seems to play well in Bolzano so she should be there too. Denise Hanke dropped to 3rd setter in Wroclaw, so it's hard to judge her current level. About new players, I think Mareike Hindriksen really deserves an invitation even though she's already 27. She is playing very well in Stuttgart and I think she fits into the style Pedulla wants to play. If Magdalena Gryka wants to play for Germany she should also be invited, otherwise maybe Denise Imoudu or Irina Kemmsies could be tried as prospect for the future.
OPP: Maggie Kozuch will be there, no doubt about that. Also Louisa Lippmann will be there even though she is only backup in Dresden and didn't make as much progress as I hoped. Saskia Hippe has recovered from her knee injury but hasn't been convincing in Schwerin, but I guess Pedulla will give her a chance. Carina Aulenbrock wasted a whole season (again) in Schwerin so I see no way why she would be invited. Julia Schaefer when she was healthy had some very good games for Münster this season, she might also play as OH. Hanna Orthmann (1998 ) is a great prospect for the future but this year it's probably still too early for her to be in NT.
OH: The players from last year Heike Beier, Maren Brinker, Jennifer Geerties, Laura Weihenmaier will surely all be there this year as well. Pedulla said that Lisa Izquierdo already impressed him as Junior player, so maybe he'll give her more chances than Guidetti did. Lena Stigrot had a good season in attack but her reception is weak, she could do better as OPP but she's only 1.80 so that's difficult, however she's an interesting player. Claudia Steger also had a pretty good season but I can't imagine her on international level.
MB: That's difficult...Christiane Fürst and Stefanie Karg have announced that they won't play for NT anymore, so not many players left. Jennifer Pettke was the positive surprise of NT last summer, this season in the league she was not bad but not outstanding either. Wiebke Silge played more matches as OPP than as MB unfortunately, but she should be there. Anja Brandt played very well in Schwerin in the last few weeks, if she can keep this shape she could even be starter in NT. On the other hand Berit Kauffeldt hasn't shown anything in Wroclaw so she probably won't play a role, but then who else could? Leonie Schwertmann wasn't too convincing this season, Marie Schölzel from Junior NT performed well for VCO Berlin but I don't think she's enough for international level, same for Rebecca Schäperklaus from Wiesbaden. Lisa Gründing was converted from OH to MB this season in Potsdam and did surprisingly well, but also she probably won't be good enough for NT.
Libero: Lenka Dürr and Lisa Thomsen will be the main candidates for sure. I wonder if Pedulla will invite 30 year old Linda Dörendahl, in terms of performance she'd definitely deserve it. Janine Völker did a decent job in Schwerin but I don't think she's on the same level as Thomsen and Dürr. Among the younger players Lisa Stock and Anna Pogany are not bad but also not really great talents.
Overall it looks like we can't expect too many new names in NT this year, so I hope all of the "old" players will come and show a good level. Pedulla is a good coach, I hope he'll connect well with the team and make them play on a high level...