Guys, have you seen French team paying tribute to Russian team? When Russians were eating dinner after the game, French came to their table, danced and sang "Kalinka"
GOTTA love this French team!
It continued in the bar ... 
but it was also vice versa.
Alekno is a little bit like Karpol in former days: off the court he is such a nice and warm person !
Canadians are totally stupid. How can you lose at Home 0:3 vs Cuba. 
It continued in the bar ...
Alekno is a little bit like Karpol in former days: off the court he is such a nice and warm person !
Please do not compare Alekno and Karpol.
I saw Karpol's "match attitude" few times when he was a coach of Uraloczka and Russia.
His screaming was too loud and some players didn't look at his eyes in any technical break.
Canadians are totally stupid. How can you lose at Home 0:3 vs Cuba.
The same as Turkey two matches in a row few days ago.
Dream team of CEV QOT 
S: Toniutti
OP: Mikhailov
OH: Ngapeth - Kaliberda
MB: Bohme - Bieniek
L: Grebennikov
3 French players, 2 German and 1 from Russia and Poland
and summary in video 
Display MoreDream team of CEV QOT
S: Toniutti
OP: Mikhailov
OH: Ngapeth - Kaliberda
MB: Bohme - Bieniek
L: Grebennikov
3 French players, 2 German and 1 from Russia and Poland
and summary in video
MVP: Sergey Tetyukhin 
This summer, who would have thought that Russia and Italy would had been the first two European teams to qualify for Rio?
Display MoreYes the FIVB's qualifying system for the Intercontinental Tournament is stupid. Both of these teams should probably be in Rio if they play like this.
It should look like this:
World Qualifier in Japan
Top 4 Asian teams, 3rd place Africa, 2nd place Norceca, 2nd place Europe, 3rd place South America
Intercontinental Qualifier
2nd place Africa, 2nd place South America, 3rd place Norceca, 3rd place Europe
I could see taking out 3rd place out of Africa or South America for a 4th place from Europe.
Are you sure? Because I also think the two European teams will travel to the qualifier in Japan. This doesn't look right for some reason...
Display MoreWell, Mexico just defeated Puerto Rico coming back from 0-2 and qualified for IQT
I think Mexico is slight favorite to take the quota, but Chile is dangerous with Gevert and Bonacic. They even took a set from Brazil A team at south american ch. I also wouldn't write off Tunisia and Algeria (assuming Egypt wins african quota).
Very interesting.
Yes, it is extremely interesting indeed to discuss the chances of Mexico, Chile, Colombia, Cameroon, or Algeria to get the 12th Olympic berth... It's not your fault, of course, but I don't see how the rest of the world would enjoy that. I don't remember such an embarrassing Olympic qualifier...
It continued in the bar ...
Alekno is a little bit like Karpol in former days: off the court he is such a nice and warm person !
Sports people, or at least energetic sports people, usually have two faces. One on court and one off court. I remember listening to Alekno talking peacefully to Russian fans in Berlin in 2015 minutes after Zenit had beaten Resovia in the Champions League final and how everyone turned around looking at him with fear as he was shouting to Zenit's bus driver I mean he is a big man and his voice silenced pretty much everything and everyone around
Guys, have you seen French team paying tribute to Russian team? When Russians were eating dinner after the game, French came to their table, danced and sang "Kalinka"
Here a video: http://dal15al25.gazzetta.it/2…-rende-onore-alla-russia/
I was away on Friday and Saturday and missed all actions. I guess I will have to rewatch some matches, they look entertaining, based on what you wrote. But I watched both matches yesterday. I was right about France and Russia playing again.
I am once again impressed by the master mind Alekno. He is one of the world's best coaches, no question about that. I would've still bet on France before the game and with that 25-14 score in the first set I didn't really see the Russian win coming. I read that powsoff found this Russian team boring (I don't remember the definition exactly, I am quoting vaguely), but I don't agree. I actually found the way Russia played greatly protruding. Their game at the ECH was already improving, they performed better than at the World Cup. A quarterfinal match versus Italy, however, sent all this to the dustbin. The reason, in my opinion, was still mostly psychological. Alekno surely didn't have much time, just like every coach for that matter, to do miracles with this squad before arriving to Berlin, but you should've all noticed they way they transition and the confidence (out of nowhere) they applied to challenge France. Russia already played well versus France in the group stage, although France was unbeatable on that day. Master tactician that he is, Alekno could hardly be beaten twice in a tournament by the same team (I am sure there must be exceptions, though, but let's not focus on history and circumstances now). powsoff also mentioned that Berezhko and Markin are teammates with Grankin on a club level as well, which surely helps in such cases and I am certain it is one of the reasons for what happened, but how often have the two decided games for Dinamo Moscow? And how often as subs in a final when they were a set (14-25) behind? None, right? Honestly, I've never even seen Markin play like this, not even against the weaker squads in the Russian league. So Alekno definitely played his part. I even saw a Russian team, without its main player, perform a better transition game than the transition masters themselves. And if no coach/team can adopt this system overnight, very few coaches in the world are capable of changing a game's rhythm like Alekno. Kudos. For France were outblocked (OK, stats sheets say France had better serve and slightly better reception numbers), outsmarted, and overall outplayed.
On the other side, I was a bit disappointed Laurent Tillie found no way to turn things around. As a coach of the most dominant team of 2015 and 2016 (so far), Tillie has already won games when things didn't go his way. But when France let Russia come back and take control of the game, the Euro champs looked like a normal team, maybe for the first time in months. The bench doesn't have the quality of the starting line-up. We can argue for hours but this is true. And sooner or later the A team were meant to suffer. Perhaps they finally met an opponent who had a more complex plan how to stop them. Many teams had a good Plan A and then suffered when France woke up. Alekno had a failing Plan A, but then a perfect Plan B. Luck might've also been involved, but who cares.
You all said it, both Germany and Poland deserve to be in Rio. Some other good teams across the globe may miss the Games due to the qualifying regulations, but rules are rules. I didn't watch it carefully to say something more technical, the match was more dramatic and emotional, which is what matters more in such moments. I didn't have a favourite and I might let down a few people here by saying this: it would've been strange for a non-volleyball nation like Germany, regardless of how well they played or whether they could reach their WCH 2014 form, to take Poland's (or Serbia's, or Bulgaria's) place in Rio, or at the qualifier in Japan. I would take them all but that's not my point. After all, the reigning ECH, Olympic, and World champions were granted another chance and we should accept it.
QuoteI know some of you criticize Kubiak but I also couldn't imagine better captain. He's annoying, ok. He's expressive, often shows some gestures that can be received badly, provokes. He doesn't do anything without a reason. If someone pisses him off at the net, he gives tiit for tat. AndGermans weren't saints Franciscans. At the top of everything he does, he always does everything for his team. I can't imagine anyone more big-hearted than him. And in Poland everyone knows it, he is simply loved exactly as he is. In the end, believe me, he grew up and shows full respect for any opponent he faces. But he would do anything only to help the team even if it's equal to throwing sb off balance. Still a warrior, big hero, smart player. Nothing more to add but great personality.
honestly, I don't know how anyone can dislike Kubiak at this point. I seriously think that people are so used to complaining about him, that they haven't notice what man he became. He just grew up so much, since he became the captain. And honestly, I think he is the best captain we've ever had (and it's me who is saying that, me who will always put Winiarski above everybody 
). He just NEVER gave up, honestly, I don't remember one single match, where he stop fighting and stop believing before the last whistle. When all of our primabalerinas during tough match pray for the end of it, he is the one who gives them a sign to fight. I cannot even count how many matches he saved for us this past few years. Michal Kubiak is THE captain. Michal Kubiak is what volleyball is about. He cried in Japan this year and he cried yesterday too. He gives us his heart and this is why we love him
He is not criminal like Ngapeth, he is not psycho like Spirydonow, he just cares to much.
before the match I said, that it all depends on Kubiak, if he is able to put the team together, get through them and make them angry about everything what happened this year (including one set missing in Japan and two missing points with France) instead of being dissapointed and resigned. Somehow he made it. It's because of him, the hell didn't freeze over and I don't have to live in reality where Poland is not going to OG
Volleyball God seems to hate us so much this year, but we are still alive and I'm so glad, I cannot even describe it. As Kurek said "apparently Rio doesn't want us, but we will make it anyway.". It's not so easy to defeat Poland, Mr. Garca and Universe, you should know better 
Quoteit would've been strange for a non-volleyball nation like Germany, regardless of how well they played or whether they could reach their WCH 2014 form, to take Poland's (or Serbia's, or Bulgaria's) place in Rio
Germany is one of my favorite teams (I don't really know why) and if I wasn't crying with emotions after the match, I would feel horrible for them. But seriously, I cannot even imagine the mourning and sarrow in Poland, if they lost. My facebook went literally crazy during and after this match. I think t's only comparable with German national football team not qualifing to WCh...
I feel horrible for the players though. This system is absolute disaster and this mess in FIVB just HAS TO stop. (Not even mentioning that till now Poland played 16 matches for OG qualification, won 13 of them and still didn't qualify)
Congratulation, Russia! 
Are you sure? Because I also think the two European teams will travel to the qualifier in Japan. This doesn't look right for some reason...
It is not the FIVB version, I was saying, if we wanted to make the Intercontinental and World Qualifiers look a little different, would that make us as fans happy? With my version of the Intercontinental Qualifier, you would have Poland, Venezuela, Mexico and Egypt/Tunisia winner. Poland would win that group easily in my mind. Then with the World Qualifier, France, Canada, Chile and Algeria/Cameroon joining the 4 Asian teams of Iran, Japan, Australia and China. In my mind France, Iran, Japan and then a battle for the 4th spot to go to Rio with a different look.
With my version of the Intercontinental Qualifier, you would have Poland, Venezuela, Mexico and Egypt/Tunisia winner. Poland would win that group easily in my mind.
Of course they would, but still, what's the point of rewarding the team that finished 3rd and punishing the team that came in 2nd? Basically, the intercontinental tournament needs to be scratched. It was an awful idea to begin with.
Something similar is going on with handball. There the World championship serves as a pre-qualifying tournament and now the team that finished 7th has a much easier road to Rio than the bronze medalist. It's complete nonsence.
On the other side, I was a bit disappointed Laurent Tillie found no way to turn things around. As a coach of the most dominant team of 2015 and 2016 (so far), Tillie has already won games when things didn't go his way. But when France let Russia come back and take control of the game, the Euro champs looked like a normal team, maybe for the first time in months. The bench doesn't have the quality of the starting line-up. We can argue for hours but this is true. And sooner or later the A team were meant to suffer. Perhaps they finally met an opponent who had a more complex plan how to stop them. Many teams had a good Plan A and then suffered when France woke up. Alekno had a failing Plan A, but then a perfect Plan B. Luck might've also been involved, but who cares.
It's perhaps because: (1) He believed / or was waiting for the players to adjust themselves, since as you've mentioned, they still won games when things didn't go his way last year; (2) Set 3 was tight, and because of the wide gap between his starting and reserve squad, he'd rather let his starting players turn the game around; (3) He tried Pujol and Sidibe in set 2 (correct me if my memory is wrong), and it's a failure.
So far, France could manage to win a game when either N'gapeth or Rouzier is out of his mind, but not both. Indeed, things improved when Marechal replaced Rouzier in set 4, but it's too late. Tillie should have substituted N'gapeth or Rouzier out earlier either in set 3 or early set 4; N'gapeth was blocked like hell since set 2, and Rouzier had been struggling as well.
Before the start of the tournament, I once commented that many French players in the starting line-up do not deliver a very stable performance, and I pinpointed Toniutti, the playmaker. In this match, when all the three wing spikers had been suffering, Tillie could have tried to rest Toniutti, not necessarily to hope that Pujol to play better, but at least to change the rhythm a little bit. In this match, it does show something about this French team. Players got very tense somewhat suddenly in an important game. You'd expect a top team to react better.
It's perhaps because: (1) He believed / or was waiting for the players to adjust themselves, since as you've mentioned, they still won games when things didn't go his way last year; (2) Set 3 was tight, and because of the wide gap between his starting and reserve squad, he'd rather let his starting players turn the game around; (3) He tried Pujol and Sidibe in set 2 (correct me if my memory is wrong), and it's a failure.
So far, France could manage to win a game when either N'gapeth or Rouzier is out of his mind, but not both. Indeed, things improved when Marechal replaced Rouzier in set 4, but it's too late. Tillie should have substituted N'gapeth or Rouzier out earlier either in set 3 or early set 4; N'gapeth was blocked like hell since set 2, and Rouzier had been struggling as well.
Before the start of the tournament, I once commented that many French players in the starting line-up do not deliver a very stable performance, and I pinpointed Toniutti, the playmaker. In this match, when all the three wing spikers had been suffering, Tillie could have tried to rest Toniutti, not necessarily to hope that Pujol to play better, but at least to change the rhythm a little bit. In this match, it does show something about this French team. Players got very tense somewhat suddenly in an important game. You'd expect a top team to react better.
Regarding the bolded part, I also started thinking why France failed to react accordingly but I would not dramatize about it. After all, this is a team that had reached an amazing run of games, with the majority of players spending the whole international competitive 2015 playing superbly. I have mentioned several times the lack of alternatives (usually) and the impressive form of the starting six (seven), it was really about time they surrenderd at some juncture. Also, 2016 will show how far France can get or whether the level they show (if they succeed in maintaining it) will be enough to win, because let's not neglect the fact that there were too many tournaments in 2015 and teams often had a different focus, while others weren't even close to their usual level at times. Otherwise, I agree with what you wrote. The subs Tillie made had some impact, I concur with it, but not the impact I was expecting. And I was rather waiting for some effect on the starting players, I didn't believe Marechal, Sidibe, and Puyol could dramatically turn around the match.
honestly, I don't know how anyone can dislike Kubiak at this point. I seriously think that people are so used to complaining about him, that they haven't notice what man he became. He just grew up so much, since he became the captain. And honestly, I think he is the best captain we've ever had (and it's me who is saying that, me who will always put Winiarski above everybody
He is not criminal like Ngapeth, he is not psycho like Spirydonow, he just cares to much.
before the match I said, that it all depends on Kubiak, if he is able to put the team together, get through them and make them angry about everything what happened this year (including one set missing in Japan and two missing points with France) instead of being dissapointed and resigned. Somehow he made it. It's because of him, the hell didn't freeze over and I don't have to live in reality where Poland is not going to OG
I would sign under this using caps lock!! Kubiak is one to remember forever. A legend being barely 28! 
Egypt qualified to OG 2016!
African qualification final match Egypt - Tunesia 3:2
Tunesia and Algieria qualified to Intercontinental qualifier (4 teams - Algieria, Chile, Mexico and Tunisia). Winner will be qualified to OG.
I still and once again cannot understand why FIVB created such "strong" tournament without any European team for instance Germany.
Canada and Venezuela should be sent to this tournament and not to Japan.. they could have planned at least that, but nooo they couldn't.
Kubiak Legend.. Some have still emotions in blood..
Guys I made a mistake! Best 3 teams + best remained Asian qualifies, not vice versa.
Guys! Again I made a mistake, what I'd been thinking first is correct. First best Asian, then best remained 3 teams qualify. To close the discussion you can see this PDF (page 3 or 6) and this news from Japan federation :
(1) アジアの最上位1チーム
(2) (1)を除いた7チームの内上位3チーム
