Display MoreSpeaking about Towers, I have suggestion for the perfect Serve - Block volleyball team, which can stop even USA or Brasil digging:
Opposites: Visotto, Sokolov
Middle Blockers: Mussergski, Todorov, Roberlandy, Mozdzonek
Setters: Zagumny, Zhekov
OH: Kazyiski, Huantorena, Kurek, Leon
Liberos: Henno, Dunga/Maan
This is lethal combination of jump, height and power!
As easy to guess as pie. 
I'd post my top players if this was the right place.
Zhekov's serve makes dramatic effect to the games, Zagumny will be number 1 with good reception of course.
Say, what is your CURRENT top 5 setters? You can't say critique without pointing an alternative, it is useless
I mean - Ball, Grbich and Ricardo are old, Falasca is not the one from 2007. We have Zagumny, Resende and Zhekov right now. Who is better than them - Esko - not so fast, Vermiglio - I don't think so. Who is left - Grankin? Not better than them. Raphael de Oliveira is probably better, but he is not part of national teams
About Zhekov being the 3rd best setter in the world, maybe you mean 3rd best in Bulgaria - after Nicky Ivanov and of course, Stanev who is never given a chance to prove his skills.
When you list those players, you forget that's your personal choice. Not so fast, old, whatever - that's how you define them, not everyone else. You can't play for one of the best teams in one of the best league and be average. I won't argue about the abovementioned guys. I'm just listing mine:
OH: Murilo, Priddy, Horstink
Opp: Miljkovic, Fei, Omrcen, Oivanen
MB: Mastrangelo, Volkov, Bontje, Simon
Setters: Grbic (!!), Butko (!), Grankin
Libero: Salparov, Henno
Grbich NOW? Butko, Grankin - not my choice definitely, but that is my opinion of course
Curretnly Zhekov is much faster than Ivanov which is crucial for bad receiving, he has one of the best serves on the PLANET, so the better MB play of Ivanov does not make him better at general. Ivanov was better back in 2006 - 2007 before Bulgaria - Russia 3:2 game. He is 37, I think.
P.S. A team without Kazyiski is incomplete in my opinion, like basketball without Michael Jordan
Display MoreSadly, Russia won in 4 sets and is going to the final round in Argentina.
The US, in the mean time, will miss the final round for the first time in 4 years.
This has got to be painful, the reigning and defending Olympic champions bowing out early in the tournament! Arrrgh!
I saw the match and I don't think the US lacked firepower, in fact, I would say that individually the American players are better than the Russian team except for one thing: Setting/Setter! The emergence of young players like Anderson, Holmes, Holt, Patak, Reft plus Olympic veterans like Priddy, Lee, Stanley, Lambourne could not go wrong but then the setting has been very unstable ever since Lloy Ball retired from playing in the National Team. I dont know, Hansen was Ball's back up in the Olympics and has the tools but what separates both are their mental preparedness in tough games. Hansen crumbles under pressure while Ball is so tough mentally. Suxho, as we all know, is injured that's why he couldn't play as of the moment. Hildebrand, the one who replaced Hansen a while ago, is also unstable.
I hope the coaching staff fixes this problem. World championship is a stone's throw away and 24 months from now they will be defending their gold medals
I definitely agree with you! If the USA had Ball or Suxho, things would have been much more different last night. It's such a pity that all those digging efforts of Priddy were wasted with this loss.
Do you know when Suxho will return?
QuoteWhat annoys me most right now is the bulgarian broadcast. They give almost none replays and the main camera is just a mess as it's always late to show the end of the play whether it's a strong serve or spike. Seriously I think if they tried something like a zoom out it would be better 'cause the main camera is just hurrying to move left, right, up and down.
You're totally right, there are 2 or 3 (at maximum) cameras in the sports hall and there's no way to make a proper video broadcast, our national television BNT sucks big time, definitely one of the worst national televisions that exist. The commentary is also awful, the commentator knows a few phrases and repeats them over and over again, he doesn't even know the players on the court.. That's why there's a joke in Bulgaria that we prefer the humming sound of the vuvuzelas to listening to our commentators 
Łukasz Żygadło was expelled from the team
I don't know what to think about it but Castellani's annoying me more and more. At first Kadziewicz, then Żygadło. I don't understand this man, really. His decisions are so...weird, I would say even stupid! He has a group of the players which he favors, he's not objective! I really can't stand this anymore!
Have you read Polish players statement about this situation? They are on Castellani's side and say that the whole conflict is Żygadło's fault. So I don't think there is a reason to be angry with our coach by now...
I read the statement in yesterday's "Przegląd Sportowy", but I think you may also find it in the web.
I spent the last three days in Varna especially to watch both games live. NO ONE is responsible for your defeat when you hold the key for success in your own hands!!! I said it in relevance to the hundred posts with discussion about Italy and so on. Yes, I don't approve what happened in Serbia, but Bulgarian players have only their weak performance to judge upon, nothing more! You can't and should never blame other teams when you are not ready to take the victory!
Now to the games, the first one was probably among the best I've watched in a while! There were mistakes, of course, but overall the quality of volleyball was great. I expected worse Brazil, we were definitely in a better shape than Brazil before the games, so I was optimistic. However, in sports there's one major difference between a good and a great team - MENTALITY! Brazil came and played like champions, despite recently struggling with Korea and the Netherlands, despite the weak Giba and so on.. Our team, as usual, showed great spirit in the less important games (I don't mean that Korea and Netherlands are weak, just that the games against them were at that time not decisive), but when it came down to the decisive moments, we totally suck! A great season for Kaziyski and Nikolov, an increding sports performance for Aleksiev in the previous matches, but you all saw how mediocre they were against Brazil. In the sports hall you could clearly see they were shaking when receiving the floats of Rodrigao and Bruno. THIS IS WRONG! We will never be a great team like Brazil if we play like this in important games. We don't have the guts to be champions, no matter whether it's a World League, WCH or ECH! If you don't trust me, watch again the games against Poland in WCH 2002 and ECH 2009!
I am especially ashamed to have watched the second game live!!! Brazil played with the second squad (OK, with Giba, Sidao and Marlon, but they weren't that motivated any longer), Vissotto sent twice in a row the ball out to help us lead 2-1 (quite intentional, he does something like this only once every 2 years maybe..), even Mario was cheering with our fans after we lead by 2-1! This Brazil was ready to help Bulgaria qualify, but it seemed our guys just weren't ready for a gift like this. Bulgaria didn't deserve to qualify with the game they showed on Friday! Too bad we showed such a potential the weeks before, the team disappointed many people in Varna who travelled from all over the country despite the awful weather to support them!
Joana: well, this weekend Mario made me forget about Sergio! What demotivated our players at most was the incredible defense, if Mario continues like this, Sergio won't be missed much!
YavorD, I don't think that we've watched the same game 
What I have watched was better Brasil than in the first game - Giba, better than Dante, Sidao better than Saatkamp, Murilo running the whole court like chased by zombies.They played harder than the first game!
QuoteYavorD, I don't think that we've watched the same game
.. and a less effective Vissotto (but still great) substituted in some decisive moments by Wallace (!), a missing Bruno (his injury wasn't serious at all), Sidao was definitely not better in block than Lucas (both were great though) and a very relaxed Brazil (without considering the yellow card situation)! Even Bernardo Rezende was calm throughout the whole game (again, without the yellow card situation)!
So, I am not gonna argue about this, I can do it only with people who have been in the sports hall, because you can't see the whole game on TV when there are only 2 cameras inside!
Have you read Polish players statement about this situation? They are on Castellani's side and say that the whole conflict is Żygadło's fault. So I don't think there is a reason to be angry with our coach by now...
I read the statement in yesterday's "Przegląd Sportowy", but I think you may also find it in the web.
Yes I have read their statement. And it is disgusting for me... I mean the way how our players and coach behaved. Ok, maybe I exaggerated a little bit with Castellani, but his decisions are still strange for me and I still don't understand them.
But generally this whole situation was really sad and disgusting for me...why our players couldn't explain it without making such unpleasant
situations? I'm really sad that things ended this way.
.. and a less effective Vissotto (but still great) substituted in some decisive moments by Wallace (!), a missing Bruno (his injury wasn't serious at all), Sidao was definitely not better in block than Lucas (both were great though) and a very relaxed Brazil (without considering the yellow card situation)! Even Bernardo Rezende was calm throughout the whole game (again, without the yellow card situation)!
So, I am not gonna argue about this, I can do it only with people who have been in the sports hall, because you can't see the whole game on TV when there are only 2 cameras inside!
Wallace was substitution the first game also, clearly tactical decision, higher is not always better.
Also, I didn't see Giba or Murilo relaxing, one was like dragon against the referee, the other was running wild on the court.
Could you guys from Poland explain to the rest of us what's the situation about Zygadlo? I haven't heard about it any place else and your comments made me kind of curious... Is it similar to what happened to Ricardo 3 years ago?
Official Lukasz was so individual in Team and Coach doesn't accept this. Lukasz said that He want play not sit every match. But know Coach said probably that Lukasz can play in Team, but He said no with this coach.
Yes I have read their statement. And it is disgusting for me... I mean the way how our players and coach behaved. Ok, maybe I exaggerated a little bit with Castellani, but his decisions are still strange for me and I still don't understand them.
But generally this whole situation was really sad and disgusting for me...why our players couldn't explain it without making such unpleasant
situations? I'm really sad that things ended this way.
And for me disgusting is how Zygadlo behaved not players or coach. That what he said in tv studio before match Poland-Cuba (after that he quit national team) was very bad 
If someone doesn't respect coach decisions and talking about it in TV is not worth to be in national team. And talking about colleagues from the team in a not good way is even more Volleyball ia a team sport not individual.
And for me disgusting is how Zygadlo behaved not players or coach. That what he said in tv studio before match Poland-Cuba (after that he quit national team) was very bad
I like Łukasz, so maybe I wasn't objective...I donnu. But I was talking generally too. This whole situation was disgusting to me. I agree- Łukasz shouldn't complain in tv studio(actually it wasn't the first time when he was complaining like this, I really don't like it), but also our players shouldn't write this statement. As I wrote in my previous message- they should explain it without media, without making such unpleasant situations.
Yes, I agree with you that they should find a better way to solve it than a statement to the press.
This is normal in male and female polish NT. Perfect scandal but perfect play ...
Italy 4ever 
