World Cup 2011

  • November 11. Patriotic date :D Anyway, 9 days to go and I can't already wait to see this new team in an action. I'm so curious what they'll show and more: what they are capable of.
    Martee this picture made my day so I thank you :heart:


    It's because I love Kuba so much... :heart: :lol:

    You know, your love to Kuba reminds my love to Woicki :lol:

  • FIVB BLOG


    Andrea Zorzi: Brazil favourites, but expect a close contest
    It’s hard to look past Brazil as clear favourites for the Men’s World Cup. However, I still expect Russia, Serbia, and hopeful Italy to play a role and all three teams could be a stumbling block for the South Americans.


    It’s looking very good for Russia because they can play at a good level for a long period of time due to a squad of very good players. However, this isn’t the case with Serbia as they have about six players who can challenge anyone, so for a long tournament like the World Cup it will be tough. Italy are young in experience but they have shown positive signs and I hope to see them on the podium.


    However, you cannot forget about Argentina, Cuba and USA, who can also beat anyone on their day.


    Brazil will almost certainly earn a berth for the London 2012 Olympic Games but the other two spots will be contested by the above teams.

  • Vladimir Alekno announced 16 players who prepare to World Cup:
    Liberos: Alexander Sokolov, Alexey Obmochaev
    Setters: Alexander Butko, Sergey Makarov
    Middle-Blockers: Alexander Abrosimov, Alexander Volkov, Nikolay Apalikov, Dimitriy Muserskiy
    Outside-Hitters: Yury Berezhko, Denis Biryukov, Evgeny Sivozhelez, Sergey Tetyukhin, Taras Khtey
    Opposites: Maxim Mikhaylov, Pavel Kruglov, Roman Yakovlev
    Sergey Grankin is out due to knee injury.

    Gold medal - World League 2013 Prediction Game
    Bronze medal - World League 2012 Prediction Game

  • So two more will be cut. To make 14 from 16.
    I wonder... I'm curious in what shape Tetyukhin is. I would be delighted to see him back in NT. And considering the fact that Berezhko doesn't play great, lately... it isn't so impossible to see Sergey.
    And one opposite or middle-blocker will be out. I have no idea who. I'm so curious.

  • Thanks Andrea for not mentioning us among the teams who can make a little mess in Japan (not even among favourites :rolll: ) :D
    We're a little underestimated again. Brilliant. Another bronze to our collection :D

  • Thanks Andrea for not mentioning us among the teams who can make a little mess in Japan (not even among favourites :rolll: ) :D
    We're a little underestimated again. Brilliant. Another bronze to our collection :D


    I was surprised for that two! And also for putting Cuba in the second part...



    BTW,


    Italian NT 14 list for WC:


    Setters: Travica, Boninfante


    OHs: Savani, Zaytsev, Parodi, Rosso (surpriseeeeee! And I lost my time thinking about the reasons for calling Kovar vs the reasons for calling Maruotti...)


    Opposite: Lasko, Sabbi, Fei (but Antinelli staurday said that it is possible that Berruto will use him in different position, also as a MB. Antinelli said also "as a receiver" - I didn't had the chance to notice that, but I read he is receiving sometimes in Belluno... - but honestly I can't believe he will recive :what: Ok, Savani isn't a reception genius, but at least he does that daily...)


    MBs: Mastro, Bira, Buti (bye bye Rocco)


    Liberos: Bari, Giovi

  • I won't comment of course how I love BOTH our setters... well, we don't have any other choices :lol:
    but seriously this Fei thing... makes me go out of my mind... him??? in reception??? is Berruto seriously on drugs??? an opposite as receiver? I mean of course if he HAS TO in a particular moment...but WTF? :/


    It makes sense he didn't call Maruotti or Kovar imho..they didn't play much,well, Kovar couldn't play for 3matches and he doesn't play much anyway... Maruotti even worse, he had his chance and lost it..of course he was MVP yesterday but still... played so badly the first matches. Hope he'll get better during the season so he'll have his chance later :)

  • So two more will be cut. To make 14 from 16.
    I wonder... I'm curious in what shape Tetyukhin is. I would be delighted to see him back in NT. And considering the fact that Berezhko doesn't play great, lately... it isn't so impossible to see Sergey.
    And one opposite or middle-blocker will be out. I have no idea who. I'm so curious.


    Berezhko & Yakovlev ;) strange to see Obmochaev in squad, he didnt impress me at all :what:

  • but seriously this Fei thing... makes me go out of my mind... him??? in reception???


    exactly what i thought. he really has to help when he can but.... idk :/




    btw, argentina's 14 for the world cup:


    setters: Luciano De Cecco, Nicolás Uriarte
    opposites: Federico Pereyra, Iván Castellani
    middle-blockers: Pablo Crer, Sebastián Solé, Maximiliano Gauna
    spikers: Facundo Conte, Rodrigo Quiroga, Mariano Giustiniano, Nicolás Bruno, Cristian Poglajen
    liberos: Alexis González, Franco López

  • So, the brazilians will travel to Japan tomorrow. Interestingly, the staff decided to take 15 guys. I'm assuming they'll have to cut one player, but the report from the Confederation says nothing about it. The roster is:


    Setters: Bruno and Marlon
    Opposites: Théo, Leandro Vissoto and Wallace Souza
    Middles: Gustavo, Rodrigão, Lucão and Sidão
    OH's: Giba, Murilo, Dante, João Paulo Bravo and Thiago Alves
    Libero: Sérgio


    Wallace Martins, who played the finals of the WL and was starter in the South American Championship, was cut. That's a good decision, in my opinion. In the Pan American Games, he was sub for Wallace Souza, while Théo remained training with the main group and Vissoto was playing in Italy. Now, Vissoto was called back. I expected Wallace Souza to be cut as well with the return of Vissoto, but he, at least, is traveling with the group among the 15 as well, which I think it's pretty cool, cause I think he'll eventually become the main opposite of the NT in the coming years.


    Bernardo decided to take just one libero, and I think it's ok, if slightly surprising, though.


    For the setters, we can't really say the choice was surprising, right? I just think if Vissoto was sent back to Italy after being part of the group in the first part of the year, it couldn't hurt to ask Raphael to join the team for the WC, as well, instead of one of the others. Obviously, that was never gonna happen, but I'm still gonna be whining about that until there's no tomorrow. :D


    The rest is, obviously, expected.

  • setters: Luciano De Cecco, Nicolás Uriarte
    opposites: Federico Pereyra, Iván Castellani
    middle-blockers: Pablo Crer, Sebastián Solé, Maximiliano Gauna
    spikers: Facundo Conte, Rodrigo Quiroga, Mariano Giustiniano, Nicolás Bruno, Cristian Poglajen
    liberos: Alexis González, Franco López


    Nice to see Castellani there! Argentinian NT is every time younger! But what about Ocampo?! Is he injuried or what?


    I won't comment of course how I love BOTH our setters... well, we don't have any other choices
    but seriously this Fei thing... makes me go out of my mind... him??? in reception??? is Berruto seriously on drugs??? an opposite as receiver? I mean of course if he HAS TO in a particular moment...but WTF? :/


    I hope that the one on drugs was Antinelli xD


    I would have preferred Baranowicz (I don't now how is playing Falaschi with Castellana, honestly) more than Boninfante tha isn't brillant lately.


    BTW, about Fei, I kinda have the impression that now that FIPAV (and fans) expectations are different in Italy (now that actually EXISTS an expectation), Berruto was a bit afraid of letting these expectation down and decided to count on another more experienced player. It's a bit like a step back to me: he started with the courage of chosing younger and less experienced player, he wanted to trust in them, and now that they showed they are trustworthy, he decided he prefer to feel "safer" with smone experienced... I didn't expect he would have chose the most confortable and "easy" way... But I guess qualification for the OG is the goal of this team, so Berruto will try everything he can to reach it.


    BTW, I hope Fei will be able to make the difference as Mastro did during the ECh!!! Actually, I prefer we won't need him, because that would mean that Lasko is doing great and may be the team too ;)


    ps that doesn't mean I don't like Berruto, I do!!!!! (exept when he got mad)


    Setters: Bruno and Marlon
    Opposites: Théo, Leandro Vissoto and Wallace Souza
    Middles: Gustavo, Rodrigão, Lucão and Sidão
    OH's: Giba, Murilo, Dante, João Paulo Bravo and Thiago Alves
    Libero: Sérgio


    Rapha ;(


    Only one libero? Ok, Sergio insn't "one" libero, but "the" libero :) , but can he handle 11 matches in 15 days? with not even a sub for the "easier" matches?!

  • Right, there's this issue, and last year Sérgio threatened to leave the NT for good, cause he thought he couldn't handle the physical aspects of the playing anymore, since he suffered a lot after he had surgery on his back. But now he's in good conditions. I think most people in Brazil don't really like Mário Jr. and doesn't think he as a good substitute for Sérgio, especially after last year, but I gotta say he did play a good tournament on the Pan American Games. Most people prefere Alan, but unfortunately, he keeps getting injured. I think he's ok now, though, and I also hope Bernardo can give more chances to younger liberos in the future, like Tiago Brendle. This year Brendle and Mário Jr. will fight for one spot in the same team - Vôlei Futuro, and then we'll see what happens. I hope Brendle gets to play, cause I think he's the best libero of this new generation and, to tell you the truth, there really aren't much others, besides him. The others, I think, are all older or not enough talented.


    But for this WC, I think maybe Bernardo can use João Paulo Bravo as libero in the easier matches. But I don't expect him to do this too often. He's been telling in each interview he gives that he thinks this will be the hardest WC ever and that he thinks 8 teams can fight for the 3 top spots.

  • Setters: Bruno and Marlon
    Opposites: Théo, Leandro Vissoto and Wallace Souza
    Middles: Gustavo, Rodrigão, Lucão and Sidão
    OH's: Giba, Murilo, Dante, João Paulo Bravo and Thiago Alves
    Libero: Sérgio

    Marlon. Blah :pinch:
    Gustavo :dance6: Holy shit. My heart is in pieces. I don't know which guys will be in starting six in most of matches. Of course my number one is Sidao. But the second... Hmmm. Gustavo was always among my favourites. But then Lucao appeared and mixed in my heart.



    Nice to see Castellani there! Argentinian NT is every time younger! But what about Ocampo?! Is he injuried or what?

    I have exactly the same question. Where's Lucas?
    Ivan. He will be new little sunshine in Argentinian team ^^

  • Quote

    Nice to see Castellani there! Argentinian NT is every time younger! But what about Ocampo?! Is he injuried or what?


    Quote

    I have exactly the same question. Where's Lucas?
    Ivan. He will be new little sunshine in Argentinian team


    Yeeees, he even took Gauna as 3rd MB, who is 22. probably Ocampo and Blanco Costa were too old, Ocampo is 25 and B.Costa 26... :lol: seriously, it's crazy... the older one is Gonzalez who's 30,but the other libero, Franco Lopez is 22.
    I don't know why he didn't call OCampo... probably because he doesn't play at Bolivar anymore!? Idk, I haven't actually seen Poglajen playing much, for sure Giustiniano proved that he can be an excellent sub for Facu... probably Ocampo isn't doing so good lately... he wasn't even at the Panamericans :)


    I really hope to see Ivan play here too :) now that he's not playing anywhere and he just trains for the NT I hope that he will do his best when he'll play...



    I don't want to say that Berruto should call all people born in 1989 like Weber :lol: , but I'm still disappointed for this Fei decision.


    Quote

    BTW, about Fei, I kinda have the impression that now that FIPAV (and fans) expectations are different in Italy (now that actually EXISTS an expectation), Berruto was a bit afraid of letting these expectation down and decided to count on another more experienced player. It's a bit like a step back to me: he started with the courage of chosing younger and less experienced player, he wanted to trust in them, and now that they showed they are trustworthy, he decided he prefer to feel "safer" with smone experienced... I didn't expect he would have chose the most confortable and "easy" way... But I guess qualification for the OG is the goal of this team, so Berruto will try everything he can to reach it.


    same feeling I have. But I don't like it. What will he do next, call Giani back because he's afraid we can't win? :lol:
    I mean, I know this is a HUGE opportunity we've got and it's really hard to get the first 3 spots, but it's not like is the only chance we've got....I want you to be a little braver, Berruto. It was easier at the World League because we didn't have any expectations!

  • What's up with Kurek? Is he seriously injured or he will be OK for the WC?


  • I don't want to say that Berruto should call all people born in 1989 like Weber :lol: , but I'm still disappointed for this Fei decision.



    same feeling I have. But I don't like it. What will he do next, call Giani back because he's afraid we can't win? :lol:
    I mean, I know this is a HUGE opportunity we've got and it's really hard to get the first 3 spots, but it's not like is the only chance we've got....I want you to be a little braver, Berruto. It was easier at the World League because we didn't have any expectations!


    May I play a little of devil's advocate here? If you guys feel that way about Fei - which I actually think it's totally justified on your part -, don't you think also he should be investing in another opposite instead of Lasko, as well? I mean, he's just about 3 years younger than Fei and he's not even that great. He hasn't even been close to being as good as Fei, and he's been called for NT since, what? 2003, 2005? So, following that idea, shouldn't Berruto try to invest in younger opposites? I know it's not that easy, Italy at the moment has better options as OH's, but I think one thing calls for the other. Mastrangelo is there for a reason as well, as you guys pointed. The other MB's are not very good, compared to him. So, what to make of it?