2016 Olympic Games - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    I said 3-0 for Italy. I was very close. In crucial moments Anderson is the last player to go. It's all on Russell's shoulders. What if Sander reminds he's a volleyball player, like he did in the last part of the 4th set? We can't keep going on without a serious opposite and a wing spiker and most of all without any leader in terms of spirit. This american trend which puts the team above everything else is killing our volleybakk NTs: there aren't any scorer leader, any moral leader, any fighting spirits (maybe Russell). The team has very young players, who can reach their best for the next OGs. I'm not so pissed off after all. I know we can be gold medal material. I'm waiting for Patch to be our opposite as well. Anderson is better to play as WS, expecially if he can't deal with crucial points yet. Speraw can say he trusts Anderson as much as he wants: to me he's the last one to run during the end of sets. Too bad for him Leon isn't there to save his ass while he plays for the NT... :whistle:

    Quote from ravens#7

    I said 3-0 for Italy. I was very close. In crucial moments Anderson is the last player to go. It's all on Russell's shoulders. What if Sander reminds he's a volleyball player, like he did in the last part of the 4th set? We can't keep going on without a serious opposite and a wing spiker and most of all without any leader in terms of spirit. This american trend which puts the team above everything else is killing our volleybakk NTs: there aren't any scorer leader, any moral leader, any fighting spirits (maybe Russell). The team has very young players, who can reach their best for the next OGs. I'm not so pissed off after all. I know we can be gold medal material. I'm waiting for Patch to be our opposite as well. Anderson is better to play as WS, expecially if he can't deal with crucial points yet. Speraw can say he trusts Anderson as much as he wants: to me he's the last one to run during the end of sets. Too bad for him Leon isn't there to save his ass while he plays for the NT... :whistle:


    Maybe they don't have a clear leader but today they fought so much and the match was close: the american idea is to give responsabilities to all their players, without relying on only one or two great scorers.. to me it works as system, today maybe they made too many mistakes (also Russell made a serve error and gave the set point in the third set).
    Anyway if you don't like Anderson as OPP, who'd you put?

    Quote from Diesse14


    Maybe they don't have a clear leader but today they fought so much and the match was close: the arimecan idea is to give responsabilities to all their players, without relying on only one or two great scorers.. to me it works as system, today maybe they made too many mistakes (also Russell made a serve error and gave the set point in the third set).
    Anyway if you don't like Anderson as OPP, who'd you put?


    This is exactly the problem of both the USA NTs. When the system fails (and it is happening very often lately) you need something different. You need a player to go. You need a moral leader. You need an ignorant/brave/killer spiker. I can't see any of this from Anderson. And I'm sorry, because I found him one of the most impressive players around; so classy, so elegant, but not a leader. Ad I said Ben Patch shall be our opposite from next summer. I'm waiting for him. I have very big expectations for him. :teach:


    I wrote it a page ago.


    Quote from ravens#7

    Easy win for Italy tonight. Italy has a tradition when it comes to OGs. They reach medals almost always. USA has a curse with Italy on the other hand. :whistle:


    I was 100% sure they'll grab a medal. Now without Birarelli I'm not so sure. But when it comes to be brave and take the balls off Italy is always a step ahead. :teach:

    Quote from ravens#7

    This is exactly the problem of both the USA NTs. When the system fails (and it is happening very often lately) you need something different. You need a player to go. You need a moral leader. You need an ignorant/brave/killer spiker. I can't see any of this from Anderson. And I'm sorry, because I found him one of the most impressive players around; so classy, so elegant, but not a leader. Ad I said Ben Patch shall be our opposite from next summer. I'm waiting for him. I have very big expectations for him. :teach:


    I got your point but to me it is not the system that failed but overall the players' condition is not so brilliant... Sander is playing really bad, too many mistakes on the serve and sometimes their block (and so the defense) doesn't work so well (Lee could do much more)...if you start adjusting these things and you count that the defense tonight did great things and Russell played well. The responsabilities can't be only on Anderson.

    Quote from ravens#7


    This is exactly the problem of both the USA NTs. When the system fails (and it is happening very often lately) you need something different. You need a player to go. You need a moral leader. You need an ignorant/brave/killer spiker. I can't see any of this from Anderson. And I'm sorry, because I found him one of the most impressive players around; so classy, so elegant, but not a leader. Ad I said Ben Patch shall be our opposite from next summer. I'm waiting for him. I have very big expectations for him. :teach:


    I agree Patch is a great opposite but he's even worse at crucial times. 2 NCAA final he has hit near negative.
    You would hate him when he's on the national team just like how you hate Anderson right now

    Quote from vabo

    I thought you were being sarcastic :flower:


    I wasn't. And these OGs turned into a nightmare after the World League finals. I had a little hope for the men's team, but I saw Anderson ruining everything and getting blocked time after time in any crucial point. :wall: And most of all I would like to understand what's wrong with Taylor Sander in the last 2 years, he's the shadow of the player he was in BYU and 2014 NT season. :white:


    Women's team in the best on this Earth, but Kiraly is Kiraly. You know. I'm even tired of being writing the same stuff over and over. ;( He called 3 setter because Courtney Thompson is the leader of the team in his opinion. How can she be a leader, when she doesn't take a step on court? Oh, yes, she's a CHEERleader, since she sings and dances in the back ups corner. :wall: Please, wake me up and tell me this is a nightmare.

    Quote from elvis


    I agree Patch is a great opposite but he's even worse at crucial times. 2 NCAA final he has hit near negative.
    You would hate him when he's on the national team just like how you hate Anderson right now


    I don't hate Anderson, I'm just hopeless with him. ^^
    I know Patch played very bad against Ohio State, but seriously: he's 22 and missed 2 years of training and volleyball because of his religious mission, there is time to work on it; Anderson is 29 and never learned to deal with crucial points after 4 years as opposite with the USA Team.

    Quote from vabo

    -Italy ALWAYS delivers in must-win matches that somehow involve the Olympics


    Please, do not say it that loud before the OG is ended xD
    *me being superstitious* :P


    BTW, vs USA I would have betted on Italy too.


    On the other hand, I didn't expected such a clear victory vs France, even if I was still hoping in a – struggled – victory.
    When a friend asked when I was going to reach him on the beach in the afternoon of the match, I thought 'I hope it will be late, because if the match will be short it will means that France crushed us' xD
    I ended up going to the beach before him xD


    About Brazil, a little part of me thinks they're kinda impossibile to beat twice and so I'm not sure I hope Italy will win the pool-match...
    Of course it's not obvious we are going to play twice vs Brazil, it's just a speculation (an optimistic one, because it will mean we pass the pool and especially won the QF).


    Another team that I fear for Italy is Argentina (also before the OG started, but now even more).



    Quote from ravens#7

    And most of all I would like to understand what's wrong with Taylor Sander in the last 2 years, he's the shadow of the player he was in BYU and 2014 NT season.


    And now he is going to 'grow' in China... :aww:

    I opened the live stream when Iran-Polan was 15-15 of the tie break... How was the match?
    And what the hell happened at the end of the match between Poland (firstly Kurek) and Iran? O.o
    It was definitely something you don't want to witness during the OG... (as the annoying comments between Zaytsev and N'gapeth, imho, but worse).

    Are you kidding me? Kubiak started the whole thing by provoking at the end, and then Kurek came to put some more fire to the fight. It was ridiculous, by the way.

    Quote from vabo

    Team Iran in the need of an icy cold shower, as usual when they lose a tight match

    Quote from brahmin

    Actually, that is the first win for any African team, in any Olympic Games! :woohoo:


    I have to clarify:


    It is the first victory of Egypt, but it isn't the first victory for an african team. Tunisia won the last place match in 1984 beating.... Egypt :rolll: it is however the first victory of an african team against any other continent.

    I watched the USA-Italy game on replay after work. It was a very exciting and tense game. Only 1 point separation between the two teams.


    Italy is going to be in difficulty without Birarelli's twisted ankle for the rest of the tournament. Some OH might have to be a backup middle for them.


    With the sets being so tight a mistake at the wrong time, just killed the USA. The service error at 23 in the 4th by Anderson just killed me. Plus they had lost their challenges and could not challenge on the final point.


    After two matches, I expected that the USA would have 2 wins, but I am mistaken. Right now, they've got to hope that Canada loses to Brazil, Italy and France to give the USA a chance to overtake them just to make the quarterfinals.