Italian NT 2016

  • I think she's another drama queen. Being mentally unstable is a thing for a volleyballer :whistle:

  • I understand that Bonitta handled her exclusion very badly, but especially after that episode she should see pretty clearly that the NT it's not something you volunteer for as you're doing to the team/the staff/your country a favor, chosing when and with who it's ok for you to be part of the team...


    I often defended Diouf (still being aware of her big limits, obviously) and supported her presence in the NT and I still hope she will improve, but this time I can't avoid thinking 'no problem, we can survive without you in the NT, bye bye!'

  • I like Leonardi but it must be Sirressi who has to be invited. Italy are simply gifted with liberos. Cardullo, Merlo, Arcangeli, Sirressi, De Gennaro, Paris and Carocci :thumbup:

  • Italians are producing lots of high-level liberos indeed :thumbsup:

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

  • I'm pretty sure Marcon will be the better libero than many mediocre liberos outside of Italy :rolleyes: Although she doesn't seem to want to switch her position. Also Gennari used to play as libero in the past.

  • as we can see, I'd prefer Sirressi :wavy:

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

  • as we can see, I'd prefer Sirressi :wavy:


    I do too, but I also like Leonardi and I always wondered why she didn't got a second chance in the NT after the ECh as titular, since she was one of the best on court imho (at least as attitude).


    Well, actually my favorite is Cardullo, but I think her time with the NT is ended (and now she is still recovering from the ankle surgery, btw).

  • As for Leonardi's NT career, I don't think she was given enough chances to show her up, it may be the fact that she's not an excellent passer like Cardullo or Croce, so the OHs (Piccinini, Del core and Bosetti) covered her in reception and in most matches she didn't receive any balls. It was Barbollini's choice. She's a good digger though.

  • Said it before and will say it again until Diouf keeps topping the headlines for reasons that have nothing to do with volleyball.


    She had the opportunity of a lifetime to completely reinvent herself and become what Italy needed after not making it to the Tokyo OQT. Anyone else would have taken this as a giant wakeup call, the final warning that she wasn't going to make the Rio team unless something changed immediately.


    I honestly expected her to do something radical like Zaytsev buzzing his hair after being kicked out of the NT last year, a signal that she understood the message and that Rio was the most important thing in the world. Disappear from social media and magazines for a while. Spend the whole summer in the gym, fix everything wrong with your game. Defense, passing, serve, block are all things that can be trained and improved dramatically. Basically stop giving away free points everytime an opponent hit the ball near her.


    What have we got? Nothing.


    And you can be sure that if there wasn't a single Italian NT player who stood on her side, not even now that the games are over and Bonitta is already gone, it means that her personality and likability within the team was also an issue.


    Now she comes up basically threatening the team of not playing ever again... darling, who are you? What did you win in your entire career?