FIVB World Cup 2019 - Sept. 14 to 29, Japan

    Quote from parrothawk

    If it helps, I think this Chinese game is the worst it can get for Japan...

    Thanks! It does help. I hope it's true

    China is just a bad match up for Japan. China has over 100+ victories head to head over Japan historically. It's just something you have to overcome mentally.

    Japan still have SRB, BRA and NED to play. I don’t know if Nakata will resign at the end of this tournament right now. I am leaning towards yes she will resign.

    I mean it is not even close on the blocking right now. 14 in three sets.

    Blocking is the spot where scoring is the most unknown because of the timing.

    With this tournament being so early on the west coast I am just looking at highlights, and not many for Japan today.

    Quote from sitenoise

    Haven't China's dips been more to do with health/condition than skill level?

    If you do the break-down, yes, last year it's more about the unhealthy Zhang, the Zhu's main diagonal, then Yuan was not as good as nowadays either. Gong also showed some instability last year. All these factors combined were sufficient for a shaky sailing last year. Well, what to say... untimely misfortune did happen in life :whistle:


    “There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen.”

    Quote from sitenoise

    Those reverse sets to Yan Ni are beautiful

    The most beautiful thing in volleyball at the moment... You see her going, you know what will happen, the opponent knows too, but works! I am addicted to MB-oriented games and I will always love even the simplest way to use them, but, what China do is on another level! :heart:

    The Japanese team's resistance was good only till 9 all at the first set, after that the Chinese team kept the two-point lead in zig-zag until the 4-pt gap in the 2nd TTO, 16-12. After that break the gap got bigger until the max, 20-12, then all the way till the finish line. There was just little resistance in the rest of matches. Frankly, I even watched with horror in set #2, not the kind of show that I imagined beforehand.


    I think this one is the worst defeat inflicted by the Chinese team over the Japanese team (main NT affairs) within the last several years I watch the matches by the two teams on many occasions. Poor host team today!


    “There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen.”

    Quote from samsara

    The Japanese team's resistance was good only till 9 all at the first set, after that the Chinese team kept the two-point lead in zig-zag until the 4-pt gap in the 2nd TTO, 16-12. After that break the gap got bigger until the max, 20-12, then all the way till the finish line. There was just little resistance in the rest of matches. Frankly, I even watched with horror in set #2, not the kind of show that I imagined beforehand.


    I think this one is the worst defeat inflicted by the Chinese team over the Japanese team (main NT affairs) within the last several years I watch the matches by the two teams on many occasions. Poor host team today!


    With 5 different setters in last two years, Japan have a hard time to perform well in attack in this tournament.

    Very likely, a new setter is coming after world cup.

    Quote from Padar

    USA will be the favorite to win the tournament. They're kind of back to their 2014-2016 form:white: Especially with Robinson performing so well lately.

    When they are not playing against Italy, Serbia or China... Lol hahaha

    Coach Nakada might fare better with this lineup that she has stuck, and will stick, with through Tokyo if she had Ai Kurogo on the left and Miyu Nagaoka on the right. But injuries happen and Japan should be able to deal with it. I don’t know if she knows how to coach anyone else.


    I’ve never thought she would resign. Wouldn’t that be something?

    I keep on thinking that the Turkish handsome assistant coach, Ferhat Akbaş, was keen to get out early from the current JPN team. He must have seen something from within.


    “There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen.”

    Quote from samsara

    I think this one is the worst defeat inflicted by the Chinese team over the Japanese team (main NT affairs) within the last several years I watch the matches by the two teams on many occasions. Poor host team today!

    I watch them too, and this was one of the worst, if not the worst. To be fair, China was firing on all cylinders, and Japan didn't make many errors --unless we call setting to 4 an error-- but how to explain the reception malfunction? Doesn't seem like China serves much better than others. There's nothing wrong, in general, with Japan's reception.


    And block coverage. I have my theories about that, and who's better at it. Maybe if they had some weirdo who flew in from the back row to help out :dance6:


    Boy ... if brahmin thinks it's a possibility Nakata might resign I'm going dream about that. If only I had someone in mind to replace her

    Quote from samsara

    I keep on thinking that the Turkish handsome assistant coach, Ferhat Akbaş, was keen to get out early from the current JPN team. He must have seen something from within.

    I listened to his interview with the podcast freeball. He said he enjoys working in the Japanese team but they want him to work there full time, even during the club season, at least the few years before Tokyo. He took an offer in Romania to coach a club so he has to leave there. And he thinks that's better for his career.

    And LUCK did not stay with the Japanese team either in today's match, with ball landed in like this, even the FIVB match commentator simply said that in a boxing ring, the referee would have declared a KO.


    Hawk-eye challenge by the Japanese team on Zhang's serve at 20-7 set 2. The ball landed in by a whisker. Just not the day for the JPN squad.


    And just moment earlier, right before the 2nd TTO set 2, a spike by Zhang hit narrowly the end line.


    Zhang Chang-ning served seven times and accounted for five aces from that one run in set 2, which I guess is a record by itself!




    “There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen.”

    Edited 4 times, last by samsara: addition ().

    Quote from Way2Much

    I listened to his interview with the podcast freeball. He said he enjoys working in the Japanese team but they want him to work there full time, even during the club season, at least the few years before Tokyo. He took an offer in Romania to coach a club so he has to leave there. And he thinks that's better for his career.

    What happened to that podcast? Those guys used to post new episodes here. I listened to the Ferhat one and remember all you've written here, and remember his criticism of the team was that they practice too much and work on individual needs too much. Not sure what that meant but it could be true that he lost faith and, understandably, jumped ship. He did say that even though he had a good amount of authority he didn't like "assistant" in front of his title.

    Quote from JoanaBG

    Well, Terzić will probably be free after Tokyo. I think I'd pay to watch your reaction to him coaching the Japanese team :rolll:

    :rolll:


    Thank you for that. Made my day start with a big smile now :)