German Men's NT 2019

    Giani selected 23 players for the upcoming VNL tournament:

    http://www.volleyball-verband.…n-vorbereitung-am-3--mai/


    Setters:

    Lukas Kampa (J. Wegiel), Adam Kocian (United Volleys), Tomas Kocian (Düren), Jan Zimmermann (Maaseik)


    Outside Hitters:

    Christian Fromm (J.Wegiel), David Sossenheimer (Friedrichshafen), Moritz Karlitzek (United Volleys), Denys Kaliberda (Modena), Ruben Schott (Gdansk), Moritz Reichert (Berlin), Tim Peter (Herrsching)


    Middle Blocker:

    Markus Böhme (Olympiacos P.), Noah Baxpöhler (Lüneburg), Anton Brehme (VCO Berlin), Jacob Günthör (Friedrichshafen), Tobias Krick (United Volleys), Lukas Maase (Düren), Louis Kunstmann (VCO / United Volleys)


    Opposites:

    Simon Hirsch (Milano), Christoph Marks (Ortona), Linus Weber (VCO / BR Volleys)


    Libero:

    Julian Zenger (United Volleys), Ivan Batanov (VCO Berlin)


    Grozer will skip VNL but he will join the team later towards ECH. Other names missing are Friedrichhafen's Phillip Collin and Daniel Malescha who probably both declined invitation.


    There is a rich choice beween many decent OHs, albeit no one actually represents (yet?) real worldclass. But still It will be a tough job for Giani to find the best working pairing.


    It will be interesting too, which setter will be selected for the spot behind Kampa. Tomas Kocian played a very good season in Düren and imo deserves a chance to play in VNL. Zimmermann will have to do well when he gets a chance, in order to keep his place.

  • TimHH

    Changed the title of the thread from “Germany Men's NT 2019” to “German Men's NT 2019”.

    Moritz Reichert's performance was a bit disappointing this season, injured two times plus inconsistent performance. I hope he can be in better shape during NT season.


    I'm not sure how well Tobias Krick recovers. He skipped almost the whole club season because of back injury. Hope he is okay now.


    I really hope Linus Weber will get more time on court. He has some potentials but need more playing time in the team.

    Quote from Helios

    I really hope Linus Weber will get more time on court. He has some potentials but need more playing time in the team.

    Yes, i am also curious. I am not sure whether he can deliver already against the very best but surely he will get his chance.


    If we talk about the young players i am also interested in Anton Brehme. Imho he is a massively talented MB who could add a lot to the team especially if we talk about the offensive part.

    The 14 players roster for the first VNL weekend in China:


    Setters:

    Tomas Kocian-Falkenbach, Jan Zimmermann


    Outside Hitters:

    Christian Fromm, David Sossenheimer, Moritz Reichert, Ruben Schott, Tim Peter


    Middle Blocker:

    Marcus Böhme, Noah Baxpöhler, Anton Brehme, Tobias Krick


    Opposites:

    Simon Hirsch, Linus Weber


    Libero:

    Julian Zenger


    Lukas Kampa will join the team on Week 3. Great to see Tobi Krick back on the roster. He had to skip the whole club season because of back problems. I hope he can soon be back on his pre-injury level.

    Brehme played well today, considering first time as starting MB for NT. He needs to gain experience, especially on blocking. Weber's performance was okay. However, he needs to improve his attacking skills.


    I'm very disappointed with Zimmermann's performance. He had a relatively good start, but got lost again later in the match.


    The OH position is really a problem for NT. When the ball is out of system, it's difficult for Reichert and Sossenheimer to kill it. Also, they are a bit too short. Fromm's attacking is better, but his reception is not good at all. I don't know if there are other young and promising OHs.

    Quote from Helios

    The OH position is really a problem for NT. When the ball is out of system, it's difficult for Reichert and Sossenheimer to kill it. Also, they are a bit too short. Fromm's attacking is better, but his reception is not good at all. I don't know if there are other young and promising OHs.

    Don't forget they might still use Kaliberda who is not a bad option, regardless of his fitness at the moment. At a serious tournament, this German team will look and perform differently. Sossenheimer is a typical Friedrichshafen attacker, meaning that the guy needs a ball close to the net, even tight to the net is acceptable, in order to tip. Reichert is someone with more potential and attacking prowess but he was absent due to injuries and still recovering (as far as I know). He has been given more court time lately both in Berlin and with the NT now, probably giving him to time to come back in form quicker.


    As for other talented OHs, let's not forget Moritz Karlitzek who should be with the NT soon. Tim Peter is an interesting player with some potential, he is yet to make his name heard both in the NT and the Bundesliga. No idea about Ruben Schott's current condition/form.

    Quote from Helios

    Has Adam Kocian joined NT? How is his level?

    He is in the wide roster, yes, probably training with the rest in Germany these days. He is also young and showed some talent in Frankfurt. However, as a setter myself, I have remarks. First and most importantly, his physique is kind of boy-ish. He needs to grow up, literally speaking. Personally, I liked more Herrsching's Johannes Tille, Ferdinand's brother, and expected him in the wide roster of the NT instead. There's still time for both of them to make it, though.

    Quote from Helios

    Brehme played well today, considering first time as starting MB for NT. He needs to gain experience, especially on blocking. Weber's performance was okay. However, he needs to improve his attacking skills.

    I agree with your assesment. I suppose today, they ran a bit out of steem as the match proceeded. But lets remember that the guys haven't played real pro volleyball yet apart from youth NT and VCO Berlin. It was a good start for them for sure......


    Quote from Helios

    The OH position is really a problem for NT. When the ball is out of system, it's difficult for Reichert and Sossenheimer to kill it. Also, they are a bit too short. Fromm's attacking is better, but his reception is not good at all. I don't know if there are other young and promising OHs.

    The problem with the current line of younger OHs is, that they are all a bit "one-of-a-kind", which means that they are not that tall and better receivers than attackers (Sossenheimer, Reichert, Schott). The only one who could help with the high ball game is probably Karlitzek who is not that tall either but has an incredible jump and power.


    Quote from Helios

    Has Adam Kocian joined NT? How is his level?


    He is in the VNL wide roster but obviously his older brother made the better impression to Giani. Based on Bundesliga performances, imho this selection is also justified. Tomas can run a pretty fast and creative offensive game which would bring another dimension to the team, compared to Zimmermann's rather "standard" play. Problem might be, how the other players can adapt to that play.


    Regarding Adam, imho he is stagnating a bit at the moment, Overall a decent Bundesliga setter but imho something is still missing for the international level.

    Quote from YavorD

    Reichert is someone with more potential and attacking prowess but he was absent due to injuries and still recovering (as far as I know). He has been given more court time lately both in Berlin and with the NT now, probably giving him to time to come back in form quicker.

    I still have a high expectation on Reichert. His performance in VNL last year was good. Hope he will be in his best shape as soon as possible.


    Quote from TimHH

    The problem with the current line of younger OHs is, that they are all a bit "one-of-a-kind", which means that they are not that tall and better receivers than attackers (Sossenheimer, Reichert, Schott). The only one who could help with the high ball game is probably Karlitzek who is not that tall either but has an incredible jump and power.

    I almost forgot Karlitzek. I wonder how much court time Giani will give him. Last year he had limited time on court. I hope to see Karlitzek-Reichert duo as OHs later.

    Quote from YavorD

    He is in the wide roster, yes, probably training with the rest in Germany these days. He is also young and showed some talent in Frankfurt. However, as a setter myself, I have remarks. First and most importantly, his physique is kind of boy-ish. He needs to grow up, literally speaking.


    Quote from TimHH

    He is in the VNL wide roster but obviously his older brother made the better impression to Giani. Based on Bundesliga performances, imho this selection is also justified. Regarding Adam, imho he is stagnating a bit at the moment, Overall a decent Bundesliga setter but imho something is still missing for the international level.

    According to you guys, I guess Adam won't be a better option. However, I think the best setter for NT is Kampa.


    I still hope there will be some young promising setters in the NT. A good setter can really make a difference.

    I have to say that I’m very disappointed with the performance in Week 2, especially in the last match. The body language was so negative, and nobody could step up. Everybody looked frustrated and showed no will to fight.


    You can’t always count on Grozer or Kampa. At least someone else step up and bring some positive vibes to team.

    Yes, i cant help but feeling a bit disappointed too. Not necessarily about the results but some individual Performances are a bit worrisome.

    Especially, when we talk about the oh positions, things are still unclear at the moment, as neither Reichert, Sossenheimer nor Schott could make a case for themselve so far. And i fear it is Not only about Zimmermann‘s setting. So there is still a way to go for them to prove their international competetiveness....

    Quote from TimHH

    Especially, when we talk about the oh positions, things are still unclear at the moment, as neither Reichert, Sossenheimer nor Schott could make a case for themselve so far. And i fear it is Not only about Zimmermann‘s setting. So there is still a way to go for them to prove their international competetiveness....

    Fromm and Kaliberda will of course have their spots. Schott can only be used as back-row sub. Reichert should get one spot. However, he needs to be in better shape to get a spot in starting six. Karlitzek hasn't played in VNL. I'm wondering how his performance would be like. Sossenheimer is a bit weaker than Reichert, I would say.


    So my choice at the moment for ECH would be: Fromm, Kaliberda, Reichert, Sossenheimer/Karlitzek/Schott.


    I guess Giani will take 3 OPPs, and one from Hirsch and Weberwill wear the Libero shirt.

    Brehme's performance was quite impressing. He has been improving through the tournament. It's good for him. I think the MBs for ECH will be Böhme, Krick, Brehme, Baxpöhler/Günthör. Unfortunately, Krick is still suffering from back probles. Hope he can recover soon.


    Kampa didn't join the team in Week 3. So Zimmermann was still the main setter. He indeed had some great moments. He could make some fabulous sets. However, his setting and distribution tended to be a bit shaky when they were falling behind or at crucial moments. Hope he can have more confidence.


    Due to injury, Hirsch couldn't play. The OPP position was a problem. Malescha seems not to be a good choice. In the third match, Giani had to put Reichert as a receiving OPP. It worked okay, but just as a temporary solution.


    Since Krick, Hirsch, and Kocian have some injury problems, maybe Kampa, Böhme, and Weber will join the team in Week 4. Looking forward to it.

    I watched the match between Düren and Berlin. Quite impressed by Kocian. His setting was super fast. He tried to use the middle as much as possible even when the passing is out of the system. Düren's lineup isn't very good, but they are #2 now. I think the credit goes to Kocian. Batanov was also quite good, especially on defense, very impressive. On the other side, Zenger didn't improve in the past two years.


    I also watched some matches in the Italian league. Krick, Karlitzek are performing not bad, but Zimmermann is still disappointing. I don't really follow the German League very often. Just based on my impression, I have a list for 2021. The bold ones are my list for ECH.


    Setters:

    Tomas Kocian, Johannes Tille, Jan Zimmermann


    Outside Hitters:

    Moritz Reichert, Moritz Karlitzek, Christian Fromm, Ruben Schott, David Sossenheimer, Denys Kaliberda, Tobias Brand, Tim Peter


    Middle Blocker:

    Tobias Krick, Anton Brehme, Markus Böhme, Noah Baxpöhler, Jacob Günthör, Paul Henning, Florian Krage, Michel Schlien


    Opposites:

    Linus Weber, Simon Hirsch, Lukas Maase


    Libero:

    Markus Steuerwald, Ivan Batanov, Julian Zenger


    Both VNL (if there is) and ECH are important because the ranking at the end of this year will decide the qualification of WCH. Hope Giani can lead the young team to get good results.