Let's get on with this.
2022 squad:
S: Bruno, Cachopa, Brasília
OPP: Alan, Felipe Roque, Darlan, Franco
OHs: Lucarelli, Leal, Rodriguinho, Honorato, Adriano, Birigui, Vaccari, João Rafael
MBs: Lucão, Isac, Pinta, Flávio, Leo
L: Maique, Thales, Alê
Guests:
S: Pedro Jukoski
OHs: Maicon, João Franck
MBs: Felipe Brito
Why would Douglas retire from NT right now? I've never been big fan of him, but that would be serious blow to the NT.
Is there any systemic explanation why does male (and female to some degree as well) volleyball in Brazil struggle to develop young talents even remotely close to the past? Exclude Leal, and I have honestly no idea who would play in the summer if rumors about Douglas are correct. From the outside perspective it looks like potential Italy-like drought (still very good team, but not at the top for long period of time) from the traditonal position of the volleyball powerhouse. You're fine for this cycle as long as Lucarelli and Leal are healthy, but Cachopa, Adriano, Arthur and Darlan are basically the only players from the setter-OH-OPP triad to have NT-quality/star potential and not being close to 30yo, and we're talking about very young kids naturally being a question mark.
Why would Douglas retire from NT right now? I've never been big fan of him, but that would be serious blow to the NT.
Is there any systemic explanation why does male (and female to some degree as well) volleyball in Brazil struggle to develop young talents even remotely close to the past? Exclude Leal, and I have honestly no idea who would play in the summer if rumors about Douglas are correct. From the outside perspective it looks like potential Italy-like drought (still very good team, but not at the top for long period of time) from the traditonal position of the volleyball powerhouse. You're fine for this cycle as long as Lucarelli and Leal are healthy, but Cachopa, Adriano, Arthur and Darlan are basically the only players from the setter-OH-OPP triad to have NT-quality/star potential and not being close to 30yo, and we're talking about very young kids naturally being a question mark.
I think it's mostly due to the country's economical situation coupled with our confederation's lack of investment. There aren't enough formative schools as the past as well. We don't have a serious B league nor a seasonal youth championship, so young players don't have the chance to play and develop further. For example, Renan Dal Zotto gave an interview a few weeks ago and stated that there's hardly any money to send youth NTs over to Europe in order to play and train with other teams. He said his ideal scenario would be to send both U19 and U21 over there for like two months in order to get experience before the WCHs, but that doesn't happen. Brazil used to be a powerhouse, sure, but now our youth program has stagnated while other countries from Europe have either caught up or acquired the means to have better programs. Those yearly CEV tournaments for youth NTs go a long way.
As for Douglas, I don't know why he would retire. He probably has other priorities aside from volleyball.
Thanks, I read somewhere similar explanation, so I bet that's correct assessment to the high degree, although it's still weird to see Argentina being highly competitive to Brazil at both youth and senior level.
It's interesting though that some very best NTs have generational problems, Serbia hasn't developed a top talent since Kovacevic, so they have at best 2-3 years left to compete for medals, USA has for now only DeFalco to replace Anderson, Sander and Holt among younger players - and Brazil will get weaker and weaker with time unless Adriano and Darlan develop rapidly. With Russia excluded from the international volleyball as for now, we may again witness Argentina-like suprises at the highest level.
Nonetheless, Brazil will be fine in a near future, so I guess that's what matter the most (as for now). I'm not a big fan of Renan as a coach, but he needs to be creative in rotation among OHs and OPPs. I don't know what was the last time Brazil played with reserves in VNL, but it may be a good moment.
Thanks, I read somewhere similar explanation, so I bet that's correct assessment to the high degree, although it's still weird to see Argentina being highly competitive to Brazil at both youth and senior level.
It's interesting though that some very best NTs have generational problems, Serbia hasn't developed a top talent since Kovacevic, so they have at best 2-3 years left to compete for medals, USA has for now only DeFalco to replace Anderson, Sander and Holt among younger players - and Brazil will get weaker and weaker with time unless Adriano and Darlan develop rapidly. With Russia excluded from the international volleyball as for now, we may again witness Argentina-like suprises at the highest level.
Nonetheless, Brazil will be fine in a near future, so I guess that's what matter the most (as for now). I'm not a big fan of Renan as a coach, but he needs to be creative in rotation among OHs and OPPs. I don't know what was the last time Brazil played with reserves in VNL, but it may be a good moment.
The thing about playing with reserves is that, due to our track record, there's enormous pressure for results coming from everyone in Brazil, therefore both male and female NTs tend to play with full strength in every tournament possible in order to achieve a (preferably golden) medal. Renan even said he'd like to play with a B team in some tournaments, but there's also no money or infrastructure to house so many players like this in our volleyball center, which only makes things worse.
Anyway, things seem okay for the near future indeed, but after Paris I don't know. We won't have Leal, Lucarelli, Lucão and Bruno for too long anymore.
To be honest, I'm kinda unsure about the future of Brazil volleyball. They do have youth programs but based from the current underage tournaments, they underperformed unlike the past batches. Lucas, Bruno, and the squad is getting older.
meanwhile their contemporaries in Europe and America had great sets of new players[Russia/USA] .
I read somewhere that Roberto Guimares (on women's) that he has a project that trains young girls and prepare them for the next generation.
To be honest, I'm kinda unsure about the future of Brazil volleyball. They do have youth programs but based from the current underage tournaments, they underperformed unlike the past batches. Lucas, Bruno, and the squad is getting older.
meanwhile their contemporaries in Europe and America had great sets of new players[Russia/USA] .
I read somewhere that Roberto Guimares (on women's) that he has a project that trains young girls and prepare them for the next generation.
Brasil has a lot of upcoming players: Darlan, Arthur Bento, Honorato, Felipe Roque, Samuel, Ramon (long haired setter), Carlos, Lukas Bergmann. the list foes on
Brasil has a lot of upcoming players: Darlan, Arthur Bento, Honorato, Felipe Roque, Samuel, Ramon (long haired setter), Carlos, Lukas Bergmann. the list foes on
Simply playing the youth WCHs doesn't mean you're an up-and-coming prospect. There's still a long way to go to see if any of them will be able to make a name for themselves. For example, the guys who won bronze in the 2019 U21 WCH are only now working their way up and it's not certain any of them will make the adult NT anytime soon (if ever).
The thing about playing with reserves is that, due to our track record, there's enormous pressure for results coming from everyone in Brazil, therefore both male and female NTs tend to play with full strength in every tournament possible in order to achieve a (preferably golden) medal. Renan even said he'd like to play with a B team in some tournaments, but there's also no money or infrastructure to house so many players like this in our volleyball center, which only makes things worse.
And with this new formula of FIVB ranking and qualification process to the Olympics, taking VNL lightly will be even more difficult, even if Brazil is safe as for now as a continental leader, at least ranking-wise.
I'm looking forward to Renan's selection, because that's the first time when Brazil can't rely on this formula of experienced players first. They have at best 2-3 more years with this core, Leal will be 36 in Paris, Bruno and Lucas 38, Lucarelli will be 32, but he's been with NT since 2012, it would be quite reckless not to prepare your NT for a shift that will happen sooner than later.
Setters:
Bruno has been subpar for a while, and Cachopa is as incosistent as Sada in general, but they're both a lock for 1-2 spots. I guess Brasilia is the main candidate to be the 3rd guy, isn't he?
Opposites:
Wallace retired from NT, Alan got injured early and missed almost full season, Abouba tore ACL/Achilles, same with Roque. Darlan isn't good enough, but he's obviously more worth of being invested in than any other player on this position, Franco is great, but he's too old to get a chance, so I guess all depth that Brazil can find will rely on players from the French league. Araujo won Challenge Cup and is doing fine in Narbonne, although that's a dull choice considering his age, Davy Moraes is solid in France as well, but nothing spectacular, same with Eduardo Neves (I didn't know him actually prior to him moving to France, and he's the best scorer here this season), and Daniel Cagliari was great a year ago, but not so much this season. Gabriel Candido is okay in Arkas Izmir, but nothing worth of notice. They're all 24-25, so some may wish they'll become late bloomers.
OHs:
Lucarelli and Leal are good but not great this season, but they're a lock regardless, Rodriguinho is solid and perhaps is a 3rd option level-wise right now, Vaccari has been disappointing in France, Adriano has big potential, but I don't think his season is that impressive beside single flashes. Douglas obviously is a disaster as a player for several reasons recently, and Mauricio Borges was so mediocre in Vibo Valentia (expectedly). These young guys like Victor or Vitor are quite promising, but I don't think they're NT-ready.
So again, I'm afraid of some dull choices like Loh or stuff like that.
MBs:
Lucas, Flavio, Isac are obvious choices, I guess, it's probably too early for Leo to get a chance (among MBs Brazil has the biggest depth), my 4th choice would be Matheus from Minas, but it's gonna be close. Aracaju is playing well in France once again, he destroyed Skra in CEV Cup, but he's probably out of consideration even if Tours is probably a better team than any Brazilian club but Sada and Minas. Flavio has been fantastic this season in Vibo Valentia, so no Mauricio isn't any loss even from pure sports-perspective.
Libero:
I haven't followed that much Brazilian league to say if Maique again outplayed Thales, but even if he did, it may irrelevant for NT-competition, lol. Realistically, that's the late late moment for a switch here.
I'll probably be disappointed and we'll see Abouba, Loh, Joao Rafael or Vaccari, all of them having chances to make a 14, even if they're complete non-factors both short and long term.
.
Let's go:
Setters: I think Brasília is certainly in consideration, Renan even mentioned him during an interview a while ago. I'm not a fan, but out of every option, he's the only one left I guess. I really liked Carísio last year, but he seems to not have done well in France?
OPPs: I think we'll see Franco, despite his age. I personally would like to see him too, it's honestly been overdue and it wouldn't be without precedent given we saw Evandro join the NT super late and make it to Rio and the 2018 WCH at 35 and 37yo respectively. He's the fittest one out of all the others right now. Even Vissotto could be in consideration at 38yo, but he's barely even playing this season due to his shape, so he's out most likely. I think the guys from France have no shot at it too and we'll probably see Alan and Roque slowly rejoining the court during the NT season.
MBs: It's probably too early for Leo, I agree. After Paris perhaps. I'd like to see Aracaju, but he's never done anything out of the ordinary both in Brazilian league or in the few chances he got in the NT. There's Voss (best MB in the 2019 U21 WCH) who's currently playing in the NCAA, but I have zero knowledge about how he's doing over there or whether he even plans on making it to the NT. Right now it's easily gonna be Lucão, Flávio, Isac and Pinta. After Paris it's a big question mark.
OHs: Lucarelli, Leal and Adriano are pretty much locks. Rodriguinho, Vaccari and João Rafael will fight for the 4th spot. I'd take Rodriguinho, even though I don't see anything special in him. Some young guys better step it up quickly because after 2024 the situation for OHs will be grim.
L: I'm confident Thales will remain as the starter for the foreseeable future. Aside from Maique, I'd actually love to see Douglas Pureza from SESI, he's super super solid. There's also Alê from Renata and Rogerinho, so the libero position is the least of our worries.
There's Voss (best MB in the 2019 U21 WCH) who's currently playing in the NCAA, but I have zero knowledge about how he's doing over there or whether he even plans on making it to the NT.
I can only do some stats reading, he's the best blocker in NCAA as for now, the best MB in college, Tyler Mitchem (1998) is at 14.2 PTS/Game, 59% spike percentage and 1.42 BLK/set (they count in a different way, I guess), Voss is at 8.3 PTS/Game, 60% spike percentage and 1.46 BLK/set, so it seems he's more a blocking specialist as for now.
I can only do some stats reading, he's the best blocker in NCAA as for now, the best MB in college, Tyler Mitchem (1998) is at 14.2 PTS/Game, 59% spike percentage and 1.42 BLK/set (they count in a different way, I guess), Voss is at 8.3 PTS/Game, 60% spike percentage and 1.46 BLK/set, so it seems he's more a blocking specialist as for now.
they do. they do block assists.
If there is a block with two blockers at the net, each get a block assist (0.5 blocks). Doesnt matter who touches the ball.
If there is only one blocker, its a solo block (1.0 blocks).
it's easier to stat track.
Douglas said that he has had (or had) problems with depression, so he planned to retire after Tokyo much earlier, good for him if free summer is going to help him in his well-being. It still doesn't explain the way he behaved in Italy, but I can only hope everything will be fine with him personally, even though as a player it sounds like semi-retirement from serious competition.
Brasil has a lot of upcoming players: Darlan, Arthur Bento, Honorato, Felipe Roque, Samuel, Ramon (long haired setter), Carlos, Lukas Bergmann. the list foes on
Well yeah i know it but i hope these youngsters should be utilized asap because Slovenia has Rok, Italy has Alessandro, Russia has Fedorovtseva USA has Plummer and they're already playing in senior.
when will brazil do the same thing..? i mean based from what ive observed they just recycled the lineup from the last quad and added new faces (Carol G. who's now old/ana cristina, and i didn't see much change in men's). the thing is if you continue to send the same team again and again, your opponents already know how will they defend you.
e.g. Olympic Games....
Douglas leaving the NT… 😭😭😭 I wish we could have seen more from him. Like he still has soooo far to go. But if this is what he thinks the best for him, then I wish him well. 😭
I wanna see Leo with A team asap. After 2024, it will be tough transition. So, better to start preparing some starters for post 2024 area. Pinta might be slightly better than Leo atm but Leo will be the next star MB of Brazil. Better to invest him as 4th middle now.
Voss makes difference in NCAA, his back quicks are so dynamic. His read block is decent but his serve is like a joke. He might be solid option after 2024, but he won't be the one replaces Lucao's appearance on the court.
Cagliari was really promising last year, I think he had some injury issues this year but to mix things up, a lefty opp would be logical as back up. I'd pick him over Araujo for this role. Darlan is not the answer. Wishing quick recovery to Alan.
Well yeah i know it but i hope these youngsters should be utilized asap because Slovenia has Rok, Italy has Alessandro, Russia has Fedorovtseva USA has Plummer and they're already playing in senior.
I don't think Brazil has talents on a level of Mozic or Michieletto, at least in male volleyball, ready for senior playing. Michieletto before his debut in NT was 208cm-tall MVP of U-20 ECH, world champion in U-19 category and a starter of Trentino (top European team) for majority of the season, Mozic before becoming a starter of Slovenian NT has become the best scorer of regular season of Serie A this season. Besides Sesi and Adriano, who are the 19/20yo kids playing regularly in male Superliga? In Superliga right now way weaker than Serie A or Plusliga? With height/athleticism giving them potential for serious careers? It's true that Brazilian coaches are very hermetic in terms of giving chances to younger players due to hierarchy etc. but at the same time it's a myth that giving a chance to younger players on its own is enough. Lucarelli has been a starter in NT since he was 21 because prior to that he was already established star in Minas (in top Brazilian team at that time, in much stronger Superliga than today). Even Adriano, who's already played in NT at continental champ, is nowhere near this level. At this point, only Adriano, Leo and Darlan are worth of giving a chance already (and as far as I know they've already trained with senior NT in Saquarema a year ago) in VNL, but none of them is good enough to actually strengthen first squad. Arthur may be another one, he's the most talented spiker that you have IMHO, but he's still a kid.
I agree with taylor10 about Leo tho, he should be 4th-5th MB getting some playing chances in NT.
Cagliari was really promising last year, I think he had some injury issues this year but to mix thing up, a lefty opp would be logical as back up. I'd pick him over Araujo for this role. Darlan is not the answer. Wishing quick recovery to Alan.
That'll be Felipe Roque. Renan's team loves him.
Regarding this whole young big star phenomenon etc, the last time Brazil had one was Mari back in 2004. We're not really known for making 17, 18yo kids play as starters in the NT from such a young age -- Ana Cristina, for example, is being handled very carefully by Zé because iirc he's a big fan of not burning any steps in a player's development. As for the male NT, we had Douglas debut at 18yo and Adriano at 19yo, but never in a protagonist/starter role in the main team. Unless some spectacular, out of the curve talent pops up, Brazil won't be having a Michieletto situation anytime soon, if ever.
Regarding male team, Dante was a starter at 20 in Sydney, Lucarelli at 21 with Murilo's injury (and Negrao was a starter as 18) and Andre at 22 when Rezende got male NT to coach, but yeah, Brazil had for quite some time too good rosters to give such young players a legit chance. On the other hand, Italy had 3 playable OHs last season, the one was 19, the other 21, while the 3rd one retired after Tokyo, so it was much easier for Michieletto to play. But I think that will change soon in terms of opportunities for young players in Brazil, necessity is the mother of invention, so I don't think giving a chance to young players per se will be a problem, the question is how talented will be players getting these chances. To have Michieletto-like situation you need Michieletto-like talent.
