Italian Women's NT 2023

Quote from VBdiamond

Secolo was such a good player. Not to mention she always had a strong impact coming off the bench.

She would be considered a world class player in this era of technically poor players.

Ok, but the Rinieri-Piccinini duo seemed to be much better and those players were missing for Euro 2007. Duo del Core-Secolo seemed to be too a little be defensive and I was a bit surprised why Fiorin didn't play more back then. I didn't have high expectations in that time but the Italian team played very well from the beginning - great preparation + Aguero gave this flash. After Euro Piccinini returned to the World Cup and it was probably the best Italian team in history.

Marco Fantasia just tweeted that Egonu had a slight illness at the end of the match but has recovered and refused going to the hospital

She wasn't feeling well and that's why she didn't play much today or what?

The Fantasia man twetted that M4zzanti is prioritizing team unity and cohesion over the more difficult veteran players to handle.

Kumbaya seems the new mantra for Italian NT.

https://www.gazzetta.it/Volley…a-gara-470566500806.shtml

At the end of yesterday's match, after signing autographs for the fans, Paola Egonu suffered a slight collapse.

She would have recovered promptly and so she would have refused hospitalization, to undergo the necessary checks, and she would have returned normally to the hotel with her teammates.

Some Italian sources report that the cause of the illness would have been the heat of Verona, others that it was a panic attack...

It's unbelievable how much we're becoming a living representation of Murphy's law...

mazzanti really sees Egonu as third option

btw, this is a stupid decision but firstly in Vakıfbank and now in the Italian national team, Egonu is tried to be excluded from the team. Obviously Egonu is also a bit problemetic.

Quote from MTS

mazzanti really sees Egonu as third option

btw, this is a stupid decision but firstly in Vakıfbank and now in the Italian national team, Egonu is tried to be excluded from the team. Obviously Egonu is also a bit problemetic.

Lol. Gio already explained why Egonu left and that they wanted to keep her. It has nothing to do with her being problematic.

Quote from Andreavillar

Lol. Gio already explained why Egonu left and that they wanted to keep her. It has nothing to do with her being problematic.

They wanted to part their ways with Egonu until the last part of the season. There were rumors about he didn't like her attitude in training and was said to have skipped a few traning session. At the end of the season they build good relationship and Egonu's performance increased. Then they wanted to keep her but it is too late.

Quote from MTS

They wanted to part their ways with Egonu until the last part of the season. There were rumors about he didn't like her attitude in training and was said to have skipped a few traning session. At the end of the season they build good relationship and Egonu's performance increased. Then they wanted to keep her but it is too late.

You said. RUMMORS. They wanted to get rid of Paola just because they wanted to be a game changer since day 1 when ALL players from the team were not in shape and playing below their standards.

Gio mentioned that they disagreed on how to train at the gym given that Paola was used to train differently at Conegliano and was so successful but it wasn't more than that and she adapted to the new way of gym training.

It was totally obvious that everyone at that team loved her and Vakif was an idiot fron prioritizing results so soon and let her go.

Now back to the topic of Mazzanti's considering Paola the 3rd opposite based on performance, that's absolutely ridiculous.

Nwakalor was good at the VNL but performed poorly at the most important games (i.e. Turkey). If we based on performance in traning against Serbia for example, Paola, who wasn't great at friendlies, was way better than Sylvia who btw in the first friendly scored 7 attack point but made 9 erros for negative eff. So idk on what ground Davide could be judging Paola trailing Nwakalor unless the VNL still weights heavy on him.

Also, as if he has never coached Egonu, he well knows that she needs playing time to get in shape and perform better but he chooses to ignore this fact.

Quote from Andreavillar

You said. RUMMORS. They wanted to get rid of Paola just because they wanted to be a game changer since day 1 when ALL players from the team were not in shape and playing below their standards.

Gio mentioned that they disagreed on how to train at the gym given that Paola was used to train differently at Conegliano and was so successful but it wasn't more than that and she adapted to the new way of gym training.

It was totally obvious that everyone at that team loved her and Vakif was an idiot fron prioritizing results so soon and let her go.

Giovanni has not disclosed that he has a problem with anyone until now. You can believe what you want to believe, but at that time, these rumors were discussed a lot among Turkish volleyball fans. I don't think he would give up on a player lİke Egonu only in 3 months just because of her poor performance. There must be something else too.

Quote from MTS

Giovanni has not disclosed that he has a problem with anyone until now. You can believe what you want to believe, but at that time, these rumors were discussed a lot among Turkish volleyball fans. I don't think he would give up on a player lİke Egonu only in 3 months just because of her poor performance. There must be something else too.

Let's not act like this isn't Giovanni, he excludes players when he doesn't like their personality

Paola was loved in the team, I don't think there were any attitude issues

Quote from MTS

Giovanni has not disclosed that he has a problem with anyone until now. You can believe what you want to believe, but at that time, these rumors were discussed a lot among Turkish volleyball fans. I don't think he would give up on a player lİke Egonu only in 3 months just because of her poor performance. There must be something else too.

Lol even Gio loves her and speaks very highly of her.

It was pretty simple. Vakif wanted Paola to take a salary cut that matched (according to them) her performance at that time but Paola turned it down in favor of Milano.

Quote from MTS

Giovanni has not disclosed that he has a problem with anyone until now. You can believe what you want to believe, but at that time, these rumors were discussed a lot among Turkish volleyball fans. I don't think he would give up on a player lİke Egonu only in 3 months just because of her poor performance. There must be something else too.

Lol, let's not pretend like guidetti is a sane person. It is dumb to take his actions as a reference while judging a player's personality.

Egonu is very loved by all vakıf players. Vakıf was too early to judge her performance. And now they get what they deserve: Thompson, a chronically injured player who plays one good game per month🤣

you two always act like Gio is the devil and ı won't go in discussion with you about him.

Quote from Andreavillar

Lol even Gio loves her and speaks very highly of her.

It was pretty simple. Vakif wanted Paola to take a salary cut that matched (according to them) her performance at that time but Paola turned it down in favor of Milano.

what is your source?

Yes... Egonu is problematic...

But she's neither a troublemaker nor a slacker: she just has a very strong and peculiar character...

Being a champion, it's the job of a coach to manage her: Barbolini (when she was very young) he succeeded, as did Santarelli, who brought out the best in her and Guidetti also succeeded... Mazzanti is not capable of it and this is his answer to the problem: the Italian national team must do less than its best player to his incapacity...

There is little else to say...

Quote from MTS

mazzanti really sees Egonu as third option

btw, this is a stupid decision but firstly in Vakıfbank and now in the Italian national team, Egonu is tried to be excluded from the team. Obviously Egonu is also a bit problemetic.

Interviewer: the combo setter-opposite wasnt bad against Romania, could u tell me which one will be the combo against Switzerland?

Mazzanti: No, I am not supertitious, but I will stick to this one. Antropova will be the first choice for the first phase of the ECH. It will be a process, training by training, etc. From the start of the year, this is a process that could evolve and might change.

Interviewer: The process has already been established with Egonu in Firenze. She told us that you both have already chatted regarding this and that it wasnt surprise for her to find herself in the bench

Mazzanti: The process isnt established, it is discovered throughout the time, in each moment. Against Switzerland, it will be a new story

Interviewer: And how did you explain this to her?

Mazzanti: We both chatted, exchanged opinions. I told her my idea and she told me hers...

Interviewer: and which is hers?

Mazzanti: To be a determinant factor in the team. I explained her what I see now and what I expected from her in the future

Mazzanti also said that if you change "persons" in the squad, it is a complex system, that it changes the dynamics of the team. And he thinks that they are trusting in the talent and "weakness" of each one. And when you are ready to do this, it is easier to face and confront what we are. And if you confront in this way, it is easier to give a name to what you are living. In this moment: growth.

In another interview he said that he will stick to the process he has chosen and that it could change, but they continue to stick to that plan. But the results in the field will tell him how to continue. Also he said it "surely it is difficult for Paola to start/be on the bench: We already chatted about this before the end of the trainings (before the ECH). But I think each new situations, for the ones who are talented (of substnce), can help them to find new resources.

And to finish: https://dal15al25.gazzetta.it/…uperata-per-la-nazionale/

This is a very clear article written about Pasini about what is going in this squad. More than articile, I would say he isnt writing solely as a journalist, but also as a italian vball fan. It is more an appeal to the federation. It is very long for be translated, but for me, the summary is this one:

"It is more than obvious that Paola cant do it by herself (to be saved). It is needed to help her. In the past she has done mistakes, but she shouldnt be condemn for life cuz of this. Much more cuz she was so young when it happened. The risk of losing Paola when Paris is only around the corner is a big resposability not only of the HC, but also from the whole FIPAV. Paola doesnt represent only herself, but also a system that has let FIPAV to discover and develop different talents around Italy in the last 20 years and bring them to the senior team through Club Italia. To lose Paola, regardless her mistakes in the past, would be a defeat of the whole system".

And well, I do agree in most of what Pasini has written. And I highly doubt that Paola will play the OQT for Paris in some weeks. And if this happens, I would be highly surprised if she plays again if Mazzanti is on the bench. If they would want to "save" her, they would have called Moki, who is the one who supported her the most during all the hate she suffered in the last years. But Moki isnt there and her absence wasnt cuz of underperforming...

This is why when I read racist comments towards her in this forum (questioning her identity as Italian), even though her case was already explained 1001 times, much more because of the current atmosphere that Italy is living now (she was again attacked in the media, in a book released by a current general from the Italian army some days ago), I only think: Gosh...I dont remember any vball player, female or male, who is carrying so much weight on their shoulders. People should read ot try to think twice before writing. All this goes further and beyond vball and the Italian users here know it.

Quote from MTS

you two always act like Gio is the devil and ı won't go in discussion with you about him.

You always downplay Egonu, whenever she slips, you are the first to criticize her so yeah let's agree to disagree because I genuine believe that Egonu doesn't this shitty treatment by Mazzanti (can't wait for him to be kicked out🙏)