Display MoreI’m gonna post a prediction just for fun:
1. Perugia (best team and HC)
2. Piacenza
3. Trento
4. Milano
5. Modena
6. Verona
7. Lube (hot take, but they will do well in CL)
8. Monza
9. Cisterna
10. Taranto (huge upside potential)
11. Catania
12. Padova (with a hard fight, they are not a bad team and Garcia should be USA’s 2nd opp in Paris imho)
I agree with most of the takes, maybe I'd just switch Taranto with Cisterna and Padova with Catania. I'm quite surprised about Lube though: they're still quite competitive, any particular reason to seed them so low?
I agree with most of the takes, maybe I'd just switch Taranto with Cisterna and Padova with Catania. I'm quite surprised about Lube though: they're still quite competitive, any particular reason to seed them so low?
it was my hot take for the year, 7th but they win the CL. In case Zaytsev goes down in the first round of the playoffs or before, they have to play with Bottolo or Motzo or Larizza-Anzani as a MBs pair, I can see them losing with this team to all of the above in a best of five series. In CL there isn’t an italian minimum, so they can play their best players.
If you want, you can switch them with Milano (without Porro…)
it was my hot take for the year, 7th but they win the CL. In case Zaytsev goes down in the first round of the playoffs or before, they have to play with Bottolo or Motzo or Larizza-Anzani as a MBs pair, I can see them losing with this team to all of the above in a best of five series. In CL there isn’t an italian minimum, so they can play their best players.
If you want, you can switch them with Milano (without Porro…)
Yeah, their combinations to keep enough Italians on the field are quite difficult indeed, so it makes sense to see them do better in Europe.
Again, just like last year anything can happen from second to seventh, lots of good teams that can challenge each other.
Display MoreI’m gonna post a prediction just for fun:
1. Perugia (best team and HC)
2. Piacenza
3. Trento
4. Milano
5. Modena
6. Verona
7. Lube (hot take, but they will do well in CL)
8. Monza
9. Cisterna
10. Taranto (huge upside potential)
11. Catania
12. Padova (with a hard fight, they are not a bad team and Garcia should be USA’s 2nd opp in Paris imho)
Padova has easily much better roster than Catania, but they are horrible, oh boy, in the friendlies, so I'm looking forward to see them in serious games.
To be honest, besides Trentino (they'll be legit even if they don't win a championship again), these 2-7 spots are a coin toss to me, many question marks about every team. I can see Modena being really good and really average, for example, the same with Piacenza having Anastasi on a bench and sooooo old roster. Or Civitanova with complicated situation with their local players, and so on.
The team I'm looking forward to see the most is definitely Monza, Maar and Loeppky weere great last season, Takahashi is a star already, Lawani is one of the most talented opposites in the world, Cachopa is healthy this time, Gaggini was great in Verona: this is really a dark horse for me this season.
Zaytsev playing OH is like a disater for Lube. His attacking at position 4 has been weak for some years. Lagumdzija's attacking data was also very bad. The only good one was Nikolov, but his reception was still a problem.
I would say the best lineup for Lube is the lineup they had last season during the playoff stage, Nikolov and Yant as OHs and Zaytsev as receiving OPP who stands next to Nikolov. Zaytsev's attacking at postion 2 is far better than position 4. However, this will increase the load on Zaytsev a lot, which is not ideal for a 35-year-old veteran. If they want to keep using Zaytsev as OH, then the OPP should be able to kill more balls.
Piacenza won 3-0 in Milano. For the hosts, still without Porro, not the best day, with lots of mistakes at serve and some downgrade in defence and passing. Still, the first set was more than winnable for them: wasting a four point lead was deadly because from there the momentum never left Piacenza's sidecourt.
Lube bounced back for the opening loss but I want to see them against more probing opponents.
Piacenza won 3-0 in Milano. For the hosts, still without Porro, not the best day, with lots of mistakes at serve and some downgrade in defence and passing. Still, the first set was more than winnable for them: wasting a four point lead was deadly because from there the momentum never left Piacenza's sidecourt.
Lube bounced back for the opening loss but I want to see them against more probing opponents.
Zonta played mediocre game with awful sets both sides (with none in the middle). With Porro we would have been probably 2-0.
What’s wrong with Porro?
And Kaziyski seemed to be very disappointing so far.
What’s wrong with Porro?
And Kaziyski seemed to be very disappointing so far.
Porro is injured, while KK has to find his passing game.
Porro is injured, while KK has to find his passing game.
How’s his injury? Hope he can return soon.
When I watched the highlights of their first game, I was wondering why they didn’t try Kaziyski as Opp with Ishikawa & Mergarejo as OHs, when both Opps were so bad in that match. But now it seems that Kaziyski is the one who is struggling to find his form.
How’s his injury? Hope he can return soon.
When I watched the highlights of their first game, I was wondering why they didn’t try Kaziyski as Opp with Ishikawa & Mergarejo as OHs, when both Opps were so bad in that match. But now it seems that Kaziyski is the one who is struggling to find his form.
because it’s not Reggers or Dirlic fault, but Zonta.
Zonta played mediocre game with awful sets both sides (with none in the middle). With Porro we would have been probably 2-0.
I feel very sorry for both him and Milano: for Zonta because he had to be thrown in as a starter without any chance to learn a bit and for Milano because not having Porro is affecting their ability to fully express their potential, which is high. At least for me.
I feel very sorry for both him and Milano: for Zonta because he had to be thrown in as a starter without any chance to learn a bit and for Milano because not having Porro is affecting their ability to fully express their potential, which is high. At least for me.
Nik is doing a great job for what was expected, he just isn’t going to be a superlega level setter from one day to another… but I hope he can win his first in Cisterna, he’s such a good guy.