27th July 2008

Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)


After the last match of this 2008 World League Finals, I write a brief comment about the participating teams.

Below you can see the final standings and, on the right, my personal judgment on the teams’ performances.


+ means that they played BETTER than I expected
= means that they played EXACTLY as I expected
-  means that they played WORSE than I expected

For the asterisk in Russia BOX read my comment about Alekno’s team.

Of course, if anyone of you disagree with my opinion, be so kind to send your reasons by e-mail (mailto Andrea Zorzi)



U.S.A. First the US team topped Brazil making the Olympics much more interesting and then they ended up winning the 2008 World League for first time ever.
The Us key to the victory was playing with a few errors and following good plans.

But please, read before what I have written after the 2007 World Cup, when they failed to qualify to Beijing. Useless to say that they got the Olympic berth a few months later in the North American Olympic qualification tournament.

...I have a high respect for the US Volleyball team. McCutcheon’s team is standard talented, but their remarkable ability to take advantage of any situation make them a model to follow. They are patient when necessary, fully motivated in digging and never giving up. During the match, you’ll never see an American player with a discouraged expression. Until the very last point, they are thoroughly focused on the game and when they leave the court, as happened after the defeat with Russia, they can be displeased but without any regret ...

That happened in the last November, today there were rightly satisfied. They played a wonderful tournament joining the well known digging and blocking skills with a surprising attacking ability. Many times they paid for their standard hitting talent but in Rio de Janeiro, they displayed a first class attack.
If they’ll succeed in keeping this consistency, they will be a major candidate to the gold medal in Beijing.

SERBIA  Serbians deserve the most sincere congratulations. The performed wonderfully all along the WL Finals. The Serbian line up perfectly combines expert athletes (N. Grbic and I. Miljkovic) and younger players.
The usual willpower distinguishes the Serbians and makes them very tied as a team.
They spent a lot of energies but the satisfaction and confidence they got will be fruitful. The more experienced athletes know how to recharge quickly the batteries, the others will take advantage of this exploit. Having positive feed back is crucial for any athletes, above all for the younger, thus Serbian team will confidently faces the next Olympics Games.
Last but not least never underestimate the Serbian pride.


RUSSIA * (they didn't play better than Brazil but they performed as I expected)

The Russians, traditionally stern, were oddly smiling after the first victory over Brazil since 2002. In the morning, they arrived with gloomy faces due to the previous bad defeat against Serbia and they seemed impatient to go back to Moscow.
After a few rallies, they were aware of the great opportunity they had to beat Brazil. They suddenly changed the mental approach and, relying on the amazing power of the young spiker M. Mikhaylov, they overcome a willing but not consistent Brazil.
Winning the third position in the WL, Russia gains a crucial point in the FIVB World Ranking but they could mislead the truth.
This third place isn’t the result of their progresses and depends mainly on external causes. To fully exploit their astonishing talent, they have to increase their level, digging better, setting less predictably and playing at the best, when the matches are fought point by point.

BRAZIL
Winning is never easy.
After a victory is fairly easy being a good winner.
But, what is very hard, is to accept the defeat still behaving the best and Brazilians succeeded in it.

They were respectful when they won (almost always) and now, for the first time after six years, they have to face an overcome in one of the a most important tournaments. Actually, they played worst than usual, but they are still the favorites for the Olympic gold medal.
They prepared this Final working truly hard and in the court their reactions were a slight slower. That’s why Bernardinho pointed out the frustration they felt during the last match against Russia. They strove for the best but the performance was not as good as they would have liked.
Giba added: “now we have to close the door, gathering the team together once more time and fight”.
In the Giba’s language, fighting means to speak frankly about any technical or personal problem.

POLAND Since the beginning of the 2008 WL Finals I was looking for an explanation about Polish poor performance against Serbia. Obviously, there are many reasons, the preparation aimed for Beijing, the lack of demanding matches in the last period and so on.
But, to properly evaluate Polish team, it is necessary to think about their psychological approach. Too many times they played under their level looking spiritless.

To explain better this behavior I give you an example.
In these days in Rio de Janeiro, I interviewed many athletes and they answered to the same question differently . I asked two Serbian players which is the worst defeat of their careers.
They both said: “ I have totally forgotten all the defeats I only think about the victories”.
The polish answers was:“ I lose too many times and I cannot choose a single defeat…”
They are paying for the lack of victories and the only way to overcome this is to focus on the present forgetting the past.

JAPAN I’m still wondering why the Japanese didn’t seize upon the opportunity to play some tough match just a few days before the Olympic Games. They are not talented enough to aim for a medal in Beijing. Therefore, I think that practicing one more week at home, (avoiding a long trip and the jet leg of course) isn’t more useful than being here. Only the teams which are said favorites, can focus on the small technical details, while the lower level squads can improve more challenging the first level teams than practicing alone.
Moreover, I consider the missing of the whole coaching staff and of ten main roster players out of twelve a slight.
Thus, I would say that the Japanese lost a crucial opportunity.

.
Bye bye andrea zorzi

25 July 2008

Rio de Janeiro (BRA)


Also in Brazil, a black cat crossing one's path, breaking a mirror and walking underneath an open ladder are said to bring misfortune, (I didn’t check for opening an umbrella indoors and placing a hat on the bed yet ), thus I’m pretty sure that foretell Brazilians as the winners of the 2008 World League is perceived as bad luck.
Given that journalists are much less concerned than athletes about superstitions, the most part of the local newspapers are anticipating the eight World League victory, which allows Brazil to reach Italy as best WL winner ever.

That’s why, a local reporter asked me: “how will you feel if Brazil will reach Italy? (the future tense was only a matter of courtesy).

How I feel? Good, because my best Volleyball memories are tied to the single victories, not to the winning streaks.
After many year, I still perfectly remember the emotions of the tough matches we won. The indistinct sound within the competition halls, the blurred images of my team mates running, jumping and hugging each other and their broad smiles are carved in my memory.
On occasion, I like to share those emotions with my former team-mates. But, as the most part of the players I know, we never wasted time thinking at the honours list.

Anyhow, this Brazilian team is making his amazing winning streak longer. They are better than any other group in the Volleyball history. I truly think that the team leaded by Bernardinho is better than the Italian National team awarded as the Best Team of the Century (the nineteenth century obviously).
Since 2002 they didn’t lose any match (in the major international tournaments) and they seem able to keep on winning the 2008 WL and their last big aim: the Beijing Olympic Games.

I don’t like to compare teams that performed in different periods but when the Brazilian reporter asked my opinion I replied: “ we never won the Olympic Games, we never dominate as they are doing, we weren’t able to be as consistent as they are and we never played with the Rally Point System. (The RPS, introduced in 1998, makes the matches more unpredictable and achieving long winning streaks is actually tougher).

The reporter sincerely smiled welcoming my positive comment.

Just then I added: “Remember that the fans all over the world don’t like just watching a victory. They enjoy the struggle, the unpredictable results, the matches fought point by point and, from this perspective, the Italian team was better. We rarely won overwhelming the opponents, often fighting until the last point.


The today’s matches have been a further confirmation of my opinion. Brazil and Serbia have performed fantastically, both technically and tactically, but the missing of an adequate opponent has made the show exciting only for Brazilian and Serbian fans.

Bye bye andrea zorzi

24 July 2008

Rio de Janeiro (BRA)

Just a brief note about the “unbalanced” match between Russia and Japan.

Unbalanced is an euphemism because, as soon as the two teams went into the court and lined up to listen to the hymns, it was clear that the tiny Japanese players seemed the sons of the tallest Russian athletes.
Despite of this physical gap, the match was less predictable than expected. Russia won 3-0 but the second set was fought until the end.

Let me introduce the second match, recalling the yesterday’s statement of McCutcheon (US Team Coach) after the poor performance of his players.
“My team was wrapped up and never played as a team. The players were too much concerned about the PRODUCT (the score) failing to focus the PROCESS (playing Volleyball as good as possible)

The players have to use all their energies doing something useful: looking at the scoring board won’t help at all!

Watching the match, keeping in mind this approach, was very interesting.

In the first set the wrapped up Us team which we saw yesterday disappeared. They played with great commitment and concentration. The evidence of this right approach came from the few mistakes they made and from the capability to control easily the level of the risk.
But in the first set, the Polish poor performance, helped the opponent. Being their first match in this WL Finals, they paid for the missing rhythm. Moreover, Polish players didn’t play many tough matches in the Intercontinental Round and they had to adjust their approach quickly.
Then, relying on the wonderful Wlazly’s performance, Poland actually started to play the WL Finals and the match turned into a great struggle.

In the fifth set both teams wasted some chances: Hoff hit awkwardly out an easy opportunity and Winiarsky didn’t kill an attack on the first match point.
But both teams can be disappointed and, at the same time, happy.

Wlazly (31 points) and Wika (13) attacked pretty well but the most encouraging Polish achievement was the blocking and digging performance. They miss the top level matches since long time and against USA, they quickly succeeded in finding the needed rhythm.

US players might not qualify for the semi-final (it depends on the match tomorrow between Poland and Serbia) but, in any case, they will leave this Final “with an important victory in a tough match” as their coach said after the match.

I know that Polish fans will not like what I’m saying but, the Polish defeat makes the second match of tomorrow (POL – SRB) very exciting. It’s particularly significant, because the first one (BRA- JPN) won’t be nor interesting nor balanced. At the most this match could be dangerous for the Japanese players due to the large quality gap between the two teams.

Bye bye andrea zorzi.

23 July 2008

Rio de Janeiro (BRA)

Nothing new in sight .

The Brazilians are still the best and the Russians seem unable to shorten the gap.

I have written many times that I’m actually impressed by the South Americans consistency: they are non-stop leading the Volleyball World since 2002. They keep on working even harder (if it’s possible), playing with enthusiasm and uncommon willpower. Therefore the level of their performances are unreachable by the opponents.

Before the 2008 World League’s Finals opening match, my only doubt was concerning the slow start Brazilian had in the last two editions. In 2006 in Moscow (Russia) and last year in Katowice (Poland), they lost the first match (both against Bulgaria) playing a spiritless game.
After the first defeat, the group leaded by Bernardino, improved quickly performing wonderfully again. No need to remember that they ended up winning both the editions, given that they succeeded in the last five World League editions!

Today they haven't got any hesitation nor pause, maybe due to the home playing or the Olympic Games proximity.

The match lasted only few points: in the first set Russian were leading 22-19 when Giba was serving. His team got a three points winning streak tying the set. Suddenly, Russians were missing and the match went under Brazilian control until the end.

During the press conference after the match, both coaches gave the standard comments (to say the truth a slightly false ones). Alekno pointed out only the Russians' mistakes (27 against 12) avoiding a deeper and a more factual examination. Bernardinho welcomed the victory noticing that Russia can play much better than today!
By the way, regarding the common and acceptable hypocrisy used in the public statements, Giba said that tomorrow they will rest but then Japan will be a tough opponent…

Thus, nothing new in sight is a good news for Brazilian.


The second match, USA - Serbia, has a peculiarity: both teams have two powerful and expert setters and opposites (N. Grbic - L. Ball and I. Milijkovic - C. Stanley). The Serbian middle bockers (M. Podrascanin and N. Bjelica) are younger than US (R. Millar and D. Lee) but equally physically gifted.
In those positions the match could have been very balanced. The key was the performance of the swing hitters.
All the three Serbians and the four North Americans athletes who have played as hitters (excluding S. Roonie who is pretty big) are very small.

The battle between the tiny Volleyball players was clearly won by Serbian.

Bye bye andrea zorzi

22 July 2008

Rio de Janeiro (BRA)


Playing bad never helps.

The clichés always sound trite and dull but they always hide a deeper meaning.

During the 2008, we often heard the men and women teams’ coaches saying that the schedule planning was primarily aimed to the Beijing Olympic Games. Having to deal with a very tight schedule, they were looking eagerly for the necessary time to rest, to work out, to improve and so on.
Actually, it wasn’t easy at all, but repeating to many times these concept risks to be tricky.

In a overloaded season, the athletes (and the coaches too) have to work hard to keep high the enthusiasm as long as they could. Being under pressure due to the big number of commitments, they might misunderstand the real meaning of the statement: “our biggest aim is the Olympic Games”. The risk is thinking that everything that comes before the Beijing’s tournament is secondary.

Here, we can discover the true meaning of “Playing bad never helps”.
Even when we are not in the best condition, tired from long travels and drained off energies, we have to strive for best. Obviously, the performances cannot be as good as we would have liked, but the secret is the effort we do to play our best.

The intensity of that effort turns a good player into a champion.

We could see our physical energies as a bin that gradually empties. Saving energies and refilling the bin with specific work out is an ordinary part of athletes’ life. But we cannot manage our mind power in the same way. Our mind energies are managed by a kind of switcher, which can be on or off: we haven’t a modulator. If we stop striving for the best, our mind could turn off and we don’t know how and when it will turn on again.

Thus, if we do our best, a poor performance could be acceptable and even useful, but if we give up to fight hard in each rally, we risk to turn off our mental switcher and then, who knows what could happen.

The best way to prepare for the Olympic Games is play as hard as possible this wonderful 2008 World League Final Six.

Brazilian team has an amazing skill to maintain for longest period the switcher on and in the next five days we will see if Bernardinho's players are still by far the best (it seems very likely).

Bye bye andrea zorzi