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Post by slxpress on Mar 29, 2023 18:30:02 GMT -5
is that not the agreement that was reported today? That Russia agreed to let it go (and avoid going to court) and FIVB won't either. Sorry, my English is very bad. It probably escapes a topic that I can't write correctly. Russia submitted a document saying that Antropova is not registered among Russian players. The document was signed by the President of the Russian Volleyball Federation. Russia has nothing to agree to. However, now Russia can object, which it could not before. It is the FIVB saying that Antropova has Russian sports nationality at the request of the CEV. Antropova, with the Russian document says that she started playing in italy but the FIVB reintepreted rule 2.4.1 of the sport regulations. The CAS has not made up its mind and has asked the parties to agree on a common solution.
Came here to say this, too. I understand English is not your native language, but “very bad” is not an accurate description. Thank you for taking the time and making the effort to communicate as effectively as possible.
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Post by madden55 on Mar 30, 2023 12:20:43 GMT -5
I was bored and wanted to make something detailed recapping the last national team summer and going over some of their question marks and expectations for this next season for the top 5 teams currently. This will be long. Sorry in advance. The first four are in world ranking order but I bumped Turkiye over Japan and China with the addition of Melissa Vargas.
Serbia
Well it is no secret here that this is my favorite team and I can be pretty defensive and stubborn about them, but I will do my best to remove my bias here as much as possible. That being said, let's dive in.
The elephant in the room here is they are coming off a near-perfect summer under a new head coach Danielle Santarelli with a VNL Bronze without one of the best players in the world Tijana Bošković and an undefeated World Championship title run upon her return. With the addition of Santarelli came the return of long-time NT veterans Jovana Stevanović and Bojana Drča which was a major major factor in the great season Serbia had. They provided answers for what looked to be 2 glaring holes left on the national team by the retirement of legendary middle blocker Milena Rašić and 4-time Olympian setter Maja Ogjenović. Both of whom were some of the very best players at their respective positions of all time. Drča and Stevanović slotted into these giant holes and provided great play and leadership. The other biggest concern for Serbia going into the summer was at their OH position where things looked incredibly bleak. The emergence of Sara Lozo and the return of a healthy Brankica Mihajlovič as well as the much-improved play from Bianka Buša all factored together turned what looked like to be a huge flaw of Serbia going into summer turned into a relative strength of the team by summer's end. All in all, this was a near-perfect storm and sequence of events for Serbia. Every player/position that needed to step up to improve on Serbia's poor finish (relative to expectations) in Tokyo stepped up big time. I did not really touch on the contributions of Tijana but those go without saying and anyone who watched any match Serbia played knew about how good she was.
Well after all that it sounds like Serbia should crush everyone for years to come right? Well, maybe? They will definitely be a top-tier team at all major events for the next few years, but they are not "unstoppable" there are other very good teams with young and rapidly improving pieces that are coming that will greatly challenge Serbia that we will touch on later.
The biggest thing to note for this upcoming season for Serbia is the departure of Santarelli and his leaving can not be completely ignored. As a fan, I thought he did a great job in match management and player selections throughout the summer and was also a big key cog in the season they had. His replacement is former Turkish NT and longtime Vakifbank coach Giovanni Guidetti. His coaching pedigree and list of awards is illustrious and long, however, he has a history of getting into fights and turning away strong players from his past national teams and that is worth noting. It remains to be seen if he can replicate what Danielle did with this group and that is the biggest question mark for Serbia in my opinion.
Brazil
The Brazilian national team is one of the greatest teams historically and always seems to be in the hunt for titles even if on paper they seem less talented than other squads. They have in my opinion the current best national team coach in the game in Ze Roberto. He seems to just have some magic potion that gets his teams to the finals of whatever event they are playing in. They are coming off a fantastic summer in which they obtained two silver medals at the VNL and World Championships. Now for a team like Brazil they are probably hoping to go into these events and leave with a Gold but given their current roster I think silver in both is a remarkable achievement and that fans of Brazil should be happy with.
So how did they do it? Well while this team has some rather major weaknesses on paper they do still boast 2 of the best players in the world in captain and do it all outside hitter Gabi Guimaraes and the wall of terror MB Ana Carolina da Silva. As well as a very solid setting duo in Roberta and Macris and good libero play from Nyeme and Natinha. These are big strengths to have given the relative lack of talent other countries have at these positions most notably setter and outside hitter so that in combination with a great coach can get you pretty far. Now where Brazil starts to get a bit shaky is at the opposite and other outside hitter positions. Both seemed like an ever rotating cycle between Rosamaria, Tainara, Kisy, Lorrenne etc. All of whom have talent but lack the consistency needed to push Brazil over the top. If Brazil can find answers to these positions I think that they may be the best team in the world and the strongest bet at dethroning Serbia as world number 1.
Just as I say that Brazil seems to maybe have figured out one of those problems just in this off-season which is a terrifying prospect for other top teams to process. 18 year old Ana Cristina has been on an absolute tear for one of the best club teams in the world in Fenerbahce. She has always shown flashes of a great attacker but as of late she seems to have become a consistent in both reception and has strung together multiple amazing showcases in attack against the worlds best teams. There is just one minor problem. Last year she announced she was no longer a part of the national team. This is my number one ? for Brazil this summer. Can they convince this star in the making to return? If they can, Brazil is going to be incredibly tough to beat. Her and Gabi together have the potential to be the best OH duo in the world. Also worth noting is up and coming NCAA star Julia Bergmann who played in the VNL and had a very very respectable debut with the NT. So Brazil does seem to have a talent infusion coming in.
Italy
Italy is uh. Well something. They have some of the very best players in the world at some positions. (Opposite, Middle Blocker, Libero) and then also some of the weakest starters out of any elite national team at setter and outside hitter. This is in my opinion why their results fluctuate so greatly at major events and they seem to underachieve like we saw at this Wcs.
Last season was not all doom and gloom in Italia however, they did win the VNL and did walk away with a bronze medal at the world championships. Though many would argue that a bronze medal at one of the biggest events in volleyball is a let down from a team most expected to reach the final given the bracket. Their issues at setter and outside hitter are incredibly dire and not even the great Paola Egonu can always save the day all the time as she sometimes has matches where she can be very error prone. Now that being said, Egonu is still an incredible talent that they are very lucky to have because she hides some of Italy's huge weaknesses and without her they could be in real trouble. Oh wait, what's that? Egonu might be done with the national team? EEEEEEK. Italy could be on the verge of a huge tumble from the group of medal contenders to joining the ranks of the middle of the pack teams like Poland and DR.
While they still have some major talent on their roster like Anna Danesi and the legendary Mokie I fear that if Egonu is really done with this team that their flaws are just too great to overcome given the poor past performances and now poor club seasons that players like Bosetti, Sylla, Orro, and Nwakalor are having. Their future as a medal contender really hangs in the balance of the decision made by Paola. So we'll just have to wait and see.
USA
Well if Italy's NT season was a bit of a disappointment and they still walked away with a VNL Gold and a WC Bronze...... You could call the USA's 2022 season a train wreck. Especially considering how sharp and deep they looked throughout most of the VNL before their perfect streak of VNL gold was snapped in the quarters against a Boskoless Serbia team.
Now there was a bit of a drop off to be expected from what looked like an unstoppable force and gold medal-winning effort in the Tokyo Olympics with several of all time USA greats like Jordan Larson, MBH, and Foluke Akinradewo. Most people still expected the USA to be among the heavy favorites to claim Gold at both events this summer Especially the VNL where not all teams brought their strongest possible rosters. However, the USA walked away from both events empty-handed being eliminated by Serbia in the quarters of VNL and then again knocked out by Serbia in the semis of the WCs. To be fair to the USA they battled the injury bug more than most teams and that was 100 percent a part of their struggles. This was probably most notable at the opposite hitter slot where Jordan Thompson had started to establish herself as a major force on the right side and she was unable to attend the wcs. They also faced several smaller injuries to starters Jordyn Poulter, Justine Wong-Orantes, and Ali Frantti. I will still contest though that even factoring in injuries the USA still struggled more than most would have figured because of poor play by healthy starters and poor coaching.
The 2022 season is one USA fans will like to forget, but they are still in a much much better spot than most other teams in terms of their future. They have the most depth out of any country and great balance that a lot of other teams do not have. I fully expect the USA to right the ship and think of 2022 as more of just a down year rather than a precursor of poor seasons to come. They have far too much talent to drop out of the medal race and anyone would be foolish to count them out.
Turkiye
The Turkish national team has been on a steady rise under Guidetti for quite a few years now and it seemed like they were really knocking on the door of breaking through to the medal contention group in the top events. They just couldn't quite seem to get over the finish line losing several big matches in 5 sets to world powerhouses like a 2018 VNL loss against the USA and a 2019 Euro loss to Serbia both in the finals. They started off the Tokyo games with a huge bang as well by sweeping heavy pre tournament favorites China. They looked to have a guaranteed place in the semi finals as well with a dream draw of South Korea. Then everything came crashing down and they were eliminated in a 5 set thriller by the fighting KYKs and they just have not seemed anywhere near that trajectory since before those games. Bowing out in an uncompetitive match in the quarters of the wcs and being swept in Ankara by a Serbia team without Boskovic at VNL.
It just kind of seemed like they had reached a plateau under Gio and both parties seemed very frustrated with each other and it was time for a reset for both. So enter the Santarelli era. Can he work some magic and get Turkiye back on track? Well he has a gigantic talent infusion coming in this year to help him with that opposite Melissa Vargas who will be eligible to play for the NT starting this summer. She is incredible and will help the Turkish OOS game a lot. Ebrar Karakurt is also a very good backup to have at the opposite position if Vargas were to get hurt or struggle. Ebrar is a very good player in her own right and helped raise the level of Turkey for a few years but it seems that she just wont break into that next level of opposites as Vargas has. They also have one of the best young middles in the game in Zehra Gunes and a lot of players with NT experience to ease the transition.
That is a lot of good news for Turkish fans, however, I think there are quite a few questions to be answered before we know if Turkey is going to be a gold medal threat even with Vargas. Their options at setter, outside hitter, and libero seem concerning and the OH position in particular has been one of their biggest hurdles in overcoming the better teams, and long time captain Eda isn't getting any younger. Could Ebrar possibly slot over back to the left side and produce? Can Cansu regain her pre-injury form? These are questions Santarelli will have to find answers to in order to elevate this team but the addition of Vargas is about as good of a start as one could ask for.
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Post by uofaGRAD on Mar 30, 2023 12:35:16 GMT -5
I enjoyed reading that madden55I think after this club season, if Antropova for whatever reason can’t/isn’t playing for the Italian NT, Italy has to go with Malinov/Nwakalor at setter/opposite. Orro has been so incredibly terrible and Malinov/Nwakalor have developed a connection that actually looks good sometimes. The USA just desperately needs two outsides to separate themselves from the pact😭 if we wanna play Plummer, teams are just gonna target her so why should we even care about putting KRook as the other outside when we could have someone more terminal (like Frantti). or do they go back to how Larson/MBH were and use two good passers (like KRook and Kingdon(?)) and run everything through the middle and JT. Brazil! If they get AC to come back, that’s huge because she’s finding consistency at only 18 years old, which is crazy that we’ve been so hard on her😭 Turkey really needs to slide Ebrar to the left and I’m so serious. That’s their best chance at early medal contention.
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Post by HandeBallerdın on Mar 30, 2023 13:21:10 GMT -5
Making a bold prediction that Brazil is going to make some big progress this season. Theyre going to reach the VNL final and win a set this time! I believe in them!
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Post by mberlanda on Mar 30, 2023 13:43:24 GMT -5
The problem with the Italian national team is that they cannot handle the pressure of being among the favorites. In 2018 the group was very young and, in all matches, they alternated beautifully played sets with bad ones, however, they had nothing to lose and in the finals they did not go very far from winning the final. In Tokyo and the World Cup, they simply could not handle the pressure. They felt they were not at the level they wanted to be and, like an engine goes out of revs, they got worse. As they got worse, the more they felt the pressure, the worse the result was.
It is true that Italy has a number of very good young players who, somehow get results. But the good result of the youth teams is simply due to the fact that they are probably more supervised in training than their peers. Certainly Italy missed its chance at the Olympics: so many national teams were in the "generational turnover" phase. All the teams mentioned by madden55 now have very strong young players who will get stronger. Paradoxically, feeling less favored will help the Italian team to do their best but the contenders have certainly improved in level.
I don't think Egonu has dropped out of the national team and I don't think her absence is a bad thing. I think the only one in the world who has not figured out how to play with Egonu is only Guidetti: Egonu has to get the ball high, at least 60 times a game and the others take care of everything else. The bad part is that the opponents over time will get more and more used to her and her trajectories. It is then up to Egonu to evolve as a player and stay one step ahead. In the matches when she is not there the game will be different. Historically, Italy has never had a strong opposite (except, perhaps, Elisa Togut).
Sylla is fabulous as OH, she has improved a lot in defense however she jumps a little less high. She is penalized by the setter who, in my opinion, does not put her in the best position to avoid the block. When I see Pietrini I think I see Elsa from Frozen. Not because of her beauty but because in my opinion she would be more successful as an actress in a Disney movie than on the court. She does not improve in anything, has no variety of strokes in attack and I do not think (after all these years) she has any desire to improve. If Antropova could one day play in the national team, I wouldn't be surprised if she took her place.
Otherwise I pretty much agree with madden55 and would add Russia. Obviously when it is readmitted.
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Post by avid 2.0 on Mar 30, 2023 13:45:43 GMT -5
but because in my opinion she would be more successful as an actress in a Disney movie than on the court. . the way i just laughed lol
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Post by chatchu-off moksri on Mar 30, 2023 13:45:55 GMT -5
Brazil! If they get AC to come back, that’s huge because she’s finding consistency at only 18 years old, which is crazy that we’ve been so hard on her😭 I'm hoping we see an AC/Bergmann duo at VNL for Brazil, at least for a couple of matches. Ana Cristina has become a completely different player from last season I'm so impressed.
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Post by uofaGRAD on Mar 30, 2023 13:47:14 GMT -5
Brazil! If they get AC to come back, that’s huge because she’s finding consistency at only 18 years old, which is crazy that we’ve been so hard on her😭 I'm hoping we see an AC/Bergmann duo at VNL for Brazil, at least for a couple of matches. Ana Cristina has become a completely different player from last season I'm so impressed. I hope we do too! If AC does come back, I’m be shocked if we didn’t see it at some point, no reason to play Gabi every game
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Post by kwt on Mar 30, 2023 13:50:58 GMT -5
If Antropova could one day play in the national team... GLP keeps on telling she's gonna be in the NT next summer.
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Post by madden55 on Mar 30, 2023 13:56:40 GMT -5
Also japan will be good but I honestly don’t know enough about their depth or up and comers to make anything detailed about them. I think they pose more of a threat to USA and Brazil because they don’t have a bosko or Egonu to feed over the block everytime and I think vs teams like japan and Thailand who are on the shorter side this matters the most match up wise.
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Post by mberlanda on Mar 30, 2023 14:12:47 GMT -5
If Antropova could one day play in the national team... GLP keeps on telling she's gonna be in the NT next summer. I frankly don't know how he can be sure. Even if they gave Antropova an Italian passport tomorrow, Antropova would have to apply for a change of Federation of Origin and hope that Russia would not object. It seems to me very, very difficult for them to get all that done in less than 2 months.
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Post by avid 2.0 on Mar 30, 2023 14:15:37 GMT -5
GLP keeps on telling she's gonna be in the NT next summer. I frankly don't know how he can be sure. Even if they gave Antropova an Italian passport tomorrow, Antropova would have to apply for a change of Federation of Origin and hope that Russia would not object. It seems to me very, very difficult for them to get all that done in less than 2 months. they’ve sorted the federation of origin stuff. Russia and FIVB agreed to let it be changed to Italy (and avoided having to go to court over it) It seems the rest of it involved the Italian administrative work, however long that takes
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Post by volleyb on Mar 30, 2023 17:49:51 GMT -5
Also japan will be good but I honestly don’t know enough about their depth or up and comers to make anything detailed about them. Some likely roster changes for Japan: - Who is going to be their libero? They brought Kojima and Yamagishi at the VNL, but had Uchiseto and Fukudome at the World Championships. Kojima and Fukudome are back in the wide roster with a couple of newbies, but Yamagishi and Uchiseto are out. - Miyu Nagaoka is back in the wide roster. Will she be part of the Team A again? - VLeague's Best Spiker and Best Blocker this season is a newbie in Seniors NT. Will she be part of Team A and make an impact? Other than those, I am not expecting other roster changes.
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Post by madden55 on Mar 30, 2023 17:59:09 GMT -5
Also japan will be good but I honestly don’t know enough about their depth or up and comers to make anything detailed about them. Some likely roster changes for Japan: - Who is going to be their libero? They brought Kojima and Yamagishi at the VNL, but had Uchiseto and Fukudome at the World Championships. Kojima and Fukudome are back in the wide roster with a couple of newbies, but Yamagishi and Uchiseto are out. - Miyu Nagaoka is back in the wide roster. Will she be part of the Team A again? - VLeague's Best Spiker and Best Blocker this season is a newbie in Seniors NT. Will she be part of Team A and make an impact? Other than those, I am not expecting other roster changes. thx for this
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Post by chatchu-off moksri on Mar 30, 2023 18:13:07 GMT -5
I'm also curious to see if Seki keeps the setter position for Japan, or if Aki Momii gets back to her 2021 VNL form and takes over the setting duties. I wasn't the biggest Seki fan last summer admittedly, but she ran the system very quickly and got the job done. I haven't watched any Japan League matches (because its almost impossible to) so I don't know how Momii has looked recently.
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