The Tokyo Olympic men's volleyball champion will be decided today, August 7, 2021. Tonight, France and Russia will compete for the glorious Olympic gold medal. We would like to introduce 7 carefully selected highlights of this fateful showdown!
Check out the members of both teams and our review of the semi-finals here
France's tenacious floor defense
As France's coach Tilley said, "We're similar to the Japanese team," France is more of a defensive team. They don't have many big servers, and their blocks aren't that tall, so they're good at picking up multiple spikes from the opponent with tenacious floor defense and bringing the game into a rally. At the center of France's defense is libero Grebennikov. He's renowned as the world's number one libero, and his excellent digging ability, which comes from his outstanding reaction, puts pressure on the opponent's spiker and induces mistakes.
Of course, the other members besides the libero are also very tenacious and good at high sets. I have the impression that Chinenieze in the middle is also making good digs. Can Russia endure this ironclad defense and continue to attack the tough course?
Russia's height and power in serves and blocks!
Serve and block are symbols of modern volleyball. Russia is the strongest in this tournament. All four jump serve players, Mikhailov, Kliuka, Volkov, and Kobzal, have big serves, and relief server Pankov also breaks down the opponent's receiver with a powerful serve and reliably fulfills his role. And when the set is high, Russia's threatening three-man block is what finishes it off. All five starters except for setter Kobzal are over 2m tall, and Volvic and the middle and side player Kliuka are astonishingly tall at around 210cm. It is extremely difficult to overcome the block. On the other hand, France needs to calmly deal with it by taking advantage of the block and getting the rebound without rushing the attack. However, if they try to use the block in this way, the blocker will pull his hand back just before the ball is thrown out. This tactics between the blocker and the spiker is also one of the highlights.
Magic Nugapet
He is the leader of Team Yabou (the nickname for the French men's team) and thrills the crowd with his inventive and tricky plays. He is also the originator (there are various theories) of the fake set that looks like a back attack, which is often used by Japan's Ishikawa Yuki, and that play is called "Nugapet" by overseas commentators, named after him. With more young players on the team, he is a little quieter in this tournament, but still, every time the ball goes to him, we are excited to see what he will do. In addition, his jump serve, which is fired from his small but sturdy physique, is powerful. His serve will be a key point in the final, so keep an eye on it.
Iron Man Mikhailov
Russia's undisputed source of points is opposite Maxim Mikhailov. This is his fourth Olympics, and he is one of the world's best opposites, having been the driving force behind Russia's bronze medal at the Beijing Olympics and the gold medal at the London Olympics. His offensive power is of course amazing, but his charm is his stability. He has very little fluctuation in his form, and he always keeps a calm mind and carries out his role well in any game. He is a man of iron in both body and mind. Substitute Poletayev is also a great opposite, but as long as he is there, it seems he will not get a chance to play yet. In the final against France, he will try to destroy the French defense with his stable play.
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