We are providing commentary on the Japan men's volleyball team's first match at the Paris Olympics, against Germany in qualifying pool C, which will start at 4:00 p.m. Japan time on Saturday, July 27th.
Participating members
Japan
Director: Philippe Brun (France)
*1 Nishida Yuji OP 2000/01/30 187cm Osaka Bulleteon
*2 Futoshi Onodera MB 1996/02/27 200cm Suntory Sunbirds Osaka
*3 Akihiro Fukatsu S 1987/7/23 183cm Tokyo Great Bears
*4 Kento Miyaura OP 1999/02/22 190cm JTEKT STINGS
*5 Tatsunori Otsuka OH 2000/11/05 194cm Milan (Italy)
*6 Akira Yamauchi MB 1993/11/30 204cm Osaka Bulleteon
*8 Seita Sekita S 1993/11/20 175cm JTEKT STINGS
10 Kentaro Takahashi MB 1995/02/08 201cm JTEKT STINGS
12 Ai Takahashi OH 2001/09/02 188cm Suntory Sunbirds Osaka
14 Yuki Ishikawa (C) OH 1995/12/11 191cm Perugia (Italy)
15 Yuto Kai OH 2003/09/25 200cm Senshu University
20 Tomohiro Yamamoto L 1994/11/05 171cm Osaka Bulleteon
Reserve
11 Masama Tomita OH 1997/06/20 190cm Osaka Bulleteon
Parameters
Attack: ★★★★
Block: ★★★
Serve: ★★★★★
Receive: ★★★★★★
Toss: ★★★★★
Germany
Director: Michal Wienialski (Poland)
*1 Christian Fromm OH 1990 204cm Rapid București (Romania)
*5 Moritz Reichardt OH 1995 194cm Berlin
*6 Johannes Tille S 1997 186cm Berlin
*9 Georgi Grozer OP 1984 200cm Arkas Spor (Türkiye)
10 Julian Zenger L 1997 190cm Padova (Italy)
11 Lukas Kampa (C) S 1986 196cm Gdańsk (Poland)
12 Anton Brehme MB 1999 206cm Jastrzębski Węgiel (Poland)
13 Ruben Schott OH 1994 193cm Berlin
14 Moritz Kaliczek OH/OP 1996 191cm Olsztyn (Poland)
21 Tobias Klick MB 1998 210cm Berlin
22 Tobias Brand OH 1998 195cm Warszawa (Poland)
25 Lucas Maase MB 1998 208cm Chaumont (France)
Reserve
17 Jan Zimmermann S 1993 191cm Taranto (Italy)
Parameters
Attack: ★★★★
Block: ★★★★
Serve: ★★★★★
Receive: ★★★★★
Toss: ★★★★
Recent Matches
Nations League 2024 Qualifying Round (June 5, 2024)
⚪︎Japan - Germany 3-2 (25-22, 22-25, 25-27, 25-23, 15-8)
Projected starting lineup
Positions: OH = Outside Hitter, MB = Middle Blocker, OP = Opposite, S = Setter, L = Libero
Japan
OH: Ai Takahashi, Ishikawa
MB: Onodera, Yamauchi
OP: Nishida
S: Sekita
L: Yamamoto
Average height (excluding libero): 190.83cm
Germany
OH: Shot, brand
MB: Brehme, Click
OP: Glozel
S: Campagnolo
L: Zenger
Average height (excluding libero): 200.00cm
Match Overview
How much pressure can you put on your serve, and how much can you withstand on your serve reception?
Japan is ranked 2nd in the world and Germany is ranked 10th, so there is a difference in numbers, but as the two teams played a full set in this year's Nations League qualifying round, the actual difference in ability is small.
Furthermore, at the Paris Olympics, he was a veteran and a big ace.Glozeland the only foreign libero in the Italian League.ZengerWith the addition of these two players, they will undoubtedly be a stronger opponent than they were in the Nations League.
Germany's starting line-up is about 10cm taller than Japan's, with all three middle blockers over 205cm tall, but their style is similar to Japan's, being defensive. Germany also has very strong serves, and is good at switching between power serves and control serves, which is similar to Japan's.
Therefore, the match in Paris is expected to be a long, drawn-out battle of endurance, just like the Nations League, with each team trying to withstand the other team's serves and avoid making any mistakes.
The aim of the Japanese serve is to get the libero out of the way, of course.shotHe is also a player with a reputation for his defense, like a second libero, so OHbrandI want to focus on OH.brandis also a very powerful attacker, so we want to actively target him in order to disrupt the opponent's serve reception and prevent him from hitting a spike in a good position.Ishikawa, O.H.Ai Takahashi, OPNishidaBoth of them are in top form, so I have high hopes for them.
In terms of attack, Germany is weaker in the right side block, so OPNishidaThe attack of the right side will be one of the big keys. Also, it is easier for the opposing setter and opposite to pick up the ball on the right side, so OP is a good way to play even in difficult situations.GlozelThey can allow a veteran to touch the ball and prevent him from getting a good run-up to a spike, or they can simply drain the veteran's stamina.
Also, German middle blockers are tall but don't seem to be very strong against attacks from the center, so MBOnoderaand M.B.Yamauchi(or MBKentaro TakahashiI want to use the quick attack of the ) aggressively. This will allow the back attack from the center, the pipe attack, and the attack from the side to come to life.
SSekidaIn order to create a situation where you can use the quick aggressively, it is important to receive the serve. The center of this is the LYamamotoand OHAi TakahashiGermany is especially OPGlozel, O.H.brand, M.B.BrehmeThe serve is powerful and SDonationThe control serve of is also troublesome. Especially in the Nations League, LYamamotoOHbrandHe has struggled with their serves, so I hope he can hang in there in Paris.
Germany's main source of goals is OPGlozeland OHbrandHowever, against them, we can't let them pick up the ball and approach the attack easily. Even if it's late, we put two blocks on them.YamamotoI want to thoroughly guide them to the OHbrandSince I'm good at hitting lines (straights),SekidaBe careful of spikes hit from above.
However, even if they could crush them, they would have to face the OP/OH who had caused trouble for Japan in the Nations League.KalicekDon't forget, we'll also have more details.
Also MBclickand M.B.BrehmeHis tall quick is powerful, but the course is limited so he will be able to respond well with blocks and digs.
The match is scheduled to start at an unusually early time, at 9am, so whether the players can adjust their conditions to suit the time will be a deciding factor in the outcome.
It's sure to be a long game, so the team that can stay focused the longest will surely be the winner.
Key man of the match
Japan: OH Ai Takahashi
He is the key player in Japan's serve reception. If he can increase the number of times he receives serves against Germany's powerful serves, Japan's side-outs will be able to keep up a good rhythm and gain an advantage in the match. We also want to put pressure on Germany with our serve with varying speeds and our specialty pipe attacks.
Germany: OH Brand
A rising star from Germany who tormented Japan in the Nations League with 25 points, 4 aces, and an attacking efficiency rate of 551 TP 3 T. He has the highest scoring ability among Germany's outside hitters, and his rise has reduced the burden on OP Grosser, allowing Germany's attackers to rotate in a balanced way. We want to put pressure on him with serves and digs and not let him play comfortably.
Trivia
Former teammates
- Nishida and Fromm (Vivo Valentia (Italy) 2021/22)
- Miyaura, Kai and Marse (Paris (France) 2023/24)
- Ai Takahashi and Zenger (Padua (Italy) 2022/23)
- Ai Takahashi and Zimmermann (Padua (Italy) 2021/22)
Related Interviews
Match Information
Match Date and Time
Saturday, July 27th, 9:00am local time (16:00pm Japan time)
How to watch
tv set
Nippon Television Network: 15:55~
NHKBS: 16:00~
Online distribution
TVer(All matches will be broadcast, including matches between overseas teams)
Japan men's upcoming match schedule
*Times are Japan time
Qualifiers (Pool C)
July 31st (Wed) 20:00 ~ Argentina match
August 2nd (Fri) 28:00 ~ vs. USA
*A total of eight teams will advance to the final tournament: either the second-placed or higher-placed teams out of the four teams in each pool, or the top two teams out of the three third-placed teams in each pool.
Final Tournament
Monday, August 5th Time TBD Quarterfinals
Wednesday, August 7th (time TBA) Semi-finals
Friday, August 9th 23:00~ 3rd place deciding match
August 10th (Sat) 20:00~ Finals
[PR] "ALL for DREAM -Footsteps to Glory- Japan Volleyball National Team Nations League 2024" will be available on U-NEXT from July 27th (Sat.)
A documentary program that closely follows the unknown behind-the-scenes of the "Volleyball Nations League 2024" and traces the fierce battles will be streamed on U-NEXT.
[Distribution date and time]
July 27th (Saturday) 5pm Boys #1 Boys #2
August 3rd (Saturday) 5pm Women's #1
Saturday, August 10th 5pm Women's #2
Saturday, August 24th 5pm Men's #3
Saturday, August 31st 5pm Women's #3
September 7th (Saturday) 5pm Men's #4
Saturday, September 14th 5pm Women's #4
(Quoted from TBS TV release)
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Photo: Volleyball World
English 
Japanese