Nations League 2021 Week 3 Report: Questionable Argentina match

Standings (runner-up at the end of Week 3)

1. Brazil: 8 wins, 24 points
2. Poland: 7 wins, 21 points
3. France 7 wins 21 points
4. Slovenia 7 wins 19 points
5. Serbia 7 wins 19 points
6. Iran 5 wins 17 points
7. Russia 5 wins 17 points
8. Japan 5 wins 13 points
9. Germany 4 wins 13 points
10. USA 4 wins 12 points
11. Italy 4 wins 11 points
12. Argentina 4 wins 11 points
13. Canada 2 wins 7 points
14. Bulgaria 2 wins 7 points
15. Netherlands 1 win 4 points
16. Australia 0 wins 0 points

*Rankings are determined by number of wins > points > set rate > point rate.

Brazil, who won the direct match against Poland, is in the lead with eight wins. Brazil will probably continue to finish in first place. Japan has won five matches, three of which were full sets, so they are far behind Iran and Russia, who also have five wins, and are in the same position as Germany, who has four wins.

Brazil's block and Poland's Kubiak, photo by FIVB

The star rating table is below:

Japan's upcoming matches

Week 4
15th (Tue) 22:00～ Germany
16th (Wed) 22:00～ Poland
17th (Thu) 20:00～ Canada

Week 5
21st (Mon) 19:00～ Bulgaria
22nd (Tue) 23:00～ Slovenia
23rd (Wed) 20:00～ America

Six games left. Poland will be beaten to death. On the other hand, we definitely want to win against Germany, Canada, and Bulgaria. The games against Slovenia and the half-B team against the United States are the deciding factors. Whether we can win these two games will be the key to whether we can make it to the top.

It will also be interesting to see if Nishida will be able to make it in time. After the second week, I think there were many scenes where the lack of scoring power of the sides other than Ishikawa was exposed. I think Takanashi did a good job among them, but Japan still needs Nishida. I think that not only Japanese fans but also overseas fans are looking forward to Nishida's comeback. I hope that the world's NISHIDA will return.