Nations League 2021 Week 4 Report: Nishida returns but Japan loses

Standings (runners-up at the end of Week 4)

1. Brazil: 11 wins, 32 points
2. Poland 10 wins 30 points
3. Slovenia 9 wins 26 points
4. Russia 8 wins 26 points
5. France 8 wins 26 points
6. Serbia 8 wins 22 points
7. USA 6 wins 17 points
8. Argentina 6 wins 17 points
9. Italy 6 wins 16 points
10. Japan 6 wins 16 points
11. Iran 5 wins 18 points
12. Canada 4 wins 13 points
13. Germany 4 wins 13 points
14. Netherlands 2 wins 7 points
15. Bulgaria 2 wins 7 points
16. Australia 1 win 2 points

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

Brazil and Poland are solid. These two teams are almost certain to advance to the finals. However, the battle for third and fourth place is fierce. Slovenia is one step ahead in the number of wins, but Serbia, who is in sixth place, still has a chance to advance to the finals. It was painful for France to lose in full sets to the Netherlands and Italy in the fourth week. In the match against the Netherlands, Nimir alone took 43 points. But Nimir was still a monster... Also, Australia beat Iran and finally won their first victory in the tournament. Good.

Nimir scored a total of 43 points in the match against France. Photo by FIVB

The star rating table is below:

Japan's upcoming matches

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

There are three games left. I want to make sure I win against Bulgaria, who are not doing well in this tournament. The other two are Slovenia and the United States. Slovenia is doing well in this tournament, winning against Poland and France, but they also lost to Germany, so they are not an opponent that can't be helped. There will also be a Milan showdown with Ishikawa, who plays Kozamelnik in the middle and Urnarut on the side.

Anderson and Sander have joined the U.S. team in earnest, and before we knew it, they had become the A team. The other day, the 12 members of the Olympic team were announced early. It's a real shame that Russell was absent due to injury, but it will be interesting to see how well they can compete against the serious U.S. team.

I'd also like to see Nishida make a full recovery. Japan needs Nishida after all. He didn't perform very well in the fourth week, but his presence brightens up the court and makes us excited to watch. I'd be happy to see him play the full game in the starting lineup for the final three games!