In the first week, Ryujin Nippon won with 3 wins and 1 loss thanks to the efforts of Nishida and others! The tournament is now in the middle stage, and the second week has begun!!
Japan National Team Members (Week 2)
*1 Nishida Yuji 2000 187 OP JTEKT
*2 Futoshi Onodera 1996 200 MB JT
*5 Tatsunori Otsuka 2000 194 OH Waseda University 4th year student
*6 Akihiro Yamauchi 1993 204 MB Panasonic
*7 Kenta Takanashi 1997 190 OH WD Nagoya
*8 Masahiro Sekita 1993 175 S JTEKT
*9 Maki Oya 1995 178 S Suntory
10 Kentaro Takahashi 1995 202 MB Toray
11 Masama Tomita 1997 190 OH Toray
12 Ai Takahashi 2001 188 OH 3rd year student at Nippon Sport Science University
13 Tomohiro Ogawa 1996 176 L WD Nagoya
14 Yuki Ishikawa 1995 191 OH Milano (ITA) (C)
20 Tomohiro Yamamoto 1994 171 L Sakai
26 Go Murayama 1998 192 MB JTEKT
From the first week's members, Miyaura and Nagatsuyu were replaced.TakanashiandOyahas joined the group.
We were worried for a while after hearing the news that six players had tested positive for COVID-19, but we are relieved that we are able to take on the second week without any major losses to our main players.
In terms of positions, there are five outside hitters and one opposite, but since Otsuka and Takanashi are also good at attacking from the right, it is entirely possible to consider a lineup of 3 outside hitters without the opposite in order to avoid overworking Nishida.
Also, in the first week, I was in tears because of COVID-19 right before the tournament.Kentaro TakahashiHe made it to the second week without any issues. As I wrote before, he is a player I personally have my eye on, so I hope he will use the disappointment from the first week as motivation to go wild to his heart's content!!
Standings (as of June 20th)
1. USA 4-0 11 12/03
2. Japan 3-1 10 11/05
3. France 3-1 09 10/04
4. Poland 3-1 09 10/04
5. Italy 3-1 09 09/05
6. Germany 3-1 07 10/07
7. Netherlands 2-2 06 07/06
8. Brazil 2-2 06 07/07
9. Serbia 2-2 06 09/09
10. Slovenia 2-2 06 07/07
11. Iran 2-2 06 06/08
12. Argentina 1-3 04 06/10
13. China 1-3 03 06/09
14. Canada 1-3 02 03/11
15. Bulgaria 0-4 02 05/12
16. Australia 0-4 00 01/12
*The top 8 teams from the preliminary round will advance to the final round.
At the end of the first week, Japan is in second place overall. However, all of the matches in the second week will be against higher-ranked opponents, so how many points Japan can earn in the Philippine round will likely be a major key to advancing to the finals.
Match Schedule
*All times are Japan time
June 21st (Tue) 20:00 vs Argentina
6/24(Fri) 20:00 vs Italy
June 25th (Sat) 16:00 vs France
6/26(Sun) 16:00 vs Slovenia
Introducing the opponent
Argentina
Last year, Argentina beat Brazil at the Tokyo Olympics to take the bronze medal.
Unlike the Olympic Games, the team for this tournament is made up mainly of young players, but their solid defense and outstanding offensive power from their centre line are still as strong as ever.
The toss for this tournament will be made by the 173cm tall "male version of Takeshita"SanchezAlthough it is much less tall, I think it is no exaggeration to say that its setting is the best in the world.
member
*1 Matias Sanchez 1996 173 S Suwalki (Poland)
*4 Joaquim Gallego 1996 204 MB Lisbon (Portugal)
*8 Agustin Rosell 1997 197 MB Milan (Italy)
*9 Santiago D'Anani 1995 176 L Zawiercie (Poland)
10 Nicolas Lazo 1995 192 OH Campinas (Brazil)
11 Manuel Almor 2002 198 OH San Juan (Argentina)
12 Bruno Lima 1996 198 OP Nice (France)
13 Ezequiel Palacios 1992 198 OH Montpellier (France)
16 Luciano Palonsky 1999 198 OH Tours (France)
17 Luciano Visentin 2000 199 Friedrichshafen, OH (Germany)
18 Martin Ramos 1991 197 MB Guaguas (Spain)
19 Franco Massimino 1988 177 L Luzé (France)
22 Nicolas Zerba 1999 204 MB Narbonne (France)
77 Mathias Giraud 1998 202 S Ceske Budejovice (Czech Republic)
Directed by: Marcelo Mendes
Player to watch: Agustin Rosell
A high-speed middle-back who made a major contribution to winning the Olympic bronze medal. At just under 2 meters tall, he is small among the world's middle-backs, but his outstanding athletic ability allows him to score a lot of points with his spikes and blocks.
The high offensive power of the quick is tremendous and has a wide variety of variations. In particular, since the setter for this tournament is Sanchez, who has been with us since the underclassmen category, it is not uncommon for him to receive more tosses than usual and become the best scorer of the match.
In any case, the movements are very sharp and exciting to watch!
Italy
Last year's European Championship winners. Although they missed out on a medal at the Tokyo Olympics, they have since taken on a new generation and are now one of the most powerful teams.
There are young talents at every position, especiallyMicheletto,Ravia,BottoroThe rise of young outside players such as these has been tremendous, and the competition for a spot in the starting lineup is extremely fierce.
The person who will lead the team is a setter who is in his mid-20s and has already tossed the ball in two Olympic Games.GiannelliHis tact brings stability and explosiveness to the young team.
member
*1 Giulio Pinari 1997 199 OP Trento
*4 Oreste Cavuto 1996 196 OH Trento
*5 Alessandro Micheletto 2001 211 OH Trento
*6 Simone Giannelli 1996 198 S Perugia
*7 Fabio Barrasso 1995 178 L Civitanova
*8 Riccardo Sbertori 1998 185 S Trento
12 Mattia Bottolo 2000 196 OH Civitanova
13 Lorenzo Cortesia 1999 202 MB Verona
14 Gianluca Galassi 1997 201 MB Monza
15 Daniele Lavia 1999 198 OH Trento
16 Yuri Romano 1997 203 OP Piacenza
17 Simone Anzani 1992 204 MB Civitanova
21 Alessandro Piccinelli 1997 191 L Perugia
30 Leandro Mosca 2000 209 MB Verona
Directed by: Ferdinand Degiorgi
Player to watch: Alessandro Micheletto
Micheletto is a large, skillful southpaw who took over the number 5 jersey from the ace player Juan Torena and, at just 20 years old, has already grown into an indispensable central player for the Italian national team.
Her serves and spikes with a high impact point and the unique left-handed movement are impressive, but she also has experience as a libero in the under-age categories and is well-known for her receiving ability.
I'm looking forward to this southpaw matchup with Nishida, who is 20 centimeters ahead of me, following the Tokyo Olympics.
France
France, the gold medal team at the Tokyo Olympics, has changed coach since then, but their playful and tricky volleyball that captivates the audience is still going strong this year.
Key to offense and defense,NugapetIn addition, he played with Ishikawa at Milan.PatryandSineniezeThere are many familiar players such as:
member
*1 Barthélemy Sinenieze 1998 202 MB Civitanova (Italy)
*3 Raphael Cole 1989 195 S Chaumont
*4 Jean Patry 1996 207 OP Milan (Italy)
*5 Jeremy Mouillet 1995 176 L Cannes
*6 Benjamin Toniutti 1989 183 S Jastrzebie (Poland)
*9 Erwin Nugapet 1991 194 OH Modena (Italy)
12 Stephan Boyer 1996 196 OP Jastrzembie (Poland)
14 Nicolas Rugoff 1992 203 MB Montpellier
15 Médéric Henry 1995 212 MB Robinson
17 Trebo Klewno 1994 199 OH Jastrzebie (Poland)
19 Yasin Ruati 1992 198 OH Fenerbahce (Türkiye)
20 Benjamin Diez 1998 183 L Tour
22 Pierre Derouillon 1999 194 OH Tours
25 Contant Jouffoy 1993 203 MB Narbonne
Director: Andrea Giani (Italy)
Player to watch: Trevor Klevenot
At the Tokyo Olympics, he was one of the lucky boys who, along with setter Brizard, established himself as a starter midway through the tournament and made a major contribution to winning the gold medal.
As you'd expect from a French player, he's an all-rounder with excellent offense and defense balance, and he's expected to be in the starting lineup at the Paris Olympics.
And besides his talent, he's also very good looking. Personally, I think he's the best on the French team (laughs).
Slovenia
Although they were unable to participate in the Tokyo Olympics last year, they were a strong European team that came in second at the European Championships immediately after. It is amazing that they are so strong despite having a population of only about 2.1 million (roughly the same as Niigata Prefecture).
He is scheduled to play for JTEKT next season.UrnarutoorVincicIn addition to the veterans who have supported Slovenia's golden age in recent years,MozicWith the rise of young athletes such as these, his first Olympic appearance is within reach.
member
*1 Toncek Stern 1995 198 OP Olympiacos (Greece)
*2 Alan Payenc 1986 203 MB Olympiacos (Greece)
*4 Jan Kozamelnik 1995 203 MB Rzeszow (Poland)
*7 Alain Cochenier 1996 186 L Maribor
*8 Kurtomir Bosniak 2000 195 OH Ljubljana
*9 Dejan Vincic 1986 200 S Friedrichshafen (Germany)
10 Sasho Staalekar 1996 214 MB Berlin (Germany)
11 Danieli Koncilija 1990 201 MB Ljubljana
12 Jan Klobuchar 1992 194 OH Kamnik
13 Jani Kovacic 1992 185 L Ljubljana
14. Ziga Stern 1994 193 Friedrichshafen, OH (Germany)
16 Gregor Lopreto 1989 192 S Perugia (Italy)
17 Tine Ulnart 1988 199 OH JTEKT (Japan)
19 Rok Mozic 2002 200 OH Verona (Italy)
Director: Mark Lebedev (Australia)
Players to watch:Rok Mojic
Born in 2002, this young Slovenian monster is just 20 years old, but last season he was the top scorer in the Italian Superliga. Not only does he have powerful spikes and serves that stem from his outstanding jumping ability, but he also has excellent technique, having won the U20 Beach Volleyball World Championship.
I believe he will be one of the players who will excite the volleyball world for at least the next 10 years.
Predicted results
All the teams in the second week are strong, but I'd like to somehow get a win against Argentina in our first match. I'd also like to win at least one of the remaining three matches and head into the third week with a winning record.
If you ask me which of Italy, France, and Slovenia has the highest chance of winning... I honestly can't imagine any of them winning. In terms of the members of their opponents, France seems to have the least serious players, but they are still the Olympic champions.
Still, I hope the Japanese national team will hang in there and defy my expectations! Go Japan!!
Photo: FIVB
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