European Championships, Italvolley wants the final
Europeans, Italvolley wants the final
Tiredness, a lot. Hours of sleep, few. "But the important è that to recover are the boys", assures Fefè De Giorgi waiting for the semifinal of the European volleyball championships against France. With the transalpine cousins, by now, it is becoming a classic, especially since former Italian champion Andrea Giani has been sitting on the French bench. With Fefè they know each other well having won three world titles together from '90 to '98 "but it would be time to see each other in the finals" jokes the Italy coach who lost to his colleague and friend in the Nations League in Bologna, but won in the quarterfinals of the World Cup that then saw the Azzurri win the title. He will try again tomorrow in Rome, in a packed PalaEur.
But the rivalry will never change the relationship between the two coaches.
In the press room, they joke, hug each other, reminisce about the past, although De Giorgi does not miss an opportunity to remark how France rested one more day than Italy. He does so with a smile, without controversy, while still pointing out the additional pitfall of an already complicated semifinal against France. And to those who ask him how Giani’s boys beat them, he responds analytically.
"They are very technical. They have no particular weaknesses, you have to stay there and have the predisposition for long and suffered actions because they will be there,
De Giorgi explains.
They know how to play them and they will look for them, so we will need mentality and attitude. We will have to be patient and not change so much. When you get to this point it matters to do well the things you know how to do". In short, the watchwords remain: simplicityà and humilityà. Characteristics seen in the battle against Holland that ended in the fifth set.
“È it was one of those matches where you bring out not only the technical aspect and this è was nice – continued the blue coach – My boys were warriors". The same spirit will want to see again with France to give themselves a second consecutive European final, after the one they won in 2021, when the new course of Fefé had just started (behind them was the disappointment of the Tokyo Olympics). "In a short time we created an environment where there was the talent of young people, but also their great willingness;. You can see that these guys are good together and now we have to remain humble and aware of our qualities,"” concludes De Giorgi. And those who try to bring up the pressures of having to win again by presenting in Rome as defending champions find Giannelli’s answer ready.
"If things are done well, the pressure is not felt,” says the Azzurri captain, “We don’t have this eagerness or frenzy to defend the title. We are interested in honoring the jersey with all of ourselves". The first goal of the traveling European home, meanwhile, was to get to Rome, and the national team has succeeded. Woe then to think about the past. "To return as defending champions è certainly fantastic, but victories are the past, now we just have to think about the present and stay focused". And the present says that tomorrow at 9 p.m. Italy will play for the pass to the final in front of its own audience, already aware of the opponent it could face with Slovenia and Poland doing battle in the other semifinal.
