Luciano De Cecco fantastic set

@Kjeldhor: I think you didn’t get my point. Dunno where you saw me saying a team necessarily needs “the best setter” to thrive, though anyone would prefer to have the best. When I said Arjona is probably the best in the world TECHNICALLY, I was talking about a specific game aspect. Overall, Bruno is better than him. No one can deny Arjona, just like De Cecco, has a fantastic hand for the sport. So, if you thought I was saying Arjona would be a better option over Bruno, you got me wrong. If you’re talking about those haters, I couldn’t care less about them, maybe for some laughs – you know I can’t resist torturing or mocking stupid people. Talking about Rapha, though I’m not his fan, he isn’t that predictable. Keep in mind he plays with not so fast guys and his coach is pretty orthodox, almost obvious. Remember that poll with all A1 coaches? More than half would like to have Rapha playing for them. I know some experts that like him a lot. I think he’s okay. Hey man, when you reply try to use the tool that Chrison guy developed. Come on, he put some effort into it, and it helps to keep the discussions organized, don’t you think? Just saying.

@HCLT: i can when i log with the pc, but most of time i'm on phone and that feature won't work ?

@Kjeldhor: It sucks! Don't know which phone you use, but S4 works pretty well.

@HCLT: everyone (got 3 phone, 1 windows, 1 android and 1 bada)

@pearl: Hahaha… You rock, bella! Lega Pallavolo Serie A è la migliore. Onestamente, non me ne frega un cazzo di tutto il resto. Luciano De Cecco is awesome, I heard his old friend William Arjona loved this one. Brazilian TV replayed this fast tempo bump set over and over. Please, let’s give Simon some credit too, for such a huge kill. Great vball moment. Thanks, Kjeldhor!

@HCLT: "Lega Pallavolo Serie A è la migliore. Onestamente, non me ne frega ...." hahaha questo sì che è parlar chiaro LOL "Please, let’s give Simon some credit too, for such a huge kill. ": sure, Lucianito's set wouldn't have been so magic if Landy hadn't hit it as he did. BTW, I heard Bruninho also showed a bit of magic in Modena's match. I agree with our friend Kjeldhor, can't wait to see Piacenza vs Modena.

@pearl: @Kjeldhor: Serie A is experiencing a great moment as to setting. After all, with Bruno and De Cecco plus some other setters playing well, such as Michele Baranowicz, the fans will have the chance to watch some really nice plays. De Cecco is getting back into shape after two ordinary seasons, Bruno apparently doesn’t need time to adapt to his new team, and Baranowicz, though at lower level, is making Italian fans forget the inconstant Travica. Brazilian commentator Cacá Bizzocchi has been praising Baranowicz improvement this season. As for Bruno, playing for Modena again will be very good for him. Watching the reaction of Italian fans since he arrived at the airport it becomes clear that he’ll get full support, while here half the fans love him, while the other half can’t stand the guy. It’s very common reading on Brazilian forums some Bruno haters saying things like "He'll never be like Ricardo", "Arjona is so much better" or "Rapha deserves a real chance". Well, he doesn’t have to be like Ricardo, and Rapha is just our third setter (maybe fourth or fifth). I really like Arjona, technically he’s perhaps the best in the world, but being a top level setter also requires things like fast thinking and smart distribution, and Bruno beats him on both, besides being taller – Arjona is too short. Serie A playoffs will be great, without a doubt.

@pearl: Who does? ;-)

@HCLT: "[...] while the other half can’t stand the guy." If you know any of this people, make sure they never set foot in Modena, for their own sake :-D Bruno is treated like the Messiah!

@dessitea: well, you know, some people here and there ;)

@HCLT: look, Michele started to "improve" already 2 years ago as a sub for Grbic who, I remember, didn't have his best season in Cuneo and I had been impressed by Michele's consistancy instead. Last year in Modena he defintely showed what he's made of. His current season in Macerata is only confirming what he's able of. Sure, he's not William and, as you remarked, Michele's level is (still) a bit lower than Luciano's or Bruno's, yet I like the brilliant way he plays. Another one that is surprising me is "my man" Saitta (I know You know him) ;D

@dessitea: LOL

@pearl: Do you think Berruto has Saitta on his list or he called Saitta to Eurovolley just because of someone else’s injury? Any other names you think deserve consideration from Serie A? You told me you were a bit disappointed with Steuerwald lately. What happened? I guess it means bad news for Vital Heynen and the German fans. Think about it, Steuerwald oscillating, Kampa driving Modena managers mad, and Tischer… Where’s he? In Lyon, France, right?

@HCLT: Last summer Berruto called three different setters for three different competitions... I think he just wanted to test all of them, knowing that none of them could really take Travica's place. Now the situation is clearly different: Saitta and Falaschi are ok-setters (though I don't know anything about how Falaschi is doing in Montenegro), Boninfante is having a pretty good season too, but Baranowicz is proving to be at another level. He had a good chance in WGCC, and my guess is that Travica and Bara will share the grades in Berruto's hierarchies. Tischer is injured I think, but I'm not sure he would be much better than Kampa (enough said...). Steuerwald has some nightmar-ish days but maybe he really "deserves a real chance" to use HCLT's words.

@dessitea: “Last summer Berruto called three different setters for three different competitions... I think he just wanted to test all of them, knowing that none of them could really take Travica's place”. I wonder when Italy will finally have a top level setter. Despite being one of the strongest teams in the world since the late 1980s, Italy never had a brilliant setter, except maybe for a brief period with Fabio Vullo. Same thing with their liberos, they never had a great player for this position. When it comes to left sides, opposites and middle blockers, Italy has been offering a huge variety of outstanding players, though. “Steuerwald has some nightmar-ish days…” I caught a night replay of Verona vs. Valentia, then I understood why you and Pearl are so disappointed with Steuerwald, certainly nothing compared to Heynen’s disappointment. The guy has been trying three setters, but they have too many ups and downs. Interestingly, if Team Germany had a solid setter they’d represent real danger to the powerhouses, as their left sides and middles are more mature this cycle. It’s easy to see that Germany’s constant oscillation is somehow linked to their setting errors plus Grozer’s frequent blackouts.

@HCLT:
1: who's Beruttttto?

2: oh no we had one... he just never come in NT :S

@Kjeldhor: Please, I never wrote "Berutto" (sic), did I? :-p You gotta ask this question to the bambini polacchi. hahaha Great Italian libero? Are you talking about Alessandro Paparoni? If so, I agree with you.

@HCLT: nono.. Alessandro is his name... but his surname is Farina ok, now is getting old, but in the recent past he was great and i don't know why he left the NT in 2001 after winning the mediterranean game

@Kjeldhor: Maybe he couldn’t stand the coach, or vice versa. Who knows? My point is none of the Italian liberos we saw playing in major tournaments were special. Considering how many titles and medals Italy has, it’s quite weird. TBH, I can barely remember Farina, except that he could pass as Vissotto’s older brother. Don’t you like Paparoni? He was never given a proper space on NT, and he was a world-class libero IMO.

Intersting topic. I don’t know if you know what happened between Berruto and Baranowicz behind the scenes at the WL. Michele…how can I say… didn’t like the way Berruto treated him especially when he wasn’t called to join the NT for the F6 in Argentina. This little querelle between him and the coach was the main reason why Saitta was Travica’s sub at the ECH. BUT, as Dessitea brilliantly remarked, since neither Saitta nor Falaschi (btw, I saw him playing a couple of matches in Champions League and he looked fine imo) really had a serious chance of taking Drago’s place and considering Michele’s great performances with Lube, my impression is that Berruto had to swallow his pride and so Bara took part to the Grand Champions Cup in Japan, playing as a first string in a couple of matches and showing he’s more consistent and reliable than Travica (and younger, which is an issue of no secondary importance according to me).

@HCLT: Ah, Steuerwald, Steuerwald! He drove me crazy in his last match vs Verona! Honestly, I don’t know what kind of problems these German setters have in Serie A, but they are not impressing at all. I talked about Kampa a couple of months ago with our friend pesazi, I told him that I was a bit upset about his poor game distribution to his MBs. I remember the match against Perugia in particular that Modena lost at the tie-break and the final stats revealed that Beretta scored 7 points and Sala just 5 in a five-set-match!! Patrick is doing a bit better than Lukas yet his performances shift from good to ridiculous without any other steps in between.
You asked me about some other interesting setters’ names in Serie A this year: well, the only two worth to be mentioned that came to my mind are Toniutti and Daniele Sottile, but the French guy shares Steuerwald’s lack of continuity and Sottile unfortunately this year has to face a difficult season in a team which is not the one it used to be. Anyway Sottile is too old for NT.

@HCLT: hahaha, this time YOU didn't get Kjeld's joke, mate ?

@pearl: yeah, I taped that match... and don't know what kind of highlights i can get from that video... "2014 fail compilation" 23 errors in 3 set, seriusly?

@HCLT: I don't remember a great match for paparoni as a libero

@pearl: “I don’t know what kind of problems these German setters have in Serie A, but they are not impressing at all”. They’ve never been very solid anywhere else, right? They’re just being themselves. I remember when Lozano gave Steuerwald the chance to be a starter on NT, but it didn’t take too long for him to screw things up. As you said, he alternates excellent matches with some terrible ones, like the one last Saturday. “this time YOU didn't get Kjeld's joke”. I did, bella. Didn’t you see me telling him to ask the bambini polacchi? ;-)