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I can't watch Sportitalia, but fortunally there is laola ? I've already watched the Golden set ?

But thanks ?

So far Lube, Trento, Zenit, Arkas, Vfb, Novosibirsk at play off 6. Nice to notice that not only the first classificated won?
The matches will be Lube vs Trento, Zenit vs Vfb, Arkas vs Novosibirsk.

BTW, the one between Cuneo and Macerata was a thrilling battle!

WOW!
I couldn't watch the match because I was training, and I rememebered only 15 minutes ago to check the result >.<, otherwise I could have watch the last our of this 3 HOURS MATCH!!
Incredible!
And Macerata as far as I desume from the score had to pass a very very tough proove, considering that at 2-1 for Cuneo they closed at the advantages both the 4th and 5th set!!!
And the the Golden set too!!
I've to watch that match! I wanna watch Savani expression at his ace of 14-16 of the Golden set *.*

The first tournament of Berruto was the WL, and there Bira played titoular. Later (at the beginning of the EC - Buti was titoular with Mastro - and in the WC) Berruto chosed other options. That made me think that firstly Berruto wanted to trust in Bira, but THEN he realized he coudln't and look for other options. Imo is Bira that didn't show that he deserved to be trusted (and that's way Berruto lost the faith in him). I'm sorry about that feeling I have about the "italian" Bira, because as I said before with Trento he is a wonderful player. Also Anastasi at the WCH started with Bira titoular, than preferred Sala. In Trento is the opposite, Trento was consider better than Sala...

I agree with your word Raylight, expecialli in your first post! Is the "air" of Trento that give confident to everyone, expecially in serve imo, is insane that they make so few mistakes and so many aces! But the thing of the "standard" rapresented by Fei and Mastro doesn't fit imo, because it was true also in the WL where he was titoular with Buti... BTW, I agree with you pearl, Travica has a part in it, and the proof of it is that his feeling with Buti is defintly higher, but at the same time if Mastro, Fei, even Barone when he had the chance can play well with Travica (not to mention Staknovic, Pajenk, Podraskanin...) we have to assume that Bira is responsable "biggest" part. Actually Mastro is another history because he is really good in making point (also with tips) with awful sets ;)

I hope so ? Even if I have to say that I'm finally really enjoying Cuneo, they are starting to be fun!
On the other hands Macerata is disappointing lately, but if they play like they did vs Rome they can be unstoppable imo. I want give them the benefits of the doubt ? I wanna trust them, I hope they won't let me down. Expecially at Italian Cup semfinal, that hopefully I'll watch live ?

But after all our discussions are quite useless because we all know that Trento will go to the CL final4 ?

Nice movie, raylight! But you forgot the serve, I think Birarelli has one of the annoyinf float serve of the Italian Championship^^ BTW, about the player, I have a problem with Bira: I like him in Trento, but not in the NT. With Italy, sometimes he seems lost to me. Travica is not very precise, and that doesn't help (I mean, they don't have a nice 'intesa'), but more than once happened that he committed few errors in a row (or was blocked)... and when he start playing quite badly he rarely can get out of that pshicological tough situation. I mean, exept for the serve and sometimes for the block I rarely found my self thinking "what a brillant match Bira played". But with Trento he defintly take advantages (in a good way) of the selfcofidence that the whole Trento trasmitt. With Trento more than once he gave me the impression of being brillant. What to you think about that? :)

The real problem of Macerata is the Golden set. They can even won the match 3-0 (I think they actually CAN, using their full potential, but of course they can also lost 3-0, if they don't feel confident), but then the Golden set will be another history. Expecially for teams that count a lot (Macerata first of all) on the service, imo, it's hard to make a prediction.

Do you remember what happened with Cuneo last CL? They lost 3-1 vs Dinamo at home, then won 3-1 vs Dinamo in Moscow, and finally lost the Golden set...

And there is also a "bad" pic: few days ago I read on fb that Cuneo fans was thinking to make a "striscione" (poster?) for Simone.
What truly happned is:
- there weren't "striscioni" for Simone (for what I could see)
- when he was serving, they whistled him like hell (but I didn't watch the beginning, when the spiker presents the players)
- they wrote a huge "striscione" for Giuliani: Giuliani good coach, but without face and honor. Quite nasty, don't you think? Considering that he is the coach that lead Cuneo at the first scudetto (at his first year!), at the CEVcup, at the Supercup, at the Italian Cup, plus 2 finals (Italian Cup and Scudetto) and 1/4 of CL...

I still think that I serve better than Lebl, ray ?

Kjeldhor, it was balanced eventually, but in general that match was everything but balanced. exept in the middle of the tie break, there were always many points between the two teams, sometimes with Macerata leading (first two sets), sometimes with Cuneo leading (third and fourth sets, plus mostly of the tie break)

BTW, there was a very nice moment during the match: after the end of the action Mastro (I didn't see it very well) hitted Travica with the ball, and while Travica was lieing (?) down, Mastro run in Macerata court, hugged Travica while he was still lieing on the floor, then helped him to stand up and hugged him again very friendly. It was really sweet ? He also wrote a public excuse on twitter ?

O.O Fortunally it was 24-14, I can't imagine what would have happened if it was like 24-23, 24-22...

Cuneo-Macerata 3-2!
Macerata ouplayed Cuneo for two sets, then Cuneo did the same for the next two. In the tie break Cuneo started a bit better, then was odd, then Cuneo did better. Macerata was close to a nice come back: from 11-14-->13-14, with ace of Parodi), then Parodi served out =.= I knew that, damn! Also during the tie break he did an ace (I think for the first advantage of Macerata since the second set, 7-6) and then a mistake, so typical...
Great Ngapeth imo, in general very confident Cuneo from the third set exept for Wjisman.
Macerata did many mistakes and played badly in attack, but they kept defending well and fight almost always imo. Great defense from both.

ok, you'll be glad to know that I run out of word ?

BTW, Ngapeth *_*

very lucid Piacenza. We have found the Castellana Grotta of the season ?

Simon IS in Piacenza, training with the team, but he hasn't been allowed to play yet...
The one about Leal was a voice, no idea if it will come out to be true.

hahaha sorry, I realized I wrote too much only after I did it xD
I won't be offended if you won't read the whole post, don't worry?

I don't have the gift of the sinthesis...


Controproductive having many NT players togheter? May be in long term, but in short term I'll see it as an advantages... The best thing would be having Bari too, for the reception ?

I must say I honestly like Giuliani, he kinda gives me the impression of using the right tone in the right moments, but of course I can't have a proper impression from outside...

I read that too...

OMG I wrote too much!!

About the italian players, Parodi is still not the same in general (last year in Cuneo it almost never happened that he played a bad match.. may be not brillant, but never bad), but now he can have great matches, like he used to be (both in attack and reception), and also contribuite with important serves, even if with few errors.

Travica, depends. I overall apreciate him, but he lacks of precision, and that it's ok when the team is at 100%, but it's a problem when the team is underperforming... also because may be he lost a bit of lucidity. (like vs Trento at end of the second set: he kept setting to Stankovic that had a very bad time in attack, and the result was Trento did a 4-0 partial and won the set). But in general, I think he is playing at his normal level...

Savani, well, he is a player that sometimes can underperform. I agree, in the last two matches he undeperform, but for example in the 1/4 vs Rome he was excellent. I won't be such worried. I'm not saying he will be necessary be great with the NT, but that the way he his playing doesn't let us to predict how he will play for example in Bulgaria.

Well... I agree that I expected smh more by Macerata, but everyone can have difficoult moments, and I guess this is Macerata one. Unfortunally it isn't a good period to underperform, but that's the fact...

It's normal for me that Trento is stronger than Macerata: Macerata has a great line up and also few worthy bench players, but Trento has a great line up too (I guess they only have a worst libero and worst MB, Bira, but both a're still very good) and defintly a better bench: exept probably Kovar (compared to Della Lunga) there is a huge difference between Trento and Macerata second setter and opposite. If Igor is playing bad, changing him with Van Walle could result to be a bad idea, while if Stokr is playing bad, Sokolov is a certain. And if we count also Colaci as a bench pleyer..!
And, this is the most important thing, Macerata changed a lot this year, and expecially changed the coach and the setter, the minds of the team! And the libero, the mind of the reception!
While Trento in the last two years only changed 1 player for season, keeping setters, coach, libero... They are a very complete team, they didn't need to find their identity, while this Macerata is facing for the first time a competition like the CL.
And Trento is still the first in avoiding errors, expecially in serve, even if they serve like hell

Now let analyse Macerata failurs:
- first loss match:
vs F. Istanbul. Lost 3-2 in trasfert. The same week they won 3-2 vs Trento and vs Cuneo, if I'm not wrong. That was something totally acceptable, imo
- second loss match:
vs Vibo. Probably nobody saw that coming, but did somebody imagined that Trento would have lost vs Latina this year, or Verona last year? But also Zaksa this year!
- third lost matche:
vs Novosibirsk. Without Omrcen and in trasfert (long travel, jet flag, icredible under 0°C temperature) they lost 3-1 playing a good match, with character and determination, and vs a very excellent team (Russian Cup winner, right?). It was an important match, but they lost it "good". So, no big deal. And we also have to remember that they won 3 points both vs Fenherbache and Novosibirsk at home!
-4th lost match:
vs Piacenza. That was probably the first real "fail", but Piacenza was playing for the first time with the new coach (so, big spirit), and Macerata didn't even go home after coming back fro Russia. God, they're human, not machine! I imagine they were really exausted..

Then they played an almost perfect match vs Rome, that played well too honestly (so, no gift). And that was an in/out match, and they handle it perfectly.

Then, this two loss. The one vs Trento, were they played quite well but nothing extraordnary, while Trento played may be not at his best but still a very nice game. They were really foul to let Trento coming back in the second set (from 21-24 to 26-24). Bye bye to the first place (almost sure), but after all... Who cares? It is important to be first, but not essential.

And yes, the last match vs Cuneo. BIG FAIL. And not because they lost, but because they played soo badly! Cuneo did good, but Macerata commetted so many mistake in attack and in very simple situation! Now it will be VERY hard to kepp being in CL, but again, it is not compromised ?
Was this the most important match they played in this season so far? Probably, but actually the most important one was the one vs Roma, and they played a perfect match, with not even the shadow of fear/pressure...

I think we will have more answer from the next CL match, and from the Italian Cup.
Trento is still the favourite, but in a single match being the favourite doesn't count much.

And remember the not written rule of the Italian Championship: you can't win both the Italian Cup and the Scudetto in the same year... so may be evn losing the Italian Cup can be a good thing ?