Now the Über team is waiting
Volleyball players push powerful frustration at home EM
08/23/2023 11:02 am
After the second defeat, the mood among the German volleyball players at the home European Championships has hit rock bottom. Before the duel against Turkey, national coach Vital Heynen is very worried. He makes no secret of his frustration.
Vital Heynen paused briefly after the next bitter setback, then the national coach began his relentless analysis. “At the moment we lack quality in attack,” the Belgian summed up after the drama about the German volleyball players against the Czech Republic: “I’m very disappointed, we were hoping for better.” After the surprising and unplanned 1: 3 on Monday against Sweden followed only 24 hours later with the devastating 2: 3 (25:22, 25:23, 24:26, 20:25, 16:18) in the tie-break against the Czech Republic the next low point in the home EM. His team was so close “to make the tournament good – but we didn’t make it,” said a sober Heynen.
Above all, the 54-year-old complained about the injury-related absence of his top player Hanna Orthmann. After their failure, Heynen’s team knew “that we would have a problem in attack” – but his players could not solve this decisively against the Czechs who never gave up.
After the bitter bankruptcy, Vital Heynen began a relentless analysis.
(Photo: IMAGO/Eibner)
With seven points, the selection of the German Volleyball Association (DVV) is now certainly in the round of 16 – but the prospects are really not rosy. “That makes it very difficult,” admitted the national coach after the second defeat in the fourth game. Because only a 3-0 or 3-1 win in the last group game guarantees progression to second place and a supposedly “easier” opponent in the first knockout round.
But Heynen doesn’t want to give that a thought. Because the national coach knows about his team’s chances in the last duel in Düsseldorf’s Castello: Turkey, number one in the world, awaits on Thursday (8 p.m. / Sportdeutschland.TV) – a completely different challenge for Heynen’s protégés. In volleyball you have to be honest, said Heynen. “The quality is so much greater than ours.” The “Sultans of the Net” are a crowd puller at home, and the recently crowned Nations League winner also draws many Turkish fans into the hall in Düsseldorf. The domestic league is among the best in the world.
“They play unbelievable volleyball,” said DVV captain Lena Stigrot, praising the Turkish women around superstar Melissa Vargas: “We want to enjoy the hall, it will be packed. And then hopefully we’ll have a good game.” Heynen also assured before the duel with the almost overwhelming opponent: “We’re trying to play well, but winning is impossible,” was the honest prognosis of the experienced volleyball teacher.