Ready for the European Women’s Volleyball Championship, but also proud to be a member of the Greek National Team, said Yunus Otsal.
His statements in detail on volleyball.gr:
“If I feel ready? The answer is yes! It’s all new, but I’m really proud to be a part of this team. In theory I am the most inexperienced coach, but I have a lot of experience in me from the years I have worked and now it is time to show it as a first coach. Our mission with the Greek national team is not easy, we have difficulties, but the important thing is to concentrate on what we have and get the best result with them. And what I feel is that the team is ready to play what they can.”
What will you be happy with?
“A tournament like this is about results… I want to see some things, but mostly I want to show that Greece tried and created problems for everyone… Even if we lose all five matches we have fought… And everyone, not only the Greek sports fans, let’s admit that we played good volleyball. From there, my own expectations are that we go to the next phase and not fall against Poland or Serbia”.
This means we will be in the top two positions of our group…
“Yes I know (laughs)… In these 5 games we have here in Dusseldorf, we have three matches against Sweden, Czech Republic, Azerbaijan in which we have to play at 100%… But in the premiere there is stress especially for the hosts and if we follow the our plan and don’t lose our minds, I think we will cause them problems”.
Good pass to ask about tomorrow’s game against Germany…
“Germany is an experienced team and they have a player (Ortmann) who can change the flow of a match, but we have our plan to deal with her. Personally I’m not afraid of Germany and in general I’m not afraid of the names… It’s a game and we’re going to play and do what we’ve planned. The pressure is not on us but on Germany. They have big goals and the home advantage.”
Are you satisfied with our preparation?
“These 2.5 months I think we did our best. I definitely wish I had some more options, but the girls really put in a lot of effort. And this effort is also spiritual. When the team concentrates on the opponent they have no pressure.”
Do you think this has to do with the pressure that may have been created by the previous bad result in 2021?
“I think that since last year when we started this new cycle with the qualifiers they closed the chapter of 2021. The qualifier was a good step for the new team… Last year a new effort started and the first step was made. But now it’s time to take the second step and we’ll see how far we can go.”
In addition to what the Greek National Team will do, in addition to the fact that it is your first Eurovolley as a head coach, there is also the peculiarity that you will find yourself an opponent with your home country. Are you thinking about this match?
“Yes, but I don’t have any stress… If I had stress I would lose my concentration. When I play as an opponent against a team I know, no matter how good it is, I feel more confident and it has nothing to do with the result of the match. Simply if you feel confident, this is transferred to the team. In sports there are these matches that cause different emotions, but as I said at the beginning, I am proud to be here, I am proud to face Turkey as the coach of the Greek national team and there is no problem.”
I am currently a news writer for News Bulletin247 where I mostly cover sports news. I have always been interested in writing and it is something I am very passionate about. In my spare time, I enjoy reading and spending time with my family and friends.
