Even with Georg Grozer returning, the German volleyball players’ second tournament this year ended disappointingly. The team faces high hurdles for Olympic qualification.
Volleyball national coach Michal Winiarski tried to find something positive out of the great disappointment. “Maybe today’s experience will help us to convert it into something good for the qualifying tournament,” said the 39-year-old after his German team lost 3-2 to the Netherlands in the European Championship round of 16.
He looked ahead, because the next task won’t be long in coming this marathon summer. From September 30th, the Germans in Brazil will be fighting for an Olympic ticket.
In Bari, Italy, the team slept through the first few sets against their neighbors, but then demonstrated their fighting qualities again. Only to then find no remedy against diagonal attacker Nimir Abdel-Aziz in the tiebreak. “We hesitated in a few moments. That cost us the game,” said setter Johannes Tille.
Player dismayed
The team was aiming for at least the quarterfinals. The players were accordingly dismayed. “We’re all pretty exhausted and can’t believe we’re out now,” said middle blocker Anton Brehme. It was similar with Tille: “It’s hard to put into words.”
After the equally unfortunate Nations League, this is the second setback for the selection of the German Volleyball Association in a short time. The return of exceptional player Georg Grozer couldn’t change that. The 38-year-old was once again the Germans’ best scorer, but Abdel-Aziz was a bit better in the crucial moments.
“We have to deal with it somehow now and we still have a tournament to play this summer,” said Brehme. The conclusion remains that the German team can keep up with teams that are considered to be on par or above, but in the end they rarely win.
Germany only outsiders
Only the two best teams in the group of eight qualify directly for Paris 2024 at the tournament in Brazil. Behind Brazil and world and European champions Italy, the Germans are only outsiders. And the other opponents should not be underestimated either.
But the world rankings offer a second route to the Olympics, which is why, as with the first two tournaments of the year, every game counts. “We’ve been preparing for this all year,” Winiarski said. Grozer also returned explicitly for this goal.
That’s why the early end of the EM is doubly problematic. The Netherlands is ahead of Germany in the rankings. The DVV selection now has to make up a few places in order to still have a chance at Paris this way.
Source: Stern
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