The coaches of Greece, Slovakia, China and Mexico will do battle in Thessaloniki, Greece, for a place in the Final Four
Thessaloniki, Greece, June 18, 2015 – A day before the start of the Second Round of Pool G in the FIVB World League in Thessaloniki, the head coaches of China, Slovakia, Mexico and hosts Greece spoke at a press conference at the venue for the matches, Alexandrion Sports Palace.
The matches will be held from June 19 to 21 and will determine which team – apart from Slovakia – will qualify for the Final Four in Bratislava (July 4-5).
Pericles Bakodimos, the Executive Director of the Hellenic Federation, welcomed the head coaches, while the Federation’s Treasurer, Athanasios Rerras, added: “We have the honour to host and participate in Pool G of the World League after a 10-year absence. We welcome all the journalists and the delegations from China, Mexico and Slovakia.”
The four coaches then commented on the upcoming Second-Round matches:
Guochen Xie (China coach): “We had a long and tiring journey from Mexico, but we had a one-day rest after our arrival and now our team is in very good shape. We hope to play better than last week and add more points to our tally. We didn’t have enough stability in the three matches in Tepic. In our team, there are many young players who are playing for the first time in such a high-level tournament and they are gaining experience through these games.”
Flavio Gulinelli (Slovakia coach): “We didn’t play our best in the tournament in Mexico, but we are here aiming to do better in these three matches and to improve our standings before the Final Four in Bratislava. I don’t know what will be different for the other sides here, compared to what we saw in Tepic, but I know what to expect from my team. We are determined to play our best volleyball, particularly in the first match against China, which will probably be the key for first place in Pool G. It’s always a great pleasure for me to be in Thessaloniki. It’s my first time here, after my adventure at Iraklis in 2008/09, and I have the opportunity to see many friends again.”
Juan Roberto Vilches (Mexico coach): “All four teams in Pool G have a great level. Our side only won two sets at home, but we will try to play better this time and get the best results possible. We have a young team, with six U-23 players, and we are gaining experience ahead of next month’s Pan-American Games, where we want to reach our highest level. Our goal is to be ready there, but also to stay in the World League. China is one of the best teams in this group, but it is even between our three rivals. I was surprised to see Greece play 15 sets at a high level in Tepic, it was remarkable.”
Sotiris Drikos (Greece coach): “I want to welcome my colleagues and their teams in our country. The First Round was a little strange for us because of the fatigue. Day by day, the team became more and more tired, probably because of the altitude and the humidity. All our matches were decided in the details, which is proof that Pool G is a totally balanced group. I don’t think that any specific team has an advantage over the others. We hope that the Greek spectators will support our team and recognize our players’ effort with their presence and their applause. We would like to play better, closer to our higher abilities, and not just focus on how we will get a win and qualify for the Final Four. We would like to see many spectators who love sport and volleyball, and not just fans who only like the victories of their own team.”