“It's hard to guess if we will become a dream team”: Brizar on moving to Zenit, Russian volleyball and board games

- When did you decide to move to Zenit, did you consult with anyone?

- No, I just warned the management of Warsaw that I would not stay in the club after the contract expired. They were aware that I had an offer from Russia, so this was not a surprise to anyone. In a word, my transition was known in advance. In St. Petersburg, they immediately showed interest in several well-known binders, but settled on my candidacy, which I am glad about.

- You have been to Russia before. What are your impressions from previous visits?

- I came once as part of the Paris Wally to Belgorod. The year before, the local Belogorye won the Champions League. I remember this for a long time, because we played against many superstars of Russian volleyball, a club with a long history. When I was little, Belgorod residents came to my native Poitiers. It seems that then they did not lose to anyone for two consecutive years, but lost to our guys, so for the city it was an amazing event. Therefore, the trip to Belgorod was something special for me. I also played in Kazan with the French team.

- When do you plan to come to St. Petersburg and join the team?

- I don’t know yet. I can’t even imagine whether it will be necessary to go through quarantine before departure and joint training, when they can even begin, and even more so when the Russian championship starts. Maybe you have even more information on this subject than mine.

- Does it scare you that in Russia you will often have to travel considerable distances by air?

- It doesn’t scare, I am looking forward to it with interest. Neither in Poland, nor in France, nor in Italy does this happen. In this sense, the Russian championship stands out. I am sure that the clubs here are professional, but there are difficulties of a different kind - let's say, to leave for the match earlier. So I have no fear, there is anticipation.

- And the fact that you have to come to the cities of the Far North, where it is very cold, does not bother you?

- Yes, I heard about this from several players. Honestly, I can’t even imagine how cold it can be. They say the temperature can drop to -30 or -40 ° C. I don’t even know what it is. Wait and see. I’ll just go there, I will participate in matches and try to go out less.

- Which of your future teammates do you already know?

- Of course, Viktor Poletaev. I played against him in the youth team, and he morally just crushed us. It will be great to play with such a strong volleyball player. I also know Halo Kamejo. I met with Ivan Yakovlev at the club world championship when he played for the Torch. He impressed me very much both in this tournament and in the matches of the League of Nations. In my opinion, it is one of the best central blockers in Russia, and therefore in the world. I can still remember Igor Filippov. So far, I don’t know any of the teammates personally, but they are great players, and it will be great to be with them on the same team.

- Thanks to the latest acquisitions, St. Petersburg Zenit will be a real dream team in the new season. Do you agree?

- Honestly, I don’t know. Of course, there are a lot of big names in Zenit, but we are still young. There is some experience, but there is something to work on. Creating such a team is a great idea.

In a conversation with me, head coach Tuomas Sammelvuo explained that he tried to approach the formation of the team wisely. He wants to achieve coherence from players so that big names do not remain only on paper. I think everything will be fine with us. Indeed, the coordinated game of the entire team is important, not the skills of individual volleyball players.

- The status of the favorite imposes additional responsibility on you, right?

- It will not be easy: the rivalry will be intense next season. Now it’s hard to guess whether we will become a dream team, because Kazan “Zenith”, Moscow “Dynamo”, Novosibirsk “Lokomotiv” are very strong. There are five or six top teams whose players I know, but you may be surprised by those that I have not heard enough about. I repeat, the season will be difficult. The burden of responsibility is really felt, because St. Petersburg Zenit wants to become one of the best clubs in the world.

- What impression did Sammelvuo make on you, how does he see your role in the team?

- I spoke with him only on the phone. We didn’t particularly communicate when we met at competitions among national teams. I did not know that in the end I would move to St. Petersburg. We talked well, I like how he wants to see the team and how he wants to build it. He did not speak about his expectations from me, but I think we will work together.

- He said to the Russian media that the lack of titles at the club level is your advantage, since you will be more charged for success. Do you agree with him?

- Yes of course. I had great expectations from last season, but, unfortunately, I couldn’t finish it. Yes, I won nothing with the clubs and I think that now is the time. Therefore, I can’t wait for the moment when I join one of the best clubs in the world and win something with him.

- What do you know about St. Petersburg, where will you live for the next few years?

- I heard a lot of good things about him, and therefore I look forward to the opportunity to discover this city. I also watched documentaries, photographs, and St. Petersburg seemed very pleasant and beautiful to me.

“It is famous for its bad weather, is that not a problem for you?”

- Yes, I heard that it often rains. A couple of years ago I was in Copenhagen, it was very cold and rainy there. Probably in St. Petersburg it will be the same, because both cities are located by the sea. But I take it calmly.

- How did you spend time on self-isolation in recent months?

- I stayed at home with my girlfriend. It was nice. We are fortunate that we have a beautiful garden where you can train. My friends who live in apartments, in Paris or elsewhere, had a much harder time. And I liked it because it was more like a vacation than quarantine.

- They say you are a big fan of board games?

- Yes it is. So that the girl would not be very indignant during self-isolation, he asked her to keep me company. It was fun in places. I like all genres of board games, especially strategy. They may be far from volleyball, but in general I like everything that makes me calculate and think a few moves ahead. Apparently, I did not choose the position of the binder by chance.

- This summer you were supposed to perform at the Olympic Games in Tokyo with the French team. How did you react to their transfer?

- It was very difficult to complete the selection, the tournaments were very difficult, we put a lot of effort into it, so it was hard to make an IOC decision. We would not be favorites now, and in a year we would remain a “dark horse”. Volleyball is a very strange sport. Brazil, Poland, Russia and the USA have the greatest chances, but I’m very interested in what results we will be able to achieve in 2021. France knows how to surprise.

- In your interpretation, “strange” is “unpredictable”?

- Yes exactly. In the qualifying tournament, the French team experienced problems with the roster, but in the end they played perfectly and made it to the Games.

That's why I say weird. Sometimes you don’t expect something from the team, however ... Remember how Russia lost to Slovenia at the last European Championship. It seemed to me that it would be extremely difficult for the Russian team to defeat another three or four years, but it lost in a terrific match. So sometimes the unexpected happens.

- The next summer Olympic Games will be held in Paris. What do you expect from them?

- They are still very far away, but for everyone this is a big goal. I had never been able to take part in the Olympics, so I would be incredibly happy to speak, especially in my homeland. I will do my best for this.

- You played in Poland for three years. How did this experience affect you?

- For three years I grew up with the team. We had a good first season, but did not get into the playoffs. A year later, they reached the final and deserved to win, but lost in the first match due to bad refereeing. I was hoping that on the third attempt I could win the Polish championship, but we stumbled again. I liked that we always fought for the victory, and not just served the room.

- Which team is more popular in France: football or volleyball?

- Football, of course, is much more popular. You can’t even compare. Volleyball is the last team sport in France. I would like the situation to change, but no. Even if we win a lot, football will come first. We can still compete with handball or basketball, but not with football.

- Poland is famous for the fact that volleyball is wildly popular and the stands are packed to capacity. Did you feel this atmosphere on yourself?

- In some arenas, the atmosphere was wonderful, but people still much more like supporting the national team. This is a big event for them. Although they are also worried about the clubs. There are wonderful fans in Warsaw. Russia also has a great atmosphere, as, for example, it was in the matches of Kuzbass and the Polish ZAXA in the Champions League. In St. Petersburg, too, go to volleyball, as far as I know.

- Did you manage to learn Polish during your stay in the country? It is similar to Russian, and this could help you adapt to new conditions.

- Polish is very different from French, so it was very difficult for me. It seems to me that it is even more difficult than Russian. I hope that I will understand Russian better than Polish. We will see.