On the evening of June 26, the 2022 World Men's Volleyball League ended in Quezon, Philippines. The Chinese men's volleyball team lost 0-3 to the Italian men's volleyball team.
After 1 win and 3 losses in this game, the Chinese men's volleyball team currently ranks 13th in the tournament standings with a total score of 2 wins and 6 losses, and the world ranking is temporarily at 17th.
Every ball must be fought for in a little bit of progress
The Chinese men's volleyball team's trip to Quezon Station in the Philippines was full of twists and turns. In fact, only two games were played in the original four games. Even so, the coaching staff still seized the opportunity to train seriously in the competition with traditional strong teams.
Since arriving in the Philippines on June 17, the Chinese men's volleyball team first missed the match against the French men's volleyball team because they could not gather at least 6 players.
On June 23, it was originally planned to play against the German men's volleyball team. As a result, the Chinese men's volleyball team automatically won because of the temporary withdrawal of the opponent.
After that, against Argentina and Italy, the players got a rare opportunity to exercise.
They lost 1-3 to Argentina and 0-3 to Italy. Considering that the two teams are ranked 9th and 5th in the world, and they are regulars in the Olympics, this result is not surprising.
Looking back on these two games, the Chinese men's volleyball team's performance is not without its bright spots, but also gained valuable experience.
Head coach Wu Sheng boldly arranged the formation. In addition to continuing to trust the main players such as Zhang Jingyin, Li Yongzhen, Zhang Guanhua and Yu Yaochen, many substitute players also got a certain amount of playing time. His vulgar performance, especially in response to Wang Jingyi, scored the team's second-highest 14 points against Argentina, and made his debut in the match against Italy.
In the 4 games against Argentina, the Chinese men's volleyball team won 1 of them, and the remaining 3 games were not determined until the last minute.
When facing Italy, the team did not have a chance to win. In the first two games, they had the lead and the initiative, but the opponent's strong serve and excellent blocking system caused the Chinese men's volleyball team to make many mistakes, but they were defeated.
The technical shortcomings of the Chinese men's volleyball team such as passing and blocking still exist. However, with the progress of the World Men's Volleyball League, the technical and tactical play and stability of the Chinese men's volleyball team are improving little by little. I was not discouraged by this, and the momentum of fighting for every point made the outside world see hope.
The goal of stabilizing the world ranking is basically completed
Under the new world ranking system of the FIVB, the importance of the World Men's Volleyball League is second only to the Olympic Games and the World Championships. Not participating in the competition means that the world ranking will decline. Now, after 8 games, the Chinese men's volleyball team has gained more points and stabilized the world ranking. target is basically achieved.
Before the start of the World Men's Volleyball League in 2022, the Chinese men's volleyball team will be ranked 22nd in the world.
During the first week of the game, after successive losses to Iran, Japan and Slovenia, the team's ranking dropped to 23rd.
After 3-0 victory over the three-time Olympic champion and host Brazil men's volleyball team, the Chinese men's volleyball team rose to 17th in the world ranking.
In the just-concluded Philippine Quezon Station, the four opponents of the Chinese men's volleyball team include the Tokyo Olympic champion France, the Tokyo Olympic third runner-up Argentina, the Rio Olympic runner-up Italy and the traditional strong European team Germany.
Due to the automatic victory against Germany, the Chinese men's volleyball team scored 11.81 points, and the team's points increased from 176 points after the end of the first week to 182 points, still in 17th place.
According to the quota generation mechanism for the men's volleyball event at the Paris Olympics, the host, France, is automatically shortlisted, and the remaining 24 top-ranked teams in the world can participate in the Olympic qualifying competition.
Head coach Wu Sheng previously said that the Chinese men's volleyball team must strive to stabilize the world ranking and get the opportunity to participate in the Olympic qualifying matches. At present, the team has taken the initiative in its own hands.
According to the schedule, after a short rest adjustment, the Chinese men's volleyball team will go to Gdansk, Poland to participate in the last week of competition. From July 6th to 10th, the team will play against the Netherlands, Poland, Bulgaria and Serbia successively.
Temporarily ranked 13th in the tournament standings, the Chinese men's volleyball team has been very difficult to advance to the top 8 and enter the finals, but when facing strong teams such as Poland and the Netherlands, the team can continue to accumulate game experience.
Beijing News reporter Xu Bangyin
Edited by Han Shuangming
Proofreading Zhao Lin