They are missing two weeks to Italy-Poland, the match that will open the Nations League for the Italians, the fundamental event for Italy which has yet to gain access to the Olympic Games through the ranking. The qualification appears one real formality but the traveling tournament will also serve as a testing ground in view of the calls for the Five Circles tournament.
Julio Velasco seems to have quite clear ideas which differ little from those of Mazzanti before last summer who shook the world of women’s volleyball by renouncing two key points such as Caterina Bosetti and Moky De Gennaro and the rationed use of Paola Egonu. Velasco made it clear that the strong points of this national team are already there and that he will not rely on new recruits but there is for example a space that has not yet been covered, which is that of the fourth spiker, whose choice will depend a lot on what the Argentine coach sees in training and on the pitch in the Nations League.
There are many players called up, three of them, Caterina Bosetti, Elena Pietrini (returning from a playoff final in Russia as the absolute protagonist) and Myriam Sylla, barring huge surprises, there will be some in Paris. It remains to choose the fourth spiker from a colorful and all in all well-stocked roster: Alice Degradi, Stella Nervini, Rebecca Piva, Loveth Omoruyi, Martina Bracchi, Gaia Giovannini.
The most suggestive choice could be precisely that of Martina Bracchi, the player that Velasco had wanted to start in “his” Busto Arsizio at the beginning of the season and who in any case played a good championship in the UYBA but the impression is that Velasco, on his fourth spiker, is asking for something different and above all something more in terms of solidity in attack and reception. The right identikit could be that of Alice Degradi, who last season had a high average in both key fundamentals of the spiker role, attack and reception.
But be careful of surprises: the first could be Rebecca Piva. She was also wanted by Velasco in Busto, also returning from a season with very positive numbers, perhaps better in attack than in reception and the same thing also for Gaia Giovannini who played a high-level season in Vallefoglia. The very young girl seems to be taking a step back Stella Nervini which came to light in Bergamo and Loveth Omoruyi, fresh from an alternating season in Chieri, always better in attack than in reception. Not an easy choice, that of Velasco, but there is certainly no lack of variety: the blue staff will make perhaps unpopular choices, which will certainly displease some, but which will be functional to the group and the needs of this team.
