Now Negro wants to try and relies on Thaisa and Gattaz “But the Imoco is the strongest”

The Vakifbank surpasses the Belo Horizonte team with the “novelty” Gunes All the secrets of the next opponent and Guidetti’s battleship

the analysis

Without worries, Vakifbank also qualified in first place, overtaking Minas in the last game of the group stage. It ends 3-0 (25-18, 25-17, 25-18). Guidetti’s team, which changed very little compared to the one faced by Conegliano in the Champions League final, expressed a brilliant and aggressive game. The very fast attacks of Gabi, the new scheme with the central Gunes moved to attack the “seven” in place 4, the usual poisonous Haak from the service have affected since the first set. The free Aykac, well coordinated with the director Ozbay, has mastered the attacks and services of the Brazilians. Ogbogu asserted all his physicality on the block, Bartsch guaranteed solidity in the second line and quality in attack.

Minas only on rare occasions and without finding continuity have put the Vakif forwards in difficulty, struggling a lot in the coverage phase and often being predictable with high ball attacks. With the ball often detached from the net, the change of the diagonal in the middle of the second set, from Macris-Cuttino to Oliviera-Kisy, was worth almost nothing to coach Negro. Only the former panther Ozsoy has kept the fortunes of his team high, resulting in the end the best of the biancocelesti. In the third set the gap was less wide only until the technical timeout (12-8), thanks, as happens also to the Panthers, only to a decline of the strongest team. Minas has gradually lost confidence in its own means, finding itself faced with defenses and counterattacks of the highest level. Even when the ball passed there was always a black shirt to keep the action alive, closed without discussion.

Today, with the final up for grabs, the attitude will be different and Conegliano knows it. Compared to the 2019 World Cup when they crossed in the final match of the group, useless for the purposes of the classification, Minas changed half of the sextet. There are no longer Bruna, McClendon and Acosta, replaced by Danielle Cuttino in the role of opposite, by Ozsoy and the Brazilian Daroit in place 4. The Turkish player, in Conegliano seven years ago, can be one of the greatest dangers: she attacks without sparing the arm even with detached ball, alternating parallel and diagonal and also proposing itself in the pipe. Cuttino has many centimeters on his side and a good ability to vary attack shots. An eye should be given to the Thaisa and Gattaz power plants, perhaps not very dynamic against the wall, but capable of making themselves felt in attack. «A world derby for me», said coach Nicola Negro, «we play against the best in the world, it’s a great opportunity. For me it is nice to find Imoco again, unfortunately I had a short passage, a few years have passed and I am pleased that the club has grown a lot. The style of play? In Europe, the focus is on speed, Fenerbahce is a little bit different, but we still play a lot with the power plants. Conegliano has a well-run game system for years, the pieces change but they are strong all the same. We will try anyway ». –