Simone Giannelli puts a premium on teamwork as Italy braces for Bulgaria, led by brothers Aleksandar and Moni Nikolov, in the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship final on Sunday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
Impressed by Bulgaria's surprising run behind the Nikolov brothers, Giannelli also acknowledged the other hardworking Bulgarians who will take the court in the gold medal game at 6:30 p.m.
“I think that we have to be focused, of course, on the Nikolov [brothers] because they are amazing, but we are playing in six or seven with the Libero, and they have a lot of options, so I want to be respectful to the Bulgarian team and not speak only about two amazing guys,” said Giannelli. “For sure, they are incredible, but [we have to prepare] for every player that is playing for Bulgaria.”
Italy took down world No. 1 Poland, 25-21, 25-22, 25-23, before 9,652 fans on Saturday, marking their second straight championship.
After overcoming their tormentor in the Volleyball Nations League final, Giannelli is preparing for another tough test in Italy’s bid for a fifth World Championship.
“We know that it will be very difficult for us tomorrow because they are playing very well, for sure, so we have to maintain our level, focus on our game, and try to be present on the court like tonight,” said the reigning MVP and Best Setter.
The Italian skipper was proud of how his team took care of business against powerhouse Poland to replicate their 2022 World Championship final.
“We won against the best team in the world. We were good tonight, maybe a little bit better than Poland, but Poland remains the best team in the world, I think. They have a lot of players who can go inside the court and push a lot,” he said.
“Tonight we were focused on what we had to do on the court, and we managed this win. I'm very happy with how we won this match, but I respect Poland a lot."
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