Women’s professional volleyball Heungkuk Life’s new head coach Marcello Abondanza (Italy) expressed his aspirations ahead of his V-League debut, “I will make a strong team with the same goal.” 스포츠토토

The new head coach Abondanza held a senior press conference prior to the 2022-23 Dodram V League Women’s Round 5 home game between Heungkuk Life Insurance and Korea Expressway Corporation held at Samsan Gymnasium in Incheon on the 23rd.

Coach Abondanza revealed the reason for choosing Heungkuk Life Insurance and the V-League by saying, “I wanted to prove myself here.”

He went on to say that his volleyball philosophy is ‘to create a strong team with the same goal’ and predicted that more time is needed to implement this volleyball.

Head coach Abondanza is a commanding tower recognized worldwide for his leadership, leading Lavita Baku (Azerbaijan), Fenerbahce (Lütkiye), and Zanetti Bergamo (Italy).

In addition, from the 2013-14 season, he worked with Kim Yeon-kyung at Fenerbahce for four seasons, winning the league twice and winning the European Volleyball Federation (CEV) Cup.

Head coach Abondanza, who was appointed on the 19th, watched the match between Heungkuk Life Insurance and GS Caltex from the stands on the same day. Afterwards, as the work visa was issued, coach Abondanza will take over the team from the Korea Expressway Corporation match on the 23rd, and will contribute to the championship competition in earnest.

Coach Abondanza impressed with the results of watching Heungkuk Life Insurance from the outside, saying, “The players fight as a team,” and cited “winning the league” as the goal for the rest of the season.

Regarding the rumors of Kim Yeon-kyung’s retirement, who was reunited after Fenerbahce, he said, “I don’t believe in rumors. I had a conversation with Kim Yeon-kyung to try to play good volleyball (not retirement talk).

” When asked to compare, “Kim Yeon-kyung is the best player in the league both when he was playing for Fenerbahce and now, and he is equally good in leadership and human relations as then.”

The following is a Q&A with director Abondanza.

• How do you feel ahead of his debut match?
  ▶ I am excited about a new chapter ahead. He is a new challenge not only in volleyball but also in life. I am happy to make a fresh start in front of a high level league.

-Why did you choose Heungkuk Life Insurance out of many options?
▶Heungkuk Life Insurance is the 8th team in my career. I wanted to prove myself here and challenge myself on a new stage. I thought I could show you what volleyball I can do.

-What style of volleyball are you pursuing?
▶The basic volleyball philosophy is to create one strong team, the same goal. If you do that, good results will naturally follow. However, I need a little time to play volleyball that I want to play. Also, my volleyball philosophy is up to the players. Tactics and strategies will vary depending on which players you are in charge of.

• There are many stories about Kim Yeon-kyung’s retirement.
  ▶As in Europe, I tend not to believe rumors. I talked to Kim Yeon-kyung about how nice it was to meet him after a long time. We only talked about how happy we were to work for the team and that we should work together to play good volleyball.
• Will you completely step down as coach of the Greek national team?
  ▶I want to show more of what I can do at the club. I have to talk more with the Greek Volleyball Association, but the priority is of course the club and Heungkuk Life Insurance.

-How do you feel about interacting with Korean volleyball fans for the first time?
▶Ever since I was in Istanbul, I already knew the passion of Korean fans. Even when I was at Fenerbahce, Korean fans followed me and supported me a lot. It’s not something I’m usually shy about, but I was very shy at times like that. Korean fans’ love for volleyball is amazing.

• How do you plan to play the rest of the game?
  ▶I don’t want to cause confusion (by making changes) right away. First of all, the team is doing well in first place. I believe we will continue to do well. The volleyball I will show you will still take some time. First of all, it is more important for me to adapt to the players and for the players to adapt to me.
• How would you evaluate Heungkuk Life Insurance as a result of watching the GS Caltex match?
  ▶ Regarding the volleyball side, I want to save my words. However, speaking of emotions, it was nice to see the players fighting together as a team.

-What is the difference between Kim Yeon-kyung six years ago and Kim Yeon-kyung now?
▶ Needless to say, he is the best player in the world. Kim Yeon-kyung showed the best performance in the league at the time. He also showed good form in his leadership and human relations. This team is showing the same look as back then.

-How do you plan to rotate Kim Yeon-kyung and Yelena?
▶For now, we will apply the rotation method used in Europe. It’s the same rotation as last game.

• What kind of role will Coach Daekyung Kim, who was acting manager, take on in the future?
  ▶ I hope he continues to take care of the team well. You’ve done really well. Coach Daekyung Kim is already helping me a lot. I think he is the coach our team needs. He is a more experienced coach with this team and players than I am. I want to congratulate him on everything he has done so far.

-You also won the championship with Kim Yeon-kyung at Fenerbahce. How are you determined to win this season?
▶Of course, the goal is to win this league as well. 1st place is our goal, and we are leading the way now. I think it will be at least in the top 3. Everyone has the idea to win. Our goal is to win.