Five conclusions in the final stretch before the Olympics. The volleyball team is racing against time

The Polish national team won their 11th victory in history in a special event in the national team calendar, the Hubert Wagner Memorial. The late legend of Polish volleyball, a coach who led Polish volleyball players not only to their first ever gold medal at the World Championships (1974), but also to their only – and gold – medal at the Olympic Games (1976).

Let’s be honest, the team led by coach Nikola Grbić would probably give a lot to repeat the success from almost half a century ago. However, the memorial game in Krakow left a few doubts, questions, which are now worth summarizing in five important conclusions.

1. Wagner Memorial, or the “excuse” in the form of a gym

The Krakow tournament is placed in the calendar in such a way that its date most often falls on the last stretch before the so-called target events. This was the case with the European or World Championships, and it is no different with the Paris Olympics. In the 21st edition, teams appeared at Tauron Arena that had their feet in their boots. Work in the gym was widely discussed both in the corridors and in official communications, more or less directly from the volleyball players themselves, in post-match statements.

It’s not just the Poles who train hard, throwing around iron. Three other participants of the Olympic tournament also played in Krakow, namely: the Germans, the Egyptians and the Slovenians. The former almost wiped the Poles’ noses, but they were unable to close the match with a 2:0 in sets and 16:11 in the third set. The Egyptians, on the other hand, decided not to show their cards, losing easily in three sets. The Slovenians? The most tired of all participants, with a very difficult, but crowned with an Olympic qualification, League of Nations on their feet.

And that was the kind of memorial play. It was also visible in the statistics. The Poles may have received well, but it was not the foundation for an effective attack. Quite the opposite, this worse delivery often gave more profits in terms of offensive effectiveness. To put it mildly, it was not the moment, figuratively called the moment of freshness.

2. The second bounce, or Marcin Janusz under the microscope

In reference to the first point, the Poles’ game was like in a well-known song, undulating and falling. Accuracy is not easy when you have physical difficulties, and without this, Marcin Janusz is deprived of his greatest argument. A setter who, on a good day, can step into the shoes of the undisputed number 1 in the team, without any discussion. In Krakow, however, Janusz had to count on help from, among others, Grzegorz Łomacz, who played a big role in turning the tide of the aforementioned match with Germany. Janusz seems to confirm that a difficult sports club season in the ranks of ZAKSA Kędzierzyn-Koźle, mixed with an injury – and the volleyball player did not have many of those before – affected the effect that is now.

Janusz’s game, or more precisely his… precise rebound, is crucial for the offensive of players such as Bartosz Kurek or Łukasz Kaczmarek. These two examples also show how many different attackers Grbić has at his disposal in the team. And how focused Janusz must be on playing with both. A high ball to “Kuraś”, and on the other hand, more cunning, also accelerated play with “Zwierzak”. If you add to this the different wingers, you can understand what a difficult test the national team’s playmaker will face in Paris. However, the improvement in his game should be visible, as in the case of other volleyball players, at the weekend tournament in Ergo Arena.

3. Bartosz Kurek plus two attackers in the squad for the 2024 Olympics

Kurek is not only the head of #gangŁysego, but above all a figure without whom it is hard to imagine the Polish national team. It seems that “Kuraś” is also trying to jump into higher gear, so necessary in the Polish game. Although the captain of the team is certainly struggling with some moves, leaving a lot of question marks.

Kurek is a legend, however, who seems to have several solutions, even when the rest are looking more and more nervously towards the reserve square. The vast experience of “Kuraś” allows us to assume that important balls will be on the side of points in favor of the Poles, when they are above the head of “Łysy”. Kurek also has two supporters in the Olympic team, the aforementioned Kaczmarek (form is consistently improving) and the so-called joker in the meaning of FIVB and IOC, i.e. Bartłomiej Bołądź.

Grbić clearly wanted and wants to be ready for various options and needs in Paris. The Serb announced, even before the recent changes to the character of the “joker” by the FIVB, that he would rather not use the number 13, unless there was a health need. Therefore, with all due respect to Bołądź’s abilities, we can keep our fingers crossed for Kurek and Kaczmarek to find the right physical form. If they are in good shape, they have often been able to close the issue of the Polish national team’s attacker between themselves.

4. Jakub Kochanowski and Mateusz Bieniek a midfield duo?

Norbert Huber has had a great season, both in the PlusLiga and in European competitions, where in addition to the Polish championship, he also made it to the Champions League final. What’s more, during the 2023 season he became a very important figure in the Polish national team. Huber returned from a serious injury, which put his future volleyball game in question, and created a great duo with Jakub Kochanowski.

Mateusz Bieniek did not have good memories of 2023 in the national team in terms of health. However, “Bieniek” cured his problems and now gives serious arguments for fighting for a place in the national team’s starting line-up. Will it be at the expense of Huber? It is not ruled out, after the tournament in Krakow it seems that Kochanowski is slightly higher in the context of the duo with Bieniek. On the other hand, it should be remembered that Huber and Bieniek are definitely a high wall that can be useful during matches with rivals who have considerable potential “at heights”. Kochanowski is a solution for clashes with more combinational volleyball on the other side. Coach Grbić has a lot to choose from, not necessarily making a gradation to the “first”, “second” or “third”.

And if he had to? It is possible that he would choose the Kochanowski-Bieniek duo.

5. Tomasz Fornal and Wilfredo Leon, who will be the “three”?

In Krakow, Tomasz Fornal, the leader of this season among the national team’s receivers, and perhaps without division into positions, showed his good side once again. During the VNL final tournament in Łódź, coach Grbić paired him with Wilfredo Leon. This duo seemed to be the basic one, chosen by the Serbian coach of the Poles.

The Krakow memorial did not provide an opportunity to see the Fornal-Leon set on the pitch again, due to the latter’s minor health problems. The officially presented Bogdanka LUK Lublin volleyball player was with the team, but in none of the three matches did he take off his tracksuit and enter the pitch. In Leon’s absence, variants with Aleksander Śliwka and Kamil Semeniuk were tried.

“Semen” was even chosen MVP of the entire tournament in Krakow. Awards are a very individual matter, difficult to assess reliably. Semeniuk certainly gave more opportunities for satisfaction the further he played. Śliwka? He also contributed, although in both cases there is certainly still a lack of stability. In these cases, it is worth looking at the first point, about the “memorial” period. If Leon’s health allows, it seems that Semeniuk will be chosen for Leon, and Śliwka for Fornal.

All that remains for each of them is to wish that the next actions – whether in Łódź, Kraków and finally in the Tri-City – will translate into later value, at key moments. In a tournament of the Olympic rank, it is these individual actions that will have the greatest weight.