CEV EuroVolley 2021 Men Pool Analysis

The men's CEV EuroVolley 2021 pools were set as of Thursday, May 27th, in Helsinki. With a few days to sit on the results, it is time to analyze what the biggest storylines are in each pool. In this article, we'll highlight a lesser known player that could emerge in EuroVolley 2021 and pick out some early interesting items in pool A to D. 

Poland | Belgium | Serbia | Ukraine | Greece | Portugal

At a first glance, Pool A for EuroVolley 2021 seems like it will be a must-watch for volleyball fans. Two of the best teams in the tournament, including reigning champions Serbia, will battle it out with four of Europe’s strongest in Belgium, Ukraine, Greece, and Portugal. No matter how it plays out, there will be a team in this pool that will get burned just by the nature of their difficult competition. But if you want intense, high-level volleyball, in Pool A you are guaranteed a show every single match.

Player to watch: Dmytro Viietskyi, Ukraine. The Ukranian opposite burst onto the scene in the last EuroVolley, carrying much of the scoring load for them on their Cinderella run where they barely lost against eventual champs Serbia in the quarterfinals. Since then, he has taken his game to another level, finishing top 10 in the Russian league in points scored with 452 in 99 sets played. Dmytro and Oleh Plotnytskyi are one of the best 1-2 punches in Europe.

Czech Republic | Italy | Slovenia | Bulgaria | Belarus | Montenegro

Ostrava will be home to a range of teams in different situations. On the one hand, you have Belarus, who qualified to the final stage with what was essentially their U21 team. On the other hand, this might be the last tournament that Italy and Bulgaria have their legendary opposites, Ivan Zaytsev and Tsvetan Sokolov, respectively.

And of course, you have the most dangerous upset team in the tournament, Slovenia, who proved in their EuroVolley 2019 silver that they can not only compete with the best teams in Europe, but beat them outright.

Player to watch: Alessandro Michieletto, Italy. The teenage outside hitter was thrust into the limelight this year as a starter for the Super Finals runner-up Trentino. His teammate Dick Kooy is a very talented player in his own right, but Michieletto got plenty of playing time over him due to his rare combination of size and passing ability. Italy has a history of relying on young players for big roles, as a teenage Simone Giannelli was their starting setter during their 2016 silver medal Olympic run. Michieletto might be relied upon as well with a lack of an obvious alternative.

Finland | Russia | The Netherlands | Turkey | Spain | North Macedonia

Finland did not make things easy for themselves, picking one of the toughest teams in the tournament, Russia, as their chosen opponent in Pool C. The rest of the draw leaves some opportunities though, with several evenly matched teams. Liberos and middle blockers will have their work cut out for them in this pool, with some of the world’s best opposites in Russia’s Maxim Mikhaylov, The Netherland’s Nimir Abdel-Aziz, Turkey’s Adis Lagumdzija, Spain’s Andres Villena, and North Macedonia’s Nikola Gjorgiev to try and slow down.

Player to watch: Efe Bayram, Turkey. The young outside hitter from Turkey has been starting on top Turkish club teams since he was 16 years old. However, he still hasn’t had his break out performance for the national team where he could establish himself as a featured player in Turkish men’s volleyball. Bayram has the potential to do that in EuroVolley 2021, as he possesses game intuition, serve, and reception skills to be special. With Bayram and Adis Lagumdzija, Turkey men have playoff potential.

Estonia | Latvia | France | Germany | Slovakia | Croatia

While France and Germany are EuroVolley powerhouses, the rest of Pool D will be tightly contested. Both of the EuroVolley 2021 newcomers, Latvia & Croatia, have some young talent like Atvars Ozolins & Marko Sedlacek that is ready to make a splash in a big tournament. Estonia & Slovakia are strong blocking teams that can rely on their opposites Peter Michalovic & Renee Teppan to take on the responsibility of their out of system offense.

Germany and France are in an interesting transition period. Both field teams full of veterans that have made deep EuroVolley runs (and won in 2015 in France's case), but their core players are getting older. We will see how each team handles the situation, whether they will keep on veterans like Christian Fromm and Kevin Le Roux, or give a chance for a new generation to make their mark like the Serbian women did successfully in 2019. Based on their approaches to VNL, it seems like the veterans may have one last major tournament in them. 

Player to watch: Barthélémy Chinenyeze, France. The young middle blocker was part of the one best stories in club volleyball this season, leading Vibo Valentia to a surprising 13-9 record. He has developed a spin serve and a keener sense for the block since his last EuroVolley outing, and will be one of the leaders of France’s new generation of players.