EuroVolleyM 2023: Reigning Champs Italy ready to defend the Title

Defending European and World champs Italy are ready to challenge the opponents on the home turf, defending the Title with all the strength and confidence they showed in past two years under head coach Ferdinando De Giorgi

European and World champions Italy are ready to defend their Euro title on the home turf, starting the tournament as logical favourite.

Italy have won the European Championships seven times and finished on the podium on 14 occasions, and now they have the chance to win back-to-back European Championships for the third time, after 1993-1995 and 2003-2005.

The new Italian generation of phenomenons won important titles in last two years, EuroVolley 2021 and World Championship 2022, showing the strength of the renewed italian volleyball school.

After the disappointment at Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2021, where the Azzurri got eliminated in Quarter-Finals by Argentina (Italy never won the Olympic Games, despite they’re one of the most winning teams in the world), Italy changed head coach, hiring veteran Ferdinando De Giorgi, who put on the court a bunch of young talents, creating a big group with a good chemistry in the locker room, and above all a great winning mentality, with talented young players hungry for win all together, as a team.

And so they did, starting from EuroVolley 2021, few days after the end of the Olympics and with Fefè De Giorgi in charge as head coach by few weeks.

In that tournament, played in Poland/Czechia/Estonia/Finland, Italy stunned everybody, winning the European title defeating in Semi-Final powerhouse Serbia, and fighting until the end in the Final versus Slovenia, grabbing the win at the tie break in a very emotional game.

One year after, same group of players, same eyes of the tiger, same hungry for win, the Azzurri approached World Championship in september 2022 in Poland/Slovenia with focus and confidence, showing their strength since the beginning, arriving in perfect physical and mental shape at the turning point of the tournament, the Quarter-Final versus Olympic champions France.

It was an amazing comeback win for Italy over Les Bleus, advancing to Semi-Final where they beated Slovenia, clinching the big Final spot versus Poland, home team and defending champions.

In the final the Azzurri didn’t lost the focus, stunning 3-1 Poland in front of the 12.000 polish fans of the Spodek Arena in Katowice, and becoming the world champions after 24 years.

Will be a tough EuroVolley for the Azzurri in Pool A, challenging Germany, Serbia, Belgium, Switzerland and Estonia. At least Serbia, Germany and Belgium will be strong opponents for De Giorgi’s team, starting playing hard from the first games of the tournament.

At EuroVolley there aren’t easy games for any team, but playing since the very beginning at the top level versus tough opponents, could be better for Azzurri’s rhythm in the championship, setting the perfomances at the higher level, a good mindset looking forward to the elimination games.

The group is still strong, young and unite, the captain and leader Simone Giannelli, setter MVP of EuroVolley 2021 and World Championship 2022, the silent leader Alessandro Michieletto, the powerful hammers Daniele Lavia and Yuri Romanò, the strong middle blockers Roberto Russo and Gianluca Galassi (due the absence of veteran Simone Anzani), the best libero of last World Championships Fabio Balaso, all together part of a mission which is still on the run.

Italy will play the upcoming EuroVolley 2023 on the home turf as reigning champs, will not be easy for Ferdinando De Giorgi’s team to repeat the exploit of 2021 because of the strength of the opponents, but Azzurri will be for sure the natural favourite for the gold medal in the Final in Rome next 16th September.