Men’s Olympic Volleyball: The Five Keys That Led the Reds and Whites to Win the Challenge Cup

On Wednesday night, Olympiacos celebrated their third European title in men’s volleyball history after beating Maccabi in the Challenge Cup.

The Red and Whites confirmed the title of favorites and scored the first goal of the year, but there’s more to come.

Sportish records what has changed at Olympiacos and what led to winning a European cup from last year’s bad year.

He gave Giuliani the keys

The Red-Whites’ first and fundamental step was the trust they placed in Giuliani. The Italian came with a rich CV but last year he managed a team that wasn’t his own.

He started building this year’s team around this time last year. Regardless of the outcome of the rest of the year, his decisions are successful as Olympiakos’ data has improved.

Having an image of the material that was on the roster, he decided to rely on players he knows from the foreign market but also support players from the existing team.

The upgrade trio to become a foreigner

The first major change Giuliani made concerned the positions of foreigners. Unlike previous years, the Italian opted for a foreign passer, with one of the two main wingers being a Greek.

Therefore, the design began with two key positions, that of the passerby and the diagonal. There he chose two players he knew well. Of course we’re referring to Travis and Stern. The former may not be in his prime but he remains an excellent passer with a great personality.

The latter isn’t a diagonal killer, but it does its job and more than that, helping in many areas of the game. He then had to decide what to do with the extremists.

The options he had in the Greek market were specific as Raphael Koumendakis won his return ticket to Rentis. For second base, he wanted a player with more offensive ability and a good serve.

After considering several options, he ended up at Hidalgo. The Cuban may have been 37 years old, but he was a proven solution and that’s why he was chosen.

The emptiness of Zisi and investing in Greeks

The big problem that arose from the Greek tribe concerned Zisi who moved to Panathinaikos. The Red-Whites brought in Gara, who was having a good season with the Greens, to form a duo with Dziavra.

Greeks have also been taken on who can give more to the red-whites in the future, like Chandrinos and Linardos, but also more experienced players like Papaggelopoulos.

To the Greek body, we must add Zoupani and Dalakouras, which are left behind.

The roles and work that led to the improvement

This is how the puzzle Giuliani had in mind was born. The Italy coach now had a side of his own choice and what he had in mind had to come out on the Taraflex.

Gara’s injury created new circumstances after Giavras fell straight into the deep end. The 24-year-old libero is the best example of what hard work can achieve.

His improvement over the season is great and given that Olympiacos have acquired a libero they can count on for years to come.

Each red and white has a clear role, and all seem to trust Giuliani’s work.

The Match of Liberation

Regardless of how the Olympiakos year unfolds, with the Reds and Whites featuring in all three national titles, there is one game that is the point of reference.

What is meant, of course, is the rematch with Panathinaikos for the Challenge Cup. From that game to date, Giuliani’s players have played with tremendous confidence.

This was also evident in the derby that followed a few days later. After Olympiakos made it 2-0, Panathinaikos turned things up and sent the game into a tie-break in which the Reds and Whites managed to secure victory and effectively joint first place in regular time.

How the year will unfold for Olympiakos isn’t easy to predict, but given the difference in the team’s image compared to last year, it’s chaotic.