On the morning of December 28th Alberto Giuliani a mutual consensus decided to work with the Polish Rezovia. The course in the domestic championship (7th place with a balance of 5-7 after 12 games) was inversely proportional to the summer expectations and the 57-year-old Italian agreed that his exit was the most comfortable way out of the crisis.

Olympiacos, which had already entered the market for a new coach after losing the Finikas Supercup and the resignation of Dimitris Kazazis, did not miss the opportunity. Although the veteran coach had decided in the first phase not to sit on the bench and rest until the summer, Piraeus crossed out all the other names on the list they had drawn up and, after the last contact with the experienced coach, activated an agreement on his agenda and their acceptance of the proposal presented to him from the start.

Admittedly, Alberto Giuliani is no coincidence. Risk all of these collaborations, let alone with foreign midfielders of the season, to hide. In any case, the requirement is to reduce the likelihood of errors and this is largely guaranteed with the signature of the Italian. It’s potential the gift of the administration of amateur Olympiacos in the volleyball department, because Giuliani was born on Christmas Day 1964 in San Severino Marche in the province of Macerata and his successes have confirmed his work many times.

From motocross to volleyball

The new coach of the Red-Whites said he knew exactly what the situation in the Piraeus team was like at the moment, but expressed the hope that, thanks to the commitment, “We bring the results that this club deserves“Anyway, as a kid who got into motocross, he learned to ride bumpy roads. However, since it was an expensive sport that required a larger financial background than his family, he quickly switched to volleyball. One (” national “) Sport (for the area in which he grew up) that became his great passion, a love that he could never overcome.

One player’s career hasn’t managed to make it so important that it stands out. But as in many similar cases, the coaching convinced him very quickly. Shrewd and gifted at transferability, he found work in two local clubs (San Severino, Osimo) when he was just 32 years old, before working in infrastructure departments while creating athletes and characters. It was tried and it turned out to work for him.

Loretto hired him in 2000 and she promoted him two years later to the men’s team, where he was named first coach. The four years in a number of lower categories turned out to be the right school to move on to the next level.

Corniliano was a Serie A2 team aiming for the championship and the new coach was considered the best to lead it in brilliant moments. “We envied Loretto, who had him as a trainer“said the man who picked him and the rationale for insisting on him came after a few months, since the first season was accompanied by a rise in the elite of Italian volleyball. He had made the commitment with the one above To fulfill what has been said. “give substance to the company’s wishes“, As he emphasized in his presentation.

The transition to the elite and the nine titles

Verona was the next to use Giuliani’s skills (promotion, stay) in the summer of 2008, just before the start of his two-year fame (2009-2011) in Cuneo. Indeed, the reference point team from Piedmont entered the process to terminate the contract that tied the Italian coach.while he could talk to coaches without restrictions“Something that naturally flattered Giuliani and raised his personal bar when you consider that.”It is a great responsibility to do my best“.

Anyway, he drowned outdoors. Because his two-year tenure was combined with two titles in 2010 (championship, Cev-Cup as the best coach in Italy) and two more in 2011 (Supercup, Cup). It was a time when he was promoting Giuliani’s work and establishing himself on the European stage by partnering with top notch players such as Nikolov, Fortunato and Mastrangelo.

Therefore, the two championships (2012, 2014) and the one Supercup with Lube, to which he switched, were not a surprise, but a natural development of his previous coaching career. Especially with the given budget.

He had proven that he was able to cope with crises and clear up misunderstandings when the Italian coach submitted his resignation in spring 2014 and after being excluded from the Cup. The administration did not accept them, they supported him in practice and he retaliated 3-1 in the Serie A final against Perugia and after Lube (led by Podrastsanin and Zajev) one after the other Verona (in the first round) and Modena. eliminated (in the semifinals) without losing!

Giuliani left Lube in spring 2015 when everyone noticed that his circle had come full circle. He then took over Piacenza and at the same time the reins of the Slovak national team. Before leaving the position in the second, he prefers to devote himself exclusively to his tasks with the first. He stayed in Piacenza for a total of three seasons, but without his presence, to bring the 2009 champions back to the top of Italian volleyball. The first year it held it in the category, the second and third came to the exclusion in the first round of the playoffs.

After his departure, it was the Turkish Halkbank that gave him the opportunity to coach a strong club abroad for the first time. The 2018 Supercup was a good starting point, but it moved with the times because it failed to meet the goal of maintaining the domestic acquis (Fenerbahce exclusion in the semifinals) despite first place in the regular season and home advantage.

The – perhaps unexpected – takeover of the technical leadership of national Slovenia was a new challenge in his mind. Very different from what he had done before. In the eyes of some, it seemed like a professional setback. For Giuliani, a clear attempt was made to confirm the name he was carrying. He would build something new, from scratch, his own. The aftermath was gratifying as the Slovenes (with a legacy of the Challenger Cup title) made it to the finals twice Eurovolley (2019, 2021) lost 3-1 to Serbia and 3-2 to Italy.

For Giuliani “Volleyball is a special sport because has different rules and one has to support the other on 81 square meters“and definitely”the secret is to put our hearts into everythingWith this motto he comes to Olympiakos, which we must not forget finds Alain Pagenk – his player in Lube and national team of Slovenia.