Det nærmer seg oppstart på årets EM-kvalifisering, som går av stabelen i Arendal søndag 18. august kl. 14:30. Vi har tatt en prat med landslagstrener Łukasz Zbigniew Marciniak for å høre litt om hans tanker om kvalifiseringen.
Hovedtrener Łukasz Zbigniew Marciniak. Foto: Markus Engås
How would you summarize the past few weeks of training camp?
We started first weeks of preparation in Poland in small town Szamotuly, where we had very good conditions to be focused on volleyball. People from the Hotel and from the gym did everything to give us the best atmosphere. We were working on our systems in block, defense, attack, and reception.
We had some small issues with losing luggage, canceled flight, and health, but I have to say that we managed to overcome this situation well and I am happy how team reacted.
Tournament in Denmark brought us a lot of information about what we have to be still focus on and of course provided necessary experience to play those games. Match against Sweden and Denmark show us that we can deal with difficult situations when we are focused enough, have discipline and are aggresive in our mindset.
How do you feel about the team spirit and cohesion as you head into the upcoming matches?
I see a group of motivated people who want to achive own goals and team goals also. Atmosphere is good, all players and staff work hard, give the best every day as much as it is possible. We are happy that this year we could invite players who want to be a part of the National Team and they feel proud to be here. Some of them sacrifie normal work, health, and time with familly to be with us. I feel big respect for that, thank you!
We are happy that this year we could invite players who want to be a part of the National Team and they feel proud to be here.
What are your thoughts on the upcoming qualifying matches? What are your expectations for the team?
Montenegro and Czech Republic are more experienced teams. Already they were playing in EuroVolley tournament and others like Silver League and Golden League. They have much bigger international experience than we, but we are focused on ourself and we know if we are doing our best we can be competitive with others teams. We expect hard games but a lot of fight and leaving heart on the court. We want represent Norway with proud and give people at the arena good spectacle.
How do you view Norway’s chances in this qualification? What will it take to reach your goal?
Till ball is in the air always is chance. Always before the game chances are 50 / 50. Our opponents are favorites but we will do our best to get good results. This time qualification are splitted for two years. For sure this summer can be much different than next. We have to be at the moment focused on what is now. To be competitive we need to be agressive in our mindset, focus and disciplin what we are doing on the court and try smart react on opponents game. Every next ball will bring other story.
How does playing at home in Arendal affect the team, and how do you think the crowd can contribute to the performance?
We are happy to play in Norway. We hope to get big support from Norwegian crowd. For everybody, playing at home is something special. I hope we can find fast conection with crowd during the game!
We want by our game to wake up enthusiasm of people at the arena and make great spectacle.
We would like to invite everybody to support our Men’s Norway National Team of Volleyball and ask you for cheering for players in every moment of the game. Everybody that will come at the arena will be part of the volleyball family, part of the National Team.
We would like to invite everybody to support our Men’s Norway National Team of Volleyball and ask you for cheering for players in every moment of the game.
Vi ønsker Łukasz og resten av teamet lykke til i Arendal og Tsjekkia!
Se spillerpresentasjon og kjøp billett til kampen her: EM-kvalifisering 2024 – Norges Volleyballforbund
Får du ikke sett kampen i Arendal? Kampen sendes også på TV2 Sport 2 og TV2 Play!
Foto: Markus Engås
