pearl TOP 500

Kjeldhor: hahah man, my boyfriend is a rugby player...don't tell him this thing :D NightFox: I quote proud (I'm quoting you too often lately girl :D)...you're a poet :)

I forgot...USA. Many of you are surprised by USA's low performances in this WC...honestly I'm not! It's always the same old story with them: they only care for the Olympic Games so they play at their best only there and snub the other tournaments/competitions (including World Championships). That's the impression I've always had in the last 15 years at least.

I didn't see my guys playing this morning...and they won. Yesterday I watched the whole match and they were defeated o_O Maybe I bring them bad luck ? If so, I prefer not to watch their matches anymore and make them get the pass to London ?
Thanx proud for your link: hope i'll be able to see something ?

@Nightfox: and did you kill anyone? 'Cause probably Federico did! :D

I was thinking that in my previous comment I wrote that I would like to see Kurek playing in an Italian club, but I forgot to rate the video and write something about the action: I'll give 5 stars...not for the video but for what these guys did in it :)

Savani's words after the match with Cuba (I'll put the original version in Italian first and then the translation into English):
"Abbiamo fatto vedere la nostra peggior pallavolo di quest’anno. Una brutta giornata da dimenticare in fretta. Domani abbiamo un’altra gara importante e una pronta occasione per riscattarci.”
"We've shown our worst volleyball in the whole year. A bad day we'll have to forget soon. We're having another important match tomorrow and a good occasion for us to redeem".
I hope so ?

@Berny: of course you can! Do you prefer tea with milk or lemon? :D

no Kjeld i'm not pessimistic, i'm realistic. I've been seeing this attitude in our team since WL (not the first part but from Final Eight on) and in EC it happened again. When the day before yesterday (or even before i dont remember) i read the final score of ITA-BRA i couldn't believe my eyes... the very same way i couldn't believe my eyes when i saw them playing v USA and, again, in today's match i couldn't believe what i was seeing.This team looks frantic: one day they play like gods, next day like amateurs ? I'm not saying they are weak or mediocre 'cause i know they aren't...but they evidently have some problems with self-confidence and irregularity in their performances that damage them.

True, true and again true ?

@Kk15: "superare se stessi=to surpass oneself" ?

One-man show ?

Champion: exactly!! Thank you...that's the word I was looking for ? Confidence, or better Self-confidence. My guys don't have it ? ...not yet at least ?

@hanes233 and also AleNickel: about height, we have a pretty common way of saying here in Italy "il vino buono sta nella botte piccola" which, more or less, sounds like "good wine is in small barrels" ? I think the English for it is "good things come in small sizes" or something like that ?

Rachel you're right, but i'm saying a different thing. Let's take your Brazil and my Italy as an example: I can see in Brazilian players a sort of "mental strength" (don't know how to say it ? ) that I don't see in our players. It's not just a matter of stress, pressure and schedules...it's more like a different psychological attitude that makes the difference when you're competing at such high levels. Don't know if you can understand what I mean ?

@proud: since i'm so old i can tell you "I've seen things you people wouldn't believe..." hahahah , feel like BladeRunner :D :D

I don't remember all my closest friends' birthdays ( and I can count them on my fingers), it's terryfing for me just imaginig what wolud it be to have 4000 birthdays of unknown people to celebrate ?

@Berny: yes mate...i guess we're too old for such things ? ?

okay folks, i've been spending half a day thinking about today's match, and now that angry has gone away ? I'll give you my opinion. Italy deserved defeat. Imo our team has 2 big problems at the moment: one is psychological the other is practical. Our psychological problem is that we're not able to play 3 matches at the same high level in a row. We have ups and downs, black-out passages during a match or a tournament that evidently we still are not capable of handle/cope with and solve quickly. 2nd problem is our bench: if the starting six doesn't play well as a team, we simply do not have any valid replacement that can make a change. Boninfante, for example, is a pretty good setter but he's not, imho, the kind of player who can have a deep impact over the match guiding and leading his team-mates's reaction.
As a conclusion: i don't think my guys will get the pass to the Olympic Games here, honestly. The whole situation is too complicated now. What a pity. Let's hope in the qualifying tournaments after WC. And if they can't get the pass...never mind: our women NT at least will be there. I guess we can already be content with that ?

yeah, i had to watch it again and again 'cause i wasn't sure...but i think you're right Kjeld, it's out...matter of inches but it's out :D kidding :)

I would like to see Kurek playing in Italy... it would be interesting :)