Iran recently lifted the Asian trophy at home with its main players and less than a week after the event’s final, they again have to prepare for another important world competition, 2019 FIVB World Cup.
Amir Khoshkhabar, the team’s manager, told Mehr News Agency on Sunday that 14 players who were part of the team in Asian Senior Men’s Volleyball Championship will be dispatched to Japan for the World Cup. He said that Mohammad Mousavi has asked not to be part of the team in the upcoming competition.
“I’m neither injured nor there is any other issue; my body just needs more rest,” Mousavi, the Asian Championship’s best middle blocker, told Fars News Agency on Monday about his decision.
“We are soldiers of Team Melli and whenever coaches ask, we should play. Any decision by coaches is respectable and we should follow it. I think the team is doing a good job in giving space to the youth but I believe technical staff can do more in this regard,” Mousavi added.
Iran has used almost the same squad in the past several years under Igor kolakovic, raising criticism from experts in the field that he may be putting the future of Iran volleyball at risk.
“We should not seek podium in the World Cup and we should set the stage for younger players because in the near future we will need most of these younger athletes. The belief and confidence should be injected to the youth through formation change and what a better place than FIVB World Cup to take the risk of doing this,” Jabbar Ghouchannejad, a volleyball expert told Mehr on Sunday.
“We should provide more space for the youth so that we can use them in major competitions like Olympics qualifiers and even in the Olympics in case the main player suffer from fatigue or injuries.”
“Players such as Saeid Marouf, Amir Ghafour, Mousavi, and need Milad Ebadipour to rest and we should not put pressure on them more than usual,” he said, adding, “Every individual has a different line of thinking. Igor doesn’t have the courage to change and I think he is making a mistake.”
Iran volleyball technical staff have repeatedly said that their main is to secure a berth to 2020 Tokyo Olympics; its qualifications will be held in China's Jiangmen on January 7-12 where the team has to compete with top eight Asian rivals to win the event and secure its second presence in Olympics after 2016 Rio.
The Iranian team will start training again on Tuesday for 2019 FIVB World Cup which is going to be held in Japan from October 1 to 15. A total of 12 teams which are top two teams of each continent, plus Japan as host and Poland as World champion, will compete in the World Cup in a round-robin format. So Iran has to play 11 high-pressure matches which will start with an encounter against 2019 VNL’s winner Russia on October 1.
Fielding top guns in an event where the team has a little chance of podium certainly increases the risk of injuries.
It also should be noted that Kolakovic has not totally eliminated the younger players. He invited the MPV of 2019 FIVB Men's U21 World Championship, Amir Hossein Esfandiar, to Team Melli for the first time in the Asian event and he proved his qualities in the competition.
The coach has also trusted some younger talents like Mohammadreza Hazratpour, Aliasghar Mojarad, Porya Yali, and Javad Karimi who have not let him down with their world-class performances.
What experts say is that giving the younger generation a chance to experience world-class events would give them the courage and confidence to build a shinier future for Iran volleyball.
MAH
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