The media in Italy continue to analyze the recently concluded Italian Cup tournament, highlighting the Bulgarian Aleksander Nikolov, who, according to them, brought back the confidence in victory for Lube in the final against Verona.
"Congratulations to Medei, who managed to speed up the process and quickly led the significantly rejuvenated team to victory. Away game problems seem forgotten. Boninfante conducts his attackers with the experience of a veteran. Leoppky proves that last year's title final with Monza was no fluke and finishes the Final with an excellent performance in reception as well. Bottolo shows he has matured and, although he sometimes struggles against the block, finally finds consistency in his game.And finally Nikolov – a crystal talent, capable of scoring 16 points in just over two sets and bringing Civitanova back on the path to victory at the most difficult moment of the match.
With stable and well-utilized middle blockers (although we still believe Shinienieze has the physical qualities to do much more) and with Balaso, deserved MVP of a team that seems to have solved its long-standing reception problems, only Lagumdzija failed to perform well in the match, especially with 6 direct errors, showing that he was unable to channel the pressure in the right direction. Serve and block remain the main weapons of a team that shows great hunger for affirmation,", concludes the analysis by vollenews.it, one of Italy's leading volleyball websites.
"One of the many precious gems in the crown of this successful Italian Cup team of Cucine Lube Civitanova is certainly Alex Nikolov: in previous seasons a student under the guidance of Professor Zaytsev, who is a role model for him, and today called to defend his thesis. A diploma that he received with honors in Bologna, repeatedly changing the course of the match, coming in from the bench," colleagues continue to praise the local talent.
"For me, this is a very important moment, because this is my first trophy in Italy and I won it with the jersey of my Lube, a club and a team that make me feel at home. The change of position? I am always available to the team, as are my teammates. Today I put myself at the service of the team and fought alongside the others, trying to make my contribution. We suffered a lot on the court, but our reaction was like that of a great team. We don't want to stop here. We must work to grow!" Nikolov shared with the Italian media after the match.
photos: Nikolay Varadinov
