One of the big favorites of EuroVolley 2026 - Poland, might start the battle in Sofia with only three middle blockers. This was admitted by the coach of "Druzyna Polska" Nikola Grbic in an interview forTVPSPORT.PLduring the team's preparation in Zakopane.
The Serbian specialist has not yet decided how he will allocate the spots in the final squad - whether he will opt for three middle blockers and five outside hitters, or take four players for each of the two positions.
"I still haven't made a decision. It's too early to choose. We need four middle blockers for daily training, so we will definitely have four until the end of the preparation. I hope everyone will be healthy and I won't have to make a decision because of someone's injury," Grbic toldTVPSPORT.PL.
The four middle blockers in Poland's extended squad for EuroVolley 2026 are Bartlomiej Lemanski, Jakub Majchrzak, Szymon Jakubiszak, and Mateusz Poreba. It is among them that Grbic will have to decide whether to keep four for the tournament or free up another spot for an outside hitter.
The coach's dilemma comes against the backdrop of serious personnel problems for Poland in this position. For EuroVolley, he will not be able to count on three of the middle blockers who were an important part of the national team in recent years - Mateusz Bieniek, Norbert Huber, and Jakub Kochanowski.

The situation with Kochanowski has developed particularly unpleasantly. The Polish staff had hoped he would be able to recover, and so the middle blocker traveled with the team for the last tournament of the group stage of the Nations League in the USA. However, immediately upon arrival, it became clear that his recovery would not proceed as expected.
"When we arrived there, he tried to train. According to the program, he was supposed to start doing certain exercises, but he was unable. We immediately realized that the effect of the injection he had received earlier was not what we had hoped for. That's why almost at the beginning of our stay in the USA, we decided that he would have to undergo surgery," Grbic explained.
If before the start of the season someone had told Grbic that Poland would have to cope without Bieniek, Huber, and Kochanowski, the coach admits that such a scenario would have seemed almost incredible to him.
"That would have been a crazy idea. Of course, you always start with a specific plan, and then circumstances change it. But that's exactly what I like about this team. Regardless of unforeseen situations, everyone does their best to play as well as possible and achieve the best possible result," the Serbian specialist stated.
Grbic emphasized that one of Poland's great advantages is the huge selection of quality players. It is the depth of the squad that allows the national team to continue fighting for accolades even when it loses several key volleyball players every year.
"I am really happy with the way the guys behave and play. It's not easy every year to give up at least three or four players due to injuries or other reasons. I think that's the great thing about Poland - there are so many players available who want to play, and the quality doesn't drop that much. Every year we are on the podium with different players - both new ones and those returning. For me, this is no longer something new," Grbic said.
According to him, the situation is significantly different from that in national teams where the absence of one or two key volleyball players can significantly change the team's class.
"I'm not saying it's easy in Poland, but it's certainly easier because we have many players available and the vast majority of them really want to play for the national team. That's a huge plus," the coach added.
Grbic has not yet determined the final squad with which Poland will arrive for EuroVolley 2026. "Druzyna Polska" has already submitted its extended list of 24 players to CEV, which includes the four middle blockers:

• Aliaksei Nasevich

• Jakub Popiwczak

• Marcin Komenda

• Bartlomiej Lemanski - middle blocker

• Bartosz Fijałek

• Wilfredo Leon

• Aleksander Śliwka

• Artur Szalpuk

• Kamil Semeniuk

• Jakub Majchrzak - middle blocker

• Maksymilian Graniczny

• Bartosz Firszt

• Tomasz Fornal

• Michał Gierżot

• Bartłomiej Bolońdź

• Marcel Bakaj

• Szymon Jakubiszak - middle blocker

• Kevin Sasak

• Bartosz Gomułka

• Mateusz Poręba - middle blocker

• Jakub Nowak

• Jakub Przybyłkowicz

• Sergiusz Serafin

• Jan Firlej

"I am preparing 15 players. I don't think this will significantly change the organization of my work," commented Grbić.
At the end of the interview, the conversation also turned to Tomasz Fornal, who helped solve the air conditioning problem during the training camp in Zakopane.
"I am very grateful to him. I don't know how I would have survived without it in Zakopane," Grbić joked.
However, the coach admitted that he had also spoken with Fornal about his behavior in public and on social media. According to him, national team players should be careful what they say and publish, because even a joke can be perceived differently and cause an unnecessary scandal.
"He must be aware of the public image that all of us have – not just him. Every athlete must be aware of what they should do and what to be careful about when giving interviews, doing live Instagram broadcasts, or anywhere else. Tomek is a smart boy. Sometimes he does things in an unconventional way, but at the same time, he is a positive person," concluded Nikola Grbić.

photos: Nikolay Varadinov