In an interview for "Zona Volley" on MAX Sport 2, the Italian specialist addressed the topics of Nikolov's recovery, Grozdanov's success, and the upcoming tournament in Poland.
The head coach of the Bulgarian men's national volleyball team, Gianlorenzo Blengini, expressed his great satisfaction with resuming work with the team and emphasized his love for training in the hall with the boys. He explained the decision for the broad squad with the overall goal set by the federation to support the growth of Bulgarian volleyball, having observed numerous players in Bulgaria and abroad during the winter. Blengini highlighted the importance of the development process continuing through the club season, with players needing to choose the best conditions and opportunities for play. He also presented the idea of creating a group of athletes who will be part of the national team, regardless of call-ups for specific tournaments. This group will be led by the Italian Francesco Mollo, a specialist in working with young players, and Teodor Bogdanov. He emphasized that the national team does not have a "B team" but is built with the future in mind.
As key team goals, Blengini identified improvement, getting closer to the Top 7-8 in the world ranking, and achieving more victories.
Blengini paid special attention to Alex Nikolov, calling his return a "wonderful emotion," and noted how closely he follows his condition thanks to his personal connections with his club team Lube, for which he was a coach before taking over Bulgaria. The coach also highlighted the strong performance of national team captain Alex Grozdanov in Poland, describing his final as a valuable growth experience.
At the end of May, the team will participate in a four-sided tournament in Poland at the invitation of Nikola Grbić, which Blengini described as an important opportunity for matches against strong opponents. There, the Bulgarians will "test themselves" against the teams of the host, Germany, and Ukraine.

Photo: Nikolay Varadinov