The head coach of the Bulgarian men's national volleyball team, Gianlorenzo Blengini, expressed his satisfaction with the team's new "home" at Arena "SamElion" in Samokov, describing it as a "magical and wonderful place" that provides excellent working conditions. He made these comments to journalists who came to cover the national team's open training session. The coach thanked the federation and the hosts for providing the facility, which is important for achieving the main goal – dedicated work and maximum effort in building a new team and improving the players.
Blengini also addressed the issue of the team's ranking and performance, which he deemed most important. He pointed to a long-term goal related to next year's European Championship, which will also be held in Bulgaria, but emphasized the importance of seeing results from the work already this summer. He recalled that the previous year saw a step forward with more victories in the Nations League (VNL) compared to the year before. The current goal is to seek a better ranking, get closer to the teams ahead of Bulgaria in the world ranking, and win more matches than last year. He stressed that every match is important for climbing the world rankings, which is a primary goal – more victories and a higher position in the rankings.
Regarding the squad for the first week of the VNL, Blengini stated that there is no unequivocal answer and that the specific list is not important, but rather the participation of the best-prepared players in each tournament. He emphasized that all invited players meet the main requirement of absolute dedication to the team's goals and its growth. He was adamant that there are no players called up for just one or two tournaments, but rather reliance on people who are 100% committed.
The Italian specialist shared that the emotion for the upcoming Nations League tournament in Bulgaria, in Burgas, is stronger. The more time he spends with the team and in Bulgaria, the more immersed he becomes in volleyball here and the more people he gets to know, which makes coaching the Bulgarian team in front of a home crowd more special for him. He also described this as a privilege for the players and again thanked the federation for securing the hosting of a Nations League tournament. He can't wait for these matches in front of a full hall of Bulgarian fans.
In conclusion, Blengini noted that the months from October to March were extremely valuable, as he spent a lot of time in Bulgaria, visited many places, and got to know many clubs. His interest was focused not only on potential players for the men's national team, but also on all talented Bulgarian players.
