... and the "beautiful story" of how he discovered Simone Giannelli
In an interview conducted before today's Volleyball Champions League semi-final, legendary coach Radostin Stoychev speaks to Polish journalist Justyna Ziółkiewska about the challenge of taking over Halkbank Ankara at the end of the season with the goal of winning the trophy.

Stoychev shares that despite the short time, the team's adaptation to his methods went smoothly thanks to the professionalism and enthusiasm of the players. He did not encounter difficulties working with the Turkish or foreign athletes, even though he is known for his tough character, and so are the Turks.

The main obstacle before the tournament was the injuries of five players, but fortunately, all recovered in time. Stoychev notes that it would have been better to have two more weeks for preparation, but they accept the situation.

Regarding the team's mental recovery after the difficult end of the season, the coach emphasizes the importance of quickly forgetting the past and working hard. According to him, when you don't have time to think, "the head works differently." Qualifying for the tournament itself was a difficult achievement.

For the upcoming matches against the Polish teams (who are in the other semi-final), Stoychev expresses great respect and believes they are well-prepared. He notes that Polish teams "have almost no weaknesses" and that the outcome of the matches will depend on the current form, fatigue, injuries, and attitude towards the game. Mental endurance will be key given the fatigue from the long season for both his team and the Polish teams.

At the end of the interview, Stoychev tells the "beautiful story" of discovering Simone Giannelli. He gambled on him in the 2015 Scudetto finals when Giannelli was not yet 18 years old. They prepared him specifically for the matches against Modena, with Stoychev highlighting his good serve and tactical skills. Giannelli quickly achieved an understanding with Matey Kaziyski, surprising the opponent. Stoychev also gave credit to Łukasz Żygadło, who was the main setter during the season.

The semi-final match between Halkbank Ankara and Sir Sicoma Monini Perugia is scheduled for Friday, May 16th, at 9:00 PM and will be broadcast onMAX Sport 4.
We remind you that Stoychev could eliminate Perugia in a semi-final of an important tournament for the second time in one season, as he did for the Italian Cup at the end of January.

photo: Nikolay Varadinov