Alessandro Michieletto took another important step towards his full return to play. The Italian international not only appeared on the court, but in the victory over Slovakia at the European Championship, for the first time after his long absence (nearly 8 months, editor's note), he had the opportunity to play in the front row.
Michieletto entered in the third set, and his time on the court brought several symbolic moments in the return process – first reception, first actions on the block, first attack, and first points.

The official protocol shows that Michieletto finished the match with 2 points – 1 from attack and 1 from block. In attack, he received only one ball and converted it – 1 out of 1, or 100% success rate. He also recorded one reception.
His first point from attack is particularly interesting, because after the match, Italy's coach Ferdinando De Giorgi revealed that Simone Giannelli knew how to approach Michieletto's first rotation in the front row.

"Today, his first rotation in the front row after so many months was important. Giannelli did well because he didn't immediately give him the ball in an unfavorable situation. A little later, when there was a better opportunity, he gave him the chance to fulfill that wish of his – to finally score a point," De Giorgi told Sky.
The Italian coach had previously warned Giannelli that he would leave Michieletto in the front row. The goal now is for the outside hitter to gradually recover, in a real game environment, the movements and mechanisms he had primarily worked on in training until now.

"Michieletto moved well, and also participated in a triple block. Now, however, he needs to recover these mechanisms not only in training but also in real situations during a match," De Giorgi added.
Michieletto's desire to play an increasingly larger role is immense, but the Italian staff has no intention of forcing his return.

"Alessandro is impatient. For two and a half months now, he has been working with great attention, showing important qualities and having an extremely strong desire to return. But there are deadlines that must be respected. He feels very good, but we must be careful and everything must happen gradually," the coach emphasized.

The match against Slovakia thus became another, but perhaps the most important so far, step in Michieletto's return. This time he was already part of the real game in the front row – he attacked, blocked, and scored his first two points, while Italy continues to carefully increase the load on one of its big stars.

photos: federvolley.it