The coach from Sliven once again expressed concern about the approach to selecting young athletes who subsequently become the backbone of the Bulgarian men's national team.

Dear readers ofvolleyweek.bg, we present to your attention our interview with the volleyball coach, sports director, and president of VC "Sliven" - Zhivko Zhelyazkov. We sought out the experienced specialist for an assessment of our national team during the past Volleyball Nations League tournament, held at "Arena Burgas."

Hello, Mr. Zhelyazkov! It is a pleasure for us to meet you again and conduct an interview with you – you are always a pleasant and precise interlocutor on the topic of "volleyball"!

Hello and thank you for the compliment. I try to always be genuine (smiles).

Today we will talk about the past home tournament of the men's Nations League, held in the new hall of our seaside city of Burgas - "Arena Burgas", and the emphasis, of course, will be on the Bulgarian performance there.

How are you? Where do we find you/catch you at the moment?

I'm fine, I'm healthy, and that's the most important thing. I'm currently in Sliven and we are working on the new season – securing a budget, training process, etc.

What are your briefest impressions of the performance and play of our national team?

Brief? Good, but it could have been even better.

Was the win/loss ratio of 2/2 from our home matches in the League expected for you?

I watched all the matches in Burgas, as well as most of the other teams. For me, it was unexpected. I expected a tough match against Japan, even though they were without their stars. This is a team that plays a system of play and, regardless of the performers, plays in the same way. I expected to beat Turkey with difficulty after the two wins and an easier match against Ukraine. We achieved 2 wins and 2 losses.

What was the most pleasant surprise from our team in these matches on home soil?

The match against Japan – I hadn't seen such a block-defense game from Bulgaria in a long time. We simply played very well in that match. Alex stood out at 22:24 in the first set, but I think even if we had lost it, we would have won the match. We simply played very correctly and with great desire.

And the worst?

The loss to Turkey. After the two victories, I personally knew that this match would be tough. In the coach's place, I would have let players who had little or no participation play in that match. I understand Blengini too – he wants 4 wins in front of his home crowd. But I would have risked it. The next day – a tough opponent, and you need fresh players and people who are not just reserves. The other teams constantly rotated their squads. And my thinking is like that. In my opinion, the guys woke up in the second set and we would have taken the match. It was just a silly injury to Moni and from then on it was difficult. Not because of Stoil... It's just difficult, but the other thing is that everything was working for Turkey.

It is rumored that the list of national athletes registered for the Nations League has once again undergone serious "external interference" - how would you comment on this, Mr. Zhelyazkov?

I don't know if that's true. I'm probably the least informed person in Bulgarian volleyball. I can give my personal opinion – if it were up to me, there would probably be different players in two positions.

How do you evaluate the work of the coordinator of our national teams - Mr. Nikolay Ivanov, as we know that his influence is very significant in the overall concept?

Niki and I respect each other. I think he was one of our greatest competitors. If he really asked for my opinion, I would tell him: where he is wrong and why, if he is wrong. I wouldn't do it here. We see that there are gaps in the selection of young players, but no one has asked me. The selection of players in question is incorrect, and I've been saying this for 20 years. It wasn't like that before, I'll give you a personal example - if there's a child from Montana, from Smolyan, etc. - they call him, they give him a chance. Now, outside of Sofia, they don't notice children. Personally, I don't think Niki has that power...

Do you think Gianlorenzo Blengini and his staff are the most suitable people for our men's national team right now? Especially considering the main goal set by the BFV management, represented by its president Lyubomir Ganev - qualification for the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028.

Oh, how you get me into intrigue with this question (laughs). No, I don't think he's the most suitable. Don't get me wrong - the Italian is a very good specialist... I just believe in Bulgarian talent. But as we see - the Olympic champion France is also led by a foreigner - Andrea Giani. We'll have to wait and see (smiles).

We cannot ignore the topic of the federation itself. In your opinion, does Lyubomir Ganev have a realistic assessment of the situation with the development of our national teams?

I can speak about the men's profile. I see that at the libero and setter positions 'from below' (in the youth categories), things are not good at all. We are also struggling with middle blockers. Most tall boys train and want to play as outside hitters. This is everywhere. You can see the national team - one of the centers (Iliya Petkov) is the shortest on the court. Last year's results are not good, and the coaching commission needs to analyze why this is so. Here I will open a bracket - the institution of volleyball coaches should include people with at least 20 years of experience working with children. Without wanting to offend anyone from the commission, of course.

How do you see the current squad - is it better (in terms of horizon and prospects) that the team list includes more youths and juniors than the so-called "old dogs"? We know from experience that age balance, at least in our country, has always been leading.

In my opinion, with a few exceptions - this is the best. We ultimately don't know who refused a call-up, whether "old" players were called, etc. The boys are playing well and patience is needed.

Do you see a fundamental change in the internal atmosphere of this team - including a 'changed mentality' thanks to our coach Gianlorenzo Blengini, as opinions were recently expressed by BFV President Lyubomir Ganev?

I don't think so. If it is, compliments! But here we are talking about athletes who earn money in their clubs. And to change their mentality and teach them... It sounds a bit... If it is, I repeat - only compliments.

Does our current national team have a leader? Do you see at least one such player who truly stands out with different qualities, or are you more a supporter of the view that some specialists see a perfect symbiosis among the boys, leading to a strong and winning collective?

The coach must be the leader! He is the greatest! I like teams where everyone gives their all... In the first two matches (against Japan and Slovenia), I saw exactly such a team.

To our great regret, Simeon Nikolov suffered an injury that affected the mood of the entire team, especially his brother Aleksandar. Do you see a great dependence of our national team's game on Moni, and how great is it if the answer is 'yes'? After all, we are talking about the most crucial position in volleyball.

Yes, that's right. There is no one who can compensate Moni in serving, blocking, and making unconventional decisions at the net. Our game system is clearly subordinated to a setter like Moni - reception is high at the net, defense is built behind his high block, his serve is simply 'scandalous' - 130 km/h at 18 years old. That's inhuman!

Is Stoil Palev, and not just him, ready for the 'conductor's baton'? Do you think Levski's playmaker is underestimated by specialists, or is the stress on him even greater after he had to step in literally 'on fire'?

He showed he was ready against Ukraine. The question is whether the other players are ready. Let all the boys be healthy.

To conclude the topic of our home matches - how did you find the atmosphere in 'Arena Burgas' hall: are local fans ready to embrace our favorite sport as attractive and leading enough? It's no secret that in Burgas, interest in club volleyball doesn't enjoy such great reverence, unfortunately.

The hall was full, but not with people from Burgas, but with Bulgarians. It was the same in Varna, and in Sofia - too. It's a myth that the hall is filled by locals. All of Bulgaria fills it.

What are your expectations for our 'lions' for the next VNL tournament - the one in Gdansk, Poland, where we will face the teams of the hosts, Iran, China, and Cuba?

I expect good play and motivated boys. I know almost all of them and I know what kind of people they are. These are motivated boys and there's no way they won't win.

And for the World Championship, which will take place in a few months in the Philippines? There we start in a group with Germany, Slovenia, and Chile.

They might think I'm crazy here, but if the boys are healthy - they can easily play in the -finals. After that, anything can happen... I believe in the team!

One wish for our young boys?

To be healthy and have no injuries!!!

Thank you for your time and attention, Mr. Zhelyazkov! We wish you a productive summer and a quality rest, and then a successful season at club level with your hometown Sliven!

Interview taken by: Bozhidar Boyadzhiev