Less than two weeks have passed since the end of the World Volleyball Championship in the Philippines, where Poland won the bronze medals. Head coach Nikola Grbić is still experiencing the emotions from the tournament and gave a frank analysis in an interview for TVP Sport, quoted on the siatka.org website.

"I wanted more, but I have to be satisfied"

The Polish national team players have already joined their club teams, but their coach continues to analyze what happened.

"I think winning a World Championship medal is a success for any team. But since I am very ambitious and did everything to win gold, this result is less than expected - and not only by me, but by everyone else. I have mixed feelings," Grbić admitted.

He added that the emotions have not yet subsided:

"After so many changes, this season was full of question marks. We finished with two medals, one gold. I should be satisfied. And yet - the feeling of disappointment remains. I wanted more."

The semi-final with Italy still hurts

The Serbian specialist admitted that he still hasn't had the strength to watch the lost semi-final against Italy:

"I am still mentally preparing for it," he admits.

Regarding his behavior immediately after the defeat, he added:

"I was crushed, I felt as if I had been run over by a truck. But there was no time for mourning - I had to lead the team to bronze. If I had started analyzing every mistake immediately, I would have drowned in emotions. And that's not a good example for the players. They needed to see a leader focused on the task."

Sasak vs Kurek – a dispute that divided fans

After the World Championship, an avalanche of comments flooded the media in Poland - why Kevin Sasak received so little playing time despite Bartosz Kurek's visible problems.

"The plan was clear - Bartosz was being prepared for the main role. I believe he could give more than Kevin. Sasak had a great debut season and I am very happy with him, but in the most important match, I would bet on Kurek again. Perhaps another coach would have made a different choice," Grbić explained.

He then added with irony:

"In Poland, when something doesn't work out, everyone becomes a coach. It's easy to discuss over a beer or a cappuccino, but decisions are made with a million facts and details that people on the outside don't see."

Why Szalpuk didn't get a chance

Another criticism against Nikola Grbić was that he barely used Artur Szalpuk.

"Artur deserved to be in the squad after his good performance in the Nations League. But there's a problem with reception, and Wilfredo León is also not the most stable in that area. If I had relied on both of them, we would have risked a lot. I have never played in such a configuration," the coach clarified.

The Italian serve – the key to their gold

"Italy served like devils throughout the tournament. Their serving efficiency was much higher than in the VNL and anything they have shown in the last four years," concluded Nikola Grbić.

photo: Nikolay Varadinov