Poland men's national volleyball team head coach Nikola Grbić led his side to a 3-0 victory against Portugal in Sofia on Thursday.
The straight-sets win opened Poland's campaign at the European Volleyball Championship. Following the match, Grbić spoke about the team's performance, squad rotation, and preparation standards, noting that upcoming group fixtures against Israel and North Macedonia should follow the same pattern as the opening victory.
The White-and-Reds executed their match strategy effectively, securing a clean victory to begin the tournament. Poland enter the championship as defending title holders, Paris 2024 Olympic silver medallists, and the top team in the world rankings. Grbić, a Serbian coach who won Olympic gold as a player at the Sydney 2000 Games, made several tactical lineup adjustments during the match.
Intensity of Internal Training
Following the victory over Portugal, Grbić shared insights into the team's rigorous preparation standards. He stated that internal six-on-six training sessions within the Polish squad were considerably more difficult than the match against Portugal. The coach added that the team's regular practices were tougher than official matches against many international opponents.
Because of those high standards, Grbić highlighted the importance of maintaining a high volume of quality practice sessions during the European Championship. However, schedule limitations at the arena in Sofia have created logistical challenges for the squad.
On non-match days, the volleyball players have only been granted morning access to train in the hall. Grbić explained that morning-only training sessions prevent players from getting full physical rest after playing evening matches. He had previously discussed this issue and attempts to intervene with event organizers in an interview with Sport.pl on Wednesday.
Expectations Against Group Opponents
Poland face Israel and North Macedonia in their next two group stage matches in Sofia. During the second set against Portugal, the Portuguese team increased their risk on serve, pushing Poland back from the net and briefly taking a minor lead. Grbić noted that he expects similar aggression from all remaining opponents, regardless of their ranking.
Grbić stated that he does not have the luxury of expecting weak play from any opponent in the competition. He expects every team to play at their absolute best against the world leaders.
Looking further ahead in the group stage, the head coach warned that Ukraine would play better than they did during their recent quarter-final encounter against Poland in the Nations League. He also pointed to host nation Bulgaria as a major test later in the week.
Grbić noted that Bulgaria would present a completely different challenge than the team Poland defeated 3-0 during a Nations League fixture in Chicago. Playing in front of a full home crowd in Sofia, Bulgaria will serve and attack with greater quality, making it an entirely different match from the meeting in the United States.
While acknowledging the difference in stature between teams, Grbić emphasized that he would not pretend lower-ranked opponents pose the same threat as elite sides. However, he stressed that any opponent can produce high-quality volleyball and that underestimating any team would be the single biggest mistake Poland could make.
Squad Rotation and Wilfredo Leon Substitution
Grbić is using the first three group stage matches in Sofia to give playing time to all members of his squad, particularly the reserve players. The strategy aims to prepare the full roster for next week's crucial group fixtures against Ukraine and Bulgaria, as well as the subsequent knockout rounds.
The coach explained that every player needs to be ready for critical moments late in sets, such as coming off the bench at 23-23 to receive serve or execute a play. Making substitutions during early matches helps maintain the team's performance level while building match sharpness across the entire squad.
During the second set against Portugal, Grbić substituted star outside hitter Wilfredo Leon, bringing on Kamil Semeniuk. After leaving the court, Leon went directly to the substitutes box, where he engaged in prolonged muscle stretching under the observation of Polish fans in the venue stands.
Grbić reassured supporters that Leon's withdrawal was entirely planned in advance. The coach explained that after coming off the court, Leon asked if he could begin his post-match stretching routine. Grbić agreed, noting that Poland held a sufficient lead and had ready replacements, eliminating any need to re-enter Leon into the contest.
Selection Rationale for European Championship Roster
Grbić also addressed questions regarding his final squad selection for the tournament, specifically his choice to include five outside hitters while omitting middle blocker Jakub Majchrzak. Majchrzak had made his senior national team debut during preparations for the tournament.
The selection decision had been previously discussed by Grbić in his interview with Sport.pl on Wednesday, where he noted that performance at the Hubert Jerzy Wagner Memorial preparation tournament was not the sole criteria. Expanding on his decision, Grbić explained that coaching decisions involved human factors alongside tactical needs.
The coach stated that he could not treat an established outside hitter like a young prospect by having him train all summer with the squad only to drop him just before the main competition. He emphasized that each of the five selected outside hitters offers specific qualities in attacking, serving, or blocking that could prove vital during the tournament.
Grbić pointed out that Poland carried the exact same roster composition three years ago when winning the European Championship title. While acknowledging that five outside hitters might not be the ideal solution for every single tournament, he confirmed that the strategy continues to work effectively for the current squad.
Organisational Issues and Team Logistics
At the conclusion of his media availability, Grbić was asked again about the tournament logistics and training schedule concerns he had raised with Sport.pl on Wednesday. Having previously stated that Wednesday would be his final comment on the matter, the coach responded with a meaningful smile on Thursday, stating that organisationally everything was fantastic.
Grbić confirmed that discussions with other head coaches regarding changes to training hall times had yielded no success, prompting him to close the subject and focus entirely on match competition.
He concluded his remarks on a light note by praising the hotel accommodations in Sofia. Grbić stated that the food served at the team hotel was fantastic, describing it as the best food the national team had experienced during international tournaments across various countries in recent years.
