Original title: Working hard to play as a team to fight once morest the Italian team in the World League Finals——Interview with Cai Bin, the head coach of the Chinese women’s volleyball team
The Chinese women’s volleyball team, which has reached the finals of the 2022 World Women’s Volleyball League, will face the Italian team in the quarter-finals on July 14. Head coach Cai Bin said in an exclusive interview with Xinhua News Agency on the 4th that the Chinese team is working hard in the direction of relying on team play and will fight once morest the Italian team in the finals.
Cai Bin, head coach of the Chinese women’s volleyball team.Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Yang Zhisen
In the just-concluded sub-station competition, the Chinese team ranked fourth among the 16 participating teams with a record of 8 wins and 4 losses, locking in the qualification for the finals one round ahead of schedule and completing the set goal.
Cai Bin said that following the team went to Zhangzhou for training, it took two months to set up the framework, and also paid attention to physical fitness and some technical and tactical links. This time, through the World Women’s Volleyball League training team, running the lineup, finding problems, and testing the training results of the previous stage, I have gained a lot.
He said: “These 12 games have been very rewarding. We are a new team and need a relatively stable starting lineup. This game has played once morest teams in Europe, America, and Asia. There are places that have done well, and there are others. Insufficient. In the current main lineup, only Gong Xiangyu and Yuan Xinyue were the main force before. Some of the rest used to be substitutes, and some used to have few opportunities to play. Their cooperation in the international arena is very important. No matter in good times or adversities, they always Echoing each other, the spirit is always there, as well as the running-in and echoing between me and the players on the court, there are great gains in these aspects.”
On July 1, the Chinese women’s volleyball team defeated the Dominican team 3-0. The picture shows the Chinese team celebrating their victory. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Draganov)
When talking regarding the team’s shortcomings, Cai Bin believes that the processing of certain technical links is still relatively immature, especially the control of the rhythm of the game needs to be improved. For example, in the game once morest Thailand, the Chinese team was ahead in all technical aspects, but lost in the end, which shows that the team is still relatively immature in the handling of key balls.
In some games of the sub-station, the Chinese team’s first pass was not stable enough, and the front row two-point attacking rounds often happened. Cai Bin said that there will be targeted solutions in the next competition and training. He said that the three main attacks used this time, the first consideration is to pass the pass. Judging from the previous 12 games, the overall situation of the Chinese team’s first pass is similar to what he expected, and it did not suffer too much, but the placement rate needs to be further improved, and the error rate needs to be further reduced. There is still some time before the start of the World Championships. Cai Bin does not rule out considering new candidates for the main offensive position following the World Women’s Volleyball League, but the first criterion is to have a strong ability to guarantee the first pass.
In a previous interview with a reporter from Xinhua News Agency, Cai Bin had expressed his hope that the Chinese team might blossom more. In some of the races, the Chinese team also did this. Cai Bin said that with the current staffing configuration of the Chinese team, we must work hard to rely on the team to play ball, and it is impossible without the restraint of the auxiliary attack. He also attaches great importance to the speed of the attack and the use of the auxiliary attack in the attack. As for the two setters, Diao Linyu and Ding Xia, Cai Bin will continue to use them alternately according to different opponents and the needs of the game, because the characteristics of the two are different.
On July 3, the Chinese women’s volleyball team defeated the South Korean team 3:1. The picture shows Chinese team players Li Yingying (first from right) and Wang Yuanyuan (second from right) blocking the net during the game. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Draganov)
This year’s World Women’s Volleyball League finals adopts a single-elimination system, and the Chinese team will once once more face the Italian team in the quarter-finals. Previously, the Chinese team had defeated the Italian team 3:1 in the race, but the opponent’s top star Egnu was not in the squad at that time.
Cai Bin said: “We will go all out and make a comprehensive analysis of the Italian team. Egnu’s personal ability is very strong, and we will defend in a targeted manner. In addition, we must have the confidence and courage to win. “
The Chinese women’s volleyball team’s preparations for the 2024 Paris Olympics have just begun. Cai Bin said that they will objectively look at the strengths and weaknesses of the current team and continue to work hard. (Xinhua News Agency reporters Wang Jingyu and Lu Xingji)
