Two days before the start of the Del Monte® Supercoppa SuperLega, now in its 29th edition this year, the four protagonists of the Florence event (appointment at Palazzo Wanny on 21 and 22 September) are preparing for the first event of the season, the which will inaugurate the 80th Serie A Credem Banca Championship. The first teams to take to the field will be Sir Susa Vim Perugia and Gas Sales Bluenergy Piacenza, while second place in the Final will be played by Itas Trentino and Vero Volley Monza.
Below are the statements of the coaches and captains of the four teams.
Angelo Lorenzetti (coach Sir Susa Vim Perugia): “We’re finally here, now the adrenaline is starting to rise. We know that the Del Monte® Supercoppa is an early season event, not indicative of what will happen in the championship, but we are in the show, and that’s what we like. We will try to be protagonists right away.”
Simone Giannelli (captain Sir Susa Vim Perugia): “I think that the Super Cup is a good start for all the teams that will participate, also because being there is not a given: it means that something good was done last season, otherwise we wouldn’t be present .
Andrea Anastasi (Gas Sales Bluenergy Piacenza coach): “The official season is finally starting, it will be a spectacular Del Monte® Super Cup with many players who were protagonists at the recent Olympic Games on the pitch. We have changed a lot, we have only been working at full strength for a short time, we still don’t have the level of preparation of other teams who have changed little compared to last season but the nice thing is starting to play in official competitions. The Super Cup is a competition that we care about, that the club cares about and we will do everything we can to face it in the best possible way.
Antoine Brizard (Captain Gas Sales Bluenergy Piacenza): “For me it is the second Del Monte® Supercoppa that I have played in Italy and honestly I really hope it goes differently than my first experience. It’s a great event, it officially opens the new season, it will be nice and exciting to play for the first trophy of the season. We will immediately face Perugia, the favorite team in the season that is about to begin, they have already demonstrated this in the pre-season. We all know the strength of our opponents who, among other things, have changed very little compared to last year, we will only have to think about doing well what we know how to do, being concrete and more continuous in our performance, believing more and more in our means which are not few”.
Fabio Soli (Itas Trentino coach): “Participating in the Final Four of the Del Monte® Supercoppa is never a given even if your name is Trentino Volley: it is the result of what you did in the previous season and also for this reason being there represents a merit for the boys who wore the yellow and blue shirt in the previous twelve months. Many of them are still in the squad and will certainly be very motivated to compete in this first act of the new competitive year. We are not reasonably yet in the best conditions, but even in this state we have the will to express ourselves in the best way and to make this imperfection of ours as perfect as possible. We will find ourselves facing opponents who, like us, deserved to be in Florence and who will give life to a high-level event with very tough matches, as the test matches played in the last period by all the teams have already demonstrated.
Riccardo Sbertoli (captain Itas Trentino): “It is the first official event of the new season and a trophy is immediately awarded in which you participate thanks to what you managed to do in the previous year. As always, when a new championship starts you have to be very focused on your own game, even before watching or studying what your opponent is doing. There is no need to underestimate or fear anyone; we will enter the field in Florence aware of what we have done in the preparation phase and of the certainty that we cannot yet be perfect from all points of view. The key will be to stay constantly connected to the game, both when you are ahead in the score and when you are forced to chase.”
Massimo Eccheli (coach Vero Volley Monza): “The Semifinal against Trento is certainly a difficult match: on the other side of the net we find a very strong team, which won the Champions League last year. At this moment we are not yet at our best, but our intention is always to battle on the pitch with all our energy.”
Thomas Beretta (captain Vero Volley Monza): “We achieved this goal, the Del Monte® Supercoppa, thanks to the amazing championship played last year. So somehow we still enjoy the finale of the last season. In recent weeks, thanks to joint training and matches in Korea, ball after ball, we are finding our togetherness and our game as a team. Against Trento it will be an interesting and very important challenge. We certainly expect a hard-fought match, where we will give our best as always, while also enjoying a special moment.”
Del Monte® Supercoppa – Palazzo Wanny, Firenze
Semifinali
Sabato 21 settembre 2024, ore 15.30
Sir Susa Vim Perugia – Gas Sales Bluenergy Piacenza
Diretta Rai Sport e VBTV
Sabato 21 settembre 2024, ore 18.00
Itas Trentino – Vero Volley Monza
Diretta Rai Play e VBTV
Finale
Domenica 22 settembre 2024, ore 18.00
Diretta Rai Sport e VBTV
