– You have to serve and pressure. Throw them out of the net and find a way to play them in attack – says Nikola Grbić, coach of the Polish national team, about the tactics of the match against the USA in the quarter-finals of the World Cup.

About the game against Tunisia

– The only problem before this game is that we haven’t played for a long time. Of course, looking at how the tournament is going, it was something new for us, as well as the fact that we won’t be playing the next game in four days. We are well prepared, the volleyball players have done the job for this particular event. Unlike clubs, you regularly play every few days. It was one of the differences in our work, we adapted to the demands of the tournament.

About the three finals

– We did our job, we won and we are in the quarter-finals. But now there are three more finals ahead of us. Every game will be like this, and we have to be up to it. We will face the best teams in the world, but we have a lot of experience at this level and we know how to do it

About Team USA

– Americans? I’m sure they will go to the top and play the best they can. The hall will be full, we will play our best volleyball, just like our rivals. Everyone knows that when they lose, they go home. You can’t go back anymore. We are all human, we respect our rivals and watch them play, wondering how Turkey is doing. Were we counting on the Americans to win? Come on, they came here to win the whole tournament. This is how they play game after game. I knew they would eventually come back to the right game and win. The Turks had their chances, but the American team is one of those who have. I have already told you that I respect them a lot for the way they play. Americans never give up. They can play for up to three hours and you have to be focused all the time, you have to show your best volleyball all the time. They exert pressure, they have a winning mentality and they have what makes them one of the best teams in the world. We will certainly have a difficult meeting on Thursday.

About comfort and pressure

– We have done our best to ensure that the team is physically well prepared for the tournament. We have no injuries, and it may keep you awake at night. We don’t have this problem, we can train with peace of mind and thanks to this we have great comfort. It is a great happiness, although remember that sometimes a volleyball player has to get hurt. But they are all ready to play and can train at 100%. The other side of the coin is the psyche and the emotions. How you deal with pressure, how you are affected by everything that is happening around you and related to the game. The fans, the media, the expectations, the weight of the meeting and all the environment that surrounds it. It’s also important and it’s all in the head. We are preparing for the next match, on the pitch I want to see my team ready to fight and focused. It’s not that simple, but we’ll be ready.

About extra energy for rivals

– Matches at this level are difficult, but not only because of the class of the opponent. Volleyball players will feel the weight of this game and it will be like this every day until they step out onto the court. I can say from my experience that for the Americans, victory over Turkey will be an extra boost of energy. They got out of a tough situation, kept calm and won the game. It would probably be better for us if they won with Turkey 3-0 smoothly. Now they have received a boost of energy. This happened to me several times, for example at the Sydney Olympics. We were already losing against the Netherlands, we were almost out of the game and everything was going wrong. But we managed to come out unscathed and then to win the gold medal (Nikola Grbić played for Yugoslavia – editor’s note). The Dutch might feel like a winner, but only in the next action. We won the game. And such experiences give you energy and self-confidence. The Americans will play a very good match with us for sure

About injuries in the USA team

– Micach Christenson was on a break, he rested for a few days and now he’s back in the game, and it’s never easy because you don’t have the rhythm of the game and you don’t enter the field like that. Believe me, they will be ready to play with us and will play very well. Did you see Matthew Anderson at the end of the game against Turkey? They will give their best, are experienced and can play very well in key moments. That’s why they are among the best teams in the world. But for us, such a strong rival is a chance to go up and be a better team. This is our goal.

About the fate of the quarter-finals of Poland

– (laughYes, I know the history of the Polish quarter-finals, but I would like to remind you that the Olympics are only two years away. Seriously, the quarter-finals are always a turning point in a great event. It’s a heavy game. Do you remember the French at the Tokyo Olympics? They nearly gave up after the group stage, only to be promoted in the final game. Nobody saw them as a candidate for gold. So what? She herself knows what happened. No one wins easily and lightly here, it’s the world championship. Turkey showed it well. There are no weak teams in this tournament, the pressure is huge and everyone wants to do their thing. No one will give you anything for free. You have to work hard for every win, and you will win if you play your best volleyball. Because the rival will play like that and you have to remember that you can lose. It’s something we have to deal with.

On tactics in the game against the United States

– You have to serve and pressure. Throw them out of the net and find a way to play them on offense. I don’t want to focus on one element, because I would like them all to be of a very high standard. I call it total volleyball. You cannot rely on one item, such as a service. Let me give you an example: Tunisia attacked better than us after being well received. Tunisia, not the United States, France, Brazil or Italy. Everyone wants to play the best they can. But that doesn’t mean we can’t handle it. I wish my team could throw their rivals away from the net. So he can position the block then bounce the ball, play it and attack. This is what our work is supposed to look like. So that volleyball players know what to do with the ball, how to play a block and how to surprise the opponent. Everything is connected and forms a whole.

About Total Volleyball

– Total Volleyball. You have to be good at defending, receiving, blocking, serving, attacking and counter-attacking. You must do your best. And then you will see where the breakthrough will be, and it will work which element snaps. I said the same thing to the Perugia volleyball players last season. We have to work on each element and develop. Sometimes Mateusz Bieniek will have to play in defense, Bartek Kurek will have to play the ball and Olek Śliwka will have to attack him far from the net and with a triple block. Do you understand my idea? Every volleyball player is better at something, and worse at something. I want them to handle every element as best they can. And then we’ll win the action, an action. But it is situations like this that can be crucial in a match and bring you wins.