Spain coach Fernando Muñoz giving instructions to his players

Kosice, Slovakia, June 13, 2014 – As Spain made its return in the FIVB Volleyball World League last week, coach Fernando Muñoz provided his feedback on their victory and his outlook on their chances in the Final Four race.

Even though the team took only one victory in three matches last week, coach Muñoz still believes that this brought good things to his team.

“Last weekend, there were many positive things and other things that we need to improve on,” Muñoz said. “For most of my players, playing in Puerto Rico for the first time made them nervous. I noticed during our matches last week that the team needed to bond. We raised the level of our game towards the end of weekend which presented an incentive for us to continue progressing in Slovakia.”

Muñoz praised his players’ efforts in helping the team to improve.

“There were game situations that we got and some that we needed to work on a little better,” said Muñoz. “There were some individuals in the team that helped a lot. I really value the efforts of my players in keeping this team together. Of course, the contribution of the twelve players are essential and gradually, these efforts will pay off. This team needs to play more competitions to reach the highest level.”

The Spanish coach’s intentions are clear – to qualify for the Final Four – but his team will surely be challenged by strong teams.

“I wish to start with a good result on Friday, so we can explore our options to qualify for the Final Four,” Muñoz wished. “China are a very strong team. They have been playing together for a long time and in difficult times, they have thrived through solutions with their own way of play.

“I expect to start better here than we did in Puerto Rico, and if we get a successful result here, we will try to seek all the opportunities to qualify for the Final Four.”

Spain will play China on Friday and will try to gain positive results against Puerto Rico on Saturday. The team will close the competition in Group G on Sunday against the host team Slovakia.