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Italy - Pool B (Scroll down for Spanish)
Italy is not only one of Volleyball's superpowers, it is the best of all men's team of the 20th century according to the FIVB selection and certainly, with its spectacular history of eight World League titles, two seconds, one third and two fourth places, the singularly most successful team in the League history.
Although the national team had a good start in international competitions, finishing third at the European Championship in 1948 and eighth at the first World Championship in 1949, the country then had to wait for almost another 40 years for a significant
success. The first breakthrough came in 1978 at the World Championship in held in Rome where the Italians won the silver medal, but the best was yet to come. Under the firm hand of head coach Julio Velasco of Argentina, Italy clearly dominated the sport in the 1990s, triumphing at the World Championship in 1990 in Brazil, in 1994 in Greece and again, under new coach, Brazilian Bebeto in Japan, 1998. No other team can match such a record in the history of this sport.
During this splendid era Italy also captured the silver medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and the bronze in Sydney 2000, conquered under coach Andrea Anastasi. Also from 1989 Italy won the European Championship four times, claimed the World Cup in 1995 and the Grand Champions Cup in 1993.
However, following the fourth place in the World League last year and the disappointing fifth at the World Championship, a new coach Gian Paolo Montali, was appointed to lead the blue jerseys to the former glory. Montali wants to focus on the 2004 Athens Olympics but given his winning attitude, hopes are high for Italy to return to the leading ranks of international competition and are expected to put up a strong showing at the 2003 World
League. Italy, currently at an unusual fourth place of the FIVB World ranking, will clash with the World Champions Brazil, Portugal and Germany in Pool B.
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ITA/Italy
Gian
Paolo Montali, presently with the club of Milano has
been chosen as the new coach of the Italian National
Team. He replaces Andrea Anastasi, who finished the
2002 season with Italy's fourth place in the World
League (their worst ever result), and a fifth place at
the World Championship in Argentina. Montali has
already selected a squad of 22 players from which he
will choose those who will participate in the World
League, the first tournament for the new National
Team. Montali has covered his bases, naming some new
faces, while retaining some old and familiar ones,
thus while launching a new era for the Italian side,
he still can call on the talent and experience of his
big stars. "The Italian Team is now ranked fifth
on the World Ranking," Montali said. "This
means that we have to work a lot, be patient and
determined and do our best to demonstrate what we will
be able to reach." "I don't have a lot to
say, we just have to work and to take care of three
important things: attitude, attitude, attitude!"
the new national coach said, underlining that he
expected his players to dedicate themselves to every
competition, match, set and even rally.