Will Japan be able to improve in Pool A of the 2012 FIVB World League?
Men’s national volleyball team of Japan is currently playing at the 2012 FIVB World League, which kicked off on May 18.
Japanese men opened the tournament in Pool A alongside teams from Russia, Serbia, and Cuba.
According to the set formula of the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB), the tournament is supposed to cover the first round in four weeks and each country will get the chance to play host to one set of matches.
Japan got an excellent opportunity to host the first-week matches from May 18-20. The city of Hamamatsu provided the backdrop for six matches, which put the teams to the test of skills. The home team had the advantage of playing under familiar conditions
and had the emotional support of fans.
However, the situation got really tough for Japan as the action got underway and the hosts failed to use the competitive edge.
Japanese team took on Cuba in the first match of the 2012 FIVB World League. The Caribbean studs proved to be too heavy for hosts and stamped a straight-sets win over Japan. It was the early burn that Japan received in the competition.
Next up, the home squad went against World Champions Russia. It was even tougher challenge for Japan to overcome Russia in a five-set thriller.
The visiting team came on top and sent Japan to another loss in the campaign. Despite putting a great effort in both matches, Japanese team could not give a chance of celebration to the home audience.
It seemed like Japan was totally out of luck. In the third match, Serbian hotshots came to challenge the hosts. The Hamamatsu Arena once again turned into a volleyball battlefield and the spectators witnessed some extreme action on the centre court. After
five tiring sets, Japan suffered another big blow and lost to Serbia.
All three matches of Japan received the most number of fans but it did not work out for the local team. Japan finished the first flight of the tournament with devastating 0-3 record. Tatsuya Ueta, the head coach of Japanese team, faced a lot of music due
to the failure in all three home matches.
It was the only chance for Japan to play in front of the home audience. In the next run, other members of the group will enjoy the home advantage. Santo Domingo in Dominican Republic is set to take centre stage for the second-week matches from June 15-17.
Likewise, Kaliningrad in Russia will set up the field of playing in third-week. Before the start of Final Round in Sofia Bulgaria, the first round matches of Pool A will cover the last leg in Novi Sad, Serbia.
Now that Japan will be playing under the tag of visiting team in the next three weeks, it has put a big question mark on team’s performance. Will Japan be able to fight the challenge? Will the team come out of the blues? And what better plan will Tatsuya
give to his team to improve its performance?
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