VNL 2025, the season of the world champions begins: Bulgaria immediately on the road to Italy

All ready. Tomorrow against Bulgaria the debut of the men's national team in the Volleyball Nations League 2025, the first important event of the long Italian season. The last test was the friendly won against Canada at the PEPS de l'Université Laval in Quebec City, a match that ended 3-0 (25-20, 25-22, 25-22) by the Italians but continued for another set (25-21) at the will of the coaches. Giannelli and his teammates are preparing to face Bulgaria, led by former Italian coach Gianlorenzo Blengini, predecessor of Ferdinando De Giorgi on the Italian bench. The inaugural match in the VNL is scheduled at the QCCentre Videotron tomorrow, Wednesday 11 June, at 11 am local time (5 pm Italian time), live on DAZN and streaming on VBTV.

"Our goal is continuous improvement," De Giorgi explained on the eve of the match. "Compared to last year, we've played a few more friendlies. Beyond trying to quantify the state of this Italy, I prefer to focus on the work to be done to allow this National team to always be competitive, taking advantage of every opportunity to grow. An important aspect that I care about, for example, is increasing the understanding: not only between the setter and the spiker but also in the various team movements. It will be crucial to have the right attitude, especially considering that all the teams arrive at this first week of matches a bit in a hurry. In this initial phase, the spirit of adaptation, mutual help and team play will be decisive."

After the challenge against Bulgaria, the reigning world champions will face Germany, the Olympic champions France and Argentina. This edition of the Nations League sees the absolute debut in blue for five athletes: Francesco Sani, Giovanni Gargiulo, Kamil Rychlicki, Mattia Boninfante and Domenico Pace. A young group, but ready to breathe the atmosphere of the great international stages. "The energy that comes from the youngest of the group is very precious and we absorb it with great enthusiasm - the coach of the blues underlines -. I see their eyes shine every time they enter the field and they have a great desire to represent their national team at their best. In addition to the emotional aspect, there is also the technical one: they are very interesting guys who are going in the direction that I have been taking for a few years, which is to give an opportunity to those who have stood out and deserve to be here. I believe that they can also make a very important contribution to Italy in the future".

TOWARDS THE OLYMPICS

Italy-Bulgaria 3-0: the Azzurri qualified for the Volley Nations League Finals June 20, 2024

The last match between Italy and Bulgaria dates back to June 20, 2024, when the Azzurri won 3-0 in the opening match of Week 3 of the VNL in Ljubljana , a victory that earned them access to the Final Eight. But now that result belongs to history and the almanacs. "We are carefully studying the opponents we will face in this first pool in Canada, we know the lists of 30 players who can be called up and then we will focus on the 14 who are actually here in Quebec City. They are all national teams that, like us, have rejuvenated their squad a little. Regardless of who we will face, however, the focus is on us: on what we are able to express on the pitch. The technical choices then come from there. We will face this long VNL one week at a time. At the moment we are fully focused on the matches against Bulgaria, Germany, France and Argentina. In the second week, in Chicago, there could be some changes among the players. There are two objectives in this VNL: the first is to reach the finals, the second is to try to get as high as possible in the final eight", concludes De Giorgi.

Simone Giannelli, captain of the Azzurri, agrees with the coach: «As for Bulgaria, our next opponent, I can say that they are growing a lot. They have an expert coach like Blengini who I respect a lot. I spoke with some Bulgarian players and they confirmed that the movement is growing there too and there are many interesting young players». Giannelli focuses on the young players, fully sharing De Giorgi's strategy: «I am especially happy for the debutants who will play for the first time with the Azzurri jersey in an international tournament. I still remember my debut in Australia and I know well the emotions they are experiencing. I, together with the other more experienced teammates, are here also to help them to make their debut positive from a technical point of view, for what they will be able to demonstrate on the pitch».

On days when the debate about the lack of attachment to the blue jersey in football is taking center stage, Giannelli has no doubts: «Wearing this jersey is wonderful, a dream that I have lived for a long time. It is something special and I feel lucky to represent Italy in the world. At the same time, I also feel the responsibility, especially as a captain. Wearing this jersey means a lot, beyond the sporting aspect: I always try to be the best version of myself, for all those who follow us and especially for those kids who dream of one day being where I am now. We will always do our best to always honor these colors». Word of a captain.

The list of 14 Italians chosen by coach De Giorgi for Week 1 in Quebec CitySetters: 6. Simone Giannelli (Captain), 26. Mattia BoninfanteCentral hitters: 25. Giovanni Gargiulo, 13. Lorenzo Cortesia, 17. Simone Anzani, 18. Giovanni SanguinettiSpikers : 12. Mattia Bottolo, 3. Francesco Recine, 9. Francesco Sani, 31. Luca PorroOpposites : 16. Yuri Romanò, 11. Kamil RychlickiFree hitters: 4. Gabriele Laurenzano, 28. Domenico Pace

VNL 2025Pool 1 – Quebec City, Canada (Italian times) June 11-15

Wednesday 11th June:

5:00 p.m. Bulgaria-Italy; 10:30 p.m. Argentina-France; Thursday, June 12: 2:00 a.m. Germany-Canada; 10:30 p.m. Germany-Italy. Friday, June 13: 2:00 a.m. Argentina-Canada; 10:30 p.m. Bulgaria-Argentina. Saturday, June 14: 2:00 a.m. France-Italy; 10:30 p.m. Canada-France. Sunday, June 15: 2:00 a.m. Bulgaria-Germany; 5:00 p.m. Argentina-Italy; 12:00 a.m. Bulgaria-Canada