Jakub Bednaruk assessed Polish volleyball players in the 2025 Nations League. "Did he watch the match?!"
Team mentality - 10
Simply a rollercoaster. In two weeks, a team that lost its way and made stupid mistakes late in sets becomes a rock, determined to be 22-22 and knowing exactly what to do in crucial moments. After the 20th point, they simply felt at home, sprawled on the couch but completely focused on everything happening on the court.
See also: Who's for Poland? Final standings for the 2025 Men's Volleyball Nations League
A team that didn't panic and knew from the very beginning why they were going to China, what they wanted to achieve, and how. Nikola Grbić always had that aura, which I discovered after spending a season in the same locker room with him. He always exuded professionalism, calm, and perfectionism. No frills, no unnecessary moves, just always straight to the point. He built such a team, and for that, he gets a 10 from me, because teams often take on the coach's personality. They can be wild and unpredictable on the pitch, where we don't know what to expect—a beautiful match full of wonderful moves, or a complete disaster. A team can also be calculated and confident in its own worth, just like Grbić.
Additionally, a good coach needs a bit of simple luck, and Nikola has that, and his name is Grzegorz Łomacz at the Olympics. I value Nikola's ability to draw conclusions. Every coach – from Raul Lozano onwards – has lost a team sooner or later. Well, maybe except Ferdinando De Giorgi, because he didn't get it at all. The players knew what they could afford, boundaries were crossed over time, and relationships changed, but not with Nikola. No one can feel confident, and everyone must always be in a state of flux.
Knocking out an opponent's fangs - 10
Every player and coach repeats the mantra, "The most important thing is how we play and what we do with the ball," but once you do that, you start to deal with the opponent when the ball is in their court. Our team would go to the net before every match and ask, "Is there a smartass here?"
The Japanese fielded Rana Takahashi, the Brazilians fielded Alana, and the Italians fielded Alessandro Michieletto. And what? Our scoundrels had a way with each of these scoundrels, leading to the worst performances.
Hiding Problems - 10
The quarter-finals and semi-finals were without Wilfredo Leon, and the final without Kewin Sasak, with Tomasz Fornal injured. In theory, a significant problem for the team, but not this one. The best teams can hide, bury, and forget about their problems during the match, focus on the positives, and win. This is the hallmark of champions, regardless of discipline, because everyone encounters problems, but not everyone will be able to overcome them.
Storm about archaic offensive style - 10, and it shouldn't be there
"Archaic style" can mean something different to everyone, and that doesn't mean such a style won't lead to victory. For me, simplicity in offensive play doesn't mean a lack of first tempo with a pip, because I felt it was reduced to that element. For me, simplicity in offensive play doesn't mean playing with a lead throughout the entire set, because even the best teams in volleyball history sometimes played like that. For me, simplicity in offensive play means very predictable play. For example: first tempo only with a perfect pass in the middle of the net. From balls at three meters, only left ones. From passes to the left or right, only a drop shot or only close ones. In attack, only high-risk play, etc. This is simplicity in play that can be won, which is what we did against Brazil and what we changed in the final against Italy.
You can paint a beautiful picture with two colors, just as you can win a rally in three gears, but you can also use all available colors and all gears by adding a turbo. I understand that this is the beginning of this team, and for a house to look beautiful and a rally car to corner confidently at full throttle, you first need a solid foundation and learn to drive in a parking lot.
I know we can dominate our opponents like the best Brazil with Giba, Dante, and Ricardo, because I don't see a ceiling in this team; the sky's the limit. So I don't understand all this fuss, which, as I noticed, involved a few seemingly reasonable people, because it was simple. We play simple, but against a better opponent, that might not be enough, so we played much more interestingly and beat Italy. End of story, period.
Helping Fefe De Giorgi's team - 1
In the prehistoric era, that is, not so long ago, formations were written on a piece of paper, starting with the setter. That's why we still use the names P1, P2, and so on, from palleggiatore, Italian for setter. So after entering your setter's number, you proceed, but usually diagonally. That is, setter-attacker, receiver-receiver, and similarly with the midfielders. Sometimes mistakes happen, like mine when I entered the wrong player in the Będzin-Warsaw match.
We see this when, for some unknown reason, a team makes a change at 0-0 because the score is simply the wrong player. The Italian assistant coaches didn't mix up the players, but their positions on the pitch. Instead of a playmaker-attacker, we had a playmaker-receiver and a receiver-attacker. In such a situation, the team has no idea how to prepare for a reception because they've simply never encountered such a situation, but okay, it happens. The strangest thing for me was that De Giorgi himself froze and didn't know how to help the team. They could have made two quick substitutions to fix the formation and play "God's way," which, of course, would have meant bringing in the starting players, but at least order would have been restored on the pitch.
I don't recall such a mistake in a competitive match. Perhaps you do? It completely devastated the players, who, instead of thinking about the next play, were thinking about how to get the ball in front of them and were running around the pitch like decapitated chickens in a backyard. Of course, it wasn't our problem, but the Italian coaching staff significantly influenced the final result.
Decoration organization - 3
I'm all for finding new solutions, but I hope the VNL will quickly withdraw from this kind of decoration. It's good that we won the girls' decoration in Łódź. I want to see a podium, I want to see congratulations for all three teams. I want to see emotion, sadness, and joy, but in a civilized manner.
The sight of the Italians sitting under their bands had nothing to do with fair play, as it wasn't a sign of respect for the defeated. A 3 is for efficiency and organization, as it was quick and without unnecessary elements. Lloyd Ball gets a 10 from me for matching the shirt and trousers to the decorations. He could have easily grabbed an axe right after the party and gone to the forest to chop wood.
Six finals - 1
The first dance is a beautiful moment for every new bride. The entire dance floor is empty, the dress is beautiful, all eyes are on her. You know that, girls, right? Now imagine dancing like that on Monday in an empty room, when everyone's home nursing a headache from the after-party. Sixth place and MVP are a moment of radiant glory. I've never experienced that, and I don't think I ever will, but I can imagine that wonderful feeling of "The best... welcome to the stage." Another topic for VNL to ponder.
My six:
Giannelli had one great match, Cachopa had one great match and Komenda had one, but the most important one, so it cannot be otherwise that our quarterback wins.
Sasak didn't make it to the final, but no one else in the tournament even came close to him.
Michieletto and the pair of Fornal and Semeniuk. Due to Tomek's injury and his role as Semen's substitute in the first two matches, I'm giving one prize, and they'll split it.
Kochanowski without a doubt, and the pair of Flavio and Kozamernik. It's hard for me to choose one, but I think I'd take the Slovenian to the club right now.
Libero Popiwczak, for the final.
Command - 7
A perfect example of how a national team jersey weighs more heavily, even on experienced players. A sure thing at the club, a real slam-dunk, but in the national team, his horizons seemed to be narrowing and he was playing on an alibi, but I understand his journey this national team season. Set after set, match after match, he's starting to show the true Komenda, ready to go into the final with aplomb and show what he can do.
In the last four matches, including the last one in Gdansk against France, we've been attacking after receiving positive feedback at over 70%. While this may not be a perfect indicator of a playmaker's quality, it does provide the opponent with a message: "If we don't get the serve in, they'll crush us in the first action." I see him growing and I see significant reserves, as we've known each other for a while now. I'm convinced a final like this will lift the burden off his shoulders, and he'll head into the World Cup with a relaxed attitude.
Sasak - 9
Two wonderful matches and one poor one, but nothing but praise for the entire tournament. I have no idea what happened in the Czech Republic. Maybe dumplings, maybe roasted syr, maybe czesak soup and a small cap of beer, but a different player has returned to Poland. He comes out on top, and you don't know what solution he'll choose. A strong overhand? Absolutely. A tip-toe? No problem. A tight diagonal or a straight line? You name it, you get it. Another example of a player going to a lower league to play for less money, instead of sitting on the bench at a big club for twice as much.
Popiwczak - 8
I gave him a slap in the face after Gdańsk for his "electric" play on the pitch, but I completely understand. He'd been waiting for his chance for years and was eager to show himself right away, which didn't help him. Like Komenda, he improved from match to match, only to finally play his best game in the final. I liked how he improved during the tournament itself. At the beginning, he only took what was thrown at him, only to take over the shortcuts and conflict zones later. His defense was impeccable.
Groom - 8
Fornal is a guy like that. All the volleyball elements, and all the good ones. He'll get the serve, and I'll give him a 10 for the World Championship final.
Semeniuk - 9
I like it when Grbić calls him "The Machine," because he's a true Terminator and Robocop all in one. Need to start in the starting six, be a shift player, get in on the receiving end, block, make plays, play closer or further back to the quarterback? No problem. Semen is always there. A player every team and coach dreams of.
Leon - 5
Besides his skills, what I like most about Leon is his mentality. He never complains, never looks for square balls. He's always focused on winning. In the post-match interview, he showed something I respect: "Criticism drives us to play better," because I always say, "The best respond on the court." He played simply poorly in two matches, but solidly in the final. Imagine when he adds his turbo to this team, which hasn't lost a set in the entire tournament. Kneel, people.
Kochanowski - 9
The MVP, without a doubt. Grucha, Wronka, and Kubi, along with me, sat in front of the TV, and we all said, "Oh, that's what my darling wears!" He was everywhere, always there, and was where he needed to be. A fantastic player.
Nowak - 5
Wronka and I debated between our studies how to treat this guy. On the one hand, I should give him a 10 after every match, because theoretically he shouldn't be there, and he's in the top six. I decided to treat him equally and evaluate him like everyone else – out of respect. I don't want to treat him like a boy, but like a man. This wasn't his tournament, but I absolutely don't see a problem here, and I can't be surprised. After all, he's 20 years old and playing in the starting lineup of the best team in the world right now. Everyone wants to gain that kind of experience. Now you know what it's like, so keep going. I'm rooting for you because apparently you're a nice guy.
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