Slovenian men’s national team coach Gheorghe Cretu announced a list of 23 players, whom he is planning to rely on for the upcoming season. The roster includes 12 of the 14 players who carried the team to fourth place at last year’s FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship that they co-hosted with Poland.
VNL 2023
Cretu calls 23 for Slovenia’s national team season
Qualification for Paris 2024 is the squad’s main target
Published 02:33, 19 Apr 2023
Slovenian players celebrate during their 2022 World Championship quarterfinal
“During the season, I closely followed all the players who were part of the national team in recent years. For a team that performed well at the World Championship, it is important to stay intact. The five-month season is approaching, during which three important competitions await us, which will take place one after the other. It's clear that we don't have time for major changes or testing new things,” coach Cretu commented.
The team, currently ranked ninth in the world, has the Volleyball Nations League first up in June and July. The Slovenians will play in Japan, France and the Philippines during the three competition weeks of the Preliminary Phase and then travel to Poland, if they qualify for the Finals. Then they have the CEV European Championship in August and September, which they will start in the pool in Bulgaria, and shortly after the end of EuroVolley, Slovenia will travel to Japan for the FIVB Road to Paris Volleyball Qualifier in September and October, where they will compete with the home team, Egypt, Finland, Serbia, Tunisia, Turkiye and the United States for two spots at the 2022 Olympic Games.
💚💙 Selektor Gheorghe Cretu je na reprezentančne priprave pred Ligo narodov, evropskim prvenstvom in olimpijskimi kvalifikacijami povabil 23 odbojkarjev. 💚💙
— Odbojkarska zveza Slovenije 🇸🇮 (@SloVolley) April 18, 2023
Več ➡ https://t.co/j1RHLiSrRv#telekomslovenije #sLOVEvolley #reprezentanca 🇸🇮🏐💪 pic.twitter.com/s4jTbRrSn3
“I expect that everyone will be focused on our work during the training sessions and that they will leave behind what happened to them during the club season. Players who have successful seasons behind them, as well as those whose seasons did not end as desired, are invited to the preparations,” added the 54-year-old Romanian.
The only two players from the 2022 World Championship squad who are absent from Cretu’s 2023 list are 38-year-old opposite Mitja Gasparini and 30-year-old libero Jan Klobucar. On the other hand, four youngsters, who have yet to make an official appearance for the national team, are in the new line-up. They are 23-year-old libero Ziga Kumer, 21-year-old opposite Jaka Sesek, 19-year-old middle blocker Miha Fink and 19-year-old outside hitter Rok Bracko.
“As I said, there will be no time to try new things. Our task will be to integrate the new guys as much as possible into the team and our game system. That way, they will know exactly how they can help the team to the greatest extent if they have to fill a gap. I don't divide the team into young and older, more experienced players. It will be important for every individual to contribute to our team's goal when they enter the court, regardless of the situation we are in,” continued the coach.
The national team will start preparations on May 8 in Ljubljana, but not immediately with all 23 athletes from the full list, as some of the players will still have club obligations or will have finished them shortly before that.
“One of our main goals will be to re-establish the connection between the boys on the court as quickly as possible. The last time we were together was in the middle of last September, which seems like a long time, but I believe that since last year's campaign, they know exactly what we want from them,” said Cretu. “We have to keep the players in a suitable psychological and physical condition, while their motivation has never been in question. They can't wait to get back to national team training and fight for the Olympics.
“The boys know exactly what this summer has in store for us. Every match is important in the qualification race for the Olympic Games. Each of the players is ready to perform his role to the best of his ability towards the team’s target.”
Slovenia men’s national team full roster:
Setters: Dejan Vincic, Gregor Pernus, Gregor Ropret, Uros Planinsic
Opposites: Jaka Sesek, Nik Mujanovic, Toncek Stern
Outside hitters: Crtomir Bosnjak, Klemen Cebulj, Matej Kok, Rok Bracko, Rok Mozic, Tine Urnaut, Ziga Stern
Middle blockers: Alen Pajenk, Danijel Koncilja, Jan Kozamernik, Janz Janez Krzic, Miha Fink, Saso Stalekar
Liberos: Jani Kovacic, Urban Toman, Ziga Kumer
- Watch Volleyball Nations League 2023 on VBTV
