Tolokian: My hand is tied for replacement / We are warm to the people’s support – Mehr news agency Iran and world’s news
According to Mehr News Agency, after the 3-2 defeat of our country’s national volleyball team against Argentina in the third week of the 2023 League of Nations, Alireza Tolo Kian said: I tell the players not to be tired. We had some injuries today, but they were very motivated. Iran’s national team likes to be trusted. Argentina is a great team, I have nothing to do with the fact that this team was able to win the Olympic bronze medal. So far, they had only 3 defeats in the League of Nations and they play volleyball well.
He continued: “The game of the Iranian team suits the Argentinians and we had a very good motivation before the game.” We performed like this on the day when Seyed Mohammad Mousavi and Mohammad Reza Moezen rested and the team elders were not with the other players. The youngsters have to stand up and this match sent a good message because they played well and fought well, but we still have mistakes. Sometimes the game was out of our hands and we have to fix this problem in the next match.
The coach of Iran’s national volleyball team said: I talk with Atai and the technical staff for maybe an hour a day and we have a plan to solve the team’s problems. This match was a very good experience for Iranian players. In the fourth set, we lost Javad Karimi, and before that, Ali Hajipour was also injured and left the field. The doctor examined him and nothing is clear yet. I hope there is no particular problem.
Stating that the national team will definitely not be able to use Ali Hajipour’s presence in the next match, Tolokian said: In the initial examination, it was found that he did not have a torn meniscus or ligament, and his problem is a strain. The health of the players is very important to us. The pressure of the game was so high that Javad Karimi and Morteza Sharifi suffered injuries. Karimi’s condition was so serious that he could not play in the fifth set and is currently under the supervision of the team doctor to see if he can play tomorrow or not. We don’t have much time to recover and we have to face Cuba. I’m happy that despite repeated losses, the national team is fighting.
He added: In the match we lost against France, the players performed well. Part of the mistakes are due to psychological issues that we improved today, but maybe part of the problem is ours, otherwise we could have won today’s match. I think the players are maturing. The number of matches has increased and players have to plan. For the match against Cuba, we have to see what players we have. I hope Iran’s team form will not be disturbed. My hand is really tight to switch and sometimes I get stuck. The coaching staff would love to help the team, but sometimes injuries to players make it difficult.
Regarding the meeting with Cuba, the coach of Iran’s national volleyball team stated: We really don’t have much time. Cuba always plays well against Iran. They have weaknesses, but their key players play in the Italian league. We are not unplanned, but we have to focus on the recovery of the team to check the conditions of the players exactly. The League of Nations system is for everyone, but this number of trips and competitions also causes problems. I hope that we can gather ourselves to play a spectator-friendly game against Cuba. Even today, I think many people enjoyed the performance of the Iranian team.
The coach of Iran’s national volleyball team continued: Our backs are warm to a nation. Players want something good to happen to make people happy. We have young players whose eyes are on making people happy, and if that doesn’t happen, they become self-absorbed and lose their self-confidence. Today, the fists were clenched so that the players prove that they are fighting for the people, but maybe sometimes that necessary thing does not happen and it is not the part.
Regarding the tears of players like Hajipour and Jaloh at the end of the match, he said: The players play with all their zeal. I thanked them many times. We have no chance of promotion and the results have no effect on the ranking. With these conditions, our matches are only honorable and the players should take advantage of these conditions to plan better for the future. When the federation invests in these players, no doubt they also want to repay the trust of the federation, maybe they won’t get results now, but the impact of this investment will definitely be seen in the future.