Volleyball Nations League 2023:
Iran coach Ataei rues ‘schoolboy errors’ against Japan, vows ‘different display’ in future games
Iran head coach Behrouz Ataei slammed his team’s “schoolboy errors” during a straight-set defeat against Japan on the opening day of the Volleyball Nations League but promised an improved performance by his men in the upcoming games.
Playing in front of a boisterous home crowd in Nagoya’s Nippon Gaishi Hall, the Japanese breezed to a 25-16 win in the first set before the following 25-22 and 25-19 scorelines sealed the victory over their Asian foes.
Japanese captain and outside hitter Yuki Ishikawa tallied a match-high 20 points, with his cross-court teammate Ran Takahashi adding another 10, while Amin Esmaeilnejad topped the scoring for Iran with 11 points, followed by veteran middle blocker Seyed Mohammad Mousavi, who chipped in eight.
Perhaps the defining spell of the contest came in the second set, when Ataei’s men gave away a 13-9 lead and failed to level the game at one set apiece.
“We made some schoolboy errors in the second set. We were leading by four points and had to control the game, but we made a bad mistake in the arrangement [on a Japan’s serve] and were even worse on a couple of following attacks,” Ataei said after the match.
“Japanese players had minimum mistakes while making the most of our errors. They were outstanding with reception but not significantly exceptional in attack and serving, though you still can’t afford to make too many mistakes against them and have to play with a lot of patience,” added the Iranian, whose team suffered a defeat against Japan on the opening week of the event for a second year running.
“We had predicted a tough match as they were playing at home. We often get off to a shaky start in this tournament but nothing is over for us yet. We have to forget this one as there are at least 11 more matches ahead of us and we need to be prepared for them,” Ataei added.
Next for Iran is a game against Poland today – a repeat of last year’s double header, where Ataei’s side came out on top in five sets in the preliminary round before being knocked out by the European powerhouse in a five-set thriller in the quarterfinals.
“I’m sure you will see a different display from us in the future games. We won’t let today’s defeat get the better of us. The Nations League goes on,” Ataei said.
The game against Poland will be followed by another all-Asian contest against China – which stunned Bulgaria in a five setter earlier on Tuesday – on Saturday.
Iran will wrap up Week 1 with an encounter against Slovenia on Sunday, before heading to Rotterdam to take on Germany, Italy, USA, and the Netherlands in Pool 3.
The final week of the preliminary round will see Iran square off against France, Bulgaria, Argentina, and Cuba in Anaheim, California, in the United States.
The top seven of the 16-team table will join host Poland in the VNL Finals – starting July 19 in Gdansk.