The level of Greek championship isn’t high and playing in local clubs doesn’t let us to improve our skills – told Andreas Fragkos.
It’s not like that you you don’t have an enough experience to play on such level?
Andreas Fragkos: – I don’t think that the lack of experience is a problem. In my opinion is about we can’t finish the ball when the score is around a tie, we don’t gain points, and it’s like that because we have problems with concentration. In addition, we spend very little time working, training together, in such group. Fortunately, during the last two years we have managed to build a true collective. By this time also we didn’t change too many players, so step by step, year after year, we will develop our skills and create a better team.
You also don’t play in the European League – why?
– In the European League we didn’t play last year because we didn’t have money. The Federation has decided that for this one season we wouldn’t play in this competition, but now we found a sponsor and this year we will play in EL. I am very happy because of that, because we will have another chance to play in Europe, which will help us in gaining experience, improving our skills.
Recently there are more and more new, talented players, who playnot only in Greek NT, but also to the Italian clubs. Does it mean that something has changed in your training system?
– In the team almost all of us are very young, except for two, three players who have bigger experience. Many of us play outside the country – in Italy or France. I hope that even more players will soon leave Greece and go out to play with other, stronger leagues. Unofrtunately the truth is that the level of Greek championship isn’t high and playing in local clubs doesn’t let us to improve our skills.
You play the third season in Latina. How would you asess these three years?
– The first year was very positive – I played a lot, and what is more important – good. The next season, unfortunately, was not as successful. I received less chance to play and also I didn’t play as I expected. Anyway, I am very pleased that after all the club prolonged contract with me. As for this season, I can say that generally everything is going as I wished, at least when it comes to me.
This is confirmed by statistics – you are the best scorer of Andreoli. It seems that the element you need to improve is reception.
– I think that it may be caused by the lack a proper training rhythm – we don’t train as much as we should, because of the lack of time. Besides the league games we play also in the Challenge Cup. In addition, also in Serie A we play matches in the middle of the week. During the last few months we played matches almost every three days. With this rhythm of the match it’s very difficult to work on specific elements of the game. If you ask me, it seems to me that I need to improve in every single element, not only in the reception. For example, in one of the geames I was the best receiver in my team, but in the other one I didn’t receive as well. Another time, I din’t serve well, and later – on the contrary. It seems to me that this is caused by the lack of time for a normal workouts.
What happens with Andreoli this season? You take the last place in the table, which is below the expectations.
– Yes, even we didn’t expect that will be on the last place (laughs). None of us thought that we would play this way. I don’t know exactly what is happening. It seems to me that the problem may be in, as I said before, the rhythm of the matches played Wednesday-Sunday. We play a lot of games, and we have a little the time for training, for proper preparation for these matches. It seems to me also that we are thinking to much about the losses. When we lose a game, we don’t focus on the next one but we wonder what was wrong, what we did wrong.
Anyway in the Challenge Cup you’re playing better.
– That’s true, but to be honest, I have to admit that today’s level of this competition isn’t as high as the level of Serie A. It is also much lower than in the CEV Cup, in which we play laast year against much stronger teams and we magaged to play in the finals. However, also in the Challenge Cup we don’t play so well – for example, against our Belgian rival (Precure Antwerp – ed.) we won 3:0 in Latina, but in the revenge we lost 0:3 , but fortunately we were able to win the gold set. So it’s not that we play in this competition better. Fortunately, however, our disposition is good enough to advance to the next round.
source: siatka.org
photo: Joanna Skólimowska
