Without a doubt it helps us during training or during matches, makes us stronger as a team. Positive situations make us stronger – told Facundo Conte about a team spirit in Skra Bełchatów.
The last game you’ll play at home against Effector Kielce – the team from lower place than you. It will be a chance for you to test out some variations of the game?
Facundo Conte: – Yes, for us it is important to continue to improve our game. In this game we played a really nice volleyball, we won as a team. It was really amazing. But we won’t stop now – we want to improve our skills, we want our shape get better, we want to be in good shape for play-offs. This game will be very important for us mainly to properly prepare for the most important games of the season, but we also want to win it ito maintain the highest position before the beginning of the play-off round.
Your last and only success in European cups was winning a Cup Challenge with Lube. Now you have a chance to improve this result. This is an extra motivation for you?
– To be honest, I don’t look at that in such way. The time I spent in Lube, what I won with this team, belongs to the past and doesn’t count for me now. What is important is here and now. I focus only on to win as much as I can with Skra, not on what I was able to win a few years ago. I want to win the match after the match, trophy after trophy, and to the end of the season yet we have still some challenges. I hope we win the CEV Cup semi-final tie with Gubernya, and then also the finals! But I wish also that we could achieve the best results in PlusLiga and in the Polish Cup.
We already know that the new coach of the Argentinian NT is Julio Velasco. How do you asess this choice? Changing the coach for a few months before the World Championships is a good solution?
– I am very happy that our federation has made such choice, because I think that Velasco is the best coach in the world. Moreover, it is not just my opinion but a lot of people think like that. In my opinion the fact he will be working with our team will help us in development and getting mature. It seems to me that that change of the coach occured so shortly before the WCh won’t affect on us negatively but on the contrary. I believe that Velasco will squeeze from us all the best. All teams that he has trained, developed themselces and upgraded their skills. I believe that with us will be the same.
You know that when you’ve signed a contract with Skra some media have called you ‘volleyball Messi’? Don’t such comparisons bother you, don’t they create additional pressure?
– (Laughs) Not at all! At the moment, Messi won many trophies, numerous awards, and I haven’t won anything yet. Anyway, I still want to grow, to become better and better, complete player who is able to win medals and trophies. I am still working on it but such comparisons really made me happy and are motivation to me to work even harder (smile). As for the pressure, I don’t look at that in such way. I create my own pressure on myself, and it’s about to play better in each one match, to forget about the shoulder injury and return to pre-injury shape. I want to become a better player and to be in good shape again.
We can see that in your team is a great atmosphere. Team spirit is one of the keys to your good game?
– Definitely! (smile) The most important thing is that in the team is good atmosphere. In our team we all feel good with ourselves, there is a really positive atmosphere. We all understand each other, we get along with each other. Without a doubt it helps us during training or during matches, makes us stronger as a team. It is visible in our game and even if we aren’t in the best shape, we have a worse moment, the team spirit helps us to get out quickly from this bad moment and start winning. Positive situations make us stronger. What can I add – the atmosphere in the team is very important and in our team created a perfect climate and I am very happy because of that (smile)!
source: siatka.org
