Budapest 2014 preview: Serbia, Spain
| | | Saturday 12 July 2014, 11:33 | | | Tim Hartog |
© Marcel ter BalsSerbia
European Championships appearances: 22
Best result: 1st place (1991, 2001, 2003, 2006, 2012)
Standouts: Filip Filipovic, Andrija Prlainovic, Dusko Pijetlovic.
We start off with Serbia. It was a question frequently fired at players and coaches ahead of the 2014 Europeans the past couple of weeks: ''who do you consider favourites in Budapest?'' And the answer, although different in forms, always included that one team, Serbia. It cannot be denied. Coming in as the World League champions and European champions, virtually with the same team as that took the bronze medal at the 2012 Olympic Games in London (there's a big difference with most other teams), the Serbs are widely considered to be playing for nothing less than gold the next two weeks.
Will the Serbian team live up to the expectations in Budapest?
Photograph: Marcel ter Bals.
The word 'powerhouse' has also been used frequently previewing this tournament. Europe's got a couple of them and if any needs to be mentioned in that group, it's Serbia. As successor of the ever successful Yugoslavia teams who won three Olympic Games and became world champions twice, Serbia simply continued that trophy-winning run in the recent decades. The Delfini (Dolphins) are a usual contender and did not hesitated when Serbia and Montenegro separated ahead of the 2006 European Championships, at home in Belgrade. While Montenegro had to start all over, legal successor of Serbia & Montenegro, Serbia, went all the way in front of the home crowd edging Hungary 9-8 in the final to take the gold and their first success as independent nation. From their on the team, then guided by current USA men's coach Dejan Udovicic, won a medal in 15 of the 16 major tournaments they participated in. That run included a world championship in 2009, World League wins in 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011 and 2013, taking the World Cup in 2006 and 2010 and another European Championships gold medal in the previous edition in 2012. The Olympic Games proved a different story though as the Serbs could not reach the final on the next two occasions and ended up beating neighbours Montenegro to take 3rd place in the 2008 and 2012 editions. After falling short to Italy in the 2011 world championship final in Shanghai, a rather more disappointing performance was on display in Barcelona last year as Montenegro upset the Serbs 9-8 in the quarter-final on their way to a silver medal while Serbia ended up finishing 7th after falling to Spain on a penalty shootout 13-14 in the 5th-8th place semis.
Serbia's notorious big-goal scorer: Filip Filipovic.
Photograph: Marcel ter Bals.
Now they are set to start their quest for back-to-back European championships, a feat they already accomplished before winning the 2001 (in Budapest) and 2003 editions, but will not get the opportunity to ease into the tournament. If there's any true definition for 'group of death', the Budapest 2014 men's group B is the one true example. With just three spots available to continue the race for the medals and teams like Croatia, Hungary, Serbia and Spain, accompanied by outsiders Germany and France, the battle for the next round will be a heated one. Much to the delight of the neutral fan who knows from day 1 on the games will be tense in order not to fall back on the first three places in the group. The Serbs know that and looked more than ready. The roster holds just one true debutant in solid defender Sava Randjelovic who will be wearing the number four cap that belonged to Vanja Udovicic for so long. Now the former world player of the year retired last year and continued in politics, coach Dejan Savic tried different versions to fill up that one big spot but finally ended up by selecting Randjelovic, a player he knows well from his recent two years as head coach of Red Star Belgrade, with whom Savic and Randjelovic won six trophies.
Serbia will start off their tournament by facing France on Monday, followed with a match-up with Germany on Tuesday, before the big clashes are scheduled to take place in the days to follow. Mouth-watering clashes that include battling hosts Hungary in Thursday's final encounter of the day; perhaps the match of the men's tournament group stage.
Spain
European Championships appearances: 16
Best result: 2nd place (1991)
Standouts: Albert Español, Xavi Garcia, Guillermo Molina.
One of the other top teams in group B is Spain. Despite having never won an European championship and gaining just one silver medal, in 1991, and three third-place finishes (1983, 1993, 2006) the Spanish are always considered contenders. And rightfully so, overlooking the roster and players during both the club season. The team is coming in as the world's number five, in front of the home crowd in Barcelona last year. But perhaps their rich history is what creates a certain automatic contender-status to the Spanish team. The back-to-back world titles in 1998 and 2001 are memorable and so is the lost gold medal final at the 2009 edition in Rome falling to Serbia after penalties. Even more memorable are the 1992 Olympics silver medal and sweet revenge four years later in Atlanta, USA where the Spanish men's side finally were crowned as Olympic gold medallists, under the guidance of legendary player Manel Estiarte and late goal keeper Jesús Rollan. The following generation of players was almost equally exciting with Cuba-born centre-forward Ivan Perez and current men's head coach Gabriel Hernandez leading the team to a 4-2 victory over Yugoslavia in the 2001 final in Fukuoka, Japan for Spain's second straight world title. Living up to their contender status did the Spanish in the following years by winning the bronze medal at the 2006 European championships and 2007 world championships but fell to finish 7th at home in Malaga at the 2008 Europeans tournament. The fickle Spanish team came back the following year in one of their biggest success in recent years emerging as the tournament's sensations during the 2009 world championships where they went on to reach the final. A memorable final needed penalties to edge the Spanish side. Another disappointing performance at the 2010 Europeans started an era that did not lived up quite to the expectations of the crowd back home. And with finishing 7th at the 2012 European championships, the time looks about right for a better result this time.
A veteran of great importance to the Spanish team: Guillermo Molina.
Photograph: C. Mestres.
The recent changing of head coaches marked the start of a new era and program since Rafa Aguilar stepped away to become technical director of the federation while former standout Gabriel Hernandez, then coaching Sabadell, was appointed as national team head coach for the years to come. He proved not shy of changing the team, rejuvenating while keeping his experienced veterans on board to guide the talented new ones. But then Hernandez announced his final team to travel to Budapest this weekend, there was one name in particular missing as starting goal keeper Dani Lopez was cut from the team. The reason was a controversial one as the goalie and head coach got into an argument after the relationship got tense during the Samartzidis Cup preparation tournament in Greece, in recent training when Lopez walked away and coach Hernandez decided to not select the Barceloneta goal keeper for the upcoming European championships. Instead, former start, experienced Iñaki Aguilar, will be in the cage for Spain in Budapest.
Xavi Garcia has turned into a pilar of the team of Croatian champion Primorje Rijeka and subsequently the Spanish national side.
Photograph: Lucio Vidotto.
Also returned is left-hander Blai Mallarach, playing for Olympiacos in Greece the past years. Part of the team that won the silver medal in 2009, actually he was the one missing both penalties in the final shootout, but not included in the roster for Spain in recent years. Two standout season for the Greek powerhouse however did not got past new head coach Hernandez who re-selected Mallarach after his appointment. Another major absent player is Felipe Perrone, Brazil-born and now returned to his home country playing for the Brazilian national team on the way to the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Part of the roster is still Guillermo Molina who was frequently linked to obtaining Italian citizenship in order to play for the Italian national team, after playing in the Italian Serie A1 league for many years now, but silenced those rumours by gearing up for the 2014 championships as Spanish international. Newcomers in the squad include Real Canoe's Javier Bustos and team-mate goal keeper Eduardo Lorrio while also Marc Larumbe (all born 1994) is also set for his first major international tournament.
Spain is up for a tough task in that highly competitive group B as they will be playing Hungary on Monday already. And with Croatia as the teams' second opponent a day later, the start of the tournament is a heavy one. Guillermo Molina, ahead of the tournament, stated that the fans should have patience as the team is heading into a new direction under the new head coach and will be needing time in doing so, but the ambitious players at the same time would also be hoping for a good result at a European Championships after previous 7th and 8th-place finishes. In that quest, there is nothing to hide for Spain who have to go all in the preliminary phase already to see where that will get them. With plenty of veterans and multiple European club champions on their roster, the starters of Spain know how to approach that and it will be interesting to see where they will guide the team to the coming weeks.
Budapest 2014 preview: Romania, Russia
| | | Friday 11 July 2014, 09:20 | | | Tim Hartog |
© Gabriela Arsenie / h2opolo.roWith Romania group A has its ultimate outsider. A team well-known for its toughness and ability to upset but for a long time looking for that top-notch result. Qualifying for the 2012 Olympic Games definitely was one of the highlights in recent years. Guided by experienced Hungarian coach Istvan Kovacs, Romania rose to the occasion in Edmonton, Canada where Germany failed to earn a berth at the 2012 Olympics. For veterans such as left-hander and current Great Britain men's coach Andrei Iosep, the trip to the British capital, as the Romanian water polo players attended the Olympics for the first time since 1996 finishing 10th, is a 'feat' that long will be remembered. But after coach Kovacs left to lead the Hungarian team of Szolnok, and the federation came up with the return of Vlad Hagiu things did not got better but got worse instead. Last year's World Championships saw a unmotivated Romanian team, with centre-forward Cosmin Radu absent, losing all group stage matches to finish the tournament in 13th place. Simply not where one would expect Romania to be ranked. The reaction by the federation was a good one though as Hagiu got sacked and 41-year old Dejan Stanojevic was appointed head coach. Stanojevic, coach of Vojvodina Novi Sad, was an assistant to Serbian national team coach Dejan Savic and had gained quite some experience to now try it on his own.
Of great importance: Romania's and Primorje star centre-forward Cosmin Radu (blue cap).
With a returned Cosmin Radu in the line-up, things look much better now. With 18-7 and 18-8 blowout wins over Andrei Iosep coached Great Britain the qualification play-off round, no one could question Romania's presence in Budapest. From next week on they could look for an upset in order to clinch third place in the group and stay in the race for the medals and a sure top 8 ranking. They will do so with two debutants and one starter missing due to injury. Alex Popoviciu, a recent frequent member of the national team, and standout junior Mihnea Gheorghe will make their debuts on the senior international stage while the outside shooting of Ramiro Georgescu will be missed dearly by the Romanian team. The former Szolnok player was operated on a should injury and will use this summer to recover in order to be back for the next club season starts.
Although not easy Romania stayed on the safer side of the draw as they will face Georgia, Montenegro, France, Italy and Russia in the group-stage. No easy task but interesting enough. Especially since playing the opening game against well-known Georgia, in this situation a must-win game for the Dejan Stanojevic side. They've played the Georgians recently in the 52nd Danube Cup in Vienna, Austria where the first match-up finished in a 10-10 tie before Romania won the tournament by beating Georgia in the gold medal final 13-7 a day later. A second tournament win followed at home in Bucharest weeks later where Germany (12-7), Slovakia (6-4) and USA (10-7) were topped to take top honours in a nice run over the weekend late June. And with Italy and Montenegro as 2nd and 3rd opponents in the Budapest 2014 preliminary phase, Romania knows it will not only have to start off well, but also finish strong in order to get the maximum result out of the group stage.
Romania
European Championships appearances: 20
Best result: 4th place (1993, 2006)
Standouts: Cosmin Radu, Tiberiu Negrean, Dragos Stoenescu.
Russia
European Championships appearances: 9 (as Russia)
Best result: 3rd place (1991, 1997)
Standouts: Konstantin Stepanyuk, Ivan Nagaev, Roman Shepelev.
The Russian team after this year's World League group stage match-up with Serbia (8-12).
Russia is back on the European championships after the absence in the Netherlands in 2012. The former powerhouse, 5-time gold medallists as USSR and from 1958 on, became finalists in the next 8 Euro champs editions, winning the tournament in 1966 and 1970. And in the 80s USSR still won three Euros in a row, between 1983 and 1987, but after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Russia's best results were the bronze medals won in 1991 and 1997. And things became worse in the second half of the first 00s decade. From the 2010 edition where only Macedonia finished behind Russia, to the non-qualification for the 2012 Europeans in Eindhoven. Now new head coach and former international Erkin Shagaev leads the way into new heights with a young team re-building carefully to establish a solid long-term group of players.
Russia's Ivan Nagaev, pictured playing in the Champions League for Sintez Kazan. Photograph: Vojislav Petrovic.
The first success was the qualification for Budapest 2014 by edging the Netherlands through deserved 9-11 (leg 1) and 12-10 victories in the play-off round in February and early March. Russia also played this year's World League where in the preliminary phase Romania was defeated 15-5 in a dominant victory on opening day while Serbia proved too strong 8-12 and 14-7. The second match-up with Romania, in Bucharest, ended with the home team returning the favour: 13-7. In the more recent preparation for Budapest 2014 Russia participated in two international tournaments, in Zagreb, Croatia and Portugalete, Spain. Although difficult in terms of results, Russia got a good chance of battling with Europe's best teams to gear up for the level they will be required to play starting on Monday. And with falling just short to Italy 12-13 on the final day of the tourney in Zagreb, Russia showed to can make life hard for a contender on any given day. That was again proven in norterh Spain where the Russian squad managed to beat France 12-15 on day 3 of the four-nation tournament. And with a satisfied coach Shagaev who used the tournament to experiment with variety of line-ups and tactis, he can now surely make his decision on the final 13 players who will perform in Hungary's capital starting next week. The final roster is due to be confirmed on Saturday. Russia will start their tournament by taking on Italy in Monday's penultimate match of the day.
Budapest 2014: Serbia, Greece squads announced
The various announced men's rosters for the 2014 European Championships are as follows:
Greece:
Kostas Tsalkanis, Stefanos Galanopoulos (goal keepers), Christodoulos Kolomvos, Konstantinos Mourikis (centre-forwards), Kyriakos Pontikeas, Dimitris Tigkas, Vagelis Delakas (defenders), Emmanouil Mylonakis, Angelos Vlahopoulos, Ioannis Fountoulis, Christos Afroudakis, Giorgos Dervisis, Alexandros Gounas.
Serbia:
1. Gojko Pijetlović (goal keeper), 2. Dušan Mandić, 3. Živko Gocić, 4. Sava Randjelović, 5. Miloš Ćuk, 6. Duško Pijetlović, 7. Slobodan Nikić, 8. Milan Aleksić, 9. Nikola Radjen, 10. Filip Filipović, 11. Andrija Prlainović, 12. Stefan Mitrović, 13. Branislav Mitrović (goal keeper).
Italy (14-player team, 1 more to be cut):
Stefano Tempesti (goal keeper), Pietro Figlioli, Alex Giorgetti, Andrea Fondelli, Massimo Giacoppo, Niccolò Figari, Matteo Aicardi, Francesco Di Fulvio, Marco Del Lungo (goal keeper), Alessandro Nora, Alessandro Velotto, Fabio Baraldi, Stefano Luongo, Lorenzo Bruni.
Budapest 2014 preview: Greece, Hungary
| | | Wednesday 09 July 2014, 09:55 | | | Tim Hartog |
© C. MestresGreece
European Championships appearances: 14
Best result: 4th place (1999)
Standouts: Ioannis Fountoulis, Konstantinos Mourikis, Christos Afroudakis.
Greece's top shooter Ioannis Fountoulis. Photograph: waterpolophoto.com.
The first team we take a closer look at is Greece, clearly improving and aiming to return to the early 2000 years when, with 2004 and 2005 as highlights when taking 4th place at the 2004 self-hosted Olympics, winning the bronze medal in the World League that year while in 2005 the world witnesses a thrilling encounter for 3rd place at the World Championships in Montreal, Canada where centre-forward Georgios Afroudakis back-handed his team to a 11-10 victory over Croatia in extra time. The results in recent years however showed a different site and the last top finish for the Greek men dates back to 1999 when they took 4th place in Florence, Italy. But things should be different now. Under the guidance of head coach Sakis Kechagias a balanced, the relatively young team with experienced captain Christos Afroudakis and winger Emmanouil Mylonakis looks to get back to the high points of around 2004/2005. And with a 6th place (2012), 9th place (2010) and 11th place (2008) finish as previous results at European Championships, the times look right for much desired improvement in Budapest the coming weeks.
The first fact that helped was the draw where Greece was drawn in group A and also avoided group-stage clashes with Croatia, Hungary, Serbia and Spain. In fact, the Greek will meet favorites Italy, Montenegro and also Romania, Russia and Georgia. Beside the fact that the top teams in Europe are not stranger to one another, Greece can easily recall the last meeting with Montenegro in a major group stage. In the 2013 World Championships in Barcelona Greece came out ready to play in the then group A opening match topping later finalist Montenegro 4-6, thanks to 3 goals from Mylonakis. And guess what, both teams will meet again on opening day in Budapest, at 16.00 hrs local time, to be exact. A nice test for Greece to start off with. The core of the roster is still intact but, especially in case of centre-forward Mourikis and Kolomvos, one year more experienced and fine-tuned. Greece are coming off a nice World-League campaign where in the group stage Croatia was beaten twice (the first match on penalties) while Hungary proved too strong (8-5 and 11-12) so that qualification for the Super Final was out of sight.
Traditionally Greece hosted the highly competitive Samartzidis Cup ahead of Euro 2014; an excellent opportunity to play some big matches going into the championship. The week before Greece had won the four-nation tournament in Portugalete, Spain where France, Russia and host nation Spain were defeated. Now in Nea Makri, near Athens, Italy was beaten 10-7 and Croatia, again, could not got past the Greek squad (7-7) while Spain also managed to clinch a draw (8-8) facing the hosts. Only Serbia, in their only match of the tournament with all starters in the pool, dominated in a 6-14 win over the home team. But the satisfaction of Greece's preparation was there. Now it will all be about finishing in the top 3 of group A with knowing a tough quarter-final round crossing match-up with either the 2nd or 3rd seed of group B awaits for a spot in the semi-finals. If Greece is looking to post some result, winning that quarter-final-round match will be crucial. A daunting but certainly not insurmountable task.
Team Greece:
Kostas Tsalkanis, Stefanos Galanopoulos (goal keepers), Christodoulos Kolomvos, Konstantinos Mourikis (centre-forwards), Kyriakos Pontikeas, Dimitris Tigkas, Vagelis Delakas (defenders), Emmanioul Mylonakis, Angelos Vlahopoulos, Ioannis Fountoulis, Christos Afroudakis, Giorgos Dervisis, Alexandros Gounas.
Hungary
European Championships appearances: 29
Best result: 1st place (1926, 1927, 1931, 1034, 1938, 1954, 1958, 1962, 1974, 1977, 1997, 1999)
Standouts: Denes Varga, Daniel Varga, Balazs Harai.
Denes Varga defends Croatia's Maro Jokovic in last year's world championship semi-final.
Photograph: waterpolophoto.com.
A lot has been said about the hosts of the upcoming European Championships. A powerhouse with great history and class, both in the results as well as (former) players. When looking at the different major competitions the world of water polo includes on a yearly or 4-year basis, the Hungarians are always there in the top of the results. No exception is to be made when taking a trip down memory lane of the past Europeans editions. The Magyars missed just one edition and won no less than 12 times including the inaugural competition in 1926, at home in Budapest. In fact the first five editions of the Europe continental championships saw Hungary claiming the gold medal. Back-to-back titles again occur in the 50s, 70s and late 90s. From there however a rare drought started. In the 2001 edition at home in Budapest, Hungary fell to Italy 8-7 in the semi-finals, followed by beating Croatia 12-9 to still take the bronze medal. In the years to come Hungary, while winning an incredible three straight Olympic Games gold medals, had to settle for 3rd place in 2003, 2008 and most recently 2012.
But in any case, things look different on the Hungarian team now. After a disappoint run through the 2012 Olympics (5th place), long time head coach Denes Kemeny re-signed and former prodigy Tibor Benedek took over and formed a new-look squad. That led to a little unexpected but pleasant result as Hungary went all the way at last year's World Championships to edge Montenegro 8-7 and for the first time since 2003 won the world title. Now the much anticipated European Championships are around the corner. At home, a great opportunity to return to the glory days of 1997 and 1999, this time in front of the home crowd in the Alfred Hajos swimming complex, site of so many great water polo matches in the past. And the fans won't have to wait long to see the teams' real face and identity as the preliminary phase is expected to be a battlefield right from the start.
One of the new faces in the Hungarian squad is Balasz Erdelyi, pictured defending Germany's Paul Schueler during the recent Deutschland Cup tournament in Düsseldorf, Germany.
Photograph: Richard Schönebeck.
Three teams will advance and with powerhouses Croatia, Serbia and Spain as opponents in the first week of the tournament, either team will have to be ready right from the start. In that perspective opening day action on the Margerit Island in Hungary's capital will already be crucial with Hungary playing the day's final match against Spain. Coming in as reigning world champions means you're one of the title favourites and in this case, even more since playing in front of the home crowd. It leaves a huge pressure on Tibor Benedek's team, and all that in the midst of an Olympic cycle. The team compared to last year's worlds gold medallists has changed but too much. The only two real victims compared to Barcelona 2013 are Eger (OSC next year) shooter Bence Batori and centre-forward Krisztian Bedö who were left off the roster for this tournament.
Instead Márton Tóth returned and young Balazs Erdelyi has made his entrance to the team. Coming off a four-year stint in the United States where he was a standout for the Pacific Tigers, Erdelyi decided to return home to Hungary, signed a contract with champions ZF-Eger for next season and got in invitation from head coach Benedek. Erdelyi never left and was part of the team that took the silver medal at the World League Super Final proving to be a offensive threat from the left wing for the Hungarian side. His quick international rising will get into a new hights when playing the European championships in front of a sell-out home crowd where the local heroes are expected nothing more than to fight for the gold medal. Unlike the World League Super Final tournament, there will no time to grow into a the championship considering the highly competitive group A. And after topping Germany, Montenegro and USA in the Deutschland Cup tournament in western Germany one week prior to the start of the Budapest tournament where centre-forward Balazs Harai got bothered by a shoulder injury and is doubtful to play, the Hungarian team still looks ready to live up to the expectations. Sky-high expectations, although Hungarian national team players tend to be used to those.
Team Hungary:
Attila Decker, Viktor Nagy (goal keepers), Ádám Decker, Balázs Erdélyi, Miklós Gór-Nagy, Balázs Hárai, Norbert Hosnyánszky, Norbert Madaras, Márton Szivós, Márton Tóth, Dániel Varga, Dénes Varga, Márton Vámos.
Spain coach surprises by dropping goalie Lopez
| | | Tuesday 08 July 2014, 15:33 | | | Tim Hartog |
© Marcel ter BalsLópez was in the midst of a succesful season guiding C.N. Atletic-Barceloneta to another Spanish championship, followed by a historic first European championship with winning the Champions League Final Six at home in Barcelona late May. The 34-year old was a starting goalie on the national team the past years, including the 2012 Olympic Games, after serving as back-up to Iñaki Aguilar before. Aguilar is now likely to take the starting spot for the Europeans. Words on López' future with the Spanish national team are not disclosed.
The Spanish men's national team roster for the 2014 European Championships is as follows:
Iñaki Aguilar (CN Terrassa, goal keeper)
Javier Buston (Real Canoe)
Albert Español (Barceloneta)
Francisco Fernandez (Barceloneta)
Xavi Garcia (Primorje Rijeka, CRO)
Marc Larumbe (Catalunya)
Eduardo Lorrio (Real Canoe, goal keeper)
Blai Mallarach (Olympiacos, GRE)
Marc Minguell (Barceloneta)
Guillermo Molina (Brescia)
Alberto Munarriz (Barceloneta)
Marc Roca (Barceloneta)
Balazs Sziranyi (Barceloneta)
Budapest 2014 preview: Georgia, Germany
| | | Tuesday 08 July 2014, 09:23 | | | Tim Hartog |
Georgia
European Championships appearances: 1 (2014)
Best result: -
Standouts: Marko Elez, Marko Jelaca, Revaz Chomakhidze.
Marko Elez is a frequent scorer for his team Savona as well as the Georgian national team.
It is not in every edition that a debutant can be welcomed. In Budapest however the team from Georgia will be displaying their talent on the highest level in Europe for the first time in its relatively young history (autonomous since 1992). Their qualification was a long but successful road, all captured in a tense and sensational home-and-away play-off encounter with Turkey where Georgia narrowly hung on to secure qualification for the Budapest champs in leg 2, played in Turkey last March. In fact, the team got boosted by the return of 40-year old local legend Revaz Chomakidze who helped his home country making the run.
As part of the Russian team that won a silver medal at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, and a bronze medal four years later in Athens, the centre-forward re-joined the new-look Georgia national team last year helping them with his experience. The other ingredients included the nationalization of Croatian Marko Elez, Marino Francevic and Marko Jelaca while also Montenegrin Damir Tsrepulia switched national sides. Under the guidance of Montenegrin head coach Jovan Popovic the team went on to win the qualifiers round 1 group A, steamrolled through round 2 in group D undefeated and just lost once to Slovakia but still won group G in the third round to enter the legendary play-off to face Turkey for a spot in the Budapest tournament. On 15 February the first leg, home in Tbilisi, was convincingly won 8-4 with Marko Jelaca scoring three and Damir Tsrepulia adding two goals for the winners who looked forward to securing their historic first European Championships participation two weeks later in Turkey.
That turned out a little different though as the then home side took control in the third quarter after a 5-6 half-time score on their mission to erase the four-goal deficit. In a hectic five-goal (3-2) fourth quarter, the Georgian side hung on and saw Turkey falling just one goal short with winning the match 12-9. Marko Jelaca was one of the heroes again earning top scoring honours by netting five shots for Georgia that heavily celebrated their tense and historical qualification with the teams and group of fans that had accompanied the team to Istanbul.
Now Georgia got relatively lucky when the draw for the upcoming tournament was made learning they had avoid the 'group of death' group B instead joining Greece, Italy, Montenegro, Romania and Russia in group A. Interesting matches could follow and the team can approach the tournament without too much pressure knowing any result they will post is of historic proportion. Meanwhile realising Italy, Montenegro and Greece can be considered favorites in this group, Georgia could focus on the games against Romania and Russia to even look for an upset if they manage to finish in fourth place which would mean the Georgians can play for a 7th place finish. In that perspective the opening match on Monday 14 July facing Romania is an important encounter right away.
Germany
European championships appearances: 27 (first in 1926)
Best result (1st place 1981, 1989)
Standouts: Julian Real, Heiko Nossek, Moritz Oeler.
A team that can trully be called a veteran on the European podium is Germany. Two-time winners in the 80s and three consecutive silver medals in the 30s while also finishing third in the 1985 and 1995 edition, the Germans have had their fair share of success at the continental championships over the past century. But where there are ups, there are downs. A huge shock came when Germany was unable to qualify for the 2012 Olympic Games and one of the longest serving head coaches at the team, former player Hagen Stamm, re-signed from his post. And all after Germany just months earlier experienced a sensational 2012 European Championships in Eindhoven, Netherlands finishing fifth in a tournament where Croatia and Spain were defeated. However, after the 2012 summer, a new era was started with now Serbian-born Nebojša Novoselac at the helm of the men's team. Well-known veterans such as respected goal keeper Alexander Tchigir and captain Marc Politze retired as internationals and new stars are gradually displaying their abilities. It didn't yet led to any major success at last year's World championships where Germany finished tenth in Barcelona. But with young guns such as 25-year old Marko Stamm, centre-back Julian Real (24) and 21-year old debutant Jan Obschernikat head coach Novoselac makes sure the future stays in the team.
Heiko Nossek, returned to the national team after a temporary absence as international during the second half of the Hagen Stamm coaching area, looks to shoot past Montenegro's Mladjan Janovic in a match-up between the two sides earlier this year.
And they are about to facing a huge test in the upcoming 2014 European Championships after learning to be drawn in the group B everyone is talking about. Knowing just three spots are available to advance out of the group stage where teams like Croatia, Hungary, Serbia and Spain will be the opponent, a daunting task is lying ahead. In fact, Germany will kick off action in Budapest with facing Croatia at 11.30 hrs local time on Monday. The same Croats that were defeated two years ago 10-9 in an upset that typified Croatia's tournament as they finished just ninth but won the Olympic gold medal in London less than half a year later. We will see what experiences means in these tournament as that is the major difference for Germany now. Players like centre-forward Andreas Schlotterbeck (32), Heiko Nossek (32) Erik Bukowski (28) and 28-year old captain Moritz Oeler will have to carry the load in that department leading the team to results that match their potential. Again, that will not be an easy task but the Germans have showed not only resillience but also the ability to surprise on previous occasions.
Budapest 2014 preview: Croatia, France
| | | Monday 07 July 2014, 13:37 | | | Tim Hartog |
Croatia
European Championships appearances: 10 (first in 1993)
Best result (1st place, 2010)
Standouts: Maro Jokovic, Sandro Sukno, Niksa Dobud.
Maro Jokovic. Photo by Henk Swinkels.
2012 Olympic champions Croatia are coming off a bronze-medal winning performance at the World Championships last year but finished just 9th during the 2012 European Championships in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. Because of that finish, the Croats needed to play qualification play-off to secure their presence in Budapest this summer. Facing Slovakia in the qualifiers play-off, dominant 16-8 and 14-6 victories saw the Ivica Tucak coached side advancing to the final tournament. As expected though, the biggest challenge is to follow as Croatia is one of the sides to be drawn into the group of death: group B. With four of the six teams advancing to the quarter-final round out of the group stage, the tournament's opening game against Germany will be very important in order to secure at least the fourth spot in the group. But looking at the (recent) history Croatia has all reasons to expect more.
Image from the Croatia-Italy match for 3rd place during last year's World Championships in Barcelona.
Photo by waterpolophoto.com.
As reigning Olympic champions, the winners of the 2010 European championships are considered one of the European powerhouses and one of the main contenders for a spot in the semi-finals this tournament. They will have to reach that goal without one of their best players as Paulo Obradovic is ruled out of the tournament due to a knee injury which he hopes to overcome this summer in order to continue playing in the next club season. And with veterans Damir Buric and shooter Miho Boskovic still out from their 'break' taken after the 2012 Olympic victory in London, the team will miss their fair share of quality, offensive threat and experience.
In facing Germany on Monday 14 July at 11.30 hrs local time, the Croats will try to take revenge for the 10-9 upset they suffered from Germany during the disappointing 2012 European Championships. Although claiming the Olympic gold medal just 5 months after the 9th-place finish in southern Netherlands, new head coach Ivica Tucak will be looking to guide his team to a similar performance and finish as that from last year when Croatia, in a tense match, held off Italy to take the World Championships bronze medal. And after winning the highly competitive Samartzidis Cup preparation tournament in Greece last week, which included wins over Serbia (8-10), Italy (12-4) and Spain (8-6), the confidence for a good result in Budapest should be there for coach Tucak and his men.
France
European championships appearances: 18 (first in 1927)
Best result (2nd place, 1927)
Standouts: Michaël Bodegas, Mathieu Peisson, Alexandre Camarasa.
Michaël Bodegas receiving the highest goal-scorer award of the 2014 Portugalete (ESP) preparation tournament where France beat hosts Spain 10-9.
Back on track and present at an European 'A' Championship ten years after the last time, but in the same city. Exactly ten years after finishing twelfth at the 2001 edition of the European Championships, the French team is back on the highest podium in Europe with a rejuvenated, promising side. In between? The French participated in three editions of the continent's 'B' championships with a gold medal (2004, Istanbul) and two silver medals (2007, Manchester and 2009, Lugano) as a result. But competing on the highest level always was the objective and things are looking good for French men's water polo with new head coach Florian Bruzzo in his second season leading the French to the Budapest Championships as one of the first significant results. The run through the final tournament for the French also included a qualification phase, only for them that meant three rounds + an additional home-and-away play-off encounter. France steamrolled through it though as one of the favorites to secure participation for Euro 2014 with beating Malta 20-8 and 6-20 in one of the more dominant displays to be seen in the entire play-off round justifying their presence.
One of the more experienced players in the French team is Mathieu Peisson.
That doesn't necessarily mean the French will be up for a good tournament. Unlucky as the returning side is, they are one of the teams drawn in group B where powerhouses and title contenders Croatia, Hungary, Serbia, Spain and Europe's number five Germany will battle for the available four spots in order to advance to the quarter-final round. But knowing the 2001 edition was finished last, avoid that ranking this time could also mark a successful return to Europe's main stage although knowing even that objective will not be an easy task looking at the competitive field the Europeans hold this year. Under the guidance of captain Michaël Bodegas, who experienced a break-through season playing for Italian runners-up Brescia (and staying there for two more years), while knowing the French 'Pro A' league holds a competitive and close group of title contenders, the ingredients to shine in Budapest this summer are there. One of the questions will be how strong the group will come out of the difficult group stage to peak during the play-off phase of the tournament fighting for the best possible ranking.
2014 European Championships
Budapest, Hungary
Men's draw
Group A: Georgia, Greece, Italy, Montenegro, Romania, Russia.
Group B: Croatia, France, Germany, Hungary, Serbia, Spain.
Women's draw
Group A: Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, the Netherlands.
Group B: France, Italy, Russia, Spain.
Programme
Monday, 14 July (men)
11.30: Croatia vs. Germany
13.00: Romania vs. Georgia
14.30: France vs. Serbia
16.00: Montenegro vs. Greece
19.00: Italy vs. Russia
20.30: Spain vs. Hungary
Tuesday, 15 July (men)
11.30: Georgia vs. Greece
13.00: Germany vs. Serbia
14.30: Russia vs. Montenegro
16.00: Romania vs. ITA
19.00: Croatia vs. Spain
20.30: Hungary vs. France
Wednesday, 16 July (women)
13.00: Great Britain vs. Greece
14.30: Italy vs. France
16.00: Russia vs. spain
17.30: Netherlands vs. Hungary
Thursday, 17 July (men)
11.30: Italy vs. Georgia
13.00: France vs. Croatia
14.30: Spain vs. Germany
16.00: Greece vs. Russia
19.00: Montenegro vs. Romania
20.30: Serbia vs. Hungary
Friday, 18 July (women)
13.00: France vs. Spain
14.30: Great Britain vs. Netherlands
16.00: Russia vs. Italy
17.30: Hungary vs. Greece
Saturday, 19 July (men)
11.30: Spain vs. France
13.00: Georgia vs. Russia
14.30: Romania vs. Greece
16.00: Croatia vs. Serbia
19.00: Italy vs. Montenegro
20.30: Germany vs. Hungary
Sunday, 20 July (women)
13.00: Russia vs. France
14.30: Netherlands vs. Greece
16.00: Italy vs. Spain
17.30: Great Britain vs. Hungary
Monday, 21 July (men)
11.30: Montenegro vs. Georgia
13.00: Russia vs. Romania
14.30: France vs. Germany
16.00: Serbia vs. Spain
19.00: Greece vs. Italy
20.30: Hungary vs. Croatia
Tuesday, 22 July (women)
15.00: A4 vs. B4 (7th/8th place)
16.30: A2 vs. B3 - QF1
18.00: B2 vs. A3 - QF2
Wednesday, 23 July (men)
16.00: A5 vs. B6 - QF1
17.30: A6 vs. B5 - QF2
19.00: A2 vs. B3 - QF3
20.30: A3 vs. B2 - QF4
Thursday, 24 July (women)
15.00: LQF1 vs. LQF 2 (5th/6th place)
16.30: WQF1 vs. B1 - SF1
18.00: WQF2 - A1 - SF2
Friday, 25 July (men)
14.30: WQF1 vs. B4 - SF1
16.00: WQF2 vs. A4 - SF2
17.30: LQF1 vs. LQF2 (11th/12th place)
19.00: WQF 3 vs. B1 - SF3
20.30: WQF 4 vs. A1 - SF4
Saturday, 26 July (women)
10.30: LSF1 vs. LSF2 (9th/10th place)
12.00: WSF1 vs. WSF2 (7th/8th place)
13.30: LQF3 vs. LQF4 (5th/6th place)
16.30: LSF3 vs. LSF4 (3rd/4th place)
18.00: WSF3 vs. WSF4 (1st/2nd place)
Sunday, 27 July (men)
18.30: LSF3 vs. LSF4 (3rd/4th place)
20.30: WSF3 vs. WSF4 (1st/2nd place)
N.b.: times mentioned are local time.
European Championships
Previous men's winners:
1926 - Hungary
1927 - Hungary
1931 - Hungary
1934 - Hungary
1938 - Hungary
1947 - Italy
1950 - Netherlands
1954 - Hungary
1958 - Hungary
1962 - Hungary
1966 - Soviet Union
1970 - Soviet Union
1974 - Hungary
1977 - Hungary
1981 - West Germany
1983 - Soviet Union
1985 - Soviet Union
1987 - Soviet Union
1989 - West Germany
1991 - Yugoslavia
1993 - Italy
1995 - Italy
1997 - Hungary
1999 - Hungary
2001 - FR Yugoslavia
2003 - Serbia and Montenegro
2006 - Serbia
2008 - Montenegro
2010 - Croatia
2012 - Serbia
Previous women's winners:
1985 - Netherlands
1987 - Netherlands
1989 - Netherlands
1991 - Hungary
1993 - Netherlands
1995 - Italy
1997 - Italy
1999 - Italy
2001 - Hungary
2003 - Italy
2006 - Russia
2008 - Russia
2010 - Russia
2012 - Italy
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