A few days after the official announcement, Rana Verona officially presented Axel Truhtchev, one of the latest additions to the summer market to join the band department for the 2023/2024 SuperLega season. In the press conference, Verona sporting director Gian Andrea Marchesi explained the reasons for choosing to focus on the French spiker, before giving the floor to Truhtchev himself.
These are the words of sporting director Marchesi: “Axel is a player we’ve been following for a long time; we had the first contacts a few years ago. From then on there has always been constant contact and now he has finally arrived in Verona. He has proven to be a great fighter and that’s what Rana Verona is looking for: players who are lions on the pitch. He is a very physical and powerful athlete. He won the last Bulgarian championship and was named MVP. For us he represents a great acquisition and I wish him a good job here in Verona”.
“As a structure we are at 95% – the sporting director of Verona pointed out – We are defining a couple of positions; that of the free is certainly the most delicate. We are in the finishing straight. We are very happy with what we have done; we managed to bring the players we wanted to Verona. One of the central elements is certainly being combative on the pitch. With the arrival of the new ones this element will be even more evident. Opposite department? We are still defining everything. During the season we will see how we play, we will see it at the right time. At the moment we cannot say. We have a very large roster with many possibilities to vary”.
Subsequently, the new spiker from Verona intervened: “There are many expectations because I think it’s a great opportunity for me. We met two years ago and this year we finally reached an agreement. I have known Rado (Stoytchev, ed) for two years and some players who have had the opportunity to be coached by him. I am happy to have this opportunity to work with him. There is a big difference between the Bulgarian and Italian championships. In Bulgaria there are 5/6 teams that compete at a high level and the others play at a lower level; in France the situation was very similar. In Italy there are the best players in the world and that’s why I chose this league.”
The French hammer then continued: “I think my best feature is my mind: I know how to fight. I really like anything that has to do with aggression, like blocking and attacking. I think my best quality in volleyball is strength, but I also really like defending. I didn’t mention the serve, but it’s still an aggressive component. One aspect that matters a lot to me is knowing how to alternate serve. I like to vary so as not to give reference points. I like it because during the service everyone looks at you and you have to try not to make mistakes. This is a young team and we have to work a lot on service, there is great potential to grow and improve. Thanks to the work with the coach, the team will definitely improve”.
“I have known Zanotti for two years and we are friends having remained in contact – continued Truhtchev – I then know Grozdanov, but only by sight. I can’t wait for the others to arrive to meet them. Yesterday I went to Verona for the first time with my mother and it is a beautiful city. There are many shops and it was very nice to visit even if for a short time. I don’t know anything about the neighborhood but I think it’s a city where I can feel at ease. I was stopped by a family who wished me a good season, I’m not sure they recognized me but I didn’t expect it (laughs, ed)”.
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