IL`AZERO: 03/15/11

Mon, Mar 14, 2011

In case you didn’t know, the Final Four of the Champions League is less than 6 days away and will be held in the beautiful city of Istanbul. Turkey’s very own Fenerbahce Acibadem will play against another Turkish team, Vakifbank, while Italy’s Scavolini Pesaro will face Rabita Baku from Azerbaijan in the other semifinal match.

Some of the world’s best and most famous players are on the four teams, so we decided to have this special feature called “Face-Off” prior to the event.

Our first Face-Off contenders are 2 of Europe’s biggest bangers: Manon Flier (NED) andNatalya Mammadova (AZE).

In our opinion, Manon Flier is by far the most popular female player The Netherlands has ever produced. The opposite hitter is known for her looks and her skills. When she plays for the Dutch national team, Manon gets the most sets and 99% of the time ends up as the best scorer for her team.

Manon has accomplished a few “Best Scorer”, “Best Server” and “MVP” awards since her national team debut in 2001:

2007 FIVB World Grand Prix “Most Valuable Player”
2009 FIVB World Grand Prix “Best Scorer”
2009 FIVB World Grand Prix “Best Server”
2009 European Championships “Most Valuable Player”

Manon’s portfolio is not just about individual awards but also team titles which includes winning the GOLD in the 2007 World Grand Prix as well as a silver medal finish in the 2009 European Championships.

Flier joined Scavolini Pesaro for the first time this season and has been the team’s most reliable scorer.

STRENGTHS:

Aside from her thunder-like jump serves, Manon’s float serve is also very efficient.
She can hit anywhere on the court!
Great fighting spirit.
At 1.92 meters, Manon can block.
She can also set when the setter takes the first ball (she did a lot of setting at the 2010 World Championship).
Experience: Manon has played in a lot of international tournaments for The Netherlands.

WEAKNESSES:

Defense.
The pressure is on Manon without Hooker to help her. Pesaro is going through a lot of drama since Hooker’s departure and might have affected the team personally and professionally. Take note, this is Pesaro’s first trip to the Final Four of the Champions League so there’s a lot of pressure and excitement building up.

Flier becomes the sole effective weapon now that Hooker is gone. We expect her to get almost every set from Ferretti against Rabita Baku who is the home team of the greatNatalya Mammadova…

Set her the ball! Set Natalya the ball! Set her the ball and she will kill it!

Natalya Mammadova has played in a lot of European tournaments but the rest of the world hasn’t seen much of her greatness except when Azerbaijan competed in the 2006 World Grand Prix and 2006 World Championship,She is a BIG star in European Volleyball. Whenever she plays in a tournament, we already expect her to win the “Best Scorer” award. In our opinion, no one else from the Azerbaijan National Team can hit and score like her. She is just GREAT! A complete offensive package who always seems to be having a great time blasting balls from the front row and the back row.

Aside from her “Best Scorer” award from the 2006 World Grand Prix, Mamma was awarded as the “Best Scorer” of the Champions League for 3 consecutive years: 2004, 2005, 2006. She was named as Europe’s Best Player in 2007. Mamma has stated that she has enough individual awards already and this time she wants to win the Champions League – which is possible.

STRENGTHS:

Mamma is a very powerful and smart hitter.
Jump serves.
1.95 cm, she can block.
Unlike Flier, she plays outside and passes for her team.
She is reliable! She’s used to it!

WEAKNESSES:

Defense
Limited international experience with Azerbaijan.
When Mamma is having a bad day, her team’s chances of winning is very small.

Manon and Natalya are amazing players and they contribute a lot as in A LOT to their team’s success with their respective national and professional club teams. They’ve made names for themselves through hard work and dedication. These women possess great fighting spirits which their fans appreciate and adore.

FACE-OFF VERDICT: After analyzing each player’s strengths and weaknesses and also their respective club teams, the WINNER of this Face-Off is NATALYA MAMMADOVA!

Why Mammadova? Rabita Baku also has other great hitters, ie Kim Glass & Sanja Starovic, together with 2 talented middles, Nataša Krsmanović & Mira Golubović. The presence of these players will allow Mammadova to focus on her role and execute a more effective game. She will not bear the same level of pressure that Flier has on her shoulders now that Hooker is gone. We strongly believe if you play a match with less pressure, there’s a bigger chance that your efficiency will also be higher. In addition to this, Mammadova will not be physically exhausted & can maintain her level because of her strong support system.

As for Flier, let’s face it Flier is Pesaro’s ONLY effective hitter. We don’t know who will replace Hooker but Flier has been the team’s effective weapon. Pesaro’s outside hitter, Senna Usic, really needs to step up her game and support Manon. Pesaro is not a great passing team and so they rarely utilize their middles which is a big minus.

WATCH: Natalya Mammadova in action!

Thanks to our GREAT friend Ace Asas from www.volleywood.net