21/07/2014 22:00
Takouridis says Greece is determined to win European League
2014 CEV Volleyball European League - Men
Thessaloniki, Greece, July 21, 2014. On his way back to Greece after shocking pre-favourite Slovenia with an away victory in Maribor that propelled his side into the finals of the 2014 CEV Volleyball European League – Men, 26-year old middle-blocker Ioannis Takouridis (see picture, #13) shares his feelings and emotions ahead of the finals with Montenegro coming up this Wednesday in Thessaloniki and then on Saturday in Budva. “We went there and played the kind of game that you play when you know that you win or die,” he says.
With only two days to go for the first round of the finals with Montenegro, Takouridis adds: “What I just said is true and right now the feeling is even more intense! I can see it in the eyes of my friends and teammates. We are very determined to make it to the end and we do not want to waste the hard work we have done for the last couple of months. We have another two matches to play, a trophy at stake and a door leading to where each of us wants to return, i.e. the World League.”
The player who is a native of Thessaloniki says: “We have set aside the joy and excitement stemming from our victory in Maribor and qualification to the finals. Now we must focus exclusively on the upcoming matches. Just because we made it to the finals doesn’t mean that we have won the trophy. Of course we all think about it and even though we do not talk that much about this, our mind is set on the achievement of this goal.”
Greece and Montenegro will be playing each other once again after they already did it some 20 days ago, sharing one victory each in the last round of the prelims: “Even though the two matches that we are about to play stand apart for their importance since these are finals, I consider the two matches we played in Budva our reference in terms of what we have to do and what we have to avoid. In the first match we were quite relaxed and this resulted into a defeat. In the second we were much focused, determined and in the end we won. Therefore we know how we have to approach the coming matches.”
Takouridis expects many fans to flock to Evosmos sports hall for the first round of the finals coming up on Wednesday in Thessaloniki: “We know that this final is one of the hottest topics in town right now and therefore we expect a crowded house. Such a turnout in our last home match of the season would be a very nice experience. We hope that the fans will come and we will do our best to pay them back with a first-class performance.”
As for the gigantic players from Montenegro, many of whom stand well above 200 cm, Takouridis concludes: “Giants, what kind of giants are you talking about? I do not see any giants! Height in itself does not make sure you win matches and we have proven this in the past as well.”
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