TEHRAN - Iran national volleyball team have done a great job in the 2021 FIVB Volleyball Men's Nations League (VNL), according to Iranian coach Mostafa Karkhaneh.

After two defeats against Japan and Russia, the Iranian side grabbed four consecutive wins and jumped up in the standing.

Karkhaneh has been so impressed with the work done by the Russian head coach, Vladimir Alekno, in Iran national team during his brief stint.

“In my opinion, we have been great so far. There were some reasons behind the two defeats of our national team at the start of the tournament. First of all, the players had not played along with each other for more than two years. Second, the coach was not familiar enough with the team and the players. Moreover, Saeid Marouf’s absence was a shock for the national team, and it caused kind of tactical incoherence in the team,” Karkhaneh said.

“Unfortunately, our first game was against Japan who are a team to beat. Also, the second match was against Russia, who have brought all of their best players and are the second team in the world ranking.

“However, at the third game, the Iranian team changed in the best way possible. In my eyes, the secret of this success lies in the harmony, cohesion, calmness, and the way Vladimir Alekno treats his players.

“Along with being a good man-manager, Alekno is a clever tactician. He is a great and influential coach. The names are not important for him. He tries different squads as well as different systems in every match. He set his goals before the tournaments and explained clearly that he sought to gain a deeper understanding of the team for the Olympic Games,” Karkhaneh added.

It will not be an easy Week 3 for Iran, who are to face the U.S., Serbia, and Germany. The Persians defeated the Bulgarian team in straight sets (25-20, 33-31, 25-22) in Rimini, Italy, in the last match of Week 2.

“From the three opponents of Week 3, I think Serbia are the best, and they will cause us the most trouble. Alekno instills a winning spirit in our players and wants them to get used to winning. Young players such as Bardia Saadat, Saber Kazemi, Arman Salehi, Amirhossein Esfandiar, and Meysam Rahmani have all done extraordinary so far, and their confidence has increased,” Karkahneh concluded.