ÖVV head coach Roland Schwab criticizes his team after weak European Championship performance

Criticism of the starting lineup

Schwab described the behavior and attitude of his players as insufficient for the level of a European Championship participant. He made clear that he intends to draw consequences within the team. No specific personnel measures were publicly named at first.

The preliminary round in Brno had already been inconsistent for the Austrian men and women. Points against Montenegro, Bulgaria, and Ukraine would be necessary to keep alive their chances of reaching the knockout stage. With the level of performance shown so far, however, things look tight for the ÖVV team.

Schwab pointed out that the team had all too rarely shown its strengths during the tournament so far. The players are athletically capable of competing at this level, he said, but they are not delivering on that consistently. That is the core of his criticism.

Expectations for the European Championship

The head coach also spoke of a fundamental question of mentality within the squad. He expects every player to regard the European Championship as a stage and to perform accordingly. Whoever gets the spot also has to bear the responsibility.

The background to these severe words is also the level of expectation within the Austrian Volleyball Federation. Participating in a European Championship is regarded as a sporting showcase, and the assessment is correspondingly harsh when the performance falls short of what is possible.

Outlook on the upcoming matches

The next match for the ÖVV team in the European Championship group stage is imminent. Whether Schwab will make personnel changes to the starting lineup, he left open. What is clear is that he intends to seek out the conversation with the players in question.

ÖVV head coach Roland Schwab had repeatedly emphasized recently that the team has the potential to spring a surprise in the group. With the defeat in Brno, however, the chances of advancing to the next round have noticeably diminished.

In his plainly worded criticism, Schwab explicitly referred to the starting formation. The selection of the "Grund-Sechs" had been a deliberate decision, and it was precisely those players who had been disappointing. The conversation about it should take place internally, but the message is clear.