From the special reporter "Vijesti"
What is the true face of the Montenegrin water polo players at this moment - the edition in the matches against Greece and Italy, which ended in unfortunate defeats on five-pointers, or the duel with the United States of America when all the good things simply disappeared?
The real truth is probably somewhere in the middle, no one can argue with the "sharks" that they have a certain quality or a huge desire, but the reality is certainly painful - no matter how you look at it, there was no result and it happens continuously.
For four and a half years, Montenegro has not seen the semi-finals, only once during that time was it close - last year at the World Championship in Fukuoka, when it was defeated by Greece in an exciting quarter-final duel.
Now is the time to reopen many questions and it simply has to be (Vladimir Gojković his contract expires this year and the question is whether he will remain as a coach), although relegation in the group at the Olympic Games is not a disaster in itself if you know who finished ahead of our national team in the standings. It must be said again - that is reality.
Because everything that has happened has already been seen - there is no progress, nor can it be noticed that this generation has turned talent into quality, nor has it gained experience in learning how to get out of problems when it is not strong enough to avoid them.
It is true that the "hole" in the game was less in Paris than in some earlier competitions, and then there was a match with the Americans in which there was nothing positive that could offer optimism for the next period. For the first time, Montenegro will not play in the knockout phase of a major competition, and the trend is such that there is a real fear that this may happen to them more often. This happens to teams that stagnate while others grow rapidly. In Paris, for example, Australia showed great progress, tomorrow it could happen that Japan, Romania or someone else will play...
The editions of Montenegro are also repeated in duels with objectively better teams or teams of similar quality. The selection of the United States of America, which dominantly defeated Gojković's team, is exactly of such an approximate level - as Spain, Italy, and even Greece have done in recent years...
This generation of Montenegrin water polo players is simply not ready to make a breakthrough, that's why they are far from fighting for a medal, and that's why this time a team that has no reason to be afraid of - USA, whose coach Dejan Udovicic after the triumph over the "sharks" unapologetically told them to go for the medal.
The conclusion is that the "Yankees" in Paris timed their form better than our national team, because months ago it was clear that - if there are no big surprises - the match between the Americans and the Montenegrins should be crucial for reaching the quarterfinals. And he was, and Montenegro was not ready for that kind of pressure, especially after the stressful clashes with the Greeks and Italians who seemed to create a false image for everyone.
Two days ago, the "sharks" were not ready either physically or mentally, because a team that knows what it wants cannot and must not look like that in the water in a duel that is to be or not to be among the eight best at the Olympic Games. How did it happen against the team with which the Montenegrin national team sparred in Los Angeles this summer, against whom it played before at the World Cup and which it knows perfectly well - that is a question that the selector probably asked himself at one point.
Montenegro has a young national team, both in terms of seniority and age, and there is definitely room for improvement, but time passes - and progress is not visible. Few people believe that it is possible anymore, because it is clear that this team (13 of them with three or four other guys who are candidates to go to major competitions) has limits that, together with the legendary ace on the bench, can hardly be overcome.
Romania for farewell, Vidović: This is sport, it's not the end of the world
Our water polo player has one more match at the Olympic tournament - tonight at 21.40:XNUMX he plays with Romania and wants to win before returning from Paris.
The "Sharks" had a day off yesterday, which shows enough how much they care about the duel with the Romanians, but when they have to play it - they are expected to solve it in their favor.
- Before the match with the Americans, we had three very difficult games. I think we showed great games, the right approach and that we have the quality to play with the best teams. It remains a pity that we did not emerge from those matches with at least one victory. Probably, such a schedule and results consumed us physically and emotionally. When it was needed the most, we were not the right ones - said Stefan Vidović.
The disappointment is evident.
- We played the last match below our capabilities. I was also sent off too harshly... Surely that also affected the team, reduced the rotation and made the job more difficult in an attempt to return with results. Before the start of the tournament, I felt that we could play with everyone, as the tournament progressed, that feeling grew stronger, but we couldn't make it to the quarterfinals - said Vidović and concluded:
- This time it turned out like that - it's not the end of the world, after all, this is sport, and it's the hardest for us because only we know what we sacrificed to get here. I hope that we will be smart and learn from everything and that we will do better in the next competition. I am proud of this team and know that the real things are yet to come.
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