Once again, the championship trophy went back to a foreign coach. Korean Air coach Tommy Tillikainen (36, Finland), who reached the top in the men’s championship match of the’Dodram 2022-2023 V-League’, conquered the V-League again following last season. In addition, this season, including the KOVO Cup, 1st place in the regular league and the championship game, they achieved a ‘treble’ (three crowns). Hyundai Capital coach Choi Tae-woong, who was the opponent in the championship match, made a strong challenge, saying, “I want to build the pride of a domestic coach,” but Korean Air’s walls were only high. 토토사이트
In an interview with Sports Donga ahead of the opening of this season, coach Tillikainen told ‘three reasons to be confident in winning’. He boasted that he was well-prepared mentally as well as skillfully, saying, “The players have very strong internal motivation, everyone is going in one direction, and they study to win even one more ball.” As he evaluated, Korean Air players were well qualified to win. We set goals and we all worked together to achieve them.
As such, coach Tillikainen always put the ‘team’ first. Unlike other teams that are highly dependent on foreign players, Korean Air put emphasis on harmony between foreign and domestic players. The same is true of evenly utilizing the two best setters in Korea. Finding young players such as middle blocker (center) Kim Min-jae and outside hitter (left) Jeong Han-yong and encouraging friendly competition was also a choice for the future of the team. This is the same reason why he always said, “Even if we win, we win together, and even if we lose, we lose together.” He especially emphasized harmony, saying, “In the world’s best teams, players play a role in putting together the team’s puzzle pieces.”
Throughout the season, coach Tillikainen lived with ‘qualitative growth’ in his interviews with reporters. Rather than following the existing method, he pursued something new and aimed at a higher level. He also urged players to perform better every time at every stage, from preparation, training and competition. It was a bit abstract, but that kind of guidance eventually succeeded.
Korean Air won the combined championship for three consecutive seasons, from the 2020-2021 season under coach Roberto Santili (58, Italy) to the coaching system of Tillikainen last season and this season, all borrowing the power of the Gentile command tower. Attention is focusing on whether coach Tillikainen will take the helm again next season.
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