What better introduction to give to Felipe Perrone than to say he is the Total Player 2018. Find out more about his expectations for this World Championship.
Can you give us a brief overview of your group?
New Zealand is investing in foreign trainers – for example, Salvador Gomez is now working there. But their level depends on the time they had for preparations and number of international games they had before the World Championships. The same thing applies to South Africa.
Hungary is playing amazing water polo, and considering their last results, they are a serious candidate to win the title. And they have Denes Varga, who is playing just beautiful water polo.
What is Spain’s goal at this World Championship?
Our goal is to fight for the medals and to qualify for the Olympics. But it will be very difficult since there are 8-9 teams who have “medal quality”. Spain missed the World Championship in Kazan 2015 and we finished 9th in Budapest 2017, so it is an important moment for our water polo to achieve a good result in Gwangju.
You and your teammates looked very tired in Belgrade. Is it possible to “recharge” your strength for the World Championship?
I think we were the team with the most players that participated on Final Eight in Hannover. It was obvious that we couldn’t play our best water polo. For us, it is very important to be well prepared, because our game is very dynamic, with lots of movement. We worked very hard, 3 times a day, to try to be at our best for the World Championship.
Is there some segment of the game you need to improve for the tournament?
I think that the new rules are a big revolution in water polo. The game is more dynamic which is good for us 🙂 but there are much more exclusions, so we need to improve our vertical game and power play to be fully prepared.
In your opinion, who is your favorite for the gold medal?
I think Croatia is the favorite. They have the best center in the world, best goalkeeper, best defenders, Fatovic, Vukicevic… amazing team. Hungary is close, but I think Croatia has the best chance to take the title.
Who are the underdogs who could surprise at this World Championship?
Considering the new rules, Australia with Younger and Keyes is playing fantastic water polo. Also, the USA can be a big surprise. It will be very difficult to stop players like Cupido.
For more information about the Water Polo World Championship in Gwangju 2019 visit our tournament page or follow our social media channels – Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
