"What was most lacking last season was..." Hyundai Capital's master coach reveals the team's weakness himself — can 205-cm Chinese powerhouse Zhang Chuan solve it?

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Philip Blang (66), head coach of the men's professional volleyball team Hyundai Capital Skywalkers, has called for even more powerful blocking in his bid to reclaim the top spot. Despite finishing first in team blocking last season, he identified blocking as an area that needs improvement. The player expected to be a new solution is Zhang Chuan (32), a former member of the Chinese national team.

Hyundai Capital was a team that left much to be desired last season. After achieving a treble by winning the Cup tournament, regular league, and championship finals in the 2024~2025 season, Hyundai Capital aimed for its second consecutive overall title in the 2025~2026 season.

However, they finished second in the regular league and bowed to Korean Air in the championship finals. In particular, despite falling behind with two losses early in the championship finals, they won both the third and fourth matches at home by a score of 3-0, dragging the series to a decisive fifth match, but lost the final game 1-3, settling for the runner-up position.

That said, Hyundai Capital's performance last season was not poor. In particular, their blocking was at the highest level in the league. They recorded an average of 2.617 blocks per set, ranking first among the seven men's teams.

Even so, Coach Blang remained unsatisfied. Speaking at a recent media day, he stated, "Compared to last season, I believe blocking is the area we need to develop the most," adding, "This season, we will strive to further develop our blocking ability and perform more efficient blocks."

Zhang Chuan sits at the center of the changes Hyundai Capital expects in the new season. The team retained existing key players such as Leonardo Reiva (36, registered name Leo) and Heo Soo-bong (28) while newly signing Zhang Chuan under the Asian quota.

Born in 1994, Zhang Chuan is a tall opposite spiker standing 205 cm tall. He played for the Chinese national team and won the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award three times in his domestic league during the 2016~2017, 2017~2018, and 2020~2021 seasons. From 2022 to 2024, he also played for Hiroshima in Japan, gaining overseas experience.

His connection with Hyundai Capital is not new either. Last May, he signed a short-term contract to wear the Hyundai Capital jersey at the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Men's Champions League. After assessing his skills at the time, the club concluded a formal Asian quota contract in July of last year.

Coach Blang also expressed high expectations for Zhang Chuan's abilities. "Zhang Chuan is a player with exceptional jumping power. His side-out ability is also very good," he said. "Because his jumping power is excellent, I expect him to show strong performance in blocking as well."

He added, "He has overseas league experience because he played not only in China but also for Hiroshima in Japan." He continued, "When I spoke with Zhang Chuan, he was very happy to join the Korean league and take on a new challenge with Hyundai Capital."

He also specifically explained the background of the signing. "Last season, we lacked experience in the opposite position. That is one of the reasons we signed Zhang Chuan," Coach Blang said. "Zhang Chuan is a player with rich experience in that position. I believe he can bring something new to our team."

Of course, the arrival of a new player does not immediately mean a completed roster. Zhang Chuan was unable to spend sufficient time with his Hyundai Capital teammates due to his schedule with the Chinese national team.

Hyundai Capital also faced difficulties in its off-season preparation. They had to conduct training with six key players absent, including five players called up to the Korean national team and Zhang Chuan, who was playing for the Chinese national team. "It was difficult to prepare the entire team because many players were called up to national teams," Coach Blang explained. "We focused on developing young players and ensuring that all remaining players could be of help to the team when needed during the season."

Zhang Chuan's adaptation is also an important task. "Now, what we need to do is help Zhang Chuan integrate well into the team," Coach Blang said. "We will have to see how high a level he can reach with our team. However, I am confident that his motivation to become part of the team is very strong."

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original