The team of Gas Sales Bluenergy Piacenza has a new head coach. The Italian club announced that Ljubomir Travica took over the position from Andrea Anastasi.

Just a day after Anastasi’s departure by mutual consent was announced, Travica was already leading Gas Sales’ training session on Wednesday afternoon, ahead of the upcoming Italian men’s SuperLega Credem Banca match at Yuasa Battery Grottazzolina on Sunday. The 70-year-old Croatian-born Italian coach returned to the north Italian city two decades after he was at the helm of Copra Piacenza, leading the team to the first place in the 2004-2005 SuperLega regular season and to the eventual bronze.

“I am happy to be back in Piacenza after 20 years!” Travica told gassalespiacenza.it. “It was an unexpected call. I don’t want to talk about the championship, but about getting as far as possible. I believe so much in this team, but that’s not enough. The players have to believe in it too.”

Travica started his professional athletic career as a player of Yugoslavia’s Mladost Zagreb, before moving to Italy in 1983 for the rest of his club career. With Panini Modena, he won the 1985 CEV Cup (the third-tier European club tournament at the time). As a Yugoslavian national team player, Travica participated in the Moscow 1980 Olympic Games and earned bronze at the 1979 CEV European Championship.

Over the years, Ljubo Travica has piled up solid coaching experience. He has been at the helm of club teams from Italy, Greece, Poland, Qatar, Iran, Russia and Tunisia, claiming plenty of domestic trophies in many of these countries, as well as several medals from Asian, African and Arab club championships. During his only period as a national team coach, he guided Serbia & Montenegro to a 2003 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Cup bronze, to a 2005 silver and a 2004 bronze in the FIVB Volleyball World League, and to a 2005 European Championship bronze.

Under Anastasi, Gas Sales Bluenergy Piacenza started the SuperLega season with six consecutive victories, but then gradually dropped in the current standings. After a negative streak of four defeats in a row, they are down to fifth place on 36 points and a 12-8 win-loss ratio.

• Watch the SuperLega on VBTV.

SuperLega Credem Banca 2024-2025 12h leg:
Feb 20, 20:30 local (19:30 UTC): Sonepar Padova Padua v Cucine Lube Civitanova

SuperLega Credem Banca 2024-2025 21st leg:
Feb 22, 20:30 local (19:30 UTC): Cisterna Volley v Allianz Milan
Feb 22, 20:30 local (19:30 UTC): Itas Trentino Trento v Cucine Lube Civitanova
Feb 23, 15:30 local (14:30 UTC): Valsa Group Modena v Gioiella Prisma Taranto
Feb 23, 18:00 local (17:00 UTC): Sir Susa Vim Perugia v Mint Vero Volley Monza
Feb 23, 19:30 local (18:30 UTC): Yuasa Battery Grottazzolina v Gas Sales Bluenergy Piacenza
Feb 23, 20:30 local (19:30 UTC): Rana Verona v Sonepar Padova Padua

SuperLega Credem Banca 2024-2025 schedule and results

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