Having arrived during the off-season, Éric Montagnon, the new coach of the Eagles, reflects on the new season of the Nice club in Ligue A. The championship will begin on October 21st, with a home game against Toulouse.
The Nice Volley Ball team was last seen in its first ever French Cup final, lost last April against Poitiers, and in a disappointing 13th place in the championship. The off-season was quite eventful for the Nice team. It is now Éric Montagnon at the helm of the Eagles. “I arrived late in the summer. The team has potential. That’s also why I accepted the challenge of taking charge of this team,” reveals the coach. He replaces Rafaël Redwitz, who has left the club.
The roster is now complete, but there have been movements in terms of departures and arrivals within the club. The team notably announced the arrival of the libero, Canadian international Lando Currie. Numerous contract extensions have been signed. With the late arrival of Éric Montagnon, it was Alain Griguer, president of Nice Volley Ball, and Fabrice Chalendar, assistant coach, who primarily handled this summer’s transfer window.
In full pre-season preparation
The championship resumes only in mid-October, due to the European volleyball championship, held in August. For Nice, the preparation began on September 1st. “All players start their contracts on this date. We have a month and a half of preparation before the start, which is reasonable in terms of preparation,” thinks Éric Montagnon. Eleven of the twelve players in the squad were present at the start. Only Lando Currie is absent since he is currently representing his national team, Canada.
The pre-season program is busy for the Nice Volley Ball team. They will play three tournaments before the championship returns. The first takes place this weekend (September 30th/October 1st) in Fréjus. Then two more on the following weekends: in Martigues (October 7th and 8th) and in Alès (October 14th and 15th), where the Eagles will face Sète, Montpellier, and Toulouse. Friendly matches will also take place during the week. “We have prioritized playing tournaments away from home. The whole schedule is determined to ensure we are as competitive as possible,” explains the Nice coach.
“Do the best possible work to make the team competitive”
The sports performances in the championship last year did not meet the club’s expectations. The goal is to do better this year: “I will try to do the best possible work to make the team competitive. After that, it also depends on our opponents. I would consider it a bad season without qualifying for the playoffs. That is my goal as a coach,” admits the coach of the Nice Volley Ball. The ambitions are clear and stated: finish in one of the top eight places at the end of the regular season. And thus be able to compete in the playoffs for the 2023/2024 season.
See you on October 21st for the start of the Aiglons’ season at the Salle Giamarchi, with a home game against Toulouse. The kickoff of the 2023/2024 season is scheduled for 7 p.m.
