On the eve of an important match against a direct competitor (Nantes), the players of Nice Volley Ball are calmly preparing for a second half of the season that promises to be challenging. Slobodan Lozencic, the Nice coach, offers a candid assessment of the start of the season and shares his hopes for the rest of the season. Interview.
Slobodan Lozencic, the Nice team is currently eleventh in Ligue A with 18 points in 15 matches of the championship. How do you assess this first part of the season?
There is always room for improvement. Last year, NVB had an outstanding run, notably thanks to Alex Damiao. At the start of this season, his unavailability due to injury hurt us. We thus had a rather minimal first half (6 wins and 9 losses). Alex plays an extremely important role on the team. In fact, in all teams, the “opposite” position is crucial.
What can be expected from this second half of the season?
The second half will be of utmost importance for us. It will be another battle. The hope of qualifying for the playoffs is not completely lost. We are only three points away from the eighth and final qualifying spot. However, my priority is for my team to gain tranquility, to play the games without pressure to ensure we maintain our position first and foremost. As for the French Cup, the goal is to go as far as possible, to enjoy it as much as possible. It’s a special competition. We don’t have a specific objective.
There seems to be a kind of temporary anxiety in each performance from your team. Could it be due to a lack of concentration?
We still haven’t managed to finish matches effectively. Last Tuesday, against Sète in the French Cup, we once again had a drop in performance after the first two sets. Fortunately, the team was able to recover in the fifth set to win. However, we cannot attribute this dip to a lack of concentration. I believe it is more about a physical reason. We do not yet have enough energy to dominate our opponents for three consecutive sets. But what’s encouraging is that I have seen a fighting spirit and aggressiveness, right from the start of the match. That’s promising.
This highlights the importance of the next match against Nantes on Friday night…
Surely, a victory against Nantes on Friday night would be a step closer to securing our position. That’s why my players need to be warriors on the Palmeira court. The Nantes team plays a game very similar to that of Sète, very fast. Thus, the key to the match will likely be to disrupt them with aggressive serving. Fortunately, the squad is complete. Only Freddy Saelens is uncertain. He is dealing with back issues. But the main lineup is set, and the versatility of the captain Rémy Kraska will be an additional asset against Nantes and, in the longer term, in tackling the second half of the season.
