No points scored in the championship in 2010, the statistics speak for themselves. The Nice Volley-Ball team is ranked 12th out of the 16 elite teams. This is respectable for a return to League A, but the mathematical record of this new year is worrying. Last weekend’s derby against AS Cannes (defeat in 4 sets) was indicative of this difficult period. There were positive aspects with one set won easily (25–16), and negative ones (15–25) in the following set, and above all, regrets in the closely contested sets. Nice faltered at moments when victory seemed within reach: 25–27 in the 1st and 22–25 in the 4th sets. Yet, with the support of their fans as seen last Friday, Léonard Baric’s men appear capable of turning around this difficult situation. Opportunities missed for now that need to be seized before the end of the season.
Analysis by Captain Rajko Jokanovic
Regarding the derby: *”We didn’t miss much in the 1st and 4th sets. We made too many direct errors. Perhaps we needed a bit more courage to win. With Cannes, we are neighbors, but there are still many differences.”* For the rest of the season: *”Our goal is to stay up. We have very important matches coming up. At the moment, we are on a losing streak. But there are ten matches left, and it really starts now for us to secure our place.”* The next meeting will be at the Palmeira Hall on February 19th for the match against Montpellier.
