Hope is slim.
Tiny even, if we only take into account the result of the first two acts of these quarter-finals of Ligue A which are played in the best of five rounds.
Last weekend, Paris Volley was swept away, crushed 3-1 then 3-0 in Montpellier during the first two play-off matches.
"A real slap", as Benjamin Diez says.
But once the disappointment and frustration have been digested, the Parisian libero believes in the reaction of his people this Thursday (8 p.m., Charpy room) during match 3. History of not seeing the adventure of two seasons with Paris Volleyball stop abruptly and prematurely.
At the end of the contract with the capital club, the 24-year-old French international should indeed take the direction of Tours at the start of the school year.
What is your state of mind before returning to Montpellier?
BENJAMIN DIEZ.
We did not expect to suffer such a slap.
We were in a good dynamic before starting these play-offs.
We had taken 9 points out of 9 possible, we were playing well, we even beat Montpellier in three sets at home on the last day of the regular season.
We were fired up, full of confidence.
And there it is like a terrible step back.
We didn't play very well.
But you have to put all that aside.
We no longer have a choice, it's the last chance match for us.
If we lose, it's over, if we win we give ourselves the right to still believe in it.
We are all determined.
I am convinced that we will be able to approach this match in a much better way than in Montpellier.
We are at home, it will be a strength.
We hope to find our game at the same time as our room.
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How do you explain these defeats?
They put our heads under water and we couldn't get them out.
It's frustrating, because we really thought we'd come back with at least one victory.
But they suffocated us and we couldn't hope for anything else.
With what we showed we couldn't win.
Does Paris have sufficient arguments to reverse this situation?
Sure.
We took two slaps, it hurts, but now we are warned and back to the wall.
We will do everything to continue the series.
We beat them in the league, we showed we could do it, there's no reason we can't do it again.
We don't forget that Montpellier finished 3rd and that we don't have a big budget - if I'm not talking nonsense, ours is even lower than that of Saint-Nazaire (
leader in Ligue B
).
Despite everything, we finished in 6th place, behind the big teams and ahead of some who had ambitions.
It's already a good season if we take into account our means but we don't want to be satisfied with it.
At the start of the season we announced that we wanted to qualify for the play-offs, but now that we're there, we don't want to stop so soon.
We would like to taste a semi-final or the final…
Read also“We wanted a real life as a couple”: how the “volleyball lovers” Guillermo and Majo made their nest in Paris
Especially since in case of defeat this Thursday, it would be your last match with Paris…
Yes, but that doesn't play into my approach to the game except that it increases my desire to do well tenfold.
If this is going to be my last match with the Paris Volley jersey, then I might as well put on a big performance.
But what is at stake in the match is more important than me.
I especially hope that it will not be the last and that we will meet again
on Saturday (for match 4
).
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What do you remember from these two years in Paris?
Paris is a prestigious club in France which has a great history and which is trying to regain its place in the national hierarchy.
I learned a lot, I'm happy to have worn this jersey.
It's been two good years.
But it's not over, we can still achieve the feat.
You are one of the few players to pursue studies alongside your career…
Yes I have a bac + 2 and I am pursuing a bachelor's degree in marketing.
I have the advantage of taking my time because I have a suitable schedule but I consider it important to study, to have something else besides volleyball.
Especially in Paris where you can easily enjoy life.
My studies allow and oblige me to remain serious on a daily basis.
