MADRID, 27 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Real Madrid coach, Chus Mateo, described this Thursday as “anecdotal” the fact of “being leaders now” in the Regular Phase of the Euroleague, after beating Barça by a tight 65-64 during matchday 5, “because that is worthless” in a competition that lasts many months and has ups and downs.
“It is anecdotal to be undefeated, it is anecdotal to be leaders now because that is worthless. But it does show that there is a good chemistry between teammates, who every day have the ambition to win. Today, in fact, I would give much more value to a match where, by not playing brilliantly, they played a game as difficult as a Clásico that had become very difficult for us in the first quarter,” Mateo said at a press conference.
“It was a tough game, a difficult game. In a Clásico sometimes you don’t know very well where the shots are going, and this was a different game. We were clear, at least from the beginning, that we had to be patient because “We started very badly. Their first quarter really surprised us; not so much their desire to win, but our anxiety about wanting to win very soon,” he admitted from the WiZink Center.
Despite the gray start to the match, the Madrid coach was happy with the reaction of his pupils. “Then we were able to understand the game better. And I think the second quarter and the third quarter were ours, executing much more calmly and without so much anxiety,” he indicated.
“We have gained a lead of 14 points, which has been reduced because we stopped near the end. But ultimately I think it is very important to have won another game in the Euroleague. We know how difficult it is to beat a team like Barcelona, who had won at Olympiacos, who had won at Partizan and we knew that they were not an easy rival away from home,” Mateo added.
In this sense, the Real Madrid coach stressed that Barça “came undefeated and I think we have understood well afterwards that, even without having a brilliant game and without making great percentages, we have been able to get an important game without success.” “And that also says a lot about the competitive nature of our team, I’m happy,” he added.
“The fact that we haven’t lost yet, for me, remains an anecdote because one day we will lose. But the desire, the ambition, the way of holding on to the games that we have on many occasions, without being today, we have on many occasions, Without today being the most brilliant match for the spectator or for the game that we have been playing, we have been able to take the victory,” he argued again.
“Regardless of whether it is one more victory in the Regular League, we have to continue working and we have to continue improving. This helps us, we have won by one point and it helps us know that we have to do better in these games, which will arise during the season.” Regular League and we have to turn it around in some way, especially by having more patience,” he acknowledged.
On the other hand, Mateo regretted the poor statistics in triples. “I think that percentage of 2 out of 22 has shown a little of the anxiety we had to win the game very soon. That has hurt us when taking certain shots, many times we have not worked on them enough and other times because the opponent “It has led to the end of the possession with contested shots. But I think we can work much better, with our attack as we have been doing,” he predicted in this regard.
Finally, he praised the Cape Verdean center Walter ‘Edy’ Tavares. “He is a spectacular player, who gives us something that no one else gives us. He is the best player for me that we can have on our team. There is no player like ‘Edy’ and I have to be patient enough for him to find sensations soon , without any rush because this is very long,” he noted.
“‘Edy’ is absolutely key for this Real Madrid. We cannot under any circumstances think that ‘Edy’ is not going to be the same as in other years. He is going to be the ‘Edy’ that we know again, he is gaining sensations, he has had a complicated summer because he has been with his national team and he has had to do a different job, he has had to stop due to a respiratory problem and that has surely made him lose his rhythm a little. There is no player for me at the level of ‘Edy’ throughout Europe,” concluded Mateo.