MADRID, 5 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The coach of Real Madrid, Chus Mateo, valued the Euroleague as “one of the toughest competitions that exist in collective sport today” and in which they debut this Thursday against Panathinaikos, whom he sees as “a new team” and with the that you have to be careful because “there are certain things that are presupposed when you go to play in Athens”.
“We started a very tough competition, which deserves a lot of respect for everyone. You have to add victories and position yourself well to have a field advantage in a ‘playoff’ that allows you to access a ‘Final Four’. I think it is one of the toughest competitions that currently exist in collective sport”, declared the coach at the press conference prior to the continental premiere.
Chus Mateo acknowledged that the whites are “excited” because, despite the fact that they haven’t been together “for a long time”, they have a good “line of work”. “The Euroleague is a very attractive competition for everyone, for us and for the spectator and we are excited”, he commented.
The coach is facing his first Euroleague as head coach of Real Madrid, after taking over from Pablo Laso. “I never had an idea of what this position was, only from the position of assistant. Now you live it in the first person, you see the responsibility that falls on the coach and the only thing I intend is to do things day by day”, he explained. .
“I understand that the season is long and that neither the victories have to drive you crazy nor any defeat should cloud our work. It is a bit of a philosophy to understand it, and really ‘a priori’ I never made up my mind that it could happen this, so I’m living a situation that I try to handle on a daily basis,” Mateo said.
Ahead of the match, the coach confirmed that “the players are the same” as in the last duel against Obradoiro”, so you can’t expect to see the team “do many different things”. wait when you are Real Madrid and you play away from home, obviously it is sweet for the teams to beat us at home”, he stated.
Both Eli Ndiaye and Hugo González will be with the team and, although he cannot predict when, the coach assures that “they will have their opportunities”. “One is going to be part of the team for the whole year, which is Eli (Ndiaye), he is very young, and Hugo (González) is new blood and they are inexperienced players, but good players.”
To win in Greece, Chus Mateo highlights the need to “be able to take more care of the ball”, because “there is no margin for error there”. You know that if you don’t play well you have more chances to lose,” he pointed out.
“We have seen a new Panathinaikos, which incorporates players who have been in the European Championship, which has an illusion because it builds a new team, with some players who have remained since last year, as in the case of Papagiannis, who were very important”, the technician commented.
“THERE ARE CERTAIN THINGS THAT ARE ASSUMED TO GO TO PLAY IN ATHENS”
Despite not having been able to see much of the Greeks at the time of the season, Chus Mateo stressed that “there are certain things that are presupposed to go to play in Athens” and that “you have to be focused.” “We know how Panathinaikos plays at home, the drive, the defensive activity that they can show at a given moment, because they are a tough team, they have also changed their coach and we are going to see how they breathe”, he deepened.
The coach confirmed that, although “Abalde is beginning to be part of the training”, he is still “going little by little” and is “with his recovery” and in the process of integrating “into the dynamics of the team”. He will also be without the injured Adam Hanga and Rudy Fernández, as well as the long-term injured Alocén, Williams-Goss and Anthony Randolph.
On the loss of Rudy Fernández in defense, he valued it as “a very important issue.” “Not only Rudy, Adam Hanga is also out, Williams-Goss also defends well, Carlos Alocén, all those who are out. Rudy for being who he is and everything he has done in the European obviously upsets you a lot, but there is no to consider who is and who is not, we have a squad long enough to face all the games”, he declared.
The coach also spoke about the rumors about a possible signing of Facundo Campazzo, although he announced that “there is no news”. “Campazzo is not a Madrid player, I don’t know if he will be in the future, I prefer to talk about those who are training,” he said.