MADRID, 16 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Real Madrid coach, Chus Mateo, warned this Monday that the Lithuanian Zalgiris Kaunas, the Madridistas’ next rival in the Euroleague this Tuesday (8:45 p.m.), a team that “will force them to be with all five senses on the field,” as that it will be “a tough game” that will require them to “be attentive for 40 minutes.”
“The fact of playing against a team of this intensity will force us to be with all five senses on the field. It will be a tough game and we need to be attentive for 40 minutes,” said the coach in statements shared by the club collected by Europa Press.
Thus, Mateo asked “to keep in mind that the game is not going to be won in the 10th minute,” because it will be “very long.” “We have to be prepared to fight minute by minute. We are going to have to be ready and with a cool head to win the games. There is a high level in the Euroleague. Hopefully we can start well at home,” he said.
“Zalgiris has won its two games, against Red Star and Virtus Bologna, and it will be a match that we will surely have to work until the end. They have many resources, top-level players with experience in the Euroleague. They have centers who can open up , outsiders who play in the low post and good rebound in attack,” he analyzed about his next rival.
Real Madrid arrives undefeated to this third day of the Euroleague, something that gives it “confidence”, since the “good dynamics must be taken advantage of.” “We are playing at a good level and it gives you an indicator of what you can achieve if you do things well. The seasons are difficult, long and hard and the capacity of a team is seen in difficult moments. You have to be prepared for everything, continue attentive and I hope we maintain this level, but many things can happen,” he said.
“You have to keep people fresh so that they perform in the games. The schedule is what it is and we have to adapt. The load of games is not easy. In terms of commitment, attention and effort, I can’t give more than a ten to the team,” he indicated about the rest in a squad that will not be able to count on Alberto Abalde or Carlos Alocén to receive the Lithuanians, while Rudy Fernández “is very possible that he will enter.”