BARCELONA, 9 Dic. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Barça coach Sarunas Jasikevicius said he was not entirely satisfied with his team’s game and, on the eve of the Clásico against Real Madrid in the Euroleague, he wants his players to take a step forward despite the significant casualties they drag. .
“I am not happy with how we are playing. We are there, yes, there are casualties and some people have not had long periods of playing well. I think that Madrid will improve throughout the season. I think we can improve,” he said at a press conference.
In this sense, he stressed that they have “a lot of room for improvement.” “There have been casualties, a demanding schedule with double games out, and I think we are going to improve. I don’t know if we are the two best (Barça and Madrid, at the moment), CSKA or Efes are there,” he valued.
Anyway, he wants to win a Classic that is always “special”. “It is a game of many emotions that will have to be controlled. The first thing is to fight for every centimeter on the court, win the balls 50-50, and if we manage to do this we can talk about how to attack them,” he argued.
“We have to play our game, but first we have to fight for every inch and for those divided balls that give you extra possessions, that’s what nobody ever talks about but they are the most important,” specified the Blaugrana coach.
Jasikevicius is clear about what he can influence to win the game, and what not. “You cannot control the casualties and not being all together influences. At the level of improvement, we can improve in all aspects but especially in that some players took a step forward last year and not this year. Sometimes the second year is more complicated, “he acknowledged.
“Playing at home does not make you a favorite. I prefer to play at the Palau with our people but I don’t know if it makes us favorites. On Friday we played with a beastly atmosphere in Istanbul and we won. I always prefer to play at home, but on the court there are five against 5. Although sometimes the coach enters the court to do his things, too, “he said in a relaxed tone.
Regarding the rival, he believes that this Real Madrid is “quite constant” in what it does. “Their plays are similar to last year. He’s playing at a higher pace, more counterattack perhaps, but the keys are the same; they are very good at pick & roll and rebound defense, very good on outside lines. They are capable of always coming back. to a game and win it “, he valued.
On the other hand, on the arrival of the Australian Dante Exum until February 28, he assured that they will have to wait to know how much he will be able to contribute. “He has had a good training session, with many physical tests. Yesterday he did a first training session and we will see what he can give us, it is too early to speak,” he said.
An Exum that comes to cover, above all, the loss of Cory Higgins, who has in mind to be in the Copa del Rey. “The key date is the Cup, we are waiting for Cory who is pulling conservative treatment to see if he can compete in a couple of weeks. He is improving something and he is happy with his treatment,” he said.
But those losses of Abrines, Higgins and Calathes give the young people a chance. “In general, our idea is to rotate a lot and give everyone opportunities. Unfortunately for some, good luck comes for others, sometimes. This will help us in the future, because the boys are training hours with people from the first team and it is very important for them and they are surely improving “, he valued.