Chus Mateo and Alberto Abalde have spoken in the Real Madrid media about this Thursday’s game in Berlin against Alba (20:00, Dazn)from matchday 19 of the Euroleague, where the white team arrives after stringing together three victories: Red Star on Tuesday, Gran Canaria on Sunday and Maccabi the previous Friday, Three Kings Day.
The Madrid coach analyzes Alba: “Is a totally different team to the Red Star, who plays very quickly, with many possessions and the one who shoots the most from three points. He has been playing at a high level and the classification does not reflect his danger. In basketball, rebounding is always one of the keys. In general, we are good in that aspect, but we have to be very attentive because they are also a good rebounding team. They are athletic and they run. We will have to take care of several aspects to win”.
“Since the beginning of the season we have been trying to play a collective game where the strength comes from the team and not from individuals. Everyone is contributing a lot, those who play more and those who play less. We have a long squad and the important thing is that the team is a bit like the power of Real Madrid”.
Abalde: “The level of many teams has risen”
Alberto Abalde had a good performance on Tuesday in Belgrade, especially in defense, marking Nemanja Nedovic. He now faces another challenge in Berlin: “It will be another tough match. We know we have an intense week. On Tuesday we took the first step, but it will be another difficult match against a team that is doing things well, having just beaten Milan at home and we will have to do a good job to get the win. Wins give you momentum and confidence, and help you keep growing and improving. We are happy but aware that each game is different, a new challenge and a different approach, and we must keep adding”.
For the Galician forward, the most important thing is “to be good at things in which Madrid is strong”. “Defense and rebounding are always key for us. When we dominate them and we are solid there, it gives us a lot of consistency and allows us to play our game in attack. The level of many teams has risen and winning away from home is very difficult”.