Chus Mateo spoke to the media before receiving Barça in the Euroleague this Thursday (7:00 p.m., Dazn), a Clásico that has been brought forward one hour and 45 minutes so as not to coincide with the soccer cup derby at the Bernabéu. A situation that the coach believes will not affect the game. Whites and Barcelona share the lead along with Olympiacos and Fenerbahçe, all with a 13-7 record in the closest Euroleague ever. Madrid will have Williams-Goss in the base position, also with El Chacho. Neither of them was last Friday in the defeat in Piraeuswhen the direction was left in the hands of Llull and Hanga. Abalde (ankle sprain) remains the only casualtyso Mateo has 14 players, including youth player Ndiaye, and will have to make two discards. “We seek a relative wow factor now and we try to refine for the futurebecause I think we are on track to meet later.
The significance of the Classic. “It is still a regular phase match with relative importance, but a Clásico is always a Clásico. Many people like this game because it is special, because of the historical rivalry, but if we are cold, it is still just another game in the regular season. We play at home and winning it would put us very well in the standings. Barça is an extraordinary team of great quality, but we have an even level”.
Can the time change affect? “I would not give more importance to this. The people who are on the field are going to give their all and they are going to have a great atmosphere at WiZink. I don’t think it’s so important now that the schedule has been changed because we’re focused on playing”.
psychic importance. “It is important because it is one more game and all the games count. But in recent seasons it has happened that we were winning and then we lost the title and vice versa. Last year we lost, I think I remember, five in a row against them after winning the Super Cup and then we were able to turn it around. Sometimes there is a click and the emotional factor counts and everything looks different, but it doesn’t have to. There is a balance of forces and every match we play will be contested. I don’t think that a victory or defeat now is important in the future of the titles. The important thing is that we improve things that we didn’t do so well in previous games”.
Tactics and details for the future. “Throughout the season there are a few games with a certain rival and you refine the game plan. You see things and think about using them later, as Jasikevicius will. You are looking for a relative surprise factor now and you are trying to refine it for the future, because I believe that we are destined to meet later. The match is of course important and the emotional factor too, but it’s still a regular league match”.
Keys and improvements from the previous Classic. “It is not just a matter of collective work, but of understanding how these games are won. And that happens by equaling or exceeding the energy level that we have in front of us. Three weeks ago, Barcelona beat us to the rebound. That aspect is key. If we don’t match the physical level of Barcelona, you can’t reach the level you want. We have emphasized rebounding, one-on-one, balance, defense of the pick and roll… Many aspects have to be assessed”.
An injured. “Only Abalde (ankle sprain) is low and will not be among the twelve (Williams-Goss returns)”.
The base position and its evolution in the team. “We have pure bases and others that can act there, there are several variables to take into account. What we have tried so far is that everyone is available and ready to be used, we try not to leave anyone out, that everyone can participate, although some with more and others with less prominence. We want them to be alive to choose the most suitable players to play at the given moment depending on the type of game. We’re talking about the point guard, but Llull and Hanga can act as wingers, maybe in certain situations you can have a winger left over; Deck and Hezonja can also do the position of four. All this must be handled in a long template, nit-picking. Those who participate do so with the intention of helping the team and if someone is left out, they will participate another day. So far, there have been no problems. The squad allows you licences, but you have to close the team to find out who is going to play at a certain time”.