MADRID, 28 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Real Madrid basketball coach, Chus Mateo, made it clear that the Copa del Rey title “is already in the past” and that now his team, which “never loses hunger”, must focus on the following objectives, starting with giving an almost definitive step to certify qualification for the Euroleague ‘Playoff’ in this Thursday’s duel against a Greek Panathinaikos that “is increasingly pushing you to the limit and is playing more as a team.”
“The Copa del Rey is in the past, it is ours, but it no longer counts. We have done well in the initial part of the season because we have been working little by little, but the team never loses hunger and is not going to lose it. A From now on, we are looking for the following objectives and we are going to fight for them and the first is to certify the Euroleague ‘Playoff’,” Chus Mateo warned in a press conference reported on the club’s website.
The Madrid coach stressed that winning this trophy “gives the satisfaction of a duty accomplished and more joy than tranquility.” “We really wanted to get it and we played good basketball in general. We put the pressure on ourselves because of the shield we carry and the fans we have behind us,” he noted.
Now, they resume the top continental competition after the international national team break, which has caused each player to come from “a different week.” “Some have been with their national team and we have to maintain concentration for 40 minutes against a team that is playing better and better,” he said ahead of the visit of Panathinaikos.
For Mateo, the Greek team “is a rival that increasingly pushes you to the limit and that is playing more as a team.” “It is a team with a lot of experience with high-quality players, they are growing and the coach is doing a great job. It is a team that will surely compete for the ‘Playoff’ and to be in the ‘Final Four,'” he remarked. .
“Their position in the table speaks of their improvement so we have to forget about last week, the Copa del Rey, and focus on the Euroleague, which requires all our mental attention,” demanded the Madrid coach, happy to play in the WiZink Center. “It is one of the things that motivates us the most and makes us stay united. We have had a good streak at home and we want to maintain that excitement that people have of seeing us play at home,” he confessed.
Furthermore, he does not forget that, “surely”, if they beat Panathinaikos they could have a “reward” in the form of qualification for the ‘Playoff’. “But if not, we will continue doing our job. We only focus on the short term and we know that the path is taken step by step. The situation in the table gives us confidence, but we cannot neglect ourselves and we must continue doing things well,” he sentenced.
2024-02-28 15:19:20
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