Bartzokas: «The game against Villeurbanne is a demanding one»

Olympiacos should learn from his defeat in Monaco, since another demanding road game is ahead, this time against Villeurbanne (25/03, 20.00 CET).

“Monaco played a very good game, they shot very high percentages and they were really combative”, the ‘reds’ coach, Giorgos Bartzokas commented. “Our mind got messed up really early on. Obviously, our approach was not the right one and that’s what messed with our heads. We did not match the fighting spirit Monaco was exhibiting, neither their toughness and that’s why we lost”.

Asked whether he thinks his players are going to bring out a reaction in the game against Villeurbanne, he replied: “It’s not a matter of reaction, it’s a matter of how we approach the importance of each Euroleague game. We are at the end of the regular season and each game is very important, especially for those of us who have goals. There are teams that have no goals, but they still play for their pride and their next contract deals. Where we finally rank is a deep concern of ours, but this is also the trap in this whole situation. All of these scenarios floating around about what the ideal seed of us is, what is achievable, what is not… I think we should not be concentrating on that. The big picture is that we have qualified for the Euroelague playoffs. What we need to focus on is how the team is going to fare in the playoffs, that’s the most important question of all. I’m optimistic and I believe we have the team to fight for the best”.  

Finally, about the game in Lyon, he commented: “The game against Villeurbanne is a demanding one, just like all else with the Euroleague. No one can say that there is any one road game for the competition that you can consider it won in advance. You need to be fighting hard, to also be smart, stay on course and have enough of your players on a good day, because one or two players are not enough. If all these conditions apply, then we are going to have serious chances at winning tomorrow”.