Bartzokas: «We all know what we need to be doing»
Olympiacos is ready for the first European battle of the season! "The 'red & white' will be facing Barcelona tomorrow (07/10, 20.30 CET) in Spain for the Euroleague premiere.
"It's a difficult beginning. We are playing on the road, against a very good opponent and it remains to be seen if we are going to make it", the Olympiacos coach, Giorgos Bartzokas commented and went on to say: "At this particular moment in the season, no team is at a very high level of execution on either end of the court. Nevertheless, the talent of the players comprising Barcelona's roster is very significant. They have a very deep bench, greatly skilled, even if they are missing some players. We want to be competitivfe, play the game and every possession is important for us, that's how we need to approach the game, so that we get to sum up what we will have accomplished at its end. Barcelona has had the same coach for a few years now, they execute their plays well, they have too many plays and they try to target certain elements. They defend very well on the ball, on two-on-two co-operations. We have a plan that we have analyzed for our players in terms of how we want to be playing. At the end of the day, though, only the intesity you put in your game gives you victories. Athleticism, and the responsibility each player undertakes into fulfilling their role".
Asked whether he’s satisfied from his team’s performance in the pre-season games, he replied: “We played nine pre-season games, plus two in Rhodes. I think that it’s an efficient number to get us ready. The problem is that we only had our full roster with us in the last three ones, and even then, not completely, because Black did not get to play in Rhodes. I don’t want to be complaining though. I think we ran a good pre-season and have had no injuries. We are at a good level for the time in the season and it’s helpful that most of the team members know one another since last year. We all know what we need to be doing. I think that we are going to be competitive in the game and we are going to fight a team that it’s very hard to play against especially in their home court”.
«No more excuses»
On his part, Sasha Vezenkov stressed: “It’s a difficult game against a team that has always a leading role. That wants to win the Euroleague title this season following two failed attempts at it in the previous two seasons. We all know how difficult it is to play in their arena, but we are also ready to give 100% and fight for every chance at winning the game”.
On what it is that Olympiacos should be doing, so that they return with the win, he said: “We need to control the tempo. We need to play very good defense. Barcelona targets every offense. They are a team that has the same coach for the third season in a row, so we need to control the tempo, avoid turnovers and be mentally ready for their very physical game, we need to cope. It is only certain that team are still formatting, it’s only the first game in the season, but we know that every result in the Euroleague counts… That’s why we are going to have to be ready to fight for the win”.
Finally, on whether the time period for the pre-season has been adequate so that Olympiacos get the chance to put all the ‘puzzle’ pieces together, he explained: “Every coach and every player would have wanted more time, but as I have said, the Euroleague is on tonight, each result counts, so we are out of excuses. We need to be ready, so as to challenge every game and gather wins that are going to be really important down the road”.