Chus Mateo: “Our challenge in the EuroLeague is to maintain the standards we set last year”
“We were champions two years ago, made the final last year, and we'd love to win the title again," stressed the coach.
Real Madrid get their EuroLeague campaign underway on Thursday with a trip to Bayern Munich's court. Speaking on Realmadrid TV, Chus Mateo looked ahead to the start of the competition and the opening game in Germany (Thursday, 8:45pm, CEST): "We're very excited about playing in this competition because it's about getting Real Madrid's name to the top of Europe and we're very excited about that. We were champions two years ago, we were finalists last year and we would like to win the trophy again."
"The Euroleague is very tough and even more so this year. There are teams that have invested a lot in strengthening their squads. I think our experience of playing it every year, of reaching the playoffs, the Final Four and challenging for this trophy gives us a slight advantage. It's important to know how it's done, what objectives we have to achieve."
The importance of defence
"Making the most of having players with legs, with a little bit more physicality than last year, hopefully we can defend better. Tavares is a sure thing when it comes to blocking, but Garuba and Ibaka can also help us. Let's see if we can carry on with a style that at times has been identified with Real Madrid and that suits us very well."
Match sharpness
“The key thing for us is the work we're doing day to day. We have to approach each training session as a challenge, take each game as it comes without looking too far ahead. That's something that helps us feel stronger. We have to work even harder if anything this year, with the new faces who have come in, and we need time to get things working as we'd like."
First up, Bayern
“It'll be a tough clash against Bayern. They have strengthened really well and it's an away game coming up. Like every match in the EuroLeague, winning on the road is not easy. If you take wins in the majority of your home games and can pick up a few away as well, then you'll have a good chance of making the playoffs, which is our primary goal."
Objectives
“We have a hugely demanding competition in the EuroLeague, but we shouldn't underestimate our domestic competition. They are two very strong tournaments and we have to be well prepared every day. People enjoy the EuroLeague and in my opinion we played really well last year, and you could tell people were having a good time. We also managed 76 wins from 82 games, which is no mean feat, and we broke a Regular Season record. I'm proud of what we achieved last year but I have a challenge before me, which is to maintain the levels we set last year, and ensure we're able to keep delighting the fans."
Message to the fans
“We're expecting you at the WiZink Center this year, we need you right behind us, supporting us like you always do. The EuroLeague will be really tough and we need your backing. I hope you enjoy it as much as I think you did last year, and that we can keep winning games together."