Chus Mateo: “Winning games fills us with confidence”
"Valencia Basket are very strong, difficult to beat and have strengthened since the last game", explained Abalde before the game (Thursday, 8:45pm CET).
Chus Mateo and Alberto Abalde spoke prior of the EuroLeague round 21 game between Real Madrid and Valencia Basket (Thursday, 8.45pm CET). The coach looked ahead to the game at the WiZink Center: "We have to defend well, attack with skill against one of the best defences in the league and be ready for any tactical changes that our opponents might make. Valencia have made changes, with players who weren't against us last time out, like Pangos and Harper. These are key players. They're trying to rebuild the team and they'll be dangerous."
"We've taken a very useful philosophy to manage the calendar, which is to forget about the previous games and think only about the next game. That's the right way to approach the competition. We respect every opponent and we are not better than anyone else if we don't put in the hard work. We have a large roster, full of good players, and physically we try to keep them in top condition. Our ambition and desire to win cannot be missing, that goes without saying."
Injured players
"Those who didn't travel are getting better. We'll see how they're feeling tomorrow. Those who are available have always performed well and we have to highlight all of them. Alocén, for example, hasn't played for four games and when he had to be ready, he performed at an extraordinary level. Ndiaye has played some superb matches and we have to praise everyone's work. The main thing is that they're available when the team needs them."
Confidence
"It helps to see that you're winning games, but it doesn't come without hard work. The fact that we believe we're winning games gives us confidence and we're very happy".
100th win
"I'm very proud to be part of the club I've belonged to for so many years. I was 21 years old when I came here and I was coaching the youth team and I'm living a dream. I'm going to try to give back to this club with everything I can, as I've been doing since I started and trying to do my best. It's an honour for me to be in charge of Real Madrid."
Abalde: "Everyone plays their part and it adds up"
"It'll be a very challenging game. We know that they are very strong, difficult to beat and this year they have more of a physical component. They've been strengthened since the last game. Both them and us are coming from a heavy load of games and travel and it's going to be a match that will require a lot of focus from the off."
"We're going into the second half of the season and every game is important. We have to continue to rack up victories. Winning helps the momentum. We're in a very good position in both the league and the Euroleague and it's time to focus on ourselves and carry on developing as a team, to be a little better every day."
Key to the good form
"Everyone plays their role and it adds up. Some players excel at scoring, others at defending and the sum of the little things makes us win and get into good shape. That's the strength of this team, we have very complete players."