Chus Mateo: “I hope that we put in a good performance from start to finish against Alba Berlin”
"We have to be more aggressive from the first quarter and stick to our plan", said Ndiaye.
Chus Mateo and Ndiaye spoke before the match between Real Madrid and Alba Berlin at the WiZink Center, in round 11 of the Euroleague (Thursday, 8:45pm CET). The coach said: "I'd like to get the consistency that we've lacked in the last two games. We played well at times but are having a lot of ups and downs during the games. Hopefully against Alba Berlin we'll put in a good performance from start to finish".
"They're a side that has a hidden danger. They're brave and they don't care about what stretch of the game it is. They're going to take shots. They're missing some important players, but no team is immune from injuries. They beat Milan at their place in overtime the other day and they play the same way whether they are winning or losing by 20 points. They have a recognisable and well-coached style. They always try to compete and they deserve a lot of credit".
Feliz and Musa
"He's getting better and better every day. He looks good, he's still lacking a bit of rhythm, but we'll see if there's continuity in all of this. Both with him and with Musa, who came on board this week. We have to try to keep the unit together and not lose players every week, because that reduces competition. That's key".
Rathan-Mayes
"I talk with him and all the players a lot. He works extremely hard in training and does what he has to do, but what he doesn't have to do, he can't do anything about. I think his tweet is quite right. It doesn't mean giving up, or stopping working, or anything like that. It's about improving little by little. He's doing better and better and understands what I want. Everything is free of interpretation and I don't think it's offensive or anything bad. I don't think he has any bad intentions. He's going to gain confidence".
National team break
"We've been playing for two months and it feels like four months now. It's the feeling that the schedule gives you. Every season is tough. The fact that we don't have a game at the weekend will be good for us if we do well tomorrow".
"Musa will probably go to Bosnia too. The others won't. It's a pity that the schedule is like it is. There are 90 matches plus the national teams, everyone has the right to go. The only thing we're doing is damaging the athlete, but we accept the rules of the game".
Ndiaye: "It will be a tough game"
"We're ready to compete and to continue scoring, but it'll be a difficult game. They beat Milan away. We're playing at home and that should give us confidence. They're going to come out strong and we'll have to come out harder than them to win. We also have to be more aggressive from the first quarter and stick to our plan".