Chus Mateo: “I'm proud of the team and the way they fought”

Chus Mateo spoke at the press conference following the Super Cup final. The coach gave his thoughts on the game: "First of all, I would like to congratulate Unicaja because they were the rightful winners in a very intense, very exciting final, where we didn't get off to a good start. Our first quarter was weak and we realised that we had to raise our defensive level. As soon as we did that and secured the rebound, we had a chance to get back into the game. We levelled up the scoreboard and there was even a very important moment, when we got within one point, when we conceded two consecutive three-pointers and the gap widened again".

"We lost concentration when closing down the rebounds with the outside players and that gave them a lot of extra balls. We had the chance to get in at the end with a counter-attacking play that we were able to finish off, but Unicaja did well. They played better than us, and we have to find our own tempo and way of playing. I'm proud of the team and the way they fought and got back into the game. We've played in a lot of finals and whenever you're in a final you're always in contention for the trophy".

What have you said to the players?
"I always tell them that we should go one day at a time, there are things we need to improve. We have to understand each other well, how we work and what we really need. We have new players, new systems... We have to play differently from last year in some ways, we need time. We need to work hard every day and with humility. We really wanted to continue winning trophies, but it's very commendable what they're doing. It wasn't to be today. We have to pick ourselves up. That's what defines us best and I think we've already done it on other occasions".

Start of the third quarter
"We had to emphasise the fact that we got back into the game and that the same thing didn't happen to us. In sport, these are things that are sometimes difficult to explain. We have to familiarise ourselves with each other. We've got new players and there are systems that we need to work on more. It's a basketball match against a very strong side who also plays well and who were better in both phases of the game".

What was missing today?
"We lacked that ability to take the lead and at a certain moment to take the initiative in the game. We struggled a lot. We should have shot better, also closer to the hoop, to have taken the lead. We needed to remain calmer".

A demanding campaign
"You could see today that there is such a huge physical demand that the players need to be ready for a 90-game season. We have to stay focused on how the team is performing and see what we need. Our focus now is to identify exactly where we need to improve and where we need to bring someone in. That's probably the way it will be during the year. There is no rush, we have to assess how we work, but it's obvious that for two competitions as demanding as the league and the Euroleague it's important to have a large squad".