Chus Mateo: “We fought to the end and we had the final shot to win a really tough game'
“Our poor start defined the game', said the coach after the Clásico.
Real Madrid coach Chus Mateo assessed the Clásico: "We were able to get back on track but our poor start defined the game. We managed to get back into it but we didn't play as we would have hoped early on. We were too soft at the back, not forceful enough and we gave away a lot of easy baskets which impacted the rest of the game".
"It was a very poor first half. We began to improve later on and we got back into the match. We fought to the end and we had the final shot to win a really tough game. Our defense really improved in the closing stages".
Small details
"These two teams know each other very well. Sometimes they close down the pass to Tavares and we can't find that easy out ball. Barça play a physical game, they're good with their hands and don't allow us to attack the way we want. We have to learn to play when they restrict Tavares' impact around the basket. Then Tobey and Sanli really punished us from the perimeter. Barça probably had that thorn in their side that saw them bring that little bit more intensity than we did today".
"It was a very poor first half. We began to improve later on and we got back into the match. We fought to the end and we had the final shot to win a really tough game. Our defense really improved in the closing stages".
Small details
"These two teams know each other very well. Sometimes they close down the pass to Tavares and we can't find that easy out ball. Barça play a physical game, they're good with their hands and don't allow us to attack the way we want. We have to learn to play when they restrict Tavares' impact around the basket. Then Tobey and Sanli really punished us from the perimeter. Barça probably had that thorn in their side that saw them bring that little bit more intensity than we did today".