Chus Mateo: “We have to stick to our style and attack well against Alba Berlin”
“We have to carry on as we did against Anadolu Efes, when we struck a good balance between attack and defence”, said Poirier.
Chus Mateo and Vincent Poirier discussed the EuroLeague round eight clash between Real Madrid and Alba Berlin Thursday, 8.45pm CET. From the press room, the coach said: "Statistically they are very strong rebounds, blocks, assists, three-pointers percentage... and in order to approach a game like this we'll have to stick to our style, but we must be aware that it's important to attack well. We can't fall into the trap of attacking end to end and exchanging baskets. Our defence has to be good and we need to be able lose as few turnovers as possible and keep a good defensive balance".
"Alba Berlin is playing with a furious high tempo, with lots of possessions and a style of play that's working well for them. They play very good, passing the ball well and we'll have to be switched on at all times. They've won three games on the bounce and have lost four. You have to be at your best in the Euroleague but they're playing well and the run they're on doesn't say that much. They know how they want to play and will stick to it. I don't think the previous games give much away and it won't faze them. We'll try to neutralise their strengths and expose their weaknesses".
Battle on the paint
"The important thing for the team is to continue to grow. We have players who look to create play from the inside and we emphasise the importance of getting on the paint. We aim to be sharp and work the ball as close to the hoop as possible. On the inside, they're also a strong team and they're proving how well they pass the ball around and find open shots with high percentages".
"Alba Berlin is playing with a furious high tempo, with lots of possessions and a style of play that's working well for them. They play very good, passing the ball well and we'll have to be switched on at all times. They've won three games on the bounce and have lost four. You have to be at your best in the Euroleague but they're playing well and the run they're on doesn't say that much. They know how they want to play and will stick to it. I don't think the previous games give much away and it won't faze them. We'll try to neutralise their strengths and expose their weaknesses".
Battle on the paint
"The important thing for the team is to continue to grow. We have players who look to create play from the inside and we emphasise the importance of getting on the paint. We aim to be sharp and work the ball as close to the hoop as possible. On the inside, they're also a strong team and they're proving how well they pass the ball around and find open shots with high percentages".
Roster
'Williams-Goss is part of the 12 players and will cover the position of Yabusele, who is out through injury. Causeur hasn't been out of action as much as other players, but they all need time to adapt and so does the team. We're going to give him a good amount of time and see how he evolves and then gradually bring him in, unless we need him'.
Poirier: 'They're a dangerous team'
'We're aware that Alba Berlin is a great team and we need to be very careful as they're dangerous. Their last few results and the ranking don't count when it comes to tomorrow's game, we have to play our game: very solid and focused throughout the game. They're a unique and distinct team because they run a lot and make the most of the game'.
'We will need to get back to defend very quickly to prevent them from playing the way they like to play. When we pass the ball well in attack and produce good shots, we're more dangerous. We have to carry on tomorrow along the same lines as we did against Anadolu Efes, when we struck a good balance between attack and defence'.
'Williams-Goss is part of the 12 players and will cover the position of Yabusele, who is out through injury. Causeur hasn't been out of action as much as other players, but they all need time to adapt and so does the team. We're going to give him a good amount of time and see how he evolves and then gradually bring him in, unless we need him'.
Poirier: 'They're a dangerous team'
'We're aware that Alba Berlin is a great team and we need to be very careful as they're dangerous. Their last few results and the ranking don't count when it comes to tomorrow's game, we have to play our game: very solid and focused throughout the game. They're a unique and distinct team because they run a lot and make the most of the game'.
'We will need to get back to defend very quickly to prevent them from playing the way they like to play. When we pass the ball well in attack and produce good shots, we're more dangerous. We have to carry on tomorrow along the same lines as we did against Anadolu Efes, when we struck a good balance between attack and defence'.