NEWS STORY. 16/05/2022
Causeur and Abalde spoke to Realmadrid TV to preview Thursday’s EuroLeague El Clásico Final Four semi-final (9pm CET) match-up. The French small forward had the following to say: “We’re really excited. Throughout the whole season, you think about the objectives and work hard for so many months to be involved in games like this. We're really looking forward to going to Belgrade, preparing, getting in the groove and being ready for Thursday’s match.”
“My memory of lifting the cup is the most special of them all. The rest of it is all about effort, sacrifice, desire and luck, which is always a factor in basketball. The fact that my first piece of silverware with Real Madrid was our 10th European Cup crown was incredible.”
Team’s form
“The team is in good shape. I think that we discovered our form and confidence after the match against Maccabi. Following on from our poor performance in Bilbao, we were keen to turn things around and we’ve managed to do that since the match-up against Breogán. We knew that it was a really key moment in the season and that it was a new page for us and that we had to go out and give the best account of ourselves. We achieved one of our objectives, which was to reach the Final Four. when we speak about it internally we always say that it's a lottery, one day you can be on form, but the desire simply has to be there.”
Real Madrid’s spirit
“The club’S biggest strength is our experience. We've now been in eight Final Fours since 2011 and that speaks volumes of the team, despite the fact that the players have changed. Over the course of eight years, the results and consistency have always been there and that speaks volumes of the work put in by the coach and players.”
How two approach the tie
“A EuroLeague semi-final is a semi-final. You can't go thinking loads about the opposition, although you do prepare for them them in technical terms and analyse their players. You've got to focus on giving your all, but it's basketball and the outcome of the game comes down to the details, rebounds, free shots, etc. The physical demands will be extremely high. We know the opposition inside out and they know all about us, we've got to turn things around in terms of our recent results against them and now is an ideal time to do so.”
Third Final Four with Madrid
“I've learnt an awful lot from my two previous experiences of the Final Four with Real Madrid. I learnt from the defeat against CSKA, because those are the games that hurt most and that stay in your mind for the longest. You think about the things that you could have done better and those early days are a bit of a nightmare. The most important thing is knowing how to approach these kinds of games and I've got some little things that I do as a player because there is always a lot of anxiety surrounding those games and those can put you off your game. You've got to try and keep on top of them.”
“After having been at Real Madrid for five years, people now know all about me. I always try to give my all, but I always think about the team because lifting the trophy is what really Counts. One player can end up performing better than another, but we always want to perform well and bring something to the team. There are loads of things you can do for a team, like claim a rebound, cheer people on, etc. You need everyone to play their part to lift a trophy like the EuroLeague.”
Togetherness
“It's impossible for a team to reach the Final Four without being united. There are 16 players and everyone has contributed something during the course of the season. There have been ups and downs, which is normal given the marathon run of games, but we have shown that we united during the tough times. We struggled to turn things around this season, but we're ultimately where we wanted to be. How you end the season is what counts.”
Message to the fans
“We’ll be giving our all and are fully committed, as always. We hope to return home with the club’s 11th European Cup.”
Abalde: “There's a great togetherness and we’re mentally prepared”
“I dream about playing in the EuroLeague Final Four and lifting this trophy. We have the opportunity to do that. It's an extremely long season and it's no mean feat to qualify for the playoffs as a seeded team. It's a long old road and there are ups and downs during the course of the season, but we managed to recover after a poor run and produced a good performance in the playoff series against Maccabi. There's now a great togetherness and we're mentally prepared for what lies ahead.”
“We're in store for a week of strong emotions. The two teams know each other well and I'm sure that both teams will have a good game plan. It’ll be a really tough game and let's hope that the fine details go our way this time round.”
Final Four host city
“I think that Belgrade is somewhere that holds good memories. I haven't been there yet, but every time that the team has travelled to the city, there are good memories. We're Real Madrid and we head there with all of the ambition in the world.”
