By Nikola Miloradovic / info@eurohoops.net
After a slow start to the season, Real Madrid found their rhythm, winning three straight games in both competitions, including two consecutive EuroLeague matches.
First, they took down defending champions Panathinaikos, and now Crvena zvezda—both at the WiZink Center in Madrid. They also defeated Partizan at home but lost both road games to Bayern Munich and Baskonia.
Chus Mateo addressed the unsuccessful away games and emphasized the importance of getting the team ready for the later stages of the season.
“We gained confidence from the wins. It could’ve been away; we could’ve won some matches away. We played in Munich first, and we didn’t have Mario. It’s not an excuse, but we didn’t have the full squad. In Vitoria, we played without Facu and Feliz, and now we are without Feliz and Garuba. Maybe one day we’ll have a full squad, but that’s the EuroLeague. One day you’re going to miss one player, another day you’re going to miss another. You play both away and at home; you can win or lose at either. We had a chance in Munich, but we didn’t take advantage of it, and it was the same in Vitoria. The important thing is to be ready to compete—not now, but later on—to get to the position we want in the regular season and to enter the playoffs with home-court advantage. But the EuroLeague is really difficult; it’s really difficult to win it. This club has won a few titles. I’m saying this because people think winning away is easy, but it’s not,” Mateo said.
Real Madrid lost the Supercopa final to Unicaja at the beginning of the season and is currently 3-2 in the EuroLeague and 2-2 in the ACB League, with both wins also claimed at home.