Bartzokas: «We are on a good path»
The ‘reds’ will be playing against Maccabi tomorrow (20/01, 20:05 CET) in Tel Aviv, for the 20th round of the Euroleauge, aiming to return to winning in Europe.
“After the game against Fener, we played one game for the Greek League that shows we are on the right path”, the Olympiacos’ coach, Giorgos Bartzokas commented. “We played with intensity and that’s what’s needed right now. That’s what we were missing in Istanbul and we want to get it back now. We are definitely in better condition than one week ago, just like the case is with any other team. The first game after a covid break is always hard. Now we have played two games and I think we are at a good level”.
Talking about the ‘keys’ to the game, he said: “We have a combination of quality and toughness. We think that we can expand our roster, play together on both ends of the court and control the tempo through avoiding mistakes, good decision making in offense and rebounding. It’s always important, because they are not a team that especially runs in the transition, but when they play with enthusiasm, they bring the fans into the equation as well. It’s anyway a difficult game, just like any other time in Israel and this one now holds a great degree of difficulty, because Maccabi is in tough spot following continuous unsuccessful results, and they are now under pressure to make the top 8”.
When asked to make a comment about Giannis Sfairopoulos, with whom they share a common bond through Olympiacos and Panionios, as he himself was quick to add, he replied: “Giannis’ teams are always impeccably prepared. He doesn’t leave anything to chance. His teams have a common denominator, so what we are definitely expecting is an aggressive defensive game. This season’s roster for Maccabi is kind of different from their previous ones. Their game structure is more on iso when playing one on one, they are not a team that passes a lot. We have to prepare for Maccabi’s players, of course in combination to Giannis’ philosophy on the game”.