Sasa Obradovic, the Serbian coach of Monaco, against Maccabi Tel Aviv on Tuesday in the third match of a balanced series (1-1), expects to “live through hell” in Israel but believes in his team, which he knows “by heart” and whose management he evokes, in an interview with AFP.
After two such different matches, what is the real face of Monaco?
“Certainly not the first game, our worst this season. But there were so many questions to solve before, that it was complicated. First, we devoted ourselves 100% to the Cup final three days earlier (victory against Asvel, editor’s note). Then, for different reasons, (Jordan) Loyd, (Elie) Okobo, Yakuba (Ouattara) and (Chima) Moneke were not at their best. The first two, key players, know how to bounce back and put the team on track. It did not work. Were the other two physically able to play? The decision was difficult to make. Finally, the main point: the change in the opposing defensive system surprised us, and we were not mentally ready to respond and play such a meeting.
Are Maccabi under more pressure than you?
“They will be under pressure and will give everything. We are under pressure too. These moments define the level of the players. Overcoming difficulties leads to a milestone. With the boys, we know each other by heart. We missed the first game. We are ready. I will try to stay as calm as possible, show them that we believe in each of them and make sure that they stay in their game, focused on their tasks. If we succeed, it will be huge.”
Will a qualification for the Final 4 finally make you smile?
“It will deserve it, yes! (smile) If I learned from life never to be satisfied, I also learned that you should never think about the end result. I’m not sure that many understand the difficulty of our job, nor imagine what Euroleague coaches go through. For the past two years, I have devoted my energy to myself, without scattering myself. Because it’s expensive. I am very disciplined in my hygiene, my physical work.
