Bartzokas and Larentzakis on the game against Maccabi
Olympiacos will remain faithful to his plan, according to Giorgos Bartzokas, so as tomorrow (18/01, 20.15 CET) the team gets the win, in the home game vs Maccabi T.A., for the 22nd round of the Euroleague.
"I don't really know what shape we are really in, because we have had the game against Kolossos on Monday, when we played only for twenty minutes at an acceptable level and then we had a recovery practice in essence, with individual programs and weight-lifting. Today we are going to have a normal practice to play tomorrow. So, you get to see the team more during the games. In Spain, I practically think that we played a bad second half against Baskonia, which cost us. With Barcelona, the game was one of shooting and struck out. But ranking is unrelenting right now. You have to win points because the games are really critical and under that prism we need to focus on the game vs Maccabi. Tomorrow, we must win, acknowledging that they are a very strong challenger, definitely of the final8 and maybe of the final-4. So, it's an important game for us right now and with the problems we are faced with".
Analyzing the competition profile of the Israeli team, he pointed out: "They are the number one team in offensive rebounding in Europe. As you know, they have many American players, who have athletic skills. They open up the score, they play well, they have had the same coach for quite a while now and they know how they play. They are also going through difficulties in terms of what is going on in their country and where they practice and play. But they have a lot of talent as a team, their ranking attests to that. We won following our plan in Belgrade and we have to stay faithful to that plan tomorrow".
Asked what he doesn't like about Olympiacos, he replied: "I like everything about Olympiacos. They are a fantastic club, I like the fans, I like the players, my associates, I like the fact that everything is fantastic. It's just that with teams and competition at this level, there are ups and downs that the only way to surpass is to continue working, believing in your ideas and moving forward. We are all conscientious, we have respect, we are ambitious and we want to work all the time. That's what we are going to continue doing, that's what we had been doing in previous years. We have faith in the team, we have good players. Sometimes, you also need a little luck. Fall got hurt in the game with Monaco, he was injured in the two games he played in Spain and in the game against AEK earlier to those. You know how important he is to us, but that's why we have signed more players to fill the void and do the best we can".
Larentzakis: «We must start a new»
The 'red & whites' guard, Giannoulis Larentzakis, said:"Maccabi is a tough team, they have talent, they have players in every position. From there on, we need to take advantage of the fact that we play at home. We have to show reaction after two lost games and show we have character. I believe that we are going to do the best we can to win. The win, no matter how it comes, counts the same, either by half a point, or with 20. It's only the wins that matter, we want to start with winning again and I believe we are going to do that".
Finally, on whether his confidence, as well as that of his teammates is shaken after the two back-to-back losses in Spain, he stressed that: "We definitely have confidence, we always do. We can't win every game we play. From there on, tomorrow's game is a good chance to start anew".