Papanikolaou: «We must match Virtus' physicality»
Olympiacos spent Christmas on the plane, since the team faces Virtus Bologna away (26/12 at 20:30 CET), as part of the 18th round of the EuroLeague.
Shortly before Olympiacos’ departure for Italy, Giorgos Bartzokas and Kostas Papanikolaou spoke about the matchup and the difficulties it presents.
In his opening remarks about the game on the second day of Christmas, Giorgos Bartzokas stated: “I don’t notice any indifference or any mental fatigue in practice. I think they are fully aware. Players who are at this level are champions first in mentality and then in everything else. It’s certainly a day when everyone would like to be with their families, but this is our job and we have to enjoy it.”
The Olympiacos head coach then commented on what the “keys” to victory will be: “To play well collectively. We’ve shown great improvement overall. In our last four games, we’ve scored 101 points, we have many more assists, we’re creating many more spot-up shots, and we want to keep improving in that area. If we play with intensity on defense and move the ball on offense, avoiding shots we shouldn’t take, I think we’ll have a chance to win.”
Regarding how crucial a potential victory would be, Bartzokas said: “I would say it’s still early, but in any case, every win is very important and we can’t overlook that. Every game gives you two points. The more wins we get now, as we approach the end of the first round, the better. The approach is always the same: one game at a time. We focus on what’s in front of us, which is very difficult, and then we’ll look at the rest.”
From his side, Olympiacos captain Kostas Papanikolaou said: “We were talking with Sasha (about how last year we also played in Italy on Christmas and we won). We hope the Christmas spirit helps again this year and that we can achieve something similar to last season. Merry Christmas to everyone and health to the whole world. May everyone enjoy these days with their family, with smiles, beautiful feelings, and positive thoughts.”
Speaking about Virtus, Papanikolaou added: “It’s a team that likes to play in a very physical way, to cut off easy passes and disrupt the opponent’s offensive sets. First and foremost, you have to match that physicality and energy to play at the same level. From there on, we have the talent and the players to give something extra, but everything has to start from that aspect.”
Finally, the Olympiacos captain also commented on the presence of Monte Morris, saying: “The first signs we’ve seen, both in practice and in the league game, are very encouraging. But clearly, he needs a bit more time to settle in and learn the team’s system. We also need to get to know him better. I believe he’ll be able to help, but to see the full range of his abilities, it will take a little more time.”