Playing first place in your group is not something you had envisaged at the start of this new European campaign…
It's not that we hadn't considered it, but we initially said to ourselves that we would play all the matches to win them, one after the other. We also started the competition with a lot of away matches (three in a row after the initial reception in Miskolc, Editor's note), so it was a little harder during the first leg. But we won the match we needed away from home in Miskolc (56-66), we beat Salamanca (59-58) and now, we will do everything to recover the point average against Schio to get this first place.
This year, the change in the Euroleague formula means that you are playing more high-stakes matches. What is the difference for you?
What changes is that we have to enter the competition directly if we want to progress to the second round, but that allows us to have a better chance of reaching the final stages. We have already achieved an objective by qualifying for the second round, and we will continue to take the matches one after the other to continue our momentum.
You have had good momentum since the resumption after the break, with three consecutive victories. Faced with Schio, which is certainly the best team on paper, what ingredients will it take to achieve new success?
We will already have to concentrate for forty minutes. In the Euroleague, we know that we don't have the right to have too long weak times, we really have to be in the match from start to finish, whether offensively or defensively, but above all in intensity. We will have to respect the game plan that the coaches offer us. And give it your all.
On an individual level, you have had some difficult outings recently (no points scored against Lyon, Angers and Chartres in LFB). What could you change to fix this?
If I knew, it would be easier. For now, my focus is on the team, on the little things I can do daily to contribute to the team, making as few mistakes as possible and trying to get others to play. That's what I'm focusing on. Afterwards, with better sensations, I think it will come back, I don't ask myself too many questions.
