Xavi Albert criticizes himself after losing to Maccabi: “At the beginning of the game we were not good”

Valencia Basket closed the double day of Euroleague with a new defeat at the Roig Arena. After the hard blow suffered against Olympiacos, the Taronja fell against the Maccabi Tel Aviv by 88-91in a match in which they once again had a chance of victory until the last seconds.

after the gameXavi Albert analyzed his team’s performance and recognized that the previous defeat could have had consequences on the emotional state of his players: “It is very important not to ignore the feelings after the game the other day. There is a certain emotional duel after a match in which the first half had endorsed many positive things and which ended as it did. I think that this emotional duel can condition the team and explain, in part, why we entered the game with one point less energy. Sometimes, as human beings, we need that period to return to “find the sensations.”

The coach put special emphasis on the first quarter, in which Maccabi scored 31 points and managed to open a difference that conditioned the development of the match. “In the first quarter we clearly entered with an energy deficit, without being at the necessary level. We made it easier for Maccabi to structure their game,” said the coach. “The low number of fouls is a reflection, not because of the fact of making them, but because of the level of contact and pressure with which we entered the game.”

“It was a game in which we found individual actions sporadically, but we lacked the community and speed at which we needed to play. The ending also has merit, because the team continues to show that it is engaged until the last moment.” Albert also regretted that his team was not able to impose its offensive rhythm, despite the reaction that allowed it to reach the final moments with options.

The concern for the Roig Arena and the tight finishes

The defeat against Maccabi marks the second consecutive setback at home in the Euroleague. A circumstance that worries the coach, especially given the importance of turning the Roig Arena into a difficult court for rivals.

“There are two consecutive defeats at home. When we want to make the Roig Arena a fortress and convey that feeling of solidity as a home team, these two defeats by such tight margins shake that feeling a little,” he explained.

Despite the recent results, Albert defended the team’s evolution and highlighted its ability to compete until the last possessions, although he acknowledged that they need to transform those efforts into victories: “We are competing, taking the games to the end and having a chance to win, but we are lacking in finishing them off. After these three defeats, the feeling is that you can be doing many things well, but you need to win.”

Finally, the coach wanted to extract a constructive reading of the moment he is going through Valencia Basketinsisting that overcoming these situations is also part of collective growth. “I won’t say that these defeats are welcome, because they hurt, but sometimes they are simply necessary to continue growing as a team,” he concluded.