The Yellows will host the star-studded Milan tonight • Yannis Sapropoulos' mission is to strengthen his players on the mental side, after a series of close losses
Sapropoulos and Maccabi Tel Aviv players. The pressure gauge is skyrocketing
Photography:
Alan Shiver
Maccabi Tel Aviv in the final minutes of its games, at least those in the Euroleague, seems to have no faith in its ability to win. Last season it was always focused on money time, and it seems that this is the difference between the two seasons.
For this to work, Yannis Sapropoulos needs to talk to his players less about basketball and more about psychology, so that you reach the final minutes in the safest way and with a promising margin, so that even a mental fall will not spoil.
It suffers from a sequence of close losses, which must be addressed first of all mentally, but also tactically.
The recent loss to Valencia is just one example of what the team is going through.
This sequence presents Maccabi with a difficult problem, a snowball that must be stopped.
Greek journalist John Pasrakis calculated and found that since the founding of the Euroleague, the Yellows' average loss by 1-3 points has been two per season.
We are now after only ten rounds this season, and Maccabi already has four of them (and another one with a difference of 4 points).
You have to lose, and there is a talent to lose.
There is also the ability to simply lose your head, so even if it leads, Maccabi is more stressed in the final minutes than the lagging opponent.
Is it a loser that has infected the players?
It may, one way or another, seem to be having a hard time getting rid of it, mainly because Coach Sapropoulos is in a situation he is unfamiliar with.
This makes it very difficult for the mental rehabilitation required of the whole team, which even if far from perfect, should not be a bottom team in the Euroleague.
Confidence, confidence, confidence, this is the most needed commodity in Yad Eliyahu's hand, but Milan do not intend to be the one to provide this to the Yellows tonight.
Although Milan is still not convincing this season and its corona break has been long, the staff it puts in is one of the best in the factory.
Just for example: if Sergio Rodriguez, who led it last season, moved on to become second coordinator after Malcolm Delaney, that says it all.
Ettore Messina's team is betting on everything, on success here and now.
To this end, a star-studded, very experienced, very deep staff was built, with lots of offensive tools.
Not a rival in the invitation, but today Maccabi is not allowed to go down to an 8: 3 balance.
