Open dissatisfaction after the defeat (90:66) to Anadolu Zero who was the greatest in the club's history at home • Sapropoulos: "Feeling bad with this figure, we fought and it was not enough" • Dibertolomeo: "Frustrating, we did everything we could" • Atman attacked the Euroleague: "They do not care about the effort of the players"
Maccabi Tel Aviv players on their way to the locker room.
Great embarrassment in the hall
Photo:
Alan Shiver
1. A sense of embarrassment prevailed yesterday (Tuesday) among the people of Maccabi Tel Aviv in the face of the huge level differences in 90:66 to Anadolu Zero which was the biggest loss of the Yellows at home in any European setting.
"I feel bad with the fact that this is the biggest loss in Europe at home," admitted Yannis Sapropoulos.
"Some of the players need to play better," the Greek coach continued to analyze the problematic situation, "I do not blame them, they want to play well, but some of them are human and some are just not in good shape. They work every day, twice a day. "They are trying and again this time we fought and it was not enough. We will want to show a better picture on the field and we will talk to the players to make it happen."
Captain John Dibertolomeo also stood in front of the cameras: "Obviously it hurts and is frustrating. To sum it up it's not good. Our crowd brought a lot of energy, even as the gap grew, they supported us, but that's not how we wanted to react. We need to understand how we can improve. "We did everything we could, but obviously we could have played better. In the Euroleague we should not be a rival of that kind. The game escaped us at some point, they felt comfortable and it was easier to score when you feel comfortable."
"We talk in the locker room that we need to be better. The Corona is equal to everyone, our situation is ours and there are many things we want to achieve this season, we must not perform like that in the Euroleague, we will have to see where we can improve. You can not push a button and change everything. We We need to stay together and stay positive. "
On the other hand, Argin Atman, who was very pleased with the way his team played, took the opportunity to attack the Euroleague who chose not to finish last season in which his team was a clear favorite to win a historic championship.
"At the beginning of the year I was not motivated, I was angry at the Euroleague who canceled the season. The Champions League in football is back, even the FIBA Champions League is back, but in the Euroleague we did not care about the effort we made.
With all due respect to Corona, and the situation, I think it was easier to play in the summer than to play this season with more influence on the Corona. "
"At first this anger affected us," the Turkish coach continued, "but step by step with our president, with our family, they pushed us, Larkin came back after a long injury, the players are back in good shape, and I think we are well motivated and playing better than last season. "It's basketball, we can win and lose, and I hope they do not cancel the season now and we can play in the Final Four or the final, we may lose, but we want to play."