By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
ASVEL recorded a victory in the 11th round of the EuroLeague, defeating Partizan 88-87 in front of their home fans.
Although the double round started well for Partizan, who beat Monaco in Belgrade three days earlier, the Serbian team suffered a defeat in Villeurbanne.
After the match, Zeljko Obradovic spoke to “Arena Sport”, and the legendary coach was visibly disappointed with his team’s performance.
“I think it’s shameful how we looked! Certain players need to reflect on why this is happening. A large number of people come here, as they do elsewhere, to watch us and see a team that will fight and show desire. The reasons are simple, the players are not focused on the game. When I entered the locker room, everyone was on their phones, behaving abnormally. I am someone who will take responsibility, but in this situation, I can’t understand it. I tried to lift them and make changes. We found ourselves in situations where we could have won the game, and I talked about all this at halftime. When I entered the locker room after the game, it was the same picture. These are incredible things, I don’t know how to react. I have no words to describe how bad I feel and how sorry I am because they don’t realize that people come because of them. The minimum of the minimum is to be focused and give their all; for someone to play better and more fiercely is impossible.”
He added that frequent travel was not the reason for the poor play.
“That’s an excuse, no matter how exhausting the journey might be, everyone is in the same situation! There is no exhausting journey, they will have tomorrow as it is, a day off, and then on Sunday, we will train. That’s the only way to do something. We have five days ahead of us, and if we can work as hard as possible. This picture is a disaster.”
Finally, he could not provide a reason why Tyrique Jones did not play in this game.
“You can ask him or the medical staff, that’s all I can say.”
Partizan now has a 4-7 record, and next they will face Fenerbahce in Belgrade.