By Alex Molina / amolina@eurohoops.net
Barça defeated ASVEL, ensuring Xavi Pascual’s return to the Palau Blaugrana was a victory.
“What I take away from this is that we want to win, we’re united, and everyone is helping and on the same page. This is the moment for this, everyone pushing to reach a level that allows us to compete in all competitions. The most important thing is that all the players are playing a vital role. I’m very proud of the players and the energy they brought. The welcome was wonderful, but the most important thing was the victory. To end a day like today with a win makes me truly happy.”
One of the standout players was Toko Shengelia, who will now leave to play with his national team in the FIBA windows.
“Toko is a player you can see playing; he gives his all for his club and country. From here, we can only support him. He’s a key player for us, as he demonstrated today.”
However, the Barça coach will not be able to fully utilize this FIBA window. “It’s one thing for a coach to come in, and another for a team that’s already played 26 games. The team has a lot of ground in their legs and needs to recover. We have to find the balance between recovery and training. It’s not so much the number of days you train that matters, but how you train.”
Despite how hard-fought the victory was, XP has seen signs of improvement. “The team is growing, working very well, and even better in training. Today we saw a more cohesive team than in Gran Canaria. We’re making progress. We need time, both collectively and individually. We have to keep building confidence, like Juani Marcos, who is becoming more and more comfortable.”
The only thing Xavi Pascual is clear about is his first short-term objective. “The first objective is to achieve consistency in transitions, both defensively and offensively. We’re still inconsistent here; we have a lot of room for improvement. We need to improve our defense in the final seconds and be more direct on offense. In the EuroLeague, every game is different; you can win by scoring and you can win by defending. You have to be solid on both ends of the court; it can give you another victory and make the difference between one position and the other.”