BasketNews.com
Before the upcoming trip to Italy, where Zalgiris Kaunas will face Virtus Bologna and EA7 Emporio Armani Milan, head coach Andrea Trinchieri touched on several topics at the press conference.
The Italian tactician stressed Virtus’ “very physical defense”, noting that they’re a similar team to Olympiacos, which Zalgiris played last week.
“They have two of the best defenders in Europe in Daniel Hackett and Alessandro Pajola, the experience and the talent from the likes of Marco Bellineli, Will Clyburn and Tornike Shengelia. We have to play solid from the tipoff, we can’t afford to start out as sluggish as we did in Piraeus,” he warned and clarified that long-time absentee Brady Manek is yet to return to practice.
Trinchieri admitted that his team lacks creation, as Zalgiris are averaging just 10.5 assists per EuroLeague game, a number that places them at the bottom of the category.
“We want to work on it,” he admitted. “We have to. I miss many things, you can always get better. I think after two games we can't break our head for that. Each match gives you something new to work on. Our creation is poor at the moment, so we have to work on it.”
Trinchieri also pointed out that there’s no frustration among his players after the loss to Olympiacos, as the Lithuanian side came back from an early 15-point deficit (6-21).
“My team responded well, I believe they did more good than bad things in Piraeus. It wasn’t enough to win, but we left the arena with the feeling that we had something to build the season on,” he commented, and added that passing, execution and discipline are part of the process.
“I can’t focus on the mood because the player might feel bad if they don’t hit their shots. Mood is too general. We want our team to always be positive, to always have good body language. I want them to know that we are blessed because we’re doing the best job on earth, so to be in a bad mood is not possible,” he added.
Trinchieri was also asked about how fans should avoid going crazy over watching eight EuroLeague games concurrently this Tuesday.
“Switch off your phone and watch one game at a time,” he suggested. “This is the only way you can enjoy eight great battles.”
