Chus Mateo: “I'm pleased to be in the final fighting for another trophy"

Chus Mateo spoke to the press following the Super Cup semifinal win over Barça (89-83). The coach was happy with the victory: "We knew it would be a difficult match, with few points in it. Barcelona fought hard and ultimately we were a bit more precise at the end. We built up a certain advantage at times but not enough to be decisive. We were always a bit nervous and ended up losing it again. We've lost 6 players of the team we had last year and some new boys have come in and done very well, as has the whole squad. If it weren't for the nervous moments, I'd give the team a nine of out ten. I'm pleased to be in the final fighting for another trophy. It'll be a tough match, regardless of who we get. I'm expecting a difficult final."

“We missed a lot of free-throws that would have given us a greater lead, but we didn't give away many turnovers and everyone did well on the rebound, particularly Deck, Hezonja, Ibaka, Campazzo… We were able to do enough. I'm happy with the players' efforts, they won the game in a pragmatic manner."

Campazzo
“I think he likes playing here. He's a player who always performs well at this venue and I hope does so again so we can lift the trophy. It was a good team performance today. Of course, he played brilliantly, but so did all the guys on the outside because they had a lot of work to do. Barcelona are a great team but despite not being at our fittest, we were able to come through. The strength lies in the team, but of course Campazzo is phenomenal."

Garuba
“He was out with an injury and he's back in training now, he's doing a good job. He's going to be a hugely important player for us. He is already from my point of view and when he's back in good shape, he will be even more so. He gives us so much on the rebound, finishing moves, blocks…”.

Room for improvement 
“We were a bit hasty in offense and that led to a bit of imbalance at the back. Then we got into a dynamic we wanted to avoid, we lacked patience at that time and the ability to slow things down a bit. That is something we have to work on at times."

Rathan-Mayes' role
“I'm really pleased that a guy who has come from scoring an average of over 20 in Russia, someone who takes a load of shots, has so quickly understood the importance of working hard for the team. He contributed really well in an area that he's not used to, defending Punter really well. I'm happy because he helped the team a lot. He'll give this team some great nights because he plays some fantastic basketball."

Team
“The more games they play together, the more you see what your team is all about. We've had more changes to the squad than we did last year. We're changed 6 players. I'm delighted with the guys I've got here and my players are always the best as far as I'm concerned."

How the new faces are settling in
“It's a matter of time. New teams take time to gel and get to know each other. Two years ago, two key players for us arrived here, in Musa and Hezonja. The same thing will happen to the new lads now. There are some who have to adapt to Real Madrid. We'll take a while longer to play at our best this year."

Intensity 
“It was a highly intense match. These are two champion teams. We always have to respect our opponent. We tried to do the best we could, and we showed more precision at the end, we managed the closing stages better. It was a pragmatic victory today.”