"The team is arriving in good shape considering the handicaps we have faced in preseason, and we arrive with more desire than preparation. We have not had all the players available in preseason, just like our opponents, but the important thing is to arrive with that desire," he said. Regarding the conclusions he draws from this preparation, he was very clear, stating that "when we do things well, we can beat a EuroLeague team, and when we do not, we are not capable of doing so against a Spanish league team."
What Cantero highlights is that "these games have served to try things that you cannot do in training, and that leads you to concede baskets and see your percentages drop, but under normal circumstances that will not happen. What I am happiest about is the Athinaikos games, because that was when I asked them to be competitive, and we do not leave with a bad 'feeling'. We know which games we have to give everything in."
After the entire preparation period, the coach said that the team is arriving at "30-40% of our level." As the main reason, he explained that "we have not been able to push the machinery because we had very few players. You cannot put the machinery under pressure, and I think this is the only preseason in which there have been no injuries."
VALENCIA BASKET AND THE SUPER CUP
The first opponent will be a team that, like the Reds, is in a similar position: Valencia Basket. "They were an opponent we knew very well, and now it is something new. It is true that we have less information about them than they may have about us. That creates a little uncertainty, but we will put our hearts and desire into beating our opponents," Cantero said.
The Madrid-born coach said the message he will give his players to provide them with an extra source of motivation for the tournament is that they are the reigning champions. "In the absence of that physical preparation, we have to draw on our feelings and the emotional side," he added.
Nadia Fingall is available for the game, although Cantero said they will have to see how she is both physically and mentally. "The mental and physical states have to be balanced across the entire squad, and it is a training process that will begin from now on," he concluded.
Finally, when asked how the team will play, or rather what will be seen from his players on the court, he concluded that "we are not going to see a team that is unlike those of my previous years because the DNA is still there. Obviously, there will be different strengths and weaknesses, and we will see how we can compete and what our level is."
