21.03.2009 | PRESS
CONFERENCE
Juan
SALVADOR (Team Captain, Unicaja Almeria):
We tried hard. We were up against a very tough
opponent, but --not to try to find excuses-- we lacked concentration. I wouldn't
like to comment on the refereeing and I'm not implying that that's why we lost
the match, but it is unpleasant not to be awarded a crucial point.
We are prepared for tomorrow and we are here to win. We will now fight for the
bronze medal.
Sergey TETYUKHIN (Team Captain, Lokomotiv-Belogorie Belgorod):
Congratulations to Almeria for playing very well and
to my team mates for responding well. The victory was a result of our lineup. We
have been preparing for a long a time to play against this opponent and we knew
it would not be a simple affair. I cannot say a lot about Panathinaikos, but I
did watch the first set on television. They are a strong team, but we hope that
we can beat them. We felt the pressure of such a large hall. Tomorrow we will
have our tactics and I hope there will be no weaknesses. Our will to win is
great.
Carlos Carreno (Head Coach, Unicaja Almeria):
Congratulations to my players for the match they
played. Also congratulations to the Russian team for their victory. The
important thing for us was was to push Lokomotiv to their limits--and at times
we achieved this. But our endurance was also tested today. Our great goal now is
to win the bronze medal. We do not have many chances to play in such an
important tournament.
Gennady SHIPULIN (Head Coach, Lokomotiv-Belogorie Belgorod):
We found the correct lineup and changed a few players
around and managed to go through. We made a lot of tactical errors and by the
time we found out who our opponents were, the result had become close. We
respect the Greek team and we know a lot of their players and their coach
well--so it will be a tough match tomorrow. I hope my players will be able to
follow my instructions. We know the positive and the negative points of our
opponent. The spectators will be a crucial factor and we will take that into
account. It is not the first time we play in Greece. The previous teams that
Leonis coached had been based mostly on Greek players. This time his team has
more foreigners. We know their tactics, but we are not telling.
