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Par Guillaume Kagni | Journaliste sportif
After losing the EuroLeague final, AS Monaco must get back on track for the Betclic Elite playoffs. But after an initial defeat in the semi-final against ASVEL, coach Vassilis Spanoulis took his players to task.
What could have been a dream end to the season for AS Monaco could well turn into a nightmare. After a convincing victory over Olympiakos, the team that finished top of the EuroLeague regular phase, the players from the Principality made their first trip to the final of the most prestigious championship behind the NBA.
Unfortunately for the reputation of French basketball, Monaco lost to Fenerbahçe in the final match of the Final Four. The disappointment was immense and logical, but Vassilis Spanoulis’s men quickly had to get their heads back in the game to compete in the Betclic Elite playoffs. And once again, things didn’t go according to plan.
Spanoulis massacres his players during the playoffs
Mike James, star of the team and a leader capable of making the difference single-handedly, was suspended by his team on the eve of the semi-final against ASVEL. His absence for disciplinary reasons proved detrimental, as the defending champions lost by 20 points to their rivals in Game 1. A result that sent the coach into a frenzy.
When we got back from the Final Four, we talked a lot with the players. The reality is that we’re empty physically and mentally. I don’t understand why. This is basketball, you’ve got to love it and love fighting to win titles! I can’t understand what’s going on, but one thing’s for sure: it’s my responsibility to put things right. Being tired is for a father or a mother, who works all day to feed their children and pay the rent.
Being exhausted because of basketball? I don’t understand it. You always have to be able and willing to prove something on the court. That’s not done by talking, but by doing. If someone tells me that we’ve had a bad day, that we weren’t mentally ready, I can understand that. But “tired”? When you’re a millionaire and you’ve turned your hobby into a profession, it’s disrespectful to all those who work all day for a very different salary at the end of the month.
Vassilis Spanoulis is a hot-blooded man, especially when it comes to the level of performance of his players. In the game they lost to ASVEL, he found his team tired and joyless, something he finds hard to understand. In his eyes, as in those of many fans, not being happy on the pitch when you’re earning millions is a lack of respect for those who have to get up early to earn a few thousand a year.
