Sasa Obradovic, the coach of Monaco, spoke to the club’s website about the upcoming season with the team from the Principality.
Obradovic emphasized that a significant job has been done by retaining the team’s nucleus.
“It’s always important to have continuity in working with the same players who understand the philosophy, systems, roles, and team hierarchy. This doesn’t guarantee that we’ll replicate the success from the previous year, but the chances are still there if we have short memories and if we’re able to let go of the past” – Obradovic said, adding:
“Newcomers need time to integrate into the system; they are great players and great individuals. We all have high expectations, which, I hope, will help us achieve our goals”.
Monaco had many players absent from the preparations, either due to national team commitments or injuries.
“The preseason games didn’t give us a clear picture of how the team should look due to several absences. Kemba Walker, Mouhammadou Jaiteh, Jordan Loyd, Devonte Hall barely trained with the team. The guys who participated in the World Cup trained only once or twice before the season opener against Limoges, and Donatas Motiejunas recently joined the team.
In fact, we have to adapt during the early league matches, which are very unusual and challenging because there are many things to correct. That’s why we need to be patient at the beginning, and we might have ups and downs in our performance until all the injured players return and we can finally see the complete team that was assembled this summer”.
Monaco managed to defeat Limoges in their first game in the French league.
“This kind of match is typical for the start of the season and certainly not the way we want to play. We mixed player positions, and it’s sometimes not easy to connect the players in such an unusual situation, but we will learn from every game and improve as time goes by. The important thing is that we won this game”.
One of the newcomers to the team from the Principality is Terry Tarpey, who was primarily brought in to contribute on the defensive end of the court.
“Terry Tarpey is a significant addition and, above all, a fantastic person. He will surely help us, but everyone needs to understand that all players are part of a big mechanism called a team, and it takes time for the team to find its chemistry. Patience is needed for everyone to find their role and rhythm to be productivе”.
Obradoviц emphasizes the need for fan support in the upcoming season.
“Opening the season with fans shows how much interest in basketball is growing here and how much our games will depend on fan support. The connections between the team and the fans must be strong because the season will be long and demanding. We need people who will be loud off the court to push us forward. They should be our sixth player on the field” – said the former coach of Crvena zvezda.
The 54-year-old coach also talked about expectations for the upcoming season.
“Our expectations and the club’s expectations cannot be lower than last year. We must set high goals and work to achieve them, although I expect it will be much harder to replicate the results of last season. We should always talk about making it to the playoffs as a very successful outcome, and a new appearance in the Final Four would be an incredible achievement” – Sasa Obradovic emphasized.
