Vladimir Jovanovic, in an interview with Sportal, analyzed the “eternal” derby played in the EuroLeague and previewed the upcoming one scheduled for Monday.
The Serbian coach emphasizes that it was crucial for the black-and-whites to gain an early advantage in the match.
“The situation before the derby, the prelude and the build-up to the derby, were somewhat less typical. Partizan lost to Mega, and on the other hand, we had off-court developments, Crvena Zvezda changed their coach. This nervousness was visible on the field in the opening minutes. But I must say that Partizan evidently coped better in the initial moments of the match, and one of the reasons is certainly that they had the home court advantage,” said Vladimir Jovanovic.
“And both teams have their good and bad moments, but considering that it’s the beginning of the season, I would say it’s expected, and you can’t establish a standard or form right away. All teams, including Partizan and Crvena Zvezda, had issues. There was the World Cup, so they entered the preparation period, and some key players were missing, at least when it comes to domestic ones. That’s why neither of them is at the peak of their quality, and they’ll need time to reach their zenith.”
Vladimir Jovanovic commented on the change of coach at Crvena Zvezda.
“From a coaching perspective, this is a very unpopular move. Simply, no coach can accept that this is the right way, especially when Dusko Ivanovic is a coach with an established EuroLeague reputation for a number of seasons… Every coach needs some time, and we’re not talking about a month; we’re talking about two months, three, six months, to establish continuity and get their system to work. However, today’s time is what it is, and that’s one of the unpopular methods, as far as I’m concerned, for waking up a team if they have any issues.”
“It’s not just here; it’s all over Europe where, through this move, teams attempt to awaken, to shake things up in some way. Such a move, like changing the coach, often yields short-term results, but I emphasize – short-term. The effect achieved by changing the coach is simply unpleasant for everyone involved, not for the coach nor the players, but when these things happen in the club, there is a certain domino effect at that moment that affects the team due to the situation.”
The former coach of Partizan emphasizes that a good team requires good domestic players.
“I’ve talked about this several times, for a good team, I’m talking about Partizan and Crvena Zvezda, it’s crucial to have good domestic players. Only good domestic players – I don’t underestimate the internationals who understand where they are and which club they’re playing for, with its history. In the end, they make a significant effort through their performance and behavior to contribute to the club, to respect the people who come to watch them, which is now over 20,000 people, not to mention those who follow on TV. That’s an important aspect, that relationship with the audience.”
Jovanovic believes that Milos Teodosic is a player ready to always “break” the game in favor of the red and whites.
“He is a basketball magician; very few can do what he can do in a game. However, we can’t predict when that will happen. I would always choose Milos as the man who can turn the game, even in this upcoming derby. He can easily make that happen with one, two, or three moves.
As for the front line, two players have stood out. I must mention Luka Mitrovic, who has been a consistent part of Crvena Zvezda’s front line for quite some time, with the exception of the period he spent abroad. In addition to him, I have to highlight Bolomboy for what he has shown since the beginning of the season, with everyone talking about him.”
Partizan won’t be able to count on Kevin Punter on Monday, but Vladimir believes there are players on the team who can step in for him.
“There are players who can fill that role. Jaramaz has stepped up, Dozier has awakened, and Andjusic is there… For Partizan, it’s crucial to stop the guard line, that’s the story of Crvena Zvezda’s three-point shooting. However, there’s more than one exceptional playmaker there, with Shabazz and Teodosic, not to mention those who can shoot threes.
I think Partizan’s defense is key. Simply put, if Crvena Zvezda gets too much space… As we’ve seen recently, when Partizan raised the level of aggressiveness, especially in defense, the results followed.”