Xavi Albert, the head coach of Valencia, spoke after the game against Partizan in the EuroLeague 34th round.
Albert sought to outplay the black-and-whites and thus make his debut in the elite league in the best possible way, while also ending the competition on a high note. However, he did not succeed in that.
“We wanted to compete, but not 100 percent. These were two teams that wanted the play-in. We wanted to control the minutes, everyone played 20-25 minutes, and we played against a strong team to prove some things.
Now we start thinking about the Endesa League. My first game as a head coach in the EuroLeague. You can imagine how it feels for a young coach to play in the best basketball city, with this atmosphere and Zeljko Obradovic. Not bad for the first time. I hoped we would compete for the play-in. I enjoyed it. A nice place for a game,” said Xavi Albert.
Reminder, the Spanish team lost all chances of advancing further with a defeat from Asvel in the previous round, just like Partizan, who was not helped by Anadolu Efes being better than Crvena Zvezda.