Sekulic warns before the Super Cup: off our physical, tactical peak | OneFootball

Barça Basket heads into the Endesa Super Cup this weekend aiming to take a first step forward in its new project and win a title. Aleksander Sekulic spoke on Friday ahead of the competition and admitted that his team is still far from reaching its best version, especially physically and tactically.

"We’re not close to our peak physically or tactically, but from what we’ve seen they play good basketball on both defense and offense. It will be a great challenge," the Barça coach explained about Valencia.

Even so, Sekulic said he was satisfied with the first few weeks of work and, especially, with his players’ attitude. "We’re doing well, with great energy in training. Everyone is focused and ready for this game and for the season," he said.

The coach also highlighted the atmosphere in the locker room, which includes many new players. "I’m positively surprised by the team atmosphere. It’s what we’re building for the future," he said. In this regard, he praised the energy the group shows on the court: "What I like most about this team is the energy it shows on the court, not caring whether they make mistakes or not, trying to fix them by playing as a team."

Sekulic acknowledged that Barça needs time to find the necessary chemistry, even though official competition is just around the corner. "Obviously, we need time, but the season starts soon," he explained. The coach hopes that the team can reach its best form "as soon as possible," although he considers it normal for the process to take longer because of the many changes in the squad.

Defense, the main area to improve

One of the points Sekulic stressed most was the need to improve defensively. "We still need to improve in both areas, offense and defense, especially defense," the coach admitted. "On offense, we can do better, but defensively there are things we need to fix, and I hope they will be part of our improvement for the next game," he added.

The matchup against Valencia will also have the added intrigue of Nikola Mirotic’s possible presence, as he has returned to the Liga Endesa this season with the 'taronja' side after his spell at Barça. Sekulic admitted that it is still difficult to know how the power forward will be used, although he is clear about what he can bring: "We all know what Mirotic can bring with his experience and quality."

Finally, the Barça coach also referred to Darío Brizuela, who picked up an injury in the Lliga Catalana final. Sekulic explained that Barça will wait until Friday or Saturday morning to decide whether the player will be available against Valencia. "It seems it was not a serious injury, and we’ll see whether he can play tomorrow," he concluded.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.