Martínez asks Madrid for patience ahead of the Supercopa

The coach of Real Madrid, Pedro Martínez, addressed the media a few hours before the first training session of the white team in Abu Dhabi. The Madrid delegation is preparing for its debut in the EuroLeague Supercup against Dubai Basketball in the semifinals, a match that will be held this Friday at 19:00 hours. In his appearance, Martínez made his work philosophy clear: avoid looking ahead to upcoming challenges and maintain focus on the immediate present.

Focusing on the present without additional pressure

The Madrid coach emphasized the importance of not thinking too much about the medium term. "I know how the competition system works and also what the expectations are for a club like Real Madrid. I prefer to do things without overthinking the medium term and to stay focused on the present, which right now is to try to have the best possible Supercup," Martínez explained. The coach conveyed a message of calm, indicating that the team will aim for their work to "take us where we need to go without putting more pressure on ourselves than we already have as professional athletes."

This approach reflects a deliberate strategy to manage expectations in the early stages of the season. Martínez is aware that Madrid is a club with high ambitions, but believes that the best way to face them is through daily work and without anticipating future scenarios that have not yet occurred.

Uncertainty as a determining factor

Martínez acknowledged that the unknown is one of the main factors the team will have to deal with before a tournament of this nature. "It's difficult to say because there is a lot of uncertainty about us right now, but we also have a lot of uncertainty about the opponent. We haven't seen them play against very strong teams and we don't know exactly what their strategy will be," confessed the coach. He was candid about the inherent difficulties of early-season competitions, where teams have not yet shown their true capabilities.

"In these early competitions, you go in a little blind. We are trying to focus more on what depends on us than on the opponent," Martínez added. This statement highlights a pragmatic mindset: instead of obsessing over the analysis of the opponent, Madrid prefers to refine its own systems and fundamentals. It is an approach that seeks to control what is controllable in an environment of maximum uncertainty.

The factor of the opposing coach

Martínez also highlighted the additional complexity of facing a team led by a new coach. "We know all the players, but the coach is new and we don't know exactly what we're going to encounter," he pointed out. This added variable makes preparation more complicated since there is no historical record of tactical behaviors to analyze.

Despite this uncertainty, the Madrid coach was clear about the aspects they can control. "It's always very important to execute the basics of the game as well as possible, to rebound, make good shot selections, not have a very high number of turnovers, and be solid in defensive rebounding." These fundamentals—rebounding, shot selection, ball care, and defense—are the pillars on which Madrid will build its performance in Abu Dhabi.

Patience as a necessary virtue

One of the most relevant themes in Martínez's intervention was the comparison being made between the current Real Madrid and last season's Valencia Basket, especially considering the level the team showed in the last months of competition. The coach called for patience and reminded that the evolution of a team takes time. "There is a lot of comparison going on with the Valencia from last year's last months of competition, when we later played in the Final Four and became league champions," he said.

Martínez made a crucial observation: "We should compare the Valencia Basket of the first months, and that one, surely, was not as enjoyable or as polished as it was in the last." This reflection contextualizes the expectations: teams do not emerge perfectly tuned, but instead require a maturation and adaptation process. "What is very important is to work, to have patience, and to keep improving," he concluded.

A progressive and realistic growth

The coach was clear about the expectations regarding the team's pace of improvement. He believes that growth must be gradual and that it is unrealistic to expect all mechanisms to function perfectly from the start of the season. "If you keep improving, there will always come a moment when you will have a high competitive level," Martínez pointed out.

However, he was realistic about the timeline. "To expect that from day one everything works perfectly, that all players understand it, that everyone adapts, is what we would like to happen, but it surely will not be that fast," he acknowledged. This statement is particularly important for establishing an appropriate frame of reference: Real Madrid seeks to improve constantly but understands that the process requires time and ongoing work.

Martínez's appearance in Abu Dhabi reflects a mature and thoughtful approach at the start of the season. Far from grandiose promises, the Madrid coach bets on daily work, controlling what is controllable, and patience as fundamental virtues to build a competitive team. With the debut in the EuroLeague Supercup just around the corner, Madrid has the opportunity to begin to demonstrate that their philosophy is the right one.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Martínez pide paciencia al Madrid antes de la Supercopa