Vassilis Spanoulis expressed frustration with his team's inconsistency, defensive struggles, and mental toughness in the game vs. Panathinaikos. He criticized players' attitudes and emphasized the importance of effort.
AS Monaco coach Vassilis Spanoulis did not hold back after his team’s 88-76 defeat to Panathinaikos, expressing strong criticism about his squad’s inconsistency, defensive struggles, and lack of mental toughness.
Following the loss, Spanoulis acknowledged that Monaco did not deserve the victory.
"They were better and they deserve to win. We’re not on the level that a team should be in this kind of game, and we took what we deserved."
| Player of the Game | |
|
EFF
43
|
| Kendrick Nunn | |
| Points | 37 |
| Accuracy | 14-17 |
| Rebounds | 3 |
| Assists | 5 |
He pointed out Monaco’s slow starts as a recurring issue:
"I'm tired of seeing us start like this every time. I'm tired of seeing us not play defense, then play defense the next game, then not play defense again. I will do whatever I can to fix this, but how much can I really fix?"
Spanoulis admitted that Monaco’s defense struggled against Panathinaikos guard Kendrick Nunn, who exploded for 37 points.
"We tried everything, but nobody could stop him one-on-one. Our team defense was a disaster."
He also emphasized the importance of mental toughness and game preparation:
"Our mental toughness and our preparation for games are never how I want them to be."
Spanoulis addressed star guard Mike James, who had an underwhelming game with just six points on 2/14 shooting. He urged James to contribute in different ways when his shots aren’t falling:
"He has to find a way to help the team when he’s not having a good game. He has to be smart and contribute in other ways. In the fourth quarter, he played excellent defense on Nunn because he took it personally. But it was too late. He has to do this from the beginning of the game."
Spanoulis reflected on Monaco’s position in the standings, recognizing the challenges of implementing his philosophy mid-season:
"We are exactly where we deserve to be this year. It’s not easy to put your identity into a team in the middle of the season. We have good moments and bad moments. The hardest thing for me is changing the team’s mental toughness and attitude toward games."
He also criticized Monaco’s inconsistency: "We are a team that can beat anybody and lose to anybody. I don’t like this. I prefer stability. I’d rather play at a 7 or 8 every game than one day at a 10 and the next at a 2."
Despite the criticism, Spanoulis remains optimistic about Monaco’s playoff hopes.
"We control our destiny," he said. "If we cannot win one of our next two games against Panathinaikos or Villeurbanne, then we don’t deserve to be in the top four. It’s as simple as that."
Spanoulis dismissed any excuses about fatigue and emphasized the privilege of playing professional basketball.
"We are professionals. These players are blessed to play basketball and earn millions," the Greek coach pointed out.
"Others don’t even have food to eat. It’s a big disrespect to life to say you’re tired from playing basketball. If someone is tired, they should go home – but they should also return the money they’re being paid."
Spanoulis was also frustrated with Monaco’s lack of physicality, particularly their unwillingness to commit fouls.
"We finished the first half with just six fouls and gave them eight free throws. That’s a disgrace. It shows we were in another world, not ready to play this kind of basketball."
He concluded with a sharp remark on Monaco’s overall effort.
"It’s normal to have a bad game. But the effort we showed, especially in the first half, was a huge disrespect to this club."
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