Barcelona have been used to winning and being amongst the leaders in whatever league they compete in. However this season has been much different.
Currently the Catalan giants sit in 12th spot in the EuroLeague, three wins off the Playoff pace. They sit in fourth in the domestic Liga Endesa but failed to reach the recent Copa del Rey final by losing to Valencia in the semi-finals.
Head coach Georgios Bartzokas, was given the task of filling the shoes of his predecessor Xavi Pascual with many thinking he would maintain Barcelona’s status as a global basketball powerhouse.
But current form, not to mention massive injury issues have given the Greek play-caller headaches. A former EuroLeague winner with Olympiacos in 2013 and Final Four participant with surprise package Lokomotiv Kuban last season, Bartzokas is under pressure from the Barcelona fans to deliver, but the board has remained firmly on board with their head coach.
And rightly so, this season has been a unfortunate one for Bartzokas with injuries throughout the season to Justin Doellman, Juan Carlos Navarro (both twice), Brad Oleson, Stratos Perperoglou, Victor Claver, Pau Ribas, Petteri Koponen, Alex Renfroe and Shane Lawal. And while the majority have returned to action, it has damaged the team chemistry that is so important to maintaining a winning team.
“We had many injuries this year, were really unlucky, had problems,” Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu said. “I’m not disappointed that we didn’t win the Cup. Despite our problems we reach the semi-finals. When we have all of our players available, we’ll see what we’ll do towards the end of the season when the Spanish League title will be decided.
“Coach Bartzokas has our complete trust. Everyone must help and give their best so that the season will be successful in the end. We still had a long way to go though.”
Barcelona return to EuroLeague action on Thursday against fellow strugglers EA7 Milano in Italy, which is followed by a road trip to the Spanish capital to take on Estudiantes in the Liga Endesa.
“We knew that this season would be difficult after so many changes in our roster and coaching staff,” said Bartomeu. “We lost the Copa Del Rey, which was a target, but we have two challenges ahead of us, like EuroLeague and the Spanish league title. Nothing is over, we must fight to the end.”