Donatas Motiejunas, like many others, saw France as one of the candidates for the gold medal of this World Cup. But the slap received from the start against Canada, followed by the defeat against Latvia, led the Blues to a premature exit from the road, light years away from their initial ambitions.
“ We had the impression that the French team had lost the thread after the crushing blow of the defeat against Canada “Judges the pivot of Monaco, interviewed by BasketNews. To explain it, the inside goes back to the weeks of preparation for the competition. Preparation during which the executioner of the Blues, Latvia, notably lost 24 points against its Lithuanian neighbor.
” On the one hand, it’s great to have a Cinderella story. On the other hand, you see the importance of dynamics. Our victory against Latvia probably gave them a boost and prepared them psychologically. They experienced a shock », Analyzes Motiejunas, whose national team is already qualified for the second round of the competition.
“Shock” that France did not experience during its preparation, which ended with a short (and only) defeat against Australia, until it fell from above against Canada. ” Going into this game against the Canadiens as favorites and falling may have made them doubt themselves. In this kind of tournament, you have to be wary of teams that fight until the last second. Such situations become very dangerous “, continues Motiejunas speaking of Latvia therefore.
“Maybe they needed to lose to the Americans? »
He continues, asking himself: Maybe the opponents they chose to prepare for were too weak? Maybe they needed to lose against the Americans? They needed a team that would push them to their limits and create a shock. I think the result could have been different. I could be wrong, but those are my observations. »
A surprising statement to say the least when you know that the Blues have faced … Lithuania twice, for as many victories (90-72, 76-70), as well as Tunisia (93-36), Montenegro (80- 69), Venezuela (86-67), Japan (88-70) and the Boomers (74-78).
In addition to the level of preparation, the pivot, who averages 7 points and 5.5 rebounds in this relay competition Jonas Valanciunas, also highlights ” major influence of Frank Ntilikina’s injury and its consequences.
” Include or exclude players at the last minute, just before the start of the championship… (Vincent) Poirier arrives, then leaves, and (Mathias) Lessort, who missed the preparation, plays crucial minutes in the tournament. […] Many managers don’t understand that changing one or two players can significantly affect the internal state and confidence of the team. This can lead to dissatisfaction among teammates and have far-reaching consequences “Assures the former Rockets player, drawing a parallel with Fenerbahce last season.
The Lithuanian giant ends the analysis of this rout with a bit of philosophy: “ Everyone talks about it as a tragedy, but it’s sport. »
