Barça does not solve its usual problems

BarcelonaBarça made their EuroLeague debut with a worrying defeat to Hapoel Tel-Aviv (103-87). The new Blaugrana team repeated some of the flaws from last season and lost to an opponent who, despite having great financial potential, had just arrived in the EuroLeague. The match was played in Sofia, Bulgaria.

"Hapoel played with a better physical level than us. It's impossible to win away from home when you concede 103 points. Our defense was weak," analyzed Joan Peñarroya. The coach, who ruled out Miles Norris, was without Juan Núñez.

The mobility of Hapoel's midfielders was a burden for Barça, who were not solid enough defensively. "We played hard to overcome a great team like Barça," said Daniel Oturu, who added 18 points in 22 minutes. "For our club, it's a historic victory, but this is a marathon that has just begun. We knew how to combat Barça's strengths," explained Hapoel Tel-Aviv coach Dimitris Itoudis.

The contributions of Will Clyburn (23 points), Jan Vesely (13), and Kevin Punter (13) were insufficient to secure the victory. With his first three shots from the 6.75-meter line, the American guard reached the round figure of 300 three-pointers made in the EuroLeague.

Vasilije Micic played in a EuroLeague game again. The former NBA player, Barça's executioner in many previous battles, finished with 18 points and the feeling that when she's at 100% she'll make a difference again.

Barça conceded 51 points during a very offensive first half (51-45), and was unable to keep pace with the rival during a third period in which the home team's lead grew. The 31 points scored by the Israeli team opened a significant gap on the scoreboard (82-70). Unable to offer a consistent performance on defense, the Catalans reached the decisive stretch with no chance of victory.

On Friday, against Panathinaikos

With no time to correct many tactical aspects, Barça visits Panathinaikos on Friday in a crazy week that will serve as an example of the toughness of the schedule.