Sotiris Manolopoulos, the head coach of the Iran national basketball team, analyzed the team's conditions before their match against South Korea in the semifinals of the 2026 Nagoya Asian Games, emphasizing the importance of mental calmness.
Upcoming Challenges and the Need for Self-Belief
Manolopoulos said: "We did not come to Nagoya in a good state of self-belief; we had lost our last two games. Especially the match against New Zealand, which is a very good team and at the level of Australia, where we lost in overtime." He also mentioned the recovery issues in the match against the Philippines and acknowledged that the team was not adequately prepared for a physical game.
Read more: Manolopoulos: Mental Calmness is the Key to Success Against South Korea
Efforts to Prepare the Team
The coach continued: "In the first game against Qatar, we also did not perform well and lost, but after that, we held many sessions both as a team and individually to motivate the players and remind them that nothing is over yet. Since that day, we have seen more competition within the team and now we have reached the top four teams."
Manolopoulos also spoke about the absence of several important players: "The situation was not good for us, and we lost a few key players. However, the positive point was that the players who came off the bench showed their best version and were suitable replacements for the absent players."
Preparation for Competing Against South Korea
He also discussed the team's condition before the semifinals: "The most important thing is that we try to recover, calm our minds, and get ready to compete against a very good team. South Korea is a team with its own unique style of play and has made significant progress over the past year."
In conclusion, Manolopoulos referred to the difficulty of the game against Bahrain in the quarterfinals, saying: "Yesterday's game against Bahrain was very tough for us. They have made good investments and have recruited players from the NBA. I also know their coach from Greece, and he is a very experienced coach. This game took a lot of energy from us, and now it is important to be ready and fit for tomorrow's match against Korea."
Read more: India Team Refuses to Accept the Asia Championship Trophy in Dubai · Secret Negotiations Between Kuwait and Israel to Counter Iran's Threats
