CSKA leadership

The fact that in Europe at the moment there is no club stronger than Moscow CSKA is indicated not only by the Euroleague table.

The ratio of wins and losses of 14-3, which brought the team to the leaders of the tournament of 18 participants, looks even more impressive if you look at the date of the last failure of the army.

An offensive misfire (84:86 OT) in Belgrade happened on October 22 - and since then the team of Dimitris Itoudis overcomes any resistance of competitors.

Today CSKA is the most productive club in the Euroleague (84.76 points per game), the best in total rebounds (37 on average per match) and in offensive rebounds (13.24).

CSKA have the most fouls (22.82), with defender Mike James topping the sniper list (20.56 points per night).

The numbers are impressive if you remember that in the offseason, the budget of the Russian champion was significantly reduced.

Club president Andrei Vatutin estimated the sequestration at 25-30%.

Because of this, CSKA was unable to retain a number of important performers.

In particular, four people left the front line, including Captain Kyle Hines.

At the same time, the transitions of Nikola Milutinov and Tornike Shengelia, although they were loud by the standards of the Euroleague, did not look convincing against the background of the transfer policy of the direct competitors of the red and blue.

Nevertheless, the army team confirmed the status of favorites already in the first round of the tournament.

Will Cliburn's recovery from injury has put an important striker back at Itoudis's disposal.

And the general high class of performers, combined with competent rotation and many years of victorious experience, allowed the army team to achieve victories in difficult matches with nervous endings.

The coaching staff also became calmer and more self-confident, which allowed them to calmly outplay the much more experienced Pablo Laso, Ettore Messina and Xavi Pascual.

In addition, the newcomers have adapted well: remember at least the Euroleague record for offensive rebounds, set by Milutinov in the match against Milan.

All this led to the fact that CSKA today is the most balanced and stable club in the competition.

Performances don't get more 𝕯𝖔𝖒𝖎𝖓𝖆𝖓𝖙 than that 💪



Nikola Milutinov setting a #EuroLeague record for offensive rebounds ⚠️ pic.twitter.com/bWL80iJMDI

- Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) December 30, 2020

Surprise "Zenith"

In the offseason, the club from St. Petersburg embarked on an ambitious restructuring: after coach Xavi Pascual, who won the Spanish Championship and the Euroleague with Barcelona, ​​almost a dozen new performers joined the team.

And not just eminent, but very experienced and even with a good reputation in Europe - such a number of top-class players in the team have not been seen in the entire time of its existence.

It was obvious: if you correctly build the game and clearly convey the philosophy of interactions to them, the team will aim at solving maximum problems.

However, it was Pascual's communication with the players that at first raised doubts.

Indeed, at the previous place of work, in the Greek Panathinaikos, not all basketball players accepted the Spaniard's ideas and his explanations.

Because of what, in the Euroleague, the “greens” never got beyond the playoff round.

And in recent years of cooperation with the Catalans, Xavi did not generate new tactical ideas.

Therefore, at first they spoke carefully about the prospects of the project in St. Petersburg, realizing that it would be very difficult to build a team of champion caliber from scratch.

Nevertheless, Zenit from the very first round began to claim the title of "season opening".

The team started with victories over Anadolu Efes and Barcelona, ​​in which the highest paid player in Europe Nikola Mirotić plays.

After that, the outbreak of COVID-19 in the club intervened, provoking transfers.

And the battles on two fronts - in Europe and the VTB United League - unsettled the team a little.

Nevertheless, after the first round, Zenit is confidently staying in the Euroleague playoff zone, having two matches in reserve.

The secret of the success of the club from St. Petersburg lies in the competent distribution of roles, the manageability of the team and the willingness to disciplinedly follow Pascual's instructions.

Kevin Pangos, who is in the top 5 assistants, directs the attack well.

Alex Poytress, one of the five most productive attacking players, has a high percentage of shots.

And reliable team protection allows you to keep decent numbers in the "missed points" column.

If Zenit avoids injury to key players, it will get a real opportunity to get an acceptable opponent in the playoffs and may even compete for getting into the Final Four.

Disappointment of Khimki

Last summer, the management of the Moscow Region team did an impressive job of preserving the main stars of the roster.

Moreover, signed as free agents Eric McCollum, Jordan Mickey and Greg Monroe were supposed to strengthen each of the team's lines, making it at least a contender for participation in the quarterfinals.

After all, each of the recruits, in theory, gave Rimas Kurtinaitis's team something that Khimki was lacking lately: extra points from a sniper, athleticism in the front line and rebounds in the fight under the basket.

Unfortunately, in business, the team of stars could not prove itself from the victorious side.

At the end of the first round, the yellow-blue ones closed the Euroleague table, having won only two victories in 17 matches.

An unsuccessful streak logically worsened the situation around the club, which caused information to appear either about the possible expulsion of the players, or about the possible dismissal of the head coach.

Στην έξοδο ο Κουρτινάιτις από την Χίμκι https://t.co/jkuaTbFCY3

- SPORT 24 (@ sport24) December 2, 2020

However, Khimki's management continues to believe in the assembled squad and coach Kurtinaitis - so far only two assistants of the Lithuanian specialist have been replaced.

It is obvious that the coronavirus detected at the beginning of the season in several players of the team and injuries for a long time did not allow the team to come to a common denominator of physical fitness.

In addition, the motivation of the players at times varied significantly, as the head coach spoke openly at press conferences.

Team chemistry in the Moscow region is still far from ideal - and if it is not adjusted, the season of high expectations can turn into equally large-scale disappointments.

It will be incredibly offensive, because the best flank players in Russia - Alexei Shved and Sergey Karasev - are playing in the club today.

Also, the team has enough performers who have played not only at the highest European level, but also in the NBA, and therefore are able to cope with pressure.

Even the role-playing performers in Khimki are at such a level in terms of the quality of play that they would play in the middle in any top championship.

Therefore, in the second round, it will be enough for a club from the Moscow region to realize at least the basic potential inherent in the squad in order to leave the last place of the table and finish with dignity in the Euroleague regular championship.