Small teams have to save energy vs. Alba and Bayern in Munich
Today, the German league will reopen their season in Munich in a 10 teams format divided into 2 groups of 5. From each group, 4 squads will advance to the quarterfinals. So actually, in order to reach out from the group stage, you should win one game and have a bit of luck regarding the other results from the group.
As we all know there are two main favourites at the title: Alba Berlin and the hosts, Bayern Munich. They had the best rosters in Germany before the Coronavirus outbreak, and unfortunately for the other competitors, Bayern and Alba are the only teams coming at the tournament with a large bench, while many clubs have lost a couple of key players. That’s why Alba Berlin and Bayern Munich are even more title contender than before. Even if Bayern lost Greg Monroe and Nihad Djedovic with injuries. Other teams, like Rasta Vechta, are much more affected by the roster’s changes.
Because of this, I expect that the small teams, without a real chance to the trophy, that are playing only for the qualifiers from the group stage to the quarterfinals to play smart against those 2 giant clubs. I think the best solution for each team, like Fraport Skyliners Frankfurt, Rasta Vechta, Gottingen, Ratiopharm Ulm and so on is to surrender in front of Alba Berlin and Bayern Munich in their direct game, saving energy and prevent injuries.
These small teams have to focus to win one or two games against their tied opponents, where there is a real chance to secure a spot for the next phase of the competition. It would be a useless waste to try to overcome Alba and Bayern at this stage. The only smart step for all the teams involved has to be reaching out from the groups and then, later to hope for a good game. For these reasons, it has to be, at least in theory, an easy path for Alba Berlin and Bayern to blow their opponents at the group stage.
Image: Euroleague
Gratian Cormos
