December is getting very long for Barça. The full calendar, with matches every two or three days at most, has affected the incipient Barcelona project. The balance of the last month of the year leaves more doubts than certainties, with five victories for six defeats, the last, decisive, at Unicaja (91-71). Until this December, the Catalan team had only been defeated in five games. Roger Grimau's side live immersed in a rollercoaster, with hopeful triumphs, such as against Fenerbahçe and Baskonia, and resounding disappointments, such as the lost match against the then top of the Euroleague, Alba Berlin. After once again showing their worst side at Martín Carpena de Málaga, the Barcelona fans need to show their best version today against one of the European giants, Monaco, in the last day of the first round of the Euroleague. "In December we didn't play our game. We need to work more. The schedule is as it is, very difficult. We need to go ahead with the game in Monaco and hope that this gives us confidence again for the games we have at home", indicated Tomás Satoransky, called to be one of the team's leaders. The visit to the Principality will be the farewell to 2023, but without practically having eaten the grapes, Barça will face two more very demanding commitments next week at the Palau, first against Real Madrid and then against Baskonia, both of the continental competition. Three games in just seven days that must be a turning point, a reaction that gives peace of mind to the section and scares away ghosts. The tour de force will end on January 7 with the Liga Endesa match against Obradoiro, the last of the first round, which must be used to certify the status of head of the series in the Cup.
The goal in the following matches is to leave behind the irregularity that has marked the team's path in the last month, with constant disconnections in the matches that have squandered the options for victory. Stability seems indispensable to give solidity to the foundations of the new stage. Grimau, without experience on the elite benches before arriving at the Palau, has the difficult task of fighting for titles with fewer elements than his predecessor. The cut in the budget, with a salary cut of more than 20%, is being felt in the rotation of the team. Nicolás Laprovittola, a free verse in previous years, is the only beacon in the offensive plot when the ball burns. If the Argentine is not inspired, the team usually short-circuits. Willy Hernangómez and Jabari Parker, used to the NBA style, have combined great performances with moments of uncertainty. For their part, Joel Parra and Darío Brizuela, the other new faces of the team, have stood out with droppers in this first stretch of the season. Grimau has brought fresh air to the locker room with a more offensive and cheerful basketball, less tight-lipped. The players, as they have expressed several times, are enjoying the new style, but the lack of defensive discipline is being too heavy a burden. Barça averages 84 points per game, fourth most in the Euroleague and third in the ACB, but averages 79 between the two competitions, the club's worst defensive figure since the 2017 season- 2018 "I couldn't quite explain why. When we stop being accurate and moving the ball well, we collapse too much", said Grimau after the defeat in Malaga. Solutions from the bench to defend better and the step forward of several players are necessary.
