Olimpia Milano knockout, Ettore Messina’s self-criticism is harsh

A painful defeat, with a no-nonsense analysis at the end of the game.

Olimpia Milano fell at the Palau Blaugrana in the presence of Barcelona, able to win 74-56 despite the fact that the delicate Euroleague challenge had started with a certain balance between the two rivals. At the end of the game, however, it took Ettore Messina to analyze what went wrong.

“After the first quarter, they dominated us,” Messina admitted. “From the defensive point of view Vesely changed the game. At that point we were no longer able to make a basket. Our defense, then, failed to give us the necessary support. Our game was too poor to have any chance of competing with Barcelona, so kudos to them.”

There is also another reason for self-criticism, for Messina: “They were playing at home, and they were also quite tense. The game was of great importance to them, but we conceded too much open field and allowed them to run. They had a chance to split the game and take it to +12 or even +14. We, on the other hand, had little patience, forcing the first option all game long. And the responsibility for that is all ours.”