Olimpia Milano, Ettore Messina takes the blame.

The words of Ettore Messina

Ettore Messina spoke after the Euroleague derby loss: “Congratulations to Virtus. They overcame a difficult start, where we played well, then there was a kind of collapse, we refused to take shots and decisions. We played with a sense of tragedy, this is my first responsibility in getting the team’s confidence and cohesion back. When the team plays poorly, there is no point in talking about individuality, the responsibility lies with those who coach the team. We will work hard to overcome this difficult moment.”

“They left out Belinelli and Weems for 40 minutes, we have injuries. However, it is fair to expect the team to play like the first 10 minutes, despite the excuses and absences. The fans, rightly, are right to be worried and upset and maybe think the season is already over. We know in the team some of the reasons why we are struggling in the Euroleague, however, we have to do much better. If we start like this, attacking the game and shooting well, we cannot then turn down shots. We have to feel the obligation to change.”