Olimpia Milan crisis: the problem is always the same and it’s repeated over and over again
“We right now are mentally fragile, the fourth game we lose in the same way, after Red Star, Zalgiris and Varese. We have to react, to be able to do it together in difficult moments and not alone. That’s the message I have to get across to the team. Starting with the defense. We still had a very good approach, great first two quarters, then at the first difficulty we get disunited we make hero ball and stop defending”, words of coach Poeta after the home loss to Brescia.
In fact, even against Leonessa, there was a repetition of the script seen often in recent outings of the red and white. Good approach to the games, advantage even considerable in terms of scoring then, suddenly, the team loses its certainties and leaves space to the opponents. In the hot moments, everyone tries to win it alone and, on more than one occasion, defeat comes. In the league we are already at five stops, in the Euroleague the current record says 12 wins and 13 losses, so with the play-ins rather far away right now.
Clearly there are mitigating factors. First and foremost, the almost always crowded infirmary. Bolmaro, probably the best defender on the roster along with Tonut (another unavailable), keeps coming on and off the court. He is currently in the pits with an elbow sprain that will keep him out for about 7 to 8 weeks. Then there are the difficulties at the directorial level. Brown is no longer part of the red-and-white project and Mannion is having a hard time carving out space for himself (also due to some physical problems). Here, then, Guduric is often employed as a playmaker with poor results.
Poeta is struggling with a decidedly delicate moment. After a good start, with prestigious victories, the young coach finds himself grappling with issues that are not easy to solve. There are those who call for a sudden intervention in the market to find solutions, but it is not at all easy to find quality reinforcements at this time.
On Tuesday night, Olimpia will return to the court. At the’former Palalido comes Baskonia in a key match to keep alive the hope of grabbing a place in the play-in. A win is also mandatory to regain a minimum of confidence in one’s own means. As hoped by coach Poeta, we need to play together.
