Olimpia Milano: A New Coach, but No Change in Results in the EuroLeague—For Now. Many Fans Are Making Jokes About It

The head coach changes, hopes change, but in the end, the story is always the same: Olimpia Milano loses again. And by now, rather than getting angry, the fans seem to have opted for irony. The biting, often ruthless kind of irony from those who’ve run out of explanations and are starting to have little patience for excuses.

Against Zalgiris Kaunas, we at least saw a team capable of fighting until the very last possession. A bit of grit, some signs of pride, and a 20-point performance from Guduric. But the result remains the same. And in the EuroLeague, unfortunately for Milan, there’s no standings based on good intentions.

“Unfortunately, coming close only counts in bocce,” writes Davide Necchi, perfectly summing up the mood of the evening. Because losing while fighting may be better than losing without putting up a fight, but when it comes to wins, it’s still a zero.

There are those who try to see the glass as half full, like Daniele Murciano, who at least highlights the team’s ability to fight until the very last second, while acknowledging that for three-quarters of the game, it was the same old team. And then there are those, like Fabio Casoni, who rub salt in the wound: “A round of applause for the heart they put into it, but mediocrity doesn’t turn into excellence.”

A statement that carries more weight than many technical analyses.

Luca Banchi’s arrival was supposed to be a wake-up call, at least mentally. But no coach has a magic wand, especially when he has to step in with a team showing obvious structural problems.

On social media, of course, patience is already at an all-time low.

“And there’s the ‘Banchi effect’ right away,” comments Luca Mallinza, while Biagio D’Angelo even turns to classical music: “If you put Toscanini in charge of a pack of dogs, what do you expect? ‘Eroica’?”

A harsh comparison, but one that captures the mood well.

And then there’s Andy Viri, who raises a less amusing and far more uncomfortable issue: over the years, coaches have come and gone, blame has been doled out, and people have looked for someone to hold accountable on the bench. Repesa, Pianigiani, Messina, Poeta, and now Banchi. But is it really possible that the problem is always and only about who’s coaching?

If there’s one topic on which discontent seems to find common ground, it’s the roster construction—specifically, the frontcourt.

“Rebounds?” asks Paolo Baroli curtly. Two words, an entire problem.

Giuseppe Daniel Carbone calls for a center and questions Moses’s performance. Andrea Massei adds: “Two centers—we need two top-tier centers. Then maybe starting in September 2027 we could talk about it.”

The reference to 2027 is a joke, of course. But behind the laughter lies a specific criticism: this team seems to need something deeper than just a coaching change.

Massimo Biasi “Zizou” imagines a sensational comeback in the second leg, complete with a spot in the Final Four. A joke that mocks the illusions of a season in which, for now, the gap between expectations and results seems enormous.

The same fan goes so far as to wonder if it wouldn’t be better to skip the game altogether and just accept a 0-30 forfeit. “Tonight the Lithuanians played blindfolded and still won,” he adds, just to leave no room for interpretation.

Paolo Lavelli, on the other hand, opts for outright sarcasm: “Another huge victory! Thanks, Olimpia! Thanks, guys. Thanks, management! What an unforgettable season!”, even going so far as to suggest keeping all these champions on the roster for another ten years.

Filippo Guarino perhaps finds the most fitting way to describe this Olimpia team: “And once again, we’ll win next time.”

Massimiliano Morano, on the other hand, fears the team has set its sights on breaking the record for losses, while Gianni Gianni consoles himself with one certainty: “Well… At least we’re consistent.”

And there are even those who wonder if it’s possible to be relegated from the EuroLeague, like Francesco Fumarola. A provocative question that reveals just how far the expectations of a fan base—accustomed to envisioning very different goals—have plummeted.

There’s also the bitterness of those who observe that Olimpia seems to be playing on the road even in Milan, as Manuel Cavina points out.

Amid all this irony, one rather simple truth remains. The fans aren’t asking for miracles, but for a team that lives up to the investments, the history, and the stated ambitions. The character shown in the final stretch may serve as a starting point, but it cannot be the sole source of consolation every time.

Banchi will need time—that much is clear. But in the EuroLeague, time waits for no one. And above all, it cannot single-handedly resolve the shortcomings of a roster that continues to show the same limitations.

In the meantime, Olimpia keeps losing, and the fans keep coming up with jokes. At least in this regard, it must be acknowledged, Milan is demonstrating extraordinary creativity.