There will be two postponements of the men’s Serie A on Monday 29 December, namely Olimpia Milano-Cremona at 8pm and Basketball Trieste-Virtus Bologna at 8.30pm in a sold out PalaRubini and in which the referee whistles will be Carmelo Lo Guzzo from Pisa, Martino Galasso from Siena and Daniele Vallerani from Ferentino (FR).
Regarding this last meeting, the resa a Masnago at the hands of a handy Varese has fueled doubts about the stability of a Pallacanestro Trieste team which does not seem to have the weapons to escape its apathy and which has stumbled into another seasonal misstep. What was supposed to be the redemption match turned into yet another chapter in an eclipse that continues. The dirty clothes washed by the family after it weren’t enough clash between Juan Toscano-Anderson and coach Israel Gonzalez seen against Wurzburg. In Lombardy, the faded version of a team that seems to have lost its technical and emotional compass was on stage, without prejudice to the fact that the absences suffered in this first part of the season gave no way to find continuity and harmony in official matches.
If the defeat in the Champions League was a clear alarm signal, the latest stop in the championship has raised many doubts about the team’s consistency and technical project. The lack of quality in Serie A, which sees the eighth standing at 10 points, still means Trieste remains seventh in the table, but the club’s initial objectives were higher and in any case this step does not guarantee the play-offs. In twelve days of the top Italian category there were six victories and six defeats.
Two years ago general manager Arcieri defended coach Jamion Christian and he was right, but at the time the group was a single and united block, capable of uniting in times of difficulty; now we find ourselves faced with a more complex reality, made up of many high-level professionals who, however, have not managed to find a collective soul or take a common path. In a similar situation with a dressing room that is so difficult to harmonize, a strong stance is needed from the club and for this reason the environment around the Julian team expects a change of coach.
Finding a suitable replacement during the current season is never a simple task, but continuing to watch the team fall apart without intervening could prove to be an even bigger risk. It’s time to try a new route before the tangle becomes completely impossible to untangle, also because it might be enough a victory, against Trento or Cantù, to qualify for the Final eight of the Italian Cup mid-February….
