After the bitter home defeat on Boxing Day against Olympiacos, following a performance that saw a two-faced Virtus on the pitch, the Juventus team returns to the national championship aware of having its own destiny in its hands, and of having to keep pace with its pursuers who also won yesterday, read Brescia.
Against the Greeks, however, an interesting performance from the group led by coach Dusko Ivanovic, rather upset at the end of the match due to a refereeing oversight, who wrote a match ending that could have been different, after an incredible recovery achieved by the boys in black and white, with a last quarter of great physical intensity and maximum concentration on the pitch.
But when commenting, you need to have clarity and reason, the last quarter was objectively a concentration of strength and determination, but probably a little favored by the attitude of Olympiacos who mentally, with a twenty point lead, thought they had already won the match. However, Ivanovic’s boys were commendable for believing in it, even when they were down by many points, demonstrating that they have a soul and that they are cohesive when the circumstances require it, in short they demonstrated that they are a team, a very important detail for the continuation of the season.
Ivanovic’s post-match anger, at the same time as that of General Director Paolo Ronci, are absolutely understandable, the non-whistleled infringement on the throw-in has certainly changed an ending that could have written different pages, or rewritten them with the same result but with a different trend, no one can know, what is certain is that against Olympiacos it is not the first time that the dispute has been decided by a whistle against the Bianconeri, even in Piraeus there was an adverse decision against Ojeleye at the end of the race a few years ago.
Tonight’s game looks like a match that on paper should have been affordable, but instead it has turned into one of those matches in which a lot of attention will have to be paid in trying to complete it without being overwhelmed by events. The cup match knocked out Bologna’s first striker, Carsen Edwards, the winger suffered a sprained ankle which will keep him rested against the Giulians, and probably also in the next matches. In addition to the American, Alen Smailagic will also not be on the pitch due to a muscle strain. Instead, Karim Jallow will be available, but with reservations about full-time employment, a player who had had some unsuccessful moves in the last period. Luca Vildoza is also not in his best condition, despite his excellent performance as a former player against the Greeks.
Given these defections, we will therefore need great evidence from all the others available, even those who have recently struggled to get on the pitch, one above all Aliou Diarra. In the last few games Maliamo has often only made appearances on the pitch, the boy would need to play to find his dimension in the group, but above all he would need to be triggered in movement, using for example the classic pick and roll to fully exploit his peculiarities. In the Virtus squad, the game creator who is most inclined to this type of system is Brandon Taylor, who was seen again against Brescia and who all in all satisfied the group’s needs, seeing him again this evening on the parquet might not be a mirage.
For the others, we expect a match made up of concentration and attention on the usual things in which the team usually tends to get distracted, turnovers and rebounds under the boards, a real sore point this season. Maintaining the top of the rankings is important, we are rapidly approaching the final eight of the Italian Cup, being able to do it first and therefore choosing the day and time to play could undoubtedly help.
Trieste is a team that runs, one of those opponents that Virtus finds a little indigestible, they have guards who know how to shoot from the arc and exploit one-on-ones, as always a very careful defense will be needed on the outside, avoiding leaving too much space to those who have good aim from afar, then the diversity of physicality and the quality of the roster should make the difference over the forty minutes.
Tap-off at 8.30pm under the orders of Messrs. Lo Guzzo, Galassi and Valleriani. Live television on the LBA TV channel while the radio commentary will, as usual, be entrusted to the voice of Dario Ronzulli on the frequencies of Nettuno Bologna Uno.
Alessandro Stagni
In the image Carsen Edwards, the great absentee of this evening’s match (photo Ciamillo Castoria)
