We deluded ourselves: the victory over Verona was not a return to the brilliant team of the Super Cup, but an isolated flash in the midst of four defeats, with three bad external performances, in Varese, Treviso and last night in Thessaloniki with Paok.
The involution of a group that had to guarantee a good start was really unpredictable given the nine confirmations plus that of the coach Bucchi. It is true that he has had many injuries in rotation and Bucchi has practically never played three games in a row with the same men. On the other hand, we cannot ignore the modest performance of Robinson who is no longer the leader as in the last championship and seems unable to compact the group.
The Onuaku center has the physical and technical means to dominate, but it does so only in flashes and in some moments it seems distracted.
Instead, the tests of Bendzius and Kruslin are less worrying, always putting us in competition and occasionally complaining about the tiredness of those who have played excessive minutes with a roster shortened by injuries.
It is therefore not just a question of uneven physical condition, the team is ungluing, giving up too soon at the first difficulties. It is urgent to recompose it before compromising an already uphill Championships and also access to the Final 8 of the Italian Cup. Coach Piero Bucchi rightly said "We have to start again from the energy, from the mentality and from working in the gym, to return to have the pleasure of playing together and to react".
