After another defeat Thursday evening against Panathinaikos (81-89), Asvel is still in last place in the Euroleague (18th) with a very sad record (2 victories, 12 defeats). On paper, however, the squad is rather rich with rotations on each position. A new room has just been inaugurated and should embody the ambitions of the Rhone club. But then what’s wrong with Villeurbanne?
In 2021, after two encouraging seasons in the Euroleague, Asvel, chaired by Tony Parker since 2014, obtained a permanent license there, thus guaranteeing its presence in the competition for the next 10 years. This success was celebrated as a victory by the former leader of the France team: “It’s a great day! It was a dream when I arrived which has now become a reality. (…) We now want to prove that we deserve this place among the greatest, we want to place LDLC ASVEL at the top.” Since then, the Villeurbanne club has never left the bottom of the table. In 2021-2022, he finished 14th (8 wins, 20 losses) and last season 18th and dead last, with a more than negative record (8 wins, 26 losses).
While in the championship, everything is going well for the Lyonnais (champions in 2019, 2021 and 2022), as soon as the Euroleague anthem sounds before a match, the atmosphere changes and the players can no longer cope. . Despite significant roster changes in recent seasons, Asvel still has experienced captains like Nando De Colo (36 years old, Euroleague MVP in 2016), Joffrey Lauvergne (32 years old, 153 NBA matches). ) or even Mike Scott (35 years old, 612 NBA games).
But nothing works, the results are not there. Lack of combativeness, absence of a game plan, the list is long to explain the reasons for failure. Even though many things have been tried by management to try to cause an electric shock, it does not work.
Often criticized for his lack of reaction (and coaching) during the last two seasons, TJ Parker, brother of Tony, was fired at the start of the year and replaced by the eccentric Gianmarco Pozzecco. Just after the arrival of the Italian, his players went for their first victory of the season in the Euroleague on the floor of Zalgiris Kaunas (91-88). Despite a sluggish start to the season, everything seemed to be back to normal thanks to this new coach who brought the entire group’s heads above water.
But the honeymoon didn’t last long. Since then, Asvel has only won one other European match and finds itself once again at the bottom of the rankings. On the floor, the attitudes are still not there. The Villeurbanne team is the one which has conceded the most points (1,219, or more than 87 points/match) since the start of the season. More than once she dropped matches at the very end of the match when they seemed within her reach.
Pozzecco is also the first to deplore a lack of desire, especially in defense. “I am very sad because we cannot win at home. We gave everything but we clearly have to be better defensively,” he declared after the defeat against Maccabi Tel-Aviv on December 6 (91-94). One thing is certain, the players of Tony Parker’s club will have to react in order to maintain a certain attractiveness. Especially considering teams like Paris who want more than anything to take their place in the Euroleague.
On Wednesday December 20 (8:30 p.m.), they will be on the floor of Olimpia Milano (16th). Deprived of their stars Nikola Mirotic and Maodo Lô due to injuries, the Italians seem more reachable than ever. Unlike the defeats against Barcelona (101 -92) or Baskonia (88 -81) which sit at the top of the rankings, this one would really be a stain in an already lackluster season. Then it will be the last two finalists, Olympiakos (Friday December 22 at 7:45 p.m.) and Real Madrid (Thursday December 28 at 8 p.m.) who will stand on the road to Asvel. A victory on Wednesday on Italian soil, at the Mediolanum Forum, therefore seems almost obligatory.
In the championship, even with a defeat against Paris Basketball (92-86), Gianmarco Pozzecco’s men are performing. Still on the podium (3rd), they will host the promoted Chalon sur Saône (8th) this Sunday at 7 p.m. in order to prepare as well as possible, before ending the year with a shock against the leader and reigning French champion, Monaco, Thursday, December 28 at 8 p.m.
