It is a beautiful, exciting, but above all surprising (even for itself) Italy that after yesterday's victory against the dreaded Greeks and awaiting the last irrelevant match this afternoon with Sweden, flies to the second phase of the European, already mathematically ahead of its group (considered perhaps the toughest of the four on the eve). A team for which it is right to use the best adjectives, a group led by Simone Pianigiani, who is surprising everyone a bit, who arrived at this event with the bad indications left by the last negative friendlies in preparation, but above all literally decimated by a endless series of injuries, which seemed to be a real curse. A formation that this year, after a long time, on paper could present itself in the presence of the other continental powers without any inferiority complex, but rather really frighten the opponents, with a roster finally at the level of the favorites, thanks to the presence of four NBA players (Gallinari, Bargnani, Belinelli and the new entry Datome).
And instead, little by little, this sort of Italian dream team has seen itself crumble and lose many of its most valuable pieces, with a technical and quality potential almost halved and with the various doubts and controversies surrounding the real attachment to the blue shirt of some champions, accused by gossips of thinking more about their careers with the clubs. The first to see the possibility of participating in this adventure vanish was Danilo Gallinari, due to the bad knee injury last April, an absence that alone could have greatly reduced the blue ambitions, but bad luck decided to rage on our national team in the last two months, giving the last few blows right in the days close to the start of these European Championships. The most discussed absence was that of Daniel Hackett, the best player of the last championship and a key element of the team, immediately after another fundamental element like Andrea Bargnani had to throw in the towel, even struck by pneumonia, while in the last The new long man from Milan, Angelo Gigli, and the team captain Stefano Mancinelli, who remained in Slovenia alongside his teammates, also had to say goodbye to the expedition. A series of dramatic defections, sportingly speaking, which forced the coach Simone Pianigiani to make last-minute choices, to call into question people with names that certainly made us dream less than those listed above (in particular the Gallo-Mago-Hackett trio) and rely on the stars left available.
Like a Juventus without Marchisio, Vidal, Pirlo, Pogba and Tevez, giving an example that gives a good idea in our country, Italy went to Slovenia with many fears and few certainties, but already from the first match, the winning debut against Russia, it was understood that this wonderful group has compacted itself, has shielded the difficulties, which indeed have given it frankly unexpected strength and energy. After the great test against the Russians, incredibly already out of the tournament with 4 defeats out of 4, it was however said that the Azzurri had taken advantage of the important absences even from the ranks of their opponents (objectively true fact), and therefore they were awaited by new exams more convincing. Said and done: first Pianigiani's guys taught Turkey a lesson (another big one already eliminated, disappointing even more than Russia), then they got rid of the excellent Finland and finally the most surprising feat, the one against the Greek battleship.
Four clear successes (at least the first three), both in results, almost never questioned, and in form, demonstrating a better teamwork than the various opponents, four victories that make the Azzurri the only team with full points and a walk so far immaculate (even the favorites Spain have lost a match, the one against the hosts Slovenia), making it a real loose cannon in the continuation of the tournament. Nothing has been done yet, but this team now has certainties, starting with the two authentic leaders and mvp of the races held so far, namely Marco Belinelli and Gigi Datome. The first, 23 points against Greece, is playing at the stratospheric levels of the last months of last season (when he was the protagonist of the playoffs with his former Chicago Bulls), has definitely matured and in the absence of the other two NBA (Gallinari and Bargnani) is taking the team on his shoulders; the second (he too will go overseas this year, to Detroit) becomes difficult to contain when it's the same day, giving a fundamental contribution of points for this formation. Furthermore, the Slovenian parquet seems to have transformed Aradori and Cinciarini into two point guards of European level, while more than positive news is also arriving for Milan from its two young potential champions, Alessandro Gentile and Niccolò Melli, increasingly growing and authors so far of a great European.
All the others must be added to them, gregarious who so far are not really suggesting those who are not there, always ready to do the dirty work, but without fear when it comes to taking the initiative, all almost too perfect that you are afraid that from one game to another all this could vanish. But for the next match there certainly won't be these fears, given that this afternoon, at 17 pm, in the last group match against Sweden (already eliminated and on paper the most affordable of the group) Pianigiani will be able to afford the luxury of rest some of his decisive men, in view of the start of the second phase, when things will go back to being serious, even more than what has been done so far.
