Red Alert Sounded in Belgrade

The red-and-whites entered the new campaign riding high on optimism and ambition, featuring a new head coach and a revamped squad. Yet, after just two rounds, the situation in Belgrade looks far from promising.

The schedule initially seemed generous to Ibon Navarro's side, handing them a run of three consecutive home fixtures to open the EuroLeague season. However, the returns after the first two have been downright disappointing.

Granted, neither Zalgiris nor Hapoel Tel Aviv are pushovers, but neither are they insurmountable powerhouses. If a team genuinely aspires to reach the postseason or the play-in tournament, home games against rivals of this calibre simply must be converted into victories.

Instead, Zvezda's campaign has started in the worst possible fashion. The club hierarchy, led by sporting director Milos Teodosic, asked for time and patience, but at the pinnacle of European basketball—and under the weight of massive fan expectations—time is a luxury rarely granted.

What is particularly concerning is the total lack of progress compared to the season opener, even though the squad avoided travelling to Cacak for domestic duties in between. Worryingly, the current displays show few signs of improvement over last season's dismal campaign.

Navarro abandoned his rigid, patterned rotations for this contest, but the adjustment yielded little success. Zvezda's centres were outplayed once again; Johnathan Motley looked completely drained of confidence, almost unrecognisable on the floor. Meanwhile, the offense frequently devolved into stagnant isolation plays from Jordan Nwora, Jared Butler, and Chima Moneke—a recurring flaw that yielded few positive results last year.

Unsurprisingly, the home faithful are already showing signs of frustration. Boos rang out towards the end of the first half and as Motley was subbed off, while several spectators headed for the exits well before the final buzzer.

To be fair, the red-and-whites could point to questionable refereeing decisions, the strength of an opponent built for the upper half of the table, and the natural growing pains of early-season team cohesion.

Nevertheless, back-to-back home defeats are an alarming setback. While the season is far from lost after just two rounds, the red alert is already sounding at Mali Kalemegdan. Things need to turn around swiftly if Belgrade's giants are to avoid chasing the playoff pack from a major deficit.

VIDEO: Crvena Zvezda's EuroLeague campaign off to a rocky start as Zalgiris strikes again