Collecchio, 4 February 2023 – Parma head coach Fabio Pecchia today gave his press conference ahead of tomorrow’s game against Genoa.
CONFIDENCE IN THE GROUP
“I’ve always said that we’d face difficulties during the season given that we haven’t always had a fully fit squad. I have my own opinions on the January transfer window. My past experiences have taught me that bringing in six or seven new players can be like totally ditching all of the hard work done in the six months prior. Creating a team spirit becomes more difficult. I have a lot of faith in the boys. I’m not replacing them with anybody. The lads know that. They know it because the group and respect within the team can often be more important than the technical side of it. We have a lot of good players. Why bring in a player that I already know? Because it’ll be easier for him to adjust to my way of doing things tactically and I know what a great guy he is. I think it’s important to create a strong identity for a team, and not just work on technique and tactics. We’ve had so many interruptions, which have impacted our development. When I talk about faith, true faith, it’s for the boys that go out there and always give their all. Romagnoli? It’s a shame that he’s unavailable, it’s a choice that’s tough to understand for outsiders. I’m assessing those that I have at my disposal. I only ever think about the guys that are here.”
GENOA
“The boys are hungry to show a reaction on the pitch. They’ve worked really hard and with a lot of intensity. They want to react because these ups and downs leave a bitter taste in the mouth. When you face these challenges, you really need to knuckle down and work, always giving your all. Then, we’ll take stock at the end of the season. Genoa? We have a lot of respect for them; they’ve looked really good over the past month. They’re a really different team to us; they set up differently and always look to control the flow of games. It’s a big test for us and we need to be really focused. We really want to get back to winning ways. It’ll be a very different match from the one against Cosenza. We’re hungry and we really want to react and do something different.
OUR PHILOSOPHY
“We’ve shown our identity as a team but, for various reasons, we haven’t done it in many games. This is a team that has a clearly defined identity and is able to win those classic scrappy Serie B matches. We’ve dominated some games and won but not enough, which is why the table isn’t looking the way we want it to. We need to be confident in ourselves and hungry for more. The fact that this is such a young side is motivation in and of itself. We need to always look to develop and raise the bar. This is our aim, this is the Club’s aim, and this is my aim. My work is a constant search for details that we can improve. I try to improve every one of my players. I always demand more. We should always be analysing and tinkering. We’ll see what happens in the long term.”
OUR FANS
“Complaints should be a stimulus for us. When we go out there, it’s on us to get the fans on side. Their feelings of disappointment are legitimate. We’re the most disappointed about such an up-and-down season. The team just needs to play like they know they can in order to get the supporters back on side.
