Lecce, 21 September 2024 - Head Coach Fabio Pecchia’s comments, at the end of the Lecce v Parma match, on matchday 5 of the Serie A Enilive 2024/25 season. 

“The end was great and a draw is a fair result for the boys. We played well today from start to finish, despite going behind. In terms of the team, the display and the quality we showed, we did some great things. This draw feels like a win: the brilliant thing is that the squad didn’t lose its sense of unity, it never lost its true identity and in the latter stages Suzuki made a difference. It was a great feeling, a large sense of satisfaction and I’m happy for the two scorers, Anas and Hainaut, for whom this game was their respective debuts for the season, and it was one of the few games in the league which was played right until the end. For a coach, the best thing is when a team and a group work together to reach that level of satisfaction, it’s never easy to be left out, but then, to be called upon and make a contribution. This match will teach us a lot, but our path is clear and it is that of wanting to play football and try to do this on every occasion. Today, 2 goals down, we didn’t really feel comfortable, but we stuck to our principles until the end and the result was fair. Last Sunday we were winning 2-0 and we then went on to lose. Today we came back from 2-0 down, being behind pretty much the whole game, which is very different compared to last game. 

We have to keep working in the way we are and I am convinced, given the age of my team, that we can maintain that lightness that allows you to be ready to play every game. The Cancellieri sending off? I liked the run back he made, I hugged him as he came off and I’m sad to lose another player. When he put his head down and ran that quickly, for me it’s a sign of being a team player. Bonny? I continue to see a boy who keeps evolving, we’ve been working together for three years and his potential for improvement is huge. At Parma, we have a clear idea which starts from the Club and it’s that we place emphasis on young and homegrown players. We are playing in this league with a group of homegrown players, largely made of the group that was here last season. The idea is to give the club some economic stability and solidity, and obviously from a managerial point of view, play with players that we can develop. My task is to bring results and develop the players”.