“It’s better to have tried and failed than to never have tried at all.” Or is it?
Well, it depends on whom you ask. For Parma fans, that very well sums up their campaign last season. The Gialloblu had arguably their best season in years, with an impressive sixth-placed finish putting them on the cusp of featuring in Europe for the first time in seven years.
And then, just like that, their dreams of European football vanished; not through any mishaps on the pitch, but rather some financial irregularities and namely a failure to pay a tax bill on time. Consequently, their Europa League spot was given to Torino and the team is now back to square one as they try to pick up the pieces.
Yet despite Tommaso Ghirardi angrily proclaiming his intent to sell the club after feeling affronted by the decision, this summer has not seen as much drama as compared to some of Italy’s other teams in the top flight. Yes, there are now reports of Antonio Cassano fighting with his colleagues and coach, but anyone who has followed the career of “Fantantonio” knows that it is only a matter of time before the Bari-born striker grows at odds with someone. In any case, with the transfer window set to close in less than a week, the 32-year-old isn’t heading anywhere any time soon, which is something that should be of comfort to the team’s supporters as we have all seen the magic he can work on the pitch and when in the mood.
Transfers
So far, Parma have done well to retain their core players, including the aforementioned Cassano, speedy winger Jonathan Biabiany, and veteran striker Amauri. Although they lost Marco Parolo to Lazio, they did keep a hold of Gabriel Paletta. Goalkeeper Antonio Mirante, who had largely solid displays last season, also stayed.
The club made no “big names” signings, with young attacker Ishak Belfodil returning. The Algerian striker previously featured for Parma in the 2012-13 season. Yet, after moving on to Inter and then spending part of the season on loan with Livorno, he largely failed to impress at either club and will be desperate to show coach Roberto Donadoni that he has what it takes to once again nail down a spot in the starting eleven.
The Coach – Roberto Donadoni
Roberto Donadoni, who first took over back in the winter of 2012, has been hugely responsible for the team’s success over the past couple of campaigns. Now in his third full season with the club, the onus will be on him to successfully motivate his troops after their impressive run last season, a task that is, of course, much easier said than done; however, the team has performed well so far in their pre-season campaign and will thud hope to keep up some of that good momentum for the upcoming season.
Season Expectations
Parma defied expectations last time by keeping pace with some of Serie A’s “bigger sides” to record their best ever finish in recent years. Therefore a top-10 finish is not out of their reach, but as to whether they will be able to again battle it out for a European spot remains to be seen. After doing it once however, there should be no reason for which Parma could not repeat the feat. On the other hand, it must have been gut-wrenching for Parma to have fought so hard to achieve their goal only to have it snatched away. All in all, Parma’s fans will be expecting their team to put up a good fight again this season. Should they manage to hold onto all their key players as the transfer window nears its conclusion, it is not too unrealistic to see them again battling it out for a Europa League spot.
Prediction
It will surely be tough for Donadoni’s men this season, but keeping the core of players they did and looking to reconquer the Europa League spot they lost, Parma are within a good shout of repeating their last season exploits. with a sixth or seventh placed finish most likely the highest they can expect.
Where will they finish? 6th place [Europa League]
Follow Michelle Bonsu on Twitter: @MichelleB289
