Parma Club Focus: Consistent Inconsistency

It’s been a busy few weeks for Parma.

The theme of this season is that of the constant momentum shift.

After losing to Hellas Verona, they followed it up with a big victory over AC Milan.

But, just as it seemed Parma had turned the corner, they went and lost 1-0 the next week to a mediocre Genoa.

Next week, they’d take another 1-0 loss. This time it was to Serie A power Juventus.

Ultimately, with the Crociati, you never know what you’re going to get.

Following the loss to Juventus, they proceeded to tie with Lazio 1-1.

It’s almost to the point where it seems like they make a point to follow up a win with a loss and a loss with a draw.

Marco Parolo has been playing out of his mind — leading the midfield and holding the scoring lead at Parma at five goals.

Antonio Cassano proved to be a solid pickup, providing four goals to Parma’s tally so far this season. He’s also provided three assists, proving he isn’t just a goal scorer.

After a slow beginning to the season, the increased goal scoring has come as a welcome addition.
But they still aren’t scoring enough.

Back to back 1-0 losses just goes to show how much better Parma could be if they’d just pick up their offense even slightly.

This weekend’s 1-1 draw proves that.

Beginning with a very defensive first half, Lazio scored the first goal at the 50-minute mark — putting them ahead 1-0.

Unlike their previous two matches, Parma didn’t let that result stand.

Defender Alessandro Lucarelli headed the ball into Lazio’s net to even the score at 1-1.

Getting even a point out of a game against Lazio is to be considered a victory.

The only sad thing is that they were within reach of similar results in their previous two matches.

Against Juventus, the only goal came on a Paul Pogba goal in the 77th minute. Parma might have been able to draw that one even if they had managed more than one shot on target the entire game. Adding insult to injury is the fact that they only managed 39 percent of possession.

Against Genoa, the statistics were closer to equal. The only difference was that each of Genoa’s shots was on target. In the game of football, that sort of accuracy is bound to pay dividends sooner or later.

So what must Parma do to improve its play?

Simply put, play sounder football.

While it is the cool new thing, possession is ultimately meaningless if nothing is done with it.

Scoring has picked up for Parma, but they are still a long ways from being a very consistent offensive attack.
After the Parolo and Cassano’s goals, not very many players have multiple goals for the Crociati.

Compare this to a team like Roma, who has seven players with more than one goal so far this season. Having multiple goal-scorers is necessary to sustained success.

The good news is that the most difficult part of Parma’s season is nearly over. After a match against Napoli, they get to face a weakened Bologna team at home.

Currently sitting at 11 on the tables, Parma has the opportunity to be even higher if they can get their act together and begin performing on a more consistent basis.