Gervinho already proving key to Parma’s Serie A survival chances

Date: 25th September 2018 at 3:09pm
Written by:

Gervinho must become a protagonist for Parma during the 2018/19 campaign if they are to survive relegation from Serie A after earning promotion from Serie B last season.

The 31-year-old has returned to Italian football after spending two-and-a-half years in China and the Ivorian winger has scored two goals in four games for the Ducali but his influence should not be based on statistics alone.

Despite his age, he still possesses electrifying pace and he can beat an opponent with consummate ease. Crociati coach Roberto D’Aversa always lines his team up in the 4-3-3 formation but the Ivorian offers great unpredictability which can destabilise opposition defences.

Parma rely on wing play to create opportunities to score and Gervinho is the most mercurial as well as the most experienced winger in the squad.

The likes of Amato Ciciretti, Antonio Di Gaudio, Alessio Da Cruz, and Luca Siligardi have played most of their football in Serie B whereas the Ivorian has Champions League experience, won the league and cup double with Lille in 2011, and won the 2015 African Cup of Nations with the Ivory Coast in addition to representing them at two World Cups.

From the summer of 2013 until the winter of 2016, Gervinho had his first Serie A experience with Roma, but since joining Parma he has played like a man who did not leave Italy. Confidence is high in the Ivorian winger who can twist, turn, and run as he pleases.

He scored his first goal for the Ducali in the 2-1 defeat to Juventus in Round 3, which was a rather simple effort compared others he has scored in his career. Massimo Gobbi crossed the ball from the left-wing, Roberto Inglese flicked the ball with his head at the near post, and the Ivorian tapped the ball in from point-blank range.

On Saturday afternoon, Parma defeated Cagliari 2-0 in their latest Serie A game and this game will probably be remembered for one of the most mesmerising goals scored in the history of Italian football.

Two minutes into the second half, the Isolani were on the attack but Ducali midfielder Leo Stulac slide-tackled and cleared the ball away. Gervinho collected the ball from outside the penalty area and dribbled past two opponents before charging towards the opposition box. With one flick from the outside of his right foot, he shrugged off two more opponents, and his shot beat Sardi goalkeeper Alessio Cragno, then hit the right post before crossing the goal line.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the 31-year-old started his run 82 metres from the opposition goal. It was the quintessential Gervinho goal and a goal worthy of sealing victory in any game. Replicating a goal like this will be tough but the Parma winger is still capable of scoring goals that require a great amount of individual brilliance.

A defect of his game is that he can try and do things all by himself on too many occasions. Although he scored a wondergoal against Cagliari, those scintillating runs don’t always produce goals, and he needs to use his experience to help him decide when he should pass, shoot, or dribble.

Although Gervinho needs to be more constructive with his ball use, he is more of an asset to this Parma side than a liability. The Ducali are equal eighth in the Serie A table with Sampdoria and Inter on seven points after five rounds and the 31-year-old has been important even if he is not always directly involved in the goals.

Surviving relegation should be the main priority for the Crociati this season but an in-form Gervinho can make that target easier to achieve.

 

Comments are closed.