Parma Football Club

[Messinterista]

Inter eye 11-point lead against Parma

ROME: Defending champions Inter Milan will look to go 11 points clear at the top of Italy's Serie A when they travel to misfiring Parma on Wednesday.

Jose Mourinho's men go into the match as clear favourites, having lost just twice all season.

The last time they tasted defeat was over two months ago when they lost 2-1 away to Juventus.

Parma, meanwhile, are on a terrible run, having lost five of their last six matches and dropped down the table from fourth to 12th place.

An Inter win will put them in a strong position to secure a fifth straight Scudetto with four months of the season left to go, but midfielder Thiago Motta is keen to downplay talk of winning the championship.

"The season isn't over. There is still a long way to go and if you mess up one or two games in a row, whoever's behind you can catch up," he told Sky Sport Italia.

"We have done well up until now. We have worked well and we have to keep up this pace, only that way can we win the league."

On Sunday the Nerazzurri thumped Cagliari 3-0 at the San Siro thanks to goals from new signing Goran Pandev, Walter Samuel and Diego Milito.

Macedonian striker Pandev, who joined Inter from Lazio last month, was at the centre of much of Inter's attacking moves in the absence of their suspended Dutch playmaker Wesley Sneijder.

Sneijder will sit out Wednesday's encounter as he serves the final game of a two-match ban for his sending off in the Milan derby last month.

Inter will also have to do without defender Cristian Chivu and midfielder Dejan Stankovic, who are out injured.

Parma are not without injury problems themselves. Swiss international Blerim Dzemaili is set to miss the game after injuring his left knee against Palermo at the weekend.

Coach Francesco Guidolin says that his side have nothing to fear from the reigning champions.

"We must play with intensity if we are to trouble the Nerazzurri," he told the ANSA news agency.

"Parma are a side with great character and personality and for that reason we don't fear Inter."

The game had been set to take place ten days ago but was cancelled due to heavy snow.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/spor ... 550965.cms

[juventino_italiano]

[juventino_italiano]

[Messinterista]

Parma 0-2 Lazio

Stendardo 68 (L), Zarate 88 (L)
Stadio Tardini

Edy Reja celebrated a win on his Lazio debut and welcomed back Cristian Ledesma, but Luis Jimenez saw red for Parma.

The last few weeks have been disastrous for the teams, as Reja was drafted in following a 1-0 home defeat to Catania. With Davide Ballardini's dismissal, Lazio also welcomed Cristian Ledesma back into the fold after his contract dispute for the first appearance of the season. Parma ended their slide with a midweek 1-1 draw against Inter, but had Francesco Valiani suspended with Hernan Crespo and Blerim Dzemaili injured.

Luis Jimenez had a very strong penalty appeal waved away in the opening minutes for a clear shirt-tug from Giuseppe Biava.

Jonathan Biabiany managed possibly the miss of the season after 21 minutes. Antonelli got to the byline and drew the goalkeeper out, pulled back for the unmarked Biabiany to fire wide from six yards! It was a totally open goal, the striker simply got his timing all wrong and prodded off target.

Sergio Floccari squirmed through in the D and his fierce strike was caught by Antonio Morante, although perhaps he should've passed it. At the other end Guglielmo Stendardo's sliding tackle cut off the pacy Biabiany.

Ledesma was making his first appearance of the season and proved dangerous with a couple of free kicks.

Alberto Paloschi replaced the quiet Valeri Bojinov for the second half, but within seven minutes the teenager pulled up with what looks to be a serious thigh strain. He was so upset at leaving straight away that he burst into tears.

Rocchi unleashed a screamer that flashed just over the bar, then at the other end Biabiany's daisy-cutter was palmed off the line by Muslera at full stretch.

There was controversy on 63 minutes. Floccari's volley on a deflected corner was cleared off the line by Massimo Paci from point-blank range. Lazio insisted he had parried with his hand, but replays suggest it's more likely the ball had already crossed the line.

It didn't matter, as moments later Guglielmo Stendardo nodded in a corner with the aid of a mistimed run from goalkeeper Mirante. The defender was left relatively unmarked in the box.

It got worse for Parma, as former West Ham United man Jimenez was sent off for dissent.

Floccari pounced on a dismal Morrone backpass, but opted to go for glory rather than pass to Mauro Zarate and fired wide.

There was a similar situation with Aleksandar Kolarov, who only needed to roll it across for the unmarked Firmani, but instead hit it straight at the goalkeeper.

Zarate did not waste his chance in the final minutes. The Argentine, who had initially been benched, took advantage of a defensive error to tap in Floccari's cross from the left at the near post.

Source: http://www.football-italia.net/sa0910/par-laz.html

[juventino_italiano]

[juventino_italiano]

[juventino_italiano]

[juventino_italiano]

[Messinterista]

Bologna - Parma

Stadio Dall'Ara


Bologna are cutting it mighty close in their bid to still be a Serie A club next season. Franco Colomba’s side sit two points ahead of 18th-placed Atalanta and have lost four out of their last five games – not exactly the type of form fans want to see when the team are supposed to be fighting for their lives.

Parma, on the other hand, are sitting comfortably in mid-table, enjoying their last few games before a well-deserved summer break ahead of next year. Coach Francesco Guidolin has done a truly terrific job, making the transition from Serie B to the top tier look easy.

Astute signings such as the loan transfer of Valeri Bojinov show Guidolin’s managerial nous and if it weren’t for Claudio Ranieri’s extraordinary exploits at Roma, he would surely be up there for Coach of the Year.

Parma’s draw has not waned with players like Hernan Crespo still attracted to the club, although admittedly he is at the tail-end of his career. Nonetheless, if Guidolin can persuade a few more high quality players to join in the summer, the future could be very bright for the Gialloblu.

Should Bologna stay up this year, the management team will have to do a serious inquiry into why the team has struggled, because injuries certainly cannot be blamed. At this late stage of the season when most teams have four or five players missing, the Rossoblu have only midfielder Nicola Mingazzini and Palermo loanee Roberto Guana unavailable through injury. Both are expected to return for the final game of the season, which could well be a crucial encounter.

Parma’s problems aren’t that much worse, in fairness, although that probably reflects their recent good form. Former Milan forward Alberto Paloschi misses out through injury and is joined on the sidelines by captain Stefano Morrone and defender Damiano Zenoni, who is ruled out for the season. Versatile centre-back Alessandro Lucarelli serves a one-match suspension.

Keep an eye on: Adailton (Bologna) – Where would Bologna be without the Brazilian’s 10 League goals this season? The 33-year-old forward was purring about his time with the Rossoblu a few months ago, saying how comfortable and happy he was in the area. He won’t like it so much if Bologna are playing Serie B football next year, and his team will look to him to fire them to safety.

Last five in Serie A: Bologna (L L L L D) Parma (W D D W L)

Last season: Not played

Bologna (probable): Viviano; Raggi, Portanova, Moras, Lanna; Busce, Casarini, Mudingayi; Adailton; Zalayeta, Di Vaio

Parma (probable): Mirante; Zaccardo, Dellafiore, Paci, Castellini; Valiani, Jimenez, Galloppa, Antonelli; Biabiany, Bojinov

Ref: To follow

Source: http://www.football-italia.net/sa0910/bol-par.html

[Messinterista]

Juventus 1-4 Parma
Giovinco 40, 47 (P), Legrottaglie 61 (J), Crespo pen 63 (P), Palladino 92 (P)
Stadio Olimpico

Juve endured a nightmare start to 2011, seeing Fabio Quagliarella seriously injured, Felipe Melo sent off, a goal disallowed and Seba Giovinco score twice in a 4-1 win for Parma.

Gigi Del Neri was as good as his word and started goalkeeper Marco Storari ahead of Gianluigi Buffon who will make his return from a lengthy spell on the sidelines against Catania in the Coppa Italia.

Giorgio Chiellini was fit again and returned to the starting line-up, joining Nicola Legrottaglie at centre-back who stepped in for the suspended Leonardo Bonucci.

Reports that Amauri would start ahead of Alessandro The Waterboy turned out to be untrue, as the Juventus captain partnered Fabio Quagliarella up.

As for Parma, Pasquale Marino handed starts to three players with Juventus pasts, namely Antonio Mirante, Sebastian Giovinco and Antonio Candreva.

The Stadio Olimpico in Turin was sold out for the first time this season in eager anticipation of Italian football's first game of 2011.

However, the mood was soured when Quagliarella twisted his knee badly after just three minutes and was stretchered off in agony, meaning that Amauri came on earlier than expected, having not played himself since November.

The first real talking point came soon afterwards when Milos Krasic cut inside the Parma penalty area and went down, feeling himself entitled to a penalty. However, the Serb international appeared to go to ground before the challenge came in and the referee waved play on.

It got worse for Juve after 16 minutes when Felipe Melo was rightly sent off for kicking Massimo Paci in the face following a clash around the half-way line. It was a disgraceful incident and one that will no doubt bring a heavy punishment.

Parma, meanwhile, probed the left-hand flank with Hernan Crespo making some decent runs.

Still, Juve went closest to opening the lead when Antonio Mirante spilled a curling free-kick from The Waterboy, then collected it only to see Chiellini kick the ball out of his hands and into the net.

Chiellini wheeled away in celebration but the goal was chalked off the scoreboard as Mirante was deemed to have had full control of the ball.

Del Neri then chose to address the Melo situation on the half-hour mark when he brought on Simone Pepe for The Waterboy and switched to a 4-4-1 formation.

Parma didn't really threaten, but opened the scoring nonetheless five minutes before half-time when Cristian Zaccardo whipped in a cross from the right-hand flank, which resulted in a shot from Massimo Gobbi.

Storari made an excellent save to his right, but Giovinco picked up the pieces and blasted the ball into the net, choosing not to celebrate out of respect for his parent club.

Lightning struck twice albeit at the other end just after the interval when Giovinco remarkably doubled Parma's advantage with a carbon copy of his first goal, latching on to a cross that Juventus failed to deal with before rifling the ball across Storari.

Del Neri's last throw of the dice was to replace Frederik Sorensen with Momo Sissoko, reverting to a three-man defence.

Juventus came close to pulling one back just before the hour mark when Pepe hit the post with a free-kick. The home side didn't have to wait much longer for the Parma net to bulge, though, as Legrottaglie headed a corner from Alberto Aquilani beyond Mirante.

Sensationally, however, barely a minute after Legrottaglie's strike, Chiellini brought down Hernan Crespo in the Juventus penalty area and the referee awarded a spot kick.

The Argentine centre-forward duly stepped up and restored his side's two-goal advantage, firing the ball into the left-hand corner to make it 3-1 to Parma. Juventus now had a mountain to climb.

Marino brought off Crespo and gave a debut to Raffaelle Palladino, the former Juventus attacker who completed a move from Genoa earlier in the week.

The curse of Juventus' ex-players looked about to strike again when Candreva fizzed a low shot wide of the far post almost exactly a year after he moved to Turin on a six-month loan from Udinese that didn't result in a permanent transfer.

With 10 minutes remaining, Juventus were beginning to look disheartened at the prospect of losing ground to their title rivals and the game started to fizzle out, though Parma endeavoured to inflict yet more pain on their opponents as who else but Palladino should score a fourth goal in injury time after picking up a rebound from Storari.

The win over Juventus, which incidentally is only their second away from home all season, lifts struggling Parma up to 10th in the table if only for a few hours.
Juventus: Storari; Sorensen (Sissoko 55), Legrottaglie, Chiellini, Grosso; Krasic, Aquilani, Felipe Melo, Marchisio; Quagliarella (Amauri 4), The Waterboy (Pepe 30)

Parma: Mirante; Zaccardo, Paletta, Paci, Gobbi; Morrone, Dzemaili, Candreva; Giovinco (Toni Calvo 87), Crespo (Palladino 65), Valiani

Ref: De Marco
Sent off: Melo 16 (J)

Source: http://football-italia.net/sa1011/juv-par.html

[cassano7]

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[Messinterista]

Serie A Week 29
Parma 1 - 3 Napoli
Palladino 29 (P), Hamsik 52 (N), Lavezzi 56 (N), Maggio 87 (N)
Stadio Tardini

Napoli fought back from a goal down to conquer 10-man Parma with a 3-1 scoreline, closing to within a point of Inter.

The Vesuviani needed a result to retain third spot after Udinese caught them this afternoon. Andrea Dossena, Salvatore Aronica and Coach Walter Mazzarri were suspended plus Hugo Campagnaro and Gianluca Grava injured, so assistant manager Niccolò Frustalupi was on the bench. Ezequiel Lavezzi returned after his three-match ban expired. Parma had Gabriel Paletta and Massimo Gobbi on bans plus Amauri injured, but surprisingly dropped Sebastian Giovinco and Hernan Crespo.

Napoli hadn't lost at the Tardini since April 2001 and were welcomed by a very muddy pitch under driving rain.

Parma had the first chance after 110 seconds when Raffaele Palladini surged forward and flashed an angled drive across the face of goal. Moments later Morgan De Sanctis palmed away another Palladino strike.

Edinson Cavani pounced on a lucky ricochet, but the strike was deflected over by Francesco Valiani. After that initial early scare, Napoli started to take control of possession.

It was Parma who broke the deadlock with a sensational strike from Palladino. The corner was knocked down to the penalty spot, where he unleashed a fierce right-foot volley.

Christian Maggio's diving header was wide on Juan Zuniga's cross, thanks to pressure from Francesco Modesto. Cavani hit a free kick at the wall and aimed a weak effort into the arms of Antonio Mirante.

Cavani was about to tap in a fine Marek Hamsik cross from the left, but Alessandro Lucarelli timed his intervention perfectly to intercept.

Parma fans were furious when the referee blew for half-time just as Palladino was pushing forward on the counter.

After the restart, Napoli were able to equalise. Pocho Lavezzi burst into the box down the right and pulled across for Hamsik to tap in from six yards, as Mirante got a hand to the ball, but could not stop it rolling over the line. The Slovak did appear to be offside, though.

Moments later Maggio was livid, as he felt he was pushed from behind for a penalty, but the referee waved play on and booked him for dissent.

The Vesuviani turned the game around with two goals in just four minutes. Lavezzi set up the first, but scored the second himself, combining with Hamsik to slice the Parma defence in two and prodded the angled drive past an on-rushing Mirante.

The situation got even worse for Parma, as Daniele Galloppa was shown a straight red card for his tackle on Hamsik. It was an extremely high foot that effectively kicked the midfielder in the chest.

Sebastian Giovinco and Hernan Crespo came off the bench, but Napoli nearly added a third. Hamsik intelligently set up Zuniga for a snapshot that Mirante parried from a tight angle.

Giovinco's free kick went past De Sanctis, but Cristian Zaccardo was unable to react quickly enough to tap in the rebound, so the goalkeeper got away with that howler.

Napoli wasted a classic counter sparked by Zuniga robbing Francesco Valiani, but the pass to Cavani was over-hit. Cavani's powerful rising drive only struck the side-netting from a tight angle.

The Vesuviani finally put the game beyond doubt in the last minutes. Valiani got caught in possession in the final third and a poor clearance struck Walter Gargano on the back, so Maggio was quickest to react and delicately chipped the helpless goalkeeper.

Cavani hasn't scored for a month and it shows, as he lost his footing to blast over when clear on goal.

Parma: Mirante; Zaccardo, Paci, Lucarelli; Valiani, Dzemaili, Galloppa, Modesto; Candreva (Giovinco 69), Palladino; Bojinov (Crespo 60)

Napoli: De Sanctis; Santacroce (Cribari 84), Cannavaro, Victor Ruiz; Maggio, Pazienza, Yebda (Gargano 78), Zuniga; Hamsik (Mascara 91), Lavezzi; Cavani

Ref: Morganti
Sent off: Galloppa 59 (P)

Source: http://football-italia.net/sa1011/par-nap.html

[RomaShield27]

– Tuesday April 5, 2011 9:44 AM

PARMA, Italy (AP) -Franco Colomba has been appointed coach of Parma and signed a contract though the 2011-12 season. The club says Colomba will succeed Pasquale Marino, who was fired after Parma lost to last-place Bari 2-1 on Sunday. Colomba's last job in Serie A was with Bologna in 2009-10. Despite keeping Bologna in Italy's top division, the club management delayed the renewal of his contract and eventually he was fired one day before the start of the following season. Parma is 15th in the Serie A, two points above the relegation zone. The club next plays at Lazio on Sunday.

[Messinterista]

Lazio - Parma
Stadio Olimpico

Lazio are looking to bounce back after Sunday’s unjust defeat to Napoli, but they’ll have a fight on their hands against relegation threatened Parma.

Edy Reja and Claudio Lotito were furious at the 4-3 loss and hit out at the match officials who failed to give Lazio a perfectly valid goal, sent a player off and awarded Napoli a soft penalty.

Lazio feel that they deserve more respect from referees, especially at such an important juncture of the season when a right or wrong decision could prove the difference between qualifying for the Champions League or not.

For all the injustice, however, three of Napoli’s goals came from set-pieces, an avoidable occurrence, so Reja has a lot of work to do at Formello before Parma’s visit to the Olimpico this weekend.

Stefano Mauri, whose wonderful goal opened the scoring in Lazio’s favourite, believes his side need to be a bit more ruthless if they are to have any chance of finishing the season in fourth place.

Parma are also reeling after disastrously losing at home to bottom club Bari in a proverbial relegation six-pointer, a result that cost Pasquale Marino his job.

The Gialloblu are now just two points from the drop zone and new boss Franco Colomba needs to work fast if he is to steer the team to safety.

Parma have one of the most difficult run-ins among the teams in danger. After Sunday’s trip to Lazio, they still have to face Inter, Udinese, Palermo and Juventus.

Parma will be hoping to emulate their achievement last season when they went to the Olimpico and came away with a 2-1 win.

The Gialloblu won last time out on the road, recording a 1-0 win at Sampdoria. A repeat performance would do much to calm the nerves.

Keep an eye on: Amauri (Parma) – The 30-year-old has scored four goals since his arrival at the Ennio Tardini in January and is considered a luxury by Parma President Tommaso Ghirardi who can’t believe his luck at bringing such a player to the club.

Last five in Serie A: Lazio (L W L W L) Parma (D D L W L)

Last season: Lazio 1-2 Parma

Top tip: It’s a special occasion for Hernan Crespo who played for both clubs, but Amauri is more likley to score.

Stat fact: Lazio have the joint best home record in Serie A.

Lazio (probable): Muslera; Lichtsteiner, Stendardo, Dias, Garrido; Brocchi, Ledesma; Gonzalez, Floccari, Sculli; Zarate

Parma (probable): Mirante; Zaccardo, Lucarelli, Paletta; Valiani, Galloppa, Dzemaili, Modesto; Candreva; Giovinco, Amauri

Ref: Mazzoleni

Source: http://football-italia.net/sa1011/laz-par.html

[Messinterista]

Serie A Week 33 - 16/4/11 (19.45 UK)
Parma 2 - 0 Inter
Giovinco 35 (P), Amauri 86 (P)
Stadio Tardini

Inter's nightmare April got even worse, as they were soundly beaten by relegation battlers Parma and fall eight points behind leaders Milan. As for the Ducali, they leapfrog Sampdoria in the standings and are a step closer to safety.

The Nerazzurri were still smarting from their midweek Champions League exit to Schalke. As a result of a "technical decision," Douglas Maicon and Thiago Silva were left behind along with the injured Ivan Cordoba and Walter Samuel. Wesley Sneijder was surprisingly dropped to the bench, with Esteban Cambiasso returning to the line-up. Parma had to do without Raffaele Palladino and Fernando Marques, so fielded an all ex-Juventus attack.

Sebastian Giovinco's free kick was deflected and from the corner Alessandro Lucarelli's acrobatic overhead kick went over. Inter finished a long period of possession with the Samuel Eto'o attempt charged down.

Houssine Kharja risked giving away a penalty when he clattered into Giovinco, but both of them were looking at the ball.

Dejan Stankovic was very unlucky not to open the scoring at the 23rd minute when his blockbuster of a right-foot free kick cracked against the crossbar from distance, arrowing straight to the spot where the bar meets the near post.

Eto'o blasted over moments later and Antonio Mirante did well to pluck another dangerous Stankovic strike out of the air.

Instead, it was Parma who took the lead with 'The Atomic Ant' Giovinco. The Inter defence was caught napping, as a long Cristian Zaccardo ball to the far post found Francesco Modesto, who pulled back for the on-rushing Giovinco to smash home the angled drive from eight yards. Modesto was totally unmarked and could've gone for goal himself, but wisely opted for the assist.

Sneijder came on in place of the very disappointing Chivu for the second half, moving Javier Zanetti to right-back, Yuto Nagatomo on the left and Kharja in midfield.

However, Parma threatened a second goal straight away when Amauri beat Lucio in the air and only skimmed the Giovinco cross.

Inter went close too, as Mirante had to have his wits about him to punch clear when Cambiasso nodded down for both Andrea Ranocchia and Eto'o in the six-yard box.

Sneijder flashed a wonderful left-foot daisy-cutter across the face of goal to shave a coat of paint off the base of the far post.

At the other end, Ranocchia's poor clearance turned into an assist for Stefano Morrone to drill wide. Amauri had a fantastic opportunity on 70 minutes when Zanetti gave the ball away in midfield, so he picked his spot from the edge of the box, curling a vicious right-foot shot that cracked against the crossbar.

Lucio needed a clean tackle to stop Giovinco's slalom in the box, then Francesco Valiani managed to squeeze an angled drive that Julio Cesar luckily deflected on to the near post and back under his armpit to stop it going over the line.

Inter were really struggling and Giovinco curled a free kick just wide. Valeri Bojinov came on for the final minutes and almost pounced on a chaotic defensive error, as Julio Cesar had to dribble out of his own penalty area.

The Nerazzurri were pouring forward in a desperate search for an equaliser, but this left them wide open at the back and Parma took advantage. The Bojinov deflected through ball found an unmarked Amauri, who turned and nutmegged Julio Cesar from seven yards. Lucio had kept everyone onside.

Diego Milito could've made it a tense finale when he sprung the offside trap, but fired straight at Mirante. Moments later the goalkeeper bravely rushed off his line to close down at Eto'o's feet.

Hernan Crespo came on against his former club and attempted an audacious 'rabona' finish, crossing his legs to flick with the back foot, that dribbled wide of the goal.

Parma continued to threaten and Blerim Dzemaili sprung the offside trap to fire wide with the last kick of the game.

Parma: Mirante; Zaccardo, Paletta, Lucarelli, Gobbi; Morrone, Dzemaili, Modesto; Candreva (Valiani 65), Giovinco (Bojinov 81); Amauri (Crespo 90)

Inter: Julio Cesar; Nagatomo, Lucio, Ranocchia, Chivu (Sneijder 46); Zanetti, Cambiasso, Stankovic; Kharja; Pazzini (Milito 61), Eto'o

Ref: Rocchi

Source: http://football-italia.net/sa1011/par-int.html

[RomaShield27]

Al Volo: Parma Continually Renourish Italian Football
http://backpagefootball.com/opinion/al- ... -football/? – MAY 11TH, 2011 BY ADAM DIGBY

The northern Italian city of Parma is located in the Emilia-Romagna province, famous for its ham & cheese which provide substance to the rest of the country and indeed the world. It’s football club is no different as it too has provided names of genuine substance for European football to feast upon for the past twenty years, a trend that looks set to continue with the current team.

Once considered one of the ‘Seven Sisters’ of Italian football, Parma have always been a different type of club to the other regular members of the Serie A elite. Since they were led into the top flight by Nevio Scala in 1989, the Ducali have always employed a revolving door policy on their playing – and indeed coaching – staff. Unearthing some of the peninsula’s greatest talents and nurturing numerous discarded and fading stars back to full potential, the Stadio Tardini has always been a popular shopping destination for Italy’s grander teams.

A list of former coaches reads like a who’s who of Calcio with Arrigo Sacchi, Carlo Ancelotti, Cesare Prandelli and Claudio Ranieri among the men who have sat upon their bench, while the names of former players is a glossary of world football greats over the past twenty years.

Lillian Thuram, Alberto Gilardino, Juan Veron and Giuseppe Rossi are merely a drop in the huge pool of talent that have moved on to some of Europe’s greatest clubs. Two of the worlds ten most expensive transfers of all time involve Parma as the selling club; Gigi Buffon to Juventus and Hernan Crespo to Lazio.

Franco Colomba may have them playing relatively well but it is former Juve youth director Pietro Leonardi who has done the most remarkable job, building a squad able to compete in Serie A by combining exciting youngsters with assured veterans like Stefano Morrone, Cristian Zaccardo and returning hero Crespo.

This follows from him doing a similarly excellent job at Udinese, as well as being the man who convinced Paolo Di Canio to join Cisco Roma in Italian football’s fourth tier following his release from Lazio in 2006. Perhaps his best work however is in bringing players on the margins of other clubs at very little cost.

Men like Antonio Mirante, a steady presence in goal, came from Juve where he was never likely to displace Buffon. Antonio Candreva from Udinese was a fantastic pick up and has settled instantly into the team, having a great impact on their performances in recent weeks.

Massimo Gobbi is unlikely to win any player of the year awards but is precisely the kind of role-playing individual every team needs in order to function properly. The club continues its tradition of providing a home for some of footballs cast-offs such as Raffaele Palladino, Valeri Bojinov and Alessandro Lucarelli who were all deemed surplus to requirements elsewhere but have begun to restore some sheen to their soiled reputations at Parma.

The reputation of il Crociati as a breeding-ground-come-finishing-school continues today and a look down their current squad list is as enlightening as it is interesting. Sebastian Giovinco and Amauri have been reborn at Parma, the Brazilian strikers turn-around in particular has been incredible. Shorn of the weight of expectation in Turin he looks more like the man Juve signed from Palermo rather than the forlorn figure he had become over the last eighteen months.

Striker Alberto Paloschi was co-owned by Milan and his return to San Siro seemed imminent given the long term injury suffered by another former Parma man – Filippo Inzaghi, who said of the youngster recently; “If I have to be replaced then I would say Paloschi is the best suited to do so” – high praise indeed from the flag loving SuperPippo. Both Paloschi and the highly impressive Luca Antonelli were sent to Genoa to continue their footballing education in the January transfer window.

Last seasons eigth place finish was almost an impossible challenge to repeat and European football looks less likely to return to the Tardini any time soon. Despite being involved in a relegation battle you can still expect to see a number of this squad in the Champions League next season. Parma may no longer be a member of the sisterhood, but with Leonardi guiding them through the transfer market they will continue to provide for those who are.

[Messinterista]

Serie A Week 38 - 22/5/11 (17.00 UK)
Cagliari 1 - 1 Parma
Bojinov 34 (P), Feltscher og 55 (C)
Stadio Sant'Elia

Cagliari avoided a fifth straight defeat thanks to Parma scoring an own goal.

Both sides were safely mid-table, but the Sardinians had a point to prove after four consecutive defeats and just one win from nine games. Parma avoided the drop with a late surge of results, including four victories and a draw in the last five rounds.

Andrea Cossu, Nene and Francesco Pisano were out for the home side. Blerim Dzemaili sat out a ban, joining the injured Hernan Crespo, Raffaelle Palladino, Amauri, Gabriel Paletta and Alessandro Lucarelli.

Parma last won away to Cagliari in Serie A in March 2000, and had not managed more than one goal in any League game against the Isolani since March 2005.

Daniele Ragatzu should've scored after 19 minutes when a long ball was touched on for him at the back post, but his low volley was fingertipped round the upright. From the resulting corner, a Lorenzo Ariaudo header whistled over the bar.

Cagliari had a double chance in quick succession. First Lazzari pounced on a defensive error to thump his shot against the upright, then Robert Acquafresca's follow-up was saved.

Daniele Galloppa got the ball in the back of the net for Parma, but was correctly flagged offside. Stefano Morrone had to leave the pitch when a clash with Lazzari appeared to fracture his cheekbone.

However, the Ducali did score the opener. A long ball over the top released Sebastian Giovinco, who picked his moment perfectly to roll across for a Valeri Bojinov tap-in from six yards.

Michael Agazzi flew to fingertip a Giovinco curling free kick out for a corner before half-time.

Cagliari equalised with rather a lot of help. A free kick was whipped to the back post for Astori's header into the six-yard box, but it was accidentally redirected into his own net by Feltscher.

Nicola Pavarini got down to block a Daniele Conti free kick, while Agazzi needed a double save to keep out Giovinco in a far less intriguing second half.

Cagliari: Agazzi; Canini, Ariaudo (Ceppellini 81), Astori, Agostini (Perico 63); Biondini, Conti, Nainggolan; Lazzari; Ragatzu (Missiroli 72), Acquafresca

Parma: Pavarini; Angelo, Feltscher, Paci, Gobbi; Valiani, Galloppa, Morrone (Ze Eduardo 34), Modesto (Defrei 81); Giovinco, Bojinov (Filipe Olivera 67)

Ref: Velotto

Source: http://football-italia.net/sa1011/cag-par.html

[taz]

Parma have confirmed they are “close to finalising” Valeri Bojinov’s move to Sporting Lisbon in exchange for Jaime Valdes.

“We are close to finalising the transfer, which would send Bojinov to Sporting Lisbon and the permanent ownership of Valdes,” revealed Ducali director of sport Pietro Leonardi told the Gazzetta dello Sport.

The Bulgarian has spent much of last season on the bench, while it is a return to Italy for Valdes.

The Chilean has previous Serie A experience with Bari, Fiorentina, Lecce and Atalanta before moving to Lisbon in August 2010.

Parma have revolutionised their front line with the arrival of Fabio Borini from Chelsea and AZ Alkmaar’s Graziano Pellè.

“Our objective for the attack remains Sergio Floccari. Having said that, we’ve got Borini and Pellè plus Sebastian Giovinco and Raffaele Palladino, so it’s not as if we’re lacking in options.

“We want to set up a side that can avoid relegation and entertain the fans.”

http://football-italia.net/jul6ee.html

[forzaitalia]

Borini should be alright, he looked pretty handy at Swansea. Takes a good free kick too. Always quite liked Parma so I hope they continue to plod along well.

[RomaShield27]

Have Parma signed Borini on loan from Chelski or have the signed him outright?