Parma, 7 March 2025 - Manager Cristian Chivu's words during the press conference at the Ennio Tardini ahead of Matchday 27 against Torino.

PRAGMATIC AND WILLING ON THE FIELD

“Physically, we are trying to manage our current habits and to add something new, but what is interesting is our improved mental state and the healthy competition there is to start matches. We are working on this and we have seen positive results. I have seen the boys readily accepting their work and we are upping the intensity, aware of how important these matches are. We are focusing on the upcoming match, not the ones after. We have to be ready to give our all, we must be more pragmatic and willing to take all three points as they are important.'

DRIVE AND MOTIVATION

“I said it in the week, I don't accept that other teams are more motivated than us to achieve their goals. Motivation is key, everything comes from this, and it's part of the mental process. None of us can be more motivated. Fear? It's good to a certain extent. When you are scared it's because you care, but when you're worried and anxious you have less energy and it doesn't help your confidence'

THE FANS' ENERGY

“We need all our fans, we read the statement they made. They give us energy and help us mentally and physically so we must always give our best. We know the importance of the fans for such a young group. I believe that together we can get great results'

DELPRATO, HERNANI JR AND BERNABÉ: THE NEWS

“I will talk about the whole week, we have someone back who has been doing some kind of work. Enrico (Delprato), got back first and we have good signs from Hernani Jr and Bernabe who have been doing some training but we need to be careful as they have both been having problems this year. They have had issues when they have returned. So we need to be careful because our goal is to have them available from now until the end of the season. Delprato? He had some problems in Udine, but he wanted to play nonetheless. He wanted to show his leadership and he is available this week'.

IMPROVING CONFIDENCE AND BELIEF

“I am happy to see Cesare (Casadei) but I am now thinking of all my great players. There is a self esteem that will always be with Cesare. I am now speaking of our players, we need to help them grow and understand how important it is staying in Serie A. It seems like they're starting to understand and I can see their improvement in confidence and belief, but, all in all, it's the results that count.'

TORINO, A QUALITY SIDE 

“Torino are a side who have grown a lot and they had challenges at the start of the season but now they have found the right way to get the best out of their players. Furthermore, they made some Winter signings and they have won their last two and in the reverse fixture they have only lost one match. It's a tough team to face. Without Zapata they have had to adapt and they have had a bit more structure with Casadei. If I'm not wrong, he is the best in the air in the league so we must be aware of this. Then, they will look to make the most of the second balls with Elmas and Vlasic. Therefore we must be ready for two phases of play: pressing high and trying to get the ball off them high up the field, but also defending well and winning the second ball' .

PELLEGRINO UP FRONT

“In certain situations, a different forward player to Bonny could be a solution and Pellegrino is an option. He could be a pacey second striker seeing as we have several wide options. In general, we must find ways to keep the side balanced but nothing is fixed. We must make sure that everything is clear and we don't want to confuse our players. I like to have solutions and I like to see the boys ready to give their all. I am open to all and I make decisions based on the opponent and based on what I see in training.'

RESPONSIBILITY AGAINST UDINESE

“In the first half against Udinese, I took responsibility and I told the players, perhaps giving them an alibi and that's the last thing I wanted to do. But I take responsibility for the errors I make. We made a mistake in our approach, in our attitude and we waited too much, constantly with a compact set-up. I repeat: it was my fault. It's obvious we can't always pressure at 100 miles an hour. We must find the right balance physically and tactically.'