Parma, 24 September 2025 - Elia Plicco's words after Parma vs. Spezia in the Round of 32 of the Coppa Italia
“When it comes to the red card, I was too over the top, and I was a bit naive. I want to apologise to my teammates, to the squad, to the club and to the fans as it could've really cost us. I am happy to have gotten some more minutes and that we won even with ten men. I am also happy to get through to the next round, I am sorry that I cannot play in it, however, as I said, I made an error and you have to pay the consequences. What will I take from the preseason? It was a very important preseason for me as I played a few matches and gained confidence that is hard to get in training. However, it's my first year playing with the first team even if I was between squads last year, and I am getting my first taste of senior football this season. I was happy to get my debut and I came on with the right attitude, I could have improved a few things before the red card, and then this was the biggest mistake of today. However, I want to take the positives. What was the mood like in the dressing room? We were so happy in the dressing room, and we were delighted to get to the next round. We are also happy that the work we are doing in training is working. We need to keep working day by day, but I think we are on the right path and we will get results going in this direction. What do I expect this season? First of all, I work day by day to be ready for when my moment comes and I hope that will be soon, but these are decisions for the manager and the staff. My debut? Yes, I expected it, but I didn't think that it would be so soon, as the first change at half time. I managed to get settled quickly, and even in the training, two or three minutes before coming on. I tried to complete simple passes first just to get used to the stadium, the fans. the ball, the pitch and also the opposition. What did Cuesta say? I asked him where to be in the defensive phase. Will the red card impact when my Serie A debut will be? This isn't a question for me, I train every day and I cannot think that this will change things. I believe that weekly and daily work are more important. I made an error today, and you can learn from mistakes. Making my debut at the Tardini is a dream come true. It's my eighth year with Parma, I was born in Fidenza and I am from here. All my friends are always at the stadium, home and away. So I would also like to apologise to the fans for what happened. My qualities? I am a midfielder with plenty of energy, and I am ready to play. Over the years I have played in different positions. My qualities are aggression, managing the ball, and making late runs into the box.'
