Brescia, 26 December 2023 - Coach, Fabio Pecchia’s comments following Parma’s victory over Brescia on Matchday 19 of the Serie BKT Championship. 

“That was a good performance, with quality plays but also a certain solidity in the defensive line which worked very well. We found ourselves defending with 4 on 2 and we did very well. We started well, we had a desire to play. If there’s a chance to score a third goal, we have to go for it with strength. We got on the counter many times, we need to make more of an impact to be less fatigued going through games. We need continuous mental and psycho-physical energy, the team was alive and willing. We need to maintain this environment in the dressing room. The final greeting to the fans? I like this engagement with the fans but not much has changed. First half of the season, second, winter champions; it’s only 20 days until we face Ascoli and we need to go home and then restart even more charged up than before. We faced a team which caused us lots of problems but the line worked very well, also for the goals which were ruled out for offside. We were able to bring this result home because, as well as the tactics, there was that strength, that willingness to suffer. And knowing how to suffer as Brescia grew back into the game. 

The whole team is equipped, they want to work thinking ahead towards the playoffs but in reality, they all want to play in Serie A. There aren’t any teams at the highest level in everything, there are games in which we have to suffer. Like today, Brescia had us pinned down in many moments and we had to work in both phases. The solidity must come down to managing possession but it must be done with all the men in the defensive phase as well. Then when you don’t concede, it’s a source of great joy for me because we can create a fair few goals in the offensive phase. 

Promotion with Cremonese? There are analogies because I also had the youngest squad in the league in that case. The one difference is that I had young Italian players. At Parma, I’ve got quality players with great potential, also the youngest team in the league but a multi-cultural dressing room. This is the main difference, it’s not a small thing because, beyond just languages, there’s also integration, which can slow down growth for young players. Having said that, heads down now, we all need the holidays and in the second half of the season, it will be a totally different league, I’ve already seen it. We need to think about the second half of the season. Bernabé and Man? One speaks Spanish, the other is Romanian, on the pitch they speak the same language.”