FM21 - Il lavoro Italiano - The Italian Job (Parma Calcio 1913)

[Jogo Bonito]

So after the disappointment of last season, Lorenzo Di Parmalat needed to shuffle his pack a little bit ahead of the 2022/23 season

Right-back Angelo Gabrielli, central midfielder Giuseppe Carriero and 3rd choice goalkeeper Fabrizio Alastra were all allowed to leave at the end of their contracts

£24.2 million of sales were made as Andre Anderson (Santos Laguna), Manual Lanzini (Benevento), Emerson (AC Milan) & Almoez Ali (Sampdoria) also departed

This had been a conscious decision by the manager as he sought to reduce the numbers but improve the quality of his squad

Qatar international striker Ali was sacrificed purely because of registration rules, and Emerson was the oldest & highest earner of four remaining left wing-backs

Lanzini had been a regular for two years but was earning good money and only had one year left on his contract

Anderson looked to be worth persevering with, but hadn't really convinced with his performances on the pitch so far 

On the incoming front, two players had been signed back in the winter and would arrive on 1st July

Enrico Del Prato comes in as third right wing-back option, whilst Dennis Bonaventure is a right-wing 'game-changer from bench' option who can't currently be registered

The latter has not even been eligible to play friendlies, so if a registration spot cannot be freed up he may have to be sent out on loan for a year (or even sold)

The final arrival on the eve of the new season was a marquee signing - and one that is incredibly important in the manager's opinion

A fee of £8m secured the signature of season 1 target Mattia Zaccagni from AC Milan, and Di Parmalat thinks he will be the missing part of the jigsaw in midfield

He only arrived on 13th July so is still bedding in - and there might be one more central midfielder coming in if the identified player agrees to join

The current first team squad looks like this as the new season is about to get underway on 23rd July - but the transfer window is open until 31st August 

Juan Asprilla is likely to go out on loan as he is no longer U22 and now needs to be registered

Pre-season saw a tour of China and Di Parmalat has expressed cautious pleasure at how slick his side have been looking so far

Unfortunately midfielder Baptiste Santamaria is ruled out for 4-5 weeks, but Zaccagni has just arrived and Alberto Grassi was in good form prior to that anyway

The midfield has been re-shaped during the break, with the AMC being replaced with a DM

The roles of the midfield trident will be the key to any success, but so far this seems to have helped the side become more creative

The Parma board have been easy to work with so far, and Di Parmalat wants to achieve European football instead of simply finishing mid-table

On the opening day of the season, the club sits with a healthy bank balance due to the astute financial management of Di Parmalat so far

And finally, here is a rundown of the current staff list with the highlighted 14 members being either ex-players or managers of Parma

The latest name to join the ranks is legendary ex-Parma, Juventus & Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon

After finally deciding to retire, Di Parmalat went back to his old Parmalat connections in order to give a first staff role to a raw and undeveloped GK coach

It's safe to say that Buffon has not been employed for his technical coaching skills - but hopefully his reputation will rub off on some of the guys he encounters around the club

So here we go again with an aura of fresh hope as the new campaign is starting today

It's time for Di Parmalat to put right some of last season's wrongs, and to get this club back on to the European stage

And at Gazzetta Di Parma we'll be here to report everything that happens in and around this historic club

Edited March 8, 2021 by Jogo Bonito

[Ronaldo Beckham]

27 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said:

So after the disappointment of last season, Lorenzo Di Parmalat needed to shuffle his pack a little bit ahead of the 2022/23 season

Right-back Angelo Gabrielli, central midfielder Giuseppe Carriero and 3rd choice goalkeeper Fabrizio Alastra were all allowed to leave at the end of their contracts

And a further £24.2 million of sales were made as Andre Anderson (Santos Laguna), Manual Lanzini (Benevento), Emerson (AC Milan) and Almoez Ali (Sampdoria) also departed

This had been a conscious decision by the manager as he sought to reduce the numbers but improve the quality of his squad

Qatar international striker Ali was sacrificed purely because of registration rules, and Emerson was the oldest & highest earner of four remaining left wing-backs

Lanzini had been a regular for two years but was earning good money and only had one year left on his contract

Anderson looked to be worth persevering with, but hadn't really convinced with his performances on the pitch so far 

On the incoming front, two players had been signed back in the winter and would arrive on 1st July

Enrico Del Prato comes in as the third right wing-back option, whilst Dennis Bonaventure is a right wing 'game-changer from bench' option but cannot currently be registered

The latter has not even been eligible to play friendlies, so if a registration spot cannot be freed up he may have to be sent out on loan for a year (or even sold)

The final arrival on the eve of the new season was a marquee signing - and one that is incredibly important in the manager's opinion

A fee of £8m secured the signature of season 1 target Mattia Zaccagni from AC Milan, and Di Parmalat thinks he will be the missing part of the jigsaw in midfield

He only arrived on 13th July so is still bedding in - and there might be one more central midfielder coming in if the identified player agrees to join

The current first team squad looks like this as the new season is about to get underway on 23rd July - but the transfer window is open until 31st August 

Juan Asprilla is likely to go out on loan as he is no longer U22 and now needs to be registered

Pre-season saw a tour of China and Di Parmalat has expressed cautious pleasure at how slick his side have been looking so far

Unfortunately an injury will see midfielder Baptiste Santamaria ruled out for 4-5 weeks, but Zaccagni has just arrived and Alberto Grassi was in good form prior to that anyway

The Parma board have been easy to work with so far, and Di Parmalat wants to achieve European football instead of simply finishing mid-table

On the opening day of the season, the club sits with a healthy bank balance due to the astute financial management of Di Parmalat so far

And finally, here is a rundown of the current staff list with the highlighted 14 members being either ex-players or managers of Parma

The latest name to join the ranks is legendary ex-Parma, Juventus & Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon

After finally deciding to retire, Di Parmalat went back to his old Parmalat connections in order to give a first staff role to a raw and undeveloped GK coach

It's safe to say that Buffon has not been employed for his technical coaching skills - but hopefully his reputation will rub off on some of the guys he encounters around the club

So here we go again with an aura of fresh hope as the new campaign is starting today

It's time for Di Parmalat to put right some of last season's wrongs, and to get this club back on to the European stage

And at Gazzetta Di Parma we'll be here to report everything that happens in and around this historic club

Another lovely update. Its nice to see all the ex Parma players on the coaching staff. It really adds to the save if you can do that.

Yeah Buffon always turns out as a rubbish coach which is silly as you would think he would make a great coach when he finally retires. FM need to fix this.

[Jogo Bonito]

2 minutes ago, Ronaldo Beckham said:

Another lovely update. Its nice to see all the ex Parma players on the coaching staff. It really adds to the save if you can do that.

Yeah Buffon always turns out as a rubbish coach which is silly as you would think he would make a great coach when he finally retires. FM need to fix this.

Thanks mate. Yes I was delighted to see Buffon had retired, and then so disappointed when I saw how he was rated.

[Ronaldo Beckham]

Just now, Jogo Bonito said:

Thanks mate. Yes I was delighted to see Buffon had retired, and then so disappointed when I saw how he was rated.

Yeah hopefully this will be fixed on future versions. 

Maybe he will improve in time.

[Jogo Bonito]

Things have started well for Lorenzo Di Parmalat in his third year at Parma

The strengthened midfield and change in midfield shape and duties has been largely impressive, and the early signs are encouraging

New signing Cedric Bakambu has grabbed a few goals already - but there are some fears as he has been training at (poor) levels only previously shown by Mario Balotelli

It is likely that he may be moved on in January, and as such a succession plan was put in the manager's mind

With concerns over keeping Bakambu fully focused, Di Parmalat made a surprise double swoop on transfer deadline day

The first of the new men was Russian striker Alexandr Sobolev for £8m from Spartak Moscow

The 25-year old adds some youth to an ageing strike force and has scored 29 goals in 39 games during his last three seasons in the Russian top flight

Surprisingly, he was able to take a spare non-EU slot which hadn't been available to register Dennis Bonaventure, Juan Asprilla or Almoez Ali just weeks earlier

The first two had therefore been loaned out, and Ali had been reluctantly sold on - but it left Sobolev with an unexpected opportunity to make this move 

The second new signing was a late decision following months of trying to convince midfielder Nicolas Dominguez to enter talks after a £5m fee was agreed by Bologna

But it wasn't the Argentinian dynamo that was joining, it was ex-Parma graduate Emmanuel Gyabuaa returning after a move to Atalanta back in 2015

With home grown at club status a factor, the powerful 20-year old midfielder has a bright future and will hopefully justify the significant £5m paid for his services

  

Here are the profiles of the two new men strengthening the first team squad

And here are a couple of teenagers signed during the window - with Lars Larsen & Geslin Ngonge now in the U18 squad to continue their development

Larsen is Danish and came from Brondby, whilst Ngonge has Swiss second nationality which made that move easier

The U18 group only has three non-Italians (the other being a Bulgarian that was already there before Di Parmalat took over)

Here is the final transfer window summary (Andre Anderson was sold for £2.2 million before 1st July so is not shown on this image)

Speaking exclusively to Gazzetta Di Parma, the manager said he was very pleased with his summer dealings - but had a couple of regrets

And that surrounded squad registration rules that had left him unable to register Bonaventure (and Asprilla) forcing both out on loan

He also lamented that he had been left with no option other than to sell Qatari international striker Ali for the same reason before being given a run in the team

He had managed to turn a profit on him and Jackson Muleka without ever seeing them play for Parma, and had to make harsh decisions after their year away on loan

With this season going to be interrupted by the 2022 World Cup in mid-season, we'll be back with more news in January 2023

Edited March 9, 2021 by Jogo Bonito

[SixPointer]

Good solid start to the season and some very astute business 

[Jogo Bonito]

2 minutes ago, SixPointer said:

Good solid start to the season and some very astute business 

Thanks, early days but a good start indeed. I might have one too many strikers but playing two up front I really need four available each week. The rest of the squad is perfectly weighted now after the capture of Gyabuaa (the defence was already spot on), so it's all in my own hands.

[SixPointer]

9 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said:

Thanks, early days but a good start indeed. I might have one too many strikers but playing two up front I really need four available each week. The rest of the squad is perfectly weighted now after the capture of Gyabuaa (the defence was already spot on), so it's all in my own hands.

Great when the squad build hits like that. you get the right balance everywhere not to much where there unhappy. no to little where your short. 2 good players for each position and players who can cover a few positions to make it up to 3 in areas 👌🏻
 

I’ve just had my world shattered pre season! So angry at my board I’ve considered starting a whole other file 🤣🤣

[Jogo Bonito]

2 minutes ago, SixPointer said:

Great when the squad build hits like that. you get the right balance everywhere not to much where there unhappy. no to little where your short. 2 good players for each position and players who can cover a few positions to make it up to 3 in areas 👌🏻
 

I’ve just had my world shattered pre season! So angry at my board I’ve considered starting a whole other file 🤣🤣

Yes, it feels quite good now. I take ages in the window but this ended well. I'll have to take a look at yours now, surprised by that news!

[SixPointer]

6 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said:

Yes, it feels quite good now. I take ages in the window but this ended well. I'll have to take a look at yours now, surprised by that news!

Will write up tomorrow 😔

[Jogo Bonito]

Just now, SixPointer said:

Will write up tomorrow 😔

Yeah, fair enough. When the fun stops, stop...

[SixPointer]

14 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said:

Yeah, fair enough. When the fun stops, stop...

🤣🤣

[warlock]

1 hour ago, Jogo Bonito said:

Surprisingly, he was able to take a spare non-EU slot

Wouldn't it be nice if the game gave you a bit of clarity about these things (and work permits in England post-Brexit). There must be some underlying logic - it's a computer program; there has to be underlying logic - but it's never obvious.

But some good business... Sobolev looks great (can't remember the last time I saw a natural CF), and Gyabuaa could be immense after a few months' first team action. Things are looking sunny in Parma 

[Jogo Bonito]

3 minutes ago, warlock said:

Wouldn't it be nice if the game gave you a bit of clarity about these things (and work permits in England post-Brexit). There must be some underlying logic - it's a computer program; there has to be underlying logic - but it's never obvious. But some good business... Sobolev looks great (can't remember the last time I saw a natural CF), and Gyabuaa could be immense after a few months' first team action. Things are looking sunny in Parma 

Cheers mate. I do like to sign players not usually mentioned, and I'm pleased with the capture of Sobolev. You're right, he is an old school centre forward (similar to Ajorque at Strasbourg) but has an all-round game (mobile and can finish) so is not just an aerial threat. As usual, I scout my players in my own way, checking videos to see if they fit my team, checking their actual life stats and progress, reading media stuff about them etc. He's doing well in Russia and highly regarded, so hopefully will pay off. Gyabuaa has the hardest name to remember how to spell, but again having watched some videos of him he's a potential Yaya Toure type who should be a good development project. I'll be happy to have him in the team even now though.

I'm new to Italy so very bemused by the transfer policy and registration. I don't think I have ever found a country so baffling - even APOEL in Cyprus and Fenerbahce in Turkey were simple in comparison. Still, it's been good so far and I'm enjoying the challenge.

[Cheez3y]

Non-EU spots:

I can only say what I disocvered over the years.

If you sign a Non-EU player and you got no Non-EU spots over this season, you will never be able to register him.

Even if you loan him out one season and you want him to register in the next summer, its not possible.

 

I could be mistaken, but I think thats how it works.

Edited March 10, 2021 by Cheez3y

[Jogo Bonito]

9 minutes ago, Cheez3y said:

Non-EU spots:

I can only say what I disocvered over the years. If you sign a Non-EU player and you got no Non-EU spots over this season, you will never be able to register him. Even if you loan him out one season and you want him to register in the next summer, its not possible. I could be mistaken, but I think thats how it works.

I have no idea. It still doesn't make sense why the first one (or two actually) could not be registered but the the third one came along and could be (and has been).

Anyway, time will tell what happens in the next window. I may have to sell Bonaventure, he signed for free and is still valued at £10m so would be a good profit if that must be done.

[Shen]

4 hours ago, Cheez3y said:

Non-EU spots:

I can only say what I disocvered over the years.

If you sign a Non-EU player and you got no Non-EU spots over this season, you will never be able to register him.

Even if you loan him out one season and you want him to register in the next summer, its not possible.

 

I could be mistaken, but I think thats how it works.

Sounds like a bug. The rules in the game do say that a player signed beyond the non-EU limits will not be eligible for competitive matches "until at least the following season".
I suspect the 'at least' part is if you sign up to your limit of non-EU players for the following season, then the players still cannot play as a non-EU place has not been freed up.

[Jogo Bonito]

4 minutes ago, Shen said:

Sounds like a bug. The rules in the game do say that a player signed beyond the non-EU limits will not be eligible for competitive matches "until at least the following season".
I suspect the 'at least' part is if you sign up to your limit of non-EU players for the following season, then the players still cannot play as a non-EU place has not been freed up.

All I can say is 'Mama Mia'

I just don't know anymore. I won't ever understand how I could register the latest non-EU player but not the ones I already had.

Edited March 10, 2021 by Jogo Bonito

[Cheez3y]

2 hours ago, Jogo Bonito said:

I won't ever understand how I could register the latest non-EU player but not the ones I already had.

Thats me...every year.

[karanhsingh]

Good going as always @Jogo Bonito

BTW I had Sobolev on my last save with Zenit and he was a very good all-round striker, notching up both goals and assists, even in the UCL.

[Jogo Bonito]

3 hours ago, karanhsingh said:

Good going as always @Jogo Bonito

BTW I had Sobolev on my last save with Zenit and he was a very good all-round striker, notching up both goals and assists, even in the UCL.

Thanks very much. Good to hear Sobolev has performed well for you. I'll be easing him in with Alario, Inglese and Bakambu currently ahead of him. But the latter concerns me and I will likely try to move him on in the winter window so Sobolev will become one of the 'two from three' scenario, and my home grown youngster Adorante will revert back to 4th option.

[Jogo Bonito]

Well I might have to reconsider my last statement, Bakambu has just gone and scored 4 (6-3 win, rating 9.90) and 3 (5-1 win, rating 10.0) within a few days in successive games for DR Congo. That's 15 in 10 international appearances for him this season.

[Jogo Bonito]

The last time we reported from Parma, things seemed to be going rather well with the team 4th in Serie A after six games

Unfortunately since then, Lorenzo Di Parmalat has struggled to find the right formula and four defeats followed in the next five league games

Bologna are having another strong season and have been top of the table throughout the campaign, so that was no real surprise

Defeats against Napoli, AS Roma and Inter Milan were all narrow - but you need to be taking points from those tight games

1-0 home wins over strugglers Genoa and Benevento were nothing too remarkable, although a point at Udinese ended a horrible run of form on the road

It was then time for a break as the 2022 World Cup in Qatar took centre stage, and Di Parmalat knew he had to use that time wisely

So he arranged a mid-season trip to Malta as he felt (no offence my friend @Mons) that he could bag some goals and install new levels of confidence

After that, he also arranged a couple of friendlies during the UAE training camp against only mildly stronger opposition

With Cedric Bakambu the only first-team player at the World Cup (and not for long in his case), it also gave precious bonding and playing minutes to Alexandr Sobolev

The plan seemed to work quite well, and as Serie A resumed after the break, his side recorded a fine - and crucial - 3-1 win over mid-table Udinese

The performance graph shows the drastic decline in form and standing - still plenty of work for the manager to do in order to realise dreams of Europe for 2023/24

Unfortunately any positive recent news has been seriously dampened by an abysmal run of bad luck on injuries in December

Two of the three top central midfield players will now be out of action for some time, although the longer loss of defender Lautaro Valenti can be overcome a little easier 

The transfer window is now open, but Di Parmalat has no plans to bring in reinforcements as there are 23 men still available from the 26-strong squad anyway

The manager now needs to up his game and perform better in the closing months of the campaign

Whilst the board are OK with the club progress, Di Parmalat has confided that he is extremely disappointed at the lack of points garnered so far this season

We end this mini update with news on the World Cup - which as you can see was won by that international powerhouse Poland 

We'll be back with more news from Parma after a couple of months

Edited March 12, 2021 by Jogo Bonito

[SixPointer]

Rough ride at the minute! Nothing worse than injury crisis and loss of Form at the same time 

[Jogo Bonito]

1 minute ago, SixPointer said:

Rough ride at the minute! Nothing worse than injury crisis and loss of Form at the same time 

It was a poor few months, then I thought the successful mid-season break had done the job to get us back on track. And then my players felt they would test me again by choosing that exact moment to get injured. Why couldn't they have done it a month before when the games in the sunshine were all we had to worry about? 

[Jogo Bonito]

Before moving on, it is time for a quick progress report on the Parma youth teams

The U20 squad are now led by ex-player Alain Boghossian, who was promoted last summer from his role as U20 Coach

This group has won their league in each of the last two seasons and currently sit top of the league again this year (as at 1st January 2023) 

The star player is Gabriele Artistico and you can see his scoring record at this level is excellent with 27 goals in 21 (1) official matches

The Italian striker has come through the ranks at Parma, and also scored 47 goals last season including friendlies so is clearly a promising talent

The U18 squad are now led by the prolific ex-Spanish international David Villa, who was promoted last summer from his role as U18 Coach

This group has won their league in each of the last two seasons and currently sit top of the league again this year (as at 1st January 2023) 

The star player is Lars Larsen and you can see his scoring record at this level is excellent with 19 goals in 19 official matches

The young Danish striker was signed on a free transfer last summer after being released by Brondby

Another good performer for the U18 side is Italian forward Gianluca Saporetti, who has grabbed 17 goals in 20 (1) official matches this season

He progressed through the Parma Academy and has been here since 2020/21

[SixPointer]

7 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said:

Before moving on, it is time for a quick progress report on the Parma youth teams

The U20 squad are now led by ex-player Alain Boghossian, who was promoted last summer from his role as U20 Coach

This group has won their league in each of the last two seasons and currently sit top of the league again this year (as at 1st January 2023) 

The star player is Gabriele Artistico and you can see his scoring record at this level is excellent with 27 goals in 21 (1) official matches

The Italian striker has come through the ranks at Parma, and also scored 47 goals last season including friendlies so is clearly a promising talent

The U18 squad are now led by the prolific ex-Spanish international David Villa, who was promoted last summer from his role as U18 Coach

This group has won their league in each of the last two seasons and currently sit top of the league again this year (as at 1st January 2023) 

The star player is Lars Larsen and you can see his scoring record at this level is excellent with 19 goals in 19 official matches

The young Danish striker was signed on a free transfer last summer after being released by Brondby

Another good performer for the U18 side is Italian forward Gianluca Saporetti, who has grabbed 17 goals in 20 (1) official matches this season

He progressed through the Parma Academy and has been here since 2020/21

Loving that write up 👏🏻

[WilsonJuve]

6 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said:

 

 

The star player is Lars Larsen and you can see his scoring record at this level is excellent with 19 goals in 19 official matches

The young Danish striker was signed on a free transfer last summer after being released by Brondby

 

Liking the look of him! Are you planning on giving him his 1st team debut? I had a 15 year old in my youth intake who I gave a league game to as we were champions and he managed a debut goal. Was chuffed for him.

[Jogo Bonito]

3 minutes ago, SixPointer said:

Loving that write up 👏🏻

Thanks mate. I do pay attention to my youth squads (including staff too) but had just forgotten to mention them before!

3 minutes ago, WilsonJuve said:

Liking the look of him! Are you planning on giving him his 1st team debut? I had a 15 year old in my youth intake who I gave a league game to as we were champions and he managed a debut goal. Was chuffed for him.

I am sure he will get there, but I tend to step them up a level at a time so he would have to perform at U20 level (or possibly away on loan at Serie C) before getting a first team appearance. But my U20 striker is likely to get promoted to the main squad for next season. I did that with Adorante and he has shown promise at first team level (and luckily my main strikers are mainly over 30 so will naturally be eased out). Great to hear you were bold and your kiddie did the business though, really good to see that kind of thing and your bravery was rewarded!

[Cheez3y]

David Villa!

 

The danish lad looks juicy.

First Touch, Flair, Technique with the right PPMs in the future. Ufff

Edited March 12, 2021 by Cheez3y

[Jogo Bonito]

1 hour ago, Cheez3y said:

David Villa!

The danish lad looks juicy.

First Touch, Flair, Technique with the right PPMs in the future. Ufff

Yes I'm hoping the Danish guy will be sizzling and might one day bring home the bacon (or a trophy) for Parma.

I never mentioned the main reason I looked at him was because when I used to play football at my best club, our top striker was Danish and called Lars Larsen. Although I found out years later after I had stopped playing that he was officially called Michael but everyone called him Lars for years and I'll always think of him as Lars Larsen 

Talking of which, his progress is being monitored as just a day later, I had to reject this bid for him.

 

[karanhsingh]

I too like the look of the young danish fellow. How long will you keep him out of the team? 

Hoping for a strong second half of the season for the senior team. 

[Jogo Bonito]

2 hours ago, karanhsingh said:

I too like the look of the young danish fellow. How long will you keep him out of the team? 

Hoping for a strong second half of the season for the senior team. 

Thanks, we can all hope! I'm getting bids for Larsen and most of the first team so it's taking lots of time to nudge through January. I have no plans to sell Larsen, but he has a few players ahead of him at the moment. Bakambu turned down a £4m move to Benevento which would have been good business for Parma. Now Cagliari agreed to pay £15m for my 31 year old 'keeper. I paused on that.

[Hootieleece]

Lars Larsen scored against my team in my save.....hope he does well for you....he played as a Target Man against my team and his Aerial ability was impressive.

 

[Jogo Bonito]

As 2023 commenced, Lorenzo Di Parmalat had made no secret of his desire and expectation that he and his side needed to be doing better

9th spot with 23 points from 14 games in Serie A was OK - but the ambitious manager wanted top-six and Europe after 7th and 8th place finishes in his first two years

The new year couldn't have started much worse with a 2-0 loss to Fiorentina, but it's worth mentioning that the hosts were 4th ahead of the game

A stoppage time goal was needed to beat Ascoli in the Coppa Italia so that was nothing to boast about either

But a 2-0 win over Verona was backed up with two more clean sheets in 0-0 draws against Sampdoria and a strong Lazio side

Napoli then dumped Parma out of the Coppa Italia where even a 1st minute goal was not enough to see off a fellow mid-table team

But as hope of achieving anything was reducing fast, Di Parmalat got his side back on track with a delightful 4-1 victory over Torino

That game included a brace for a certain striker in his last game for the club - more of that later in this update

February went quite well compared to most other months with a fine away point at AC Milan and a home win over Ascoli starting the month off

Juventus were also held to a draw, and the unbeaten run was maintained with a 2-2 draw away to Sassuolo

However that last result was disappointing as a 2-0 lead was thrown away with the home team scoring their two after 85 & 90 minutes to grab an undeserved point

The fixture computer had given what were probably ideal opponents after that, and an easy 4-1 win over Spezia was duly delivered

March was a short month which started with a 2-1 defeat to high-flying Atalanta before Di Parmalat's side gained the result of their season next time out

A 2-1 win over Bologna may make that seem a strange statement, but the Lucas Alario brace was against the league leaders and gave a massive boost to the club

March ended with a 1-1 draw over Napoli as no revenge was taken against the team who knocked Parma out of the cup last month

This sequence of results over the last three months had been much better, with only two league losses suffered

However despite the improved form, the league standing only fluctuated between 8th and 10th as it was hard to make any ground on those teams above

We mentioned departures earlier in this piece, and there were two heading out in the transfer window (with no arrivals)

The first man to leave was one of three left wing-backs, and as the worst-performing of the trio it was Luca Pellegrini who was sacrificed

The sale price of £5.5 million was a good return on the £2.6 million paid, and hopefully he can now push on at his new club

The other departure was striker Cedric Bakambu who had been picked up on a free transfer in March 2022

He scored seven goals this season in 13 (6) appearances but was declining physically and Di Parmalat felt his best years were behind him

Accordingly a fee of £3.9 million was seen as good business on the basis that four first-team strikers remain (plus some good youth prospects too)

There are 11 games left in this Serie A season, and the message is repeated again from the last few updates

Di Parmalat wants - and needs - to get the club hoisted up in to those all-important European spots

Edited March 16, 2021 by Jogo Bonito

[warlock]

55 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said:

it was Luca Pellegrini who was sacrificed

Shame he didn't work out for you, but so it goes.

That doesn't look like a bad run of results - given the relative positions in the table - but a few extra points would have been handy. Hope you manage to find them in the run-in 

[Jogo Bonito]

 

1 minute ago, warlock said:

Shame he didn't work out for you, but so it goes.

That doesn't look like a bad run of results - given the relative positions in the table - but a few extra points would have been handy. Hope you manage to find them in the run-in 

Yeah I was surprised he didn't do better but he was on £35k per week and the worst of my three options - the younger one is a  much better first back-up to my main one and earns a pittance.

The last few months have gone quite well but we just aren't making up any ground. It feels like the same comments I make after every update 

[warlock]

1 minute ago, Jogo Bonito said:

It feels like the same comments I make after every update 

I think you've said that before 

[Jogo Bonito]

10 minutes ago, warlock said:

I think you've said that before 

Haha, you're not wrong there. Have you tried the 21.4 update yet?

[warlock]

3 hours ago, Jogo Bonito said:

Have you tried the 21.4 update yet?

Yes, just running through pre-season in the Ipswich save. Can't say I've noticed much difference, but then I never saw any real problems with the last version - once they fixed the ratings issue with certain positions it was all good for me. I'm sure the recording of key stats is a problem for some human managers, but I've never paid that much attention to the detailed analysis. My idea of deep analytics goes something like: are we scoring enough? If not, change something. Are we conceding too many? If yes, change something else. Seems to work 

[Cheez3y]

To bad Bakambu didnt work.

Now its time to concentrate and push for the euro spots!

Im liking Bologna up there too.

 

Man you want me to play a longer Italy save again.

I think I got an idea after I finish my OFK one.

[Jogo Bonito]

9 hours ago, warlock said:

Can't say I've noticed much difference, but then I never saw any real problems with the last version - once they fixed the ratings issue with certain positions it was all good for me. I'm sure the recording of key stats is a problem for some human managers, but I've never paid that much attention to the detailed analysis. My idea of deep analytics goes something like: are we scoring enough? If not, change something. Are we conceding too many? If yes, change something else. Seems to work 

Identical ideas to me.

2 hours ago, Cheez3y said:

To bad Bakambu didnt work. Now its time to concentrate and push for the euro spots! Im liking Bologna up there too.

Man you want me to play a longer Italy save again. I think I got an idea after I finish my OFK one.

Cedric did OK but it was only ever a short term plan. I will check out if you do after OFK.

[Hootieleece]

Deep analytics.....pay attention to the reports your backroom staff makes....if not scoring enough or conceding too many. No Spreadsheets outside of Game....unlike some. 

 

I play for fun....and also say I know about what is "wrong" with "X team" on a barstool or in the stands with other fans.

[Jogo Bonito]

OK, season 3 is completed - update to follow today.

I hate playing Udinese. Home or away, Every time it's like this 

[AddicksFan]

2 hours ago, Jogo Bonito said:

OK, season 3 is completed - update to follow today.

I hate playing Udinese. Home or away, Every time it's like this 

Maybe ask your players to all dye their hair blonde, just like Romania did at the World Cup

[Jogo Bonito]

After 27 games, there was still plenty to do at Parma as the team sat 9th in Serie A

Coming in to April there had been a slight improvement in form, and the month got off to a cracking start with three straight wins including a rare one over Juventus

Defeat at new league leaders Inter Milan checked progress a little, and a point away to Benevento was an even more disappointing occasion

But May started tremendously with four wins on the bounce, and with just two games left, Lorenzo Di Parmalat had his side in a lofty 6th position

A home game to mid-table opposition gave every chance he needed to cement a proper European place - although anything from 4th to 9th was still actually possible

The 1-1 home draw with Sampdoria was therefore a massive blow, and quite frankly a point was the best this Parma side deserved on the day

The final weekend would see an away game at Lazio, with the hosts 5th and Parma still clinging on to 6th (7th would still secure Europa League qualification)

Well, as you can see below it was an easy 3-1 win for Lazio in a victory that hoisted them up to 3rd

It was a terrible time to come up with an awful performance, and a 38-game slog should never end in such a poor manner if you crave success

The team were slammed in the dressing room by an extremely disgruntled Di Parmalat, but how had this disaster actually seen things end up?

As you can see below, it wasn't good at all - with a 95th minute winner by AS Roma lifting them from nowhere to a shock 6th place

Parma ended 8th but would have held 7th without that goal (with Roma down in 8th and AC Milan lifted to 6th), so it was a massive heartbreaker for Di Parmalat

Here is the performance graph which shows nothing spectacularly good - but a dip in the last two games was going to cost the club significantly

But news was breaking, and it was something that had not been alluded to at any stage before

The berating in the dressing room was over by now - but a lifeline had been delivered of sorts as that 8th would actually count for something after all

It might only be the Europa Conference League, but with a kind draw there is at least a chance of making some sort of impression in Europe next season

We'll be back with a detailed end of season review shortly

Edited March 22, 2021 by Jogo Bonito

[Jogo Bonito]

30 minutes ago, AddicksFan said:

Maybe ask your players to all dye their hair blonde, just like Romania did at the World Cup

Haha, great idea! I remember them doing that 

[Jogo Bonito]

The board were happy, but as is now normal they added that the club could have maintained a much higher position than 8th

And the fans voted goalkeeper Luigi Sepe as player of the season for the third successive year

And here are the player stats across all competitions - nothing noticeable here except a pointer to check out the height of my squad (all players are over 5'10")

Only club captain Gian Marco Ferreira is out of contract this summer, but he won't be staying after demanding a four-year extension on much-increased wages

Di Parmalat would have liked to keep him for two years, but the player rejected that and expressed he was no longer interested in staying on

As the players prepared for their end of season holidays, it was confirmed the training camp would this year return from China to Italy

The board are giving very healthy budgets for next season, although it is not felt that major surgery is required

And here is a quick reminder of how the three seasons have played out so far

2020/21

2021/22

2022/23

To close this season, here is a quick review of the U20 and U18 teams too

The star player for the U20 title winners remains striker Gabriele Artistico with 42 goals in his 40 (2) appearances

The U18 squad came 4th and saw strikers Lars Larsen with 36 goals in 35 (5) games & Gianluca Saporetti with 32 goals in 36 (5) games both excelling again

Edited March 21, 2021 by Jogo Bonito

[Carambau]

Alario doing a good job Next season I predict a top 3 finish  

[Hootieleece]

You are consistent.....best of the rest much like Grenoble....

Is it a case of just not having enough money or luck in signings? For us to always overachieve and fall short of greatness!

 

I see your also getting the height bias.....

5'9'' is the absolute shortest I will even look at a player....any players in the intake shorter than that with ability are trained for sale!