Parma vs Inter Milan: Q&A with Parma North America

With Inter set to take on Parma for the second and final occasion this season, it felt like the time to get in touch with Parma North America and see how the 2020/21 season has transpired from a Gialloblu perspective. You can follow Parma North America on Twitter here for coverage of and all you could want to know about Parma.

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Q: Fabio Liverani replaced Roberto D’Aversa as manager over the summer only to be replaced by his predecessor in January. What went wrong with Liverani’s tenure that led to his sacking?

A: I think the first issue for Fabio Liverani was that he wasn’t fully trusted to begin with. His back was against the wall from day 1. After getting demoted with Lecce, we were afraid the same would happen with us. He never earned that trust. We rarely found positive results with him in charge.

Q: Since D’Aversa took the manager position back, what’s changed? Is he the man to rescue Parma?

A: D’Aversa is such a strange situation. No one wanted him gone to start the season as we’ve had success with him as our manager. We recognized he wasn’t the greatest but he kept us in Serie A which is what we cared most about. Unfortunately, since coming back, D’Aversa has made questionable substitutions and head-scratching tactical adjustments. It has led to bad results. I think we are in need of a miracle if we want to stay up.

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Q: Parma was the most active Italian club in the winter transfer window, bringing in six players. What are your thoughts on the signings and how have they fared so far?

A: Initially the Parma fans were extremely happy. We have never been so active before in the transfer window. We tried to bring in the Ajax mentality of buying young players for fair values and growing them into really good players. Unfortunately, some of them are not Serie A ready just yet. That is understandably a hard ask to bring guys in and have them contribute right away. I am excited for their potential, but unfortunately, it may not be in Parma colors for some of them if we don’t stay up.

Q: What is Parma’s strong suit? On the other hand, where do Il Crociati struggle the most?

A: Parma is interesting. I truly believe in the talent, but I think we lack the heart. We give up to easily which I think is why we struggle to hold leads and gain points. It’s hard to win games when you struggle to score and struggle to defend as well. We need the veteran players to step up and help the young guys. The only veteran players that have impressed me this year are midfielder Juraj Kucka and goalkeeper Luigi Sepe. They will be important if we want to score any points against Inter.

Q: And finally, what’s your prediction for Thursday’s clash?

A: Parma love the San Siro. They led Milan and Inter 2-0 earlier this year, only to blow a 2 goal lead both times and draw 2-2. Since we will be playing at the Tardini this time around I will say we keep it close for 70 minutes or so at 1-1. Then Inter will score 2 more to put the dagger in. So I’ll say 3-1 Inter.

Thanks for having me. Good luck in your Scudetto race!