2011–12 Parma F.C. season

The 2011–12 season of Parma F.C. will run to May 2012, having got underway in August 2011. It is be Parma's 21st season in Serie A and their 3rd consecutive season in that division, having finished in twelfth position the previous season. As well as competing in Serie A as one of twenty teams, Parma took part in the Coppa Italia, a competition which they disappointingly exited in the fourth round to Serie B side Verona.

Kits

Parma unveiled their 2011–12 kits on 10 July 2011. The home kit again features the traditional black cross on a white shirt, but the first choice shorts and socks are white, rather than black. The away kit an unorthodox all-black kit featuring a single vertical yellow and blue stripe down the middle of the front of the shirt. The other two change kits are inverses of each other; both feature thin hoops, but one of the shirts is blue with yellow trim and the other is yellow with blue trim. The shorts and socks for the home and away kits are interchangeable; likewise, those for the third and fourth kits are. Clothing manufacturer Navigare remained the principal shirt sponsor with Banca Monte Parma also still providing secondary support. Locally-based Erreà continued to manufacture the kits. For the Coppa Italia, the blue kit will act as the first-choice kit, the white as the second and the blue as the third.^[1]

Supplier: Erreà
Sponsor(s): Navigare and Banca Monte Parma

Source: fcparma.com

Pre-season

Retreat to Levico

Parma began their pre-season with the traditional summer retreat on 11 July 2011 in Levico Terme for the second season running. Parma remained in Levico until 29 July.^[2] The club's pre-season tour of England and Wales was announced on 13 June and will follow the time spent in Levico.^[3] They contested four matches in Levico. The first two were six-goal thrashings against local amateur teams on 16 and 17 July with new boys Graziano Pellè, Fabio Borini and Nicola Sansone all scoring, but the following two were more competitive. Parma first welcomed mid-table Czech side Slavia Prague to Italy on 20 July, but neither side were able to break the deadlock and the match ended goalless. Three days later, Parma had more success against Bulgarian outfit Ludogorets Razgrad, who had just been promoted to the top tier of Bulgarian football, the Bulgarian A Professional Football Group, for the first time in their history. Parma ran out 3–0 winners Ludogorets with Cristian Zaccardo, Borini and Sebastian Giovinco all on the scoresheet. Parma's final game in Italy before their departure on a tour of the United Kingdom was the next day in Cogollo del Cengio against Cogollo, whose president Alberto Rossi had acquired a 5% share in Parma three days earlier.^[4] Parma won the match 10–1.

Tour of Britain

Parma then travelled to Britain to contest four friendly matches against sides who with an earlier start to the English season were likely to have further developed their pre-season fitness. The first match was against Welsh Championship side Cardiff City and it ended goalless with the hosts enjoying the better of the game.^[5] Next, Parma travelled east to Bedfordshire to face Conference side Luton Town. The Italians overcame their English counterparts by two goals to nil with one goal coming in each half to record their first win on British soil in 18 years.^[6] Next up was the first of two clashes against Premier League outfits on 6 August, as Parma met Norwich City at Carrow Road. The Canaries took a first-half lead through a close-range Grant Holt effort and led by that single goal at half-time. Andrew Surman then scored a second-half brace and Norwich ran out comfortable 3–0 winners.^[7] I Ducali then made the trip west to face West Brom to round up the tour the following day and had more success. Nicola Sansone gave Parma the lead just before half-time, but a Somen Tchoyi goal deep into injury time in the second half secured the hosts a draw.^[8]

Return to Italy

Parma then returned home to Italy and hosted La Liga side Levante to the Tardini following the annual presentation of the players to the fans on 12 August. Rangy frontman Graziano Pellè's only goal of the game meant the home fans went home happy as Parma geared up for the new season.^[9] Six days later, a triangular tournament was contested in Salsomaggiore Terme (in the Province of Parma) between Parma and lower league sides Salsomaggiore and Fidenza Calcio with each match lasting only 45 minutes; Parma won both matches, beating Fidenza 1–0 and Salsomaggiore 3–0. Parma's final warm-up before the new season was supposed to be two matches on 25 August against the club's Allievi Nazionali (which was just a single-half affair) and local side Pro Desenzano (which the club both won comfortably by seven goals to nil and six goals to three, respectively), but the delayed start of Serie A due to a players' strike meant a friendly was played on Saturday 27 August against Carpenedolo; Parma won 7–0. Parma also played Mantova and Crociati Noceto in September to give fringe players more game time, winning both matches comfortably to nil.

Results

Kick-off times are in CET.

      Win       Draw       Loss

Serie A

Summary

Fixtures for the 2011–12 Serie A season were drawn in Milan on 27 July 2011 and made public the next day.^[10] Parma's league campaign was set to get underway on the weekend of 28 August 2011 against Catania in a repeat of the start of Parma's 2006–07 Serie A season, which ended two apiece, while the second match was to be away to Juventus.^[11] However, the opening weekend fixtures were delayed due to a players' strike over a new Serie A collective bargaining agreement between clubs and players, which was to include a super-tax on the league's highest earners and would compel unwanted players to train with the first team of their contracted club.^[12] An emergency one-year deal – as opposed to the normal three-year arrangements – was signed in the week leading up to the second week of matches, meaning Parma would start their campaign in Turin against Juventus.^[13]

Parma travelled to Juventus to become Old Lady's first competitive opponents in the brand new Juventus Stadium on 11 September and hoping to win a fourth consecutive match against the Turin side. However, Juventus scored early on through a tidy Stephan Lichtsteiner finish off a delightful Andrea Pirlo pass. This reflected the balance of play and Juventus were unlucky to have Alessandro Matri's effort ruled out just before half-time. Simone Pepe finally doubled the lead on 57 minutes with an accomplished finish, having been put through by Alessandro Del Piero. The chances continued to flow and debutant Arturo Vidal scored a fine volley from the edge of the box to make it 3–0 with quarter of an hour to go. Pirlo found Claudio Marchisio with ten minutes to go and Marchisio chipped Parma goalkeeper Antonio Mirante to complete Juventus' scoring.^[14] A late Sebastian Giovinco run saw him fouled in the box and score the resulting penalty, leaving Parma ahead of only Atalanta who were deducted six points before the season's start. Juventus had emphatically ended Parma's 18-match unbeaten record in season openers with a 4–1 win, the Ducali losing for the first time since 1992, when they succumbed to Atalanta.^[15]

On 18 September, Parma hosted former manager Domenico Di Carlo's Chievo at the Tardini with an unchanged line-up and were the better side for much of the first half and saw their dominance rewarded with a Giovinco goal with 24 minutes on the clock from a headed Pellè flick-on. The second half was, however, Chievo's, the majority of the action coming in Antonio Mirante's goalmouth, although chances were still at a premium. Chievo made their improved performance count through ex-Parma frontman Alberto Paloschi with 12 minutes to go and a draw looked the fair result, but a late Giovinco finish from substitute Jonathan Biabiany's inch-perfect whipped cross saw Parma snatch all three points and Giovinco become the first player since Adriano in 2003–04 to score 3 goals in the first two matches.^[16] Two-goal Giovinco was then sent off in injury time after he was shown a second yellow card for kicking the ball into the net following the referee's decision to penalise the diminutive Italian.^[17] The result represented a fifth consecutive victory at home for Parma – a feat last achieved in 2000–01 – after victories over Juventus, Palermo and Inter last season and Grosseto this.^[18]

Three days later, Parma played away at Fiorentina, who had also won one and lost one of their first two league games. With Valiani and Pellé both missing due to injury and Giovinco serving his one-match suspension, four changes were made from the weekend's winning team, as both Abderrazzak Jadid and Zé Eduardo were given their first starts in a Parma shirt. Fiorentina made the only chances of the first half, but were largely restricted to long-range efforts. Before 30 seconds had passed in the second half, Fiorentina took a deserved lead from a close-range Stevan Jovetić tap-in after Alessandro Lucarelli failed to clear the ball. Alessio Cerci then doubled La Viola's lead with a diving header halfway through the second half, before Jovetić coolly added a third with ten minutes to go. The match finished 3–0.^[19]

On 26 September, Parma hosted Luis Enrique's Roma with Colomba's team needing a draw to stay out of the relegation zone. The game was one of few chances and a clash of styles between Roma's tiki-taka and the home side's counter-attacking football. Only Antonio Mirante's shakiness in the Parma goal from long shots appeared to be a route to girl in the first half, but the side from the capital struck early in the second half through a well-placed Pablo Daniel Osvaldo header.^[20] Although Parma had more chances as the game went on, Osvaldo's effort was the only goal of the game, leaving Parma with 13 consecutive winless games against Roma.^[21]

The following week, Genoa came to Parma led by ex-Parma manager Alberto Malesani as Parma looked to put an end to their indifferent early season form and Genoa went in search of a second win at the Tardini on their twentieth visit. They were able to make their good start to the first half pay with a goal from a delightful Giovinco lob on the half-hour mark after a neat Sergio Floccari assist. As the first half drew to a close, Giovinco's mazy dribble was then illegally halted in the penalty area by Juraj Kucka and Parma were awarded a penalty; Giovinco himself converted the resultant spot kick. As Genoa threw more men forward, the chances continued to come for Parma and a fine counter-attack ended with a Stefano Morrone finish from inches out after he had somehow conspired to hit the bar from 6 yards out. The gloss of a fine victory was taken off when Genoa themselves were awarded a penalty for a Gabriel Paletta tug on Rodrigo Palacio in the last minute and the Argentine got up to score the penalty and round off the scoring at 3–1.^[22] This lifted Parma out of the relegation zone and Giovinco to the top of the scoring charts, alongside fellow 5-goal frontman Rodrigo Palacio.

After an international break which saw Sebastian Giovinco further cement his place in Italy coach Cesare Prandelli's plans for Euro 2012 the following summer, Parma travelled to Champions League side Napoli, who had beaten giants Internazionale in their previous game by three goals to nil. Napoli had much of the ball in the early stages, but failed to make the most of their control of the ball, while Parma looked dangerous on the counter. This pattern continued into the second half before a Massimo Gobbi goal give Parma an unexpected lead just before an hour had passed. The left-back surged forward through Napoli's pedestrian midfield and laid the ball off to Sergio Floccari, who flicked the ball back into Gobbi's path, allowing Gobbi to slot home from point blank range. Napoli continued to press and eventually found an equaliser in a similar fashion to Parma's opener, Ezequiel Lavezzi supplying the backheel flick and playing the one-two with substitute Giuseppe Mascara. The sides were level for five minutes before Parma once again proved to have the more clinical instinct in front of goal. Francesco Valiani worked the ball out wide to Giovinco, who found Francesco Modesto sliding in at the back post to give Parma a 2–1 in the 82nd minute to momentarily put Parma 7th.^[23]

Parma followed their upset in Naples with a game at home to Serie A new boys Atalanta. Ex-Atalanta hitman Sergio Floccari, who was impressive against Napoli, left the field in the 8th minute, but Parma still had the better of the first-half chances. However, it was Atalanta that broke the deadlock, taking advantage of some dozy Parma defending that left Maximiliano Moralez free at the back post with what was almost an open goal in the 55th minute. Just three minutes later, Moralez scored a second, squeezing a loose ball into the goal at Antonio Mirante's near post. Jaime Valdés – making his 300th appearance in Italian league football – then reduced the arrears with ten minutes to go, neatly finishing from Massimo Gobbi square ball from the left. ^[24][25] Valdés' goal turned out to be consolatory and Parma slid to 14th position in the league.

Parma's next task was a trip to face Milan, a game in which I Crociati had had little success in recent years. It was a trend that showed no signs of stopping as two first-half Antonio Nocerino strikes in as many minutes put Milan in control on the half-hour mark, as Parma started with no recognised striker. Things got worse with around quarter of an hour to go in the second half as Milan took a three-goal lead – Ibrahimović the scorer. Sebastian Giovinco looked to have salvaged some pride for Parma, as he netted from a tight angle after a Jonathan Biabiany pass, scoring his sixth league goal of the season – more than anyone else in the league, except Udinese's Antonio Di Natale who had also netted six times in eight rounds. An injury time Nocerino goal saw the Italian midfielder seal his hat-trick and a comfortable 4–1 victory for the Milanese giants.^[26]

The club finished October hosting rock-bottom Cesena at home, but it was Parma themselves who now had the worst defensive record in the league. Parma had the better of the first half, particularly in the opening stages, and they won a penalty after Giovinco was felled by Alex Rodriguez, although it was unclear whether the Parma player was in or outside the box when the foul was made. The argument was ultimately academic because Giovinco's centrally-placed penalty was saved by Francesco Antonioli in the Cesena goal. Six minutes later and just before half-time, Gabriel Paletta scored his first Serie A goal after some footballing pinball saw it fall to the Argentine, who slotted it home from close range. More chances for the hosts followed in the second period and Alessandro Lucarelli made the game safe after a Cristian Zaccardo flick-on found him free at the back post.^[27] This was Parma's first clean sheet of the season, finally managing the feat at the tenth attempt.^[28]

Parma's next task was a trip to the country's capital to face high-flying Lazio, who found themselves in 3rd place after the 9 games. Despite their good start, Lazio had looked inconsistent at home, winning just once at the Stadio Olimpico. In the first half, there were chances at both ends, but Parma's chances of victory were dealt a blow when Sebastian Giovinco, the club's top scorer and talisman, was forced off the pitch by an injury just after half-time. The game remained goalless until late in the game. A Miroslav Klose run ended with a cut-back to team-mate Libor Kozák, whose shot was cleared off the line by Cristian Zaccardo, but that only left Giuseppe Sculli an easy tap-in to give Lazio the victory after 84 minutes.^[29]

Following the international break, 20 November 2011 saw Parma welcome league leaders Udinese to the Tardini. Udinese travelled without a win in five years at Parma's ground and came the closer to opening the scoring in the first half, but neither side was able to break the deadlock. In the second half, pacey wingman Jonathan Biabiany headed in from a Giovinco corner to give Parma a lead with just over half an hour to go. Fifteen minutes later, Dusan Basta was adjudged to have fouled Biabiany in the penalty area and Giovinco stepped up to convert the penalty from 12 yards out to give Parma a remarkable two-goal victory and lift them out of the bottom half of the table.^[30]

Next, Parma travelled to relegation-threatened Novara, where they had never won in fifteen previous attempts. Parma had the better of the first half and perhaps should have twice opened the scoring earlier than they did through Graziano Pellè, but the goal did come on the half-hour mark when Biabiany slid the ball across the area to find Novara defender Matteo Centurioni, who put the ball his own net. Novara then came into the game and were rewarded after 70 minutes, when Raffaele Rubino scored a typical header from close range to become the first player to score goals in the top 4 levels of Italian football at the same club. Novara then doubled Parma's pain 8 minutes later with a Marco Rigoni header. A late Giuseppe Gemiti sending-off and a 200th Parma appearance for Hernán Crespo were not enough to give Parma a way back into the game, as Novara won their first match in nine.^[31][32]

Following a disappointing mid-week exit from the Coppa Italia, islanders Palermo visited the Tardini, having failed to score in each of their previous six away league games.^[33] Parma had the better of much of the first half with Giovinco looking a threat and going close on a couple of occasions, but Palermo came back strongly at the beginning of second half. However, as the second half wore on, Parma again looked the better of the two teams, but neither side were able to get the decisive goal and the match ended goalless. This was Parma's first draw of the season, having been the only side in the league without one and the first draw at the Tardini since February after twelve consecutive games without a draw at the Ducali's home ground.

The following weekend, Parma travelled off the mainland to Sardinia to play Cagliari. For the second week in a row, Parma played out a goalless draw with few moments of note. Not even the return from injury of loanee Sergio Floccari could spark a Parma revival, but another man returning from injury, Francesco Modesto, did come off the bench to make his 300th career appearance, while club captain Stefano Morrone made his 150th league appearance for the club.^[34] Sebastian Giovinco and Cristian Zaccardo both went off with injuries during the match.

On 18 December, Parma hosted Lecce in a match that was set to be the last before Christmas break, but the re-organised Matchday 1 game was now to be played during the week that followed. Jonathan Biabiany's 18th minute run into the box was halted unfairly by the Lecce defence, leading to a chance from the spot for Sergio Floccari who duly converted to bag his first goal for the club. Just before the hour mark, David Di Michele scored from short range to level the scores, before scoring a magnificent second with a spectacular bicycle kick from the edge of the penalty area three minutes later. Juan Guillermo Cuadrado then scored Lecce's third with thirteen minutes left in the game with a fine left-footed effort blasted past Antonio Mirante who was making his 200th professional appearance,^[35] as Parma looked down the barrel at another game without a win. A goalkeeping error 3 minutes from full-time allowed Graziano Pellè to reduce the deficit, his first goal for the club. Deep into injury time, the ball fell to Daniele Galloppa following a poorly cleared corner and he rifled it him to salvage a third consecutive draw for the Ducali.

Three days later, Parma welcomed Catania to the Tardini. Parma started the game in the perfect fashion, opening the scoring after 5 minutes through a Francesco Modesto header off a deep cross, but Catania hit back after 21 minutes through a scrappy penalty area scramble that ended in a neat yet simple finish for Sergio Bernardo Almirón. Parity was soon gone when Sebastian Giovinco's pass found Jonathan Biabiany on the edge of the penalty area two minutes later; the Frenchman finished emphatically. On the stroke of half-time, Sergio Floccari doubled Parma's leader after a fine run and an exchange of passes with Giovinco allowed him to finish impressively. However, a Catania penalty 17 minutes from the match's end brought the islanders right back into the game; Fabiano Santacroce was the offending defender and Francesco Lodi stepped up to convert to halve the deficit. The scoring was not finished and Andrea Catellani's close-range volley consigned Parma to a fourth consecutive draw in a familiar second-half slump performance.^[36]

Results

Kick-off times are in CET.

      Win       Draw       Loss

Statistics

Standings

Source: legaseriea.it (Italian)
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) = Champion; (R) = Relegated; (P) = Promoted; (O) = Play-off winner; (A) = Advances to a further round.
Only applicable when the season is not finished:
(Q) = Qualified to the phase of tournament indicated; (TQ) = Qualified to tournament, but not yet to the particular phase indicated; (DQ) = Disqualified from tournament.

Results summary

Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points

Results by round

Source: legaseriea.it
Ground: A = Away; H = Home. Result: D = Draw; L = Lose; W = Win; P = Postponed.

Coppa Italia

Summary

Parma will play their first cup match on around 21 August 2011, entering at the third round. The draw for the 2011–12 edition of the Coppa Italia was made on 27 July in Milan and Parma were drawn to play the winners of Serie B outfit Grosseto's clash against the winners of the tie between Lega Pro Prima Divisione sides Como and Prato at home.^[37] A 2–1 win for Prato over Como saw them progress to the second round,^[38] but the Tuscan side came unstuck the following week, succumbing 3–2 to Grosseto.^[39] Grosseto travelled to Parma for the tie on 21 August, but were soundly beaten 4–1. Parma could not break down a stubborn Grosseto outfit playing a defensive 4–5–1 until the stroke of half-time when Italian international and man of the match Sebastian Giovinco converted Francesco Valiani cross with scissor kick. Francesco Modesto on the other flank then delivered a cross for Graziano Pellè to see Parma double their lead with half an hour to go. Hernán Crespo then scored two goals in the last ten minutes as a substitute, his goals bisected by a Gabriel Paletta own goal, as Franco Colomba's 100% record at the Tardini remained intact and Parma completed their fourth victory in a row on home soil for the first time since April and May 2007 under Claudio Ranieri, although the team did fail to keep a clean sheet in a home Coppa Italia match on the twelfth consecutive occasion in a run which extended back to 10 May 2002 when they overcame Juventus 1–0.^[40]

Parma's next task would be to take on Grosseto's fellow Serie B side Verona, who had emerged victorious over Sassuolo on a penalty shoot-out after a 3–3. A much-changed Ducali side included club legend Hernán Crespo who went in search of an eleventh Coppa Italia goal for the club that would bring him level with all-time top scorer Alessandro Melli, while Verona sought a first appearance in the last 16 since 1996–97 after six consecutive Serie B victories.^[41] The second tier side were successful in realising that first appearance in fifteen years with a goal in either half against a poor Parma side.

Results

Kick-off times are in CET.

      Win       Draw       Loss

Player statistics

Transfers

Parma's first move of the summer was to activate their option on newly-capped Italian Sebastian Giovinco, who had been on loan the previous season and on whom Parma had an option to buy for 50% for €3,000,000, despite parent club Juventus' interest in the player.^[42] Soon after, Parma resolved a number of co-ownership deals and secured former Parma player Jonathan Biabiany and Gonçalo Brandão on one-year loans. Paolo Castellini, also out on loan the previous year, was again farmed out, this time to relegated side Sampdoria. Meanwhile, right-sided Brazilian Ângelo left the club after the expiry of his contract for Serie A rivals Siena. Despite speculation about his future, Parma legend Hernan Crespo signed a new deal that tied him to the club for another year the day before, later adding that his two objectives for 2011–12 were to help the club avoid relegation and to score a 100th goal for Parma; before the season's start he had bagged 91.^[43][44]

The first day of July saw Blerim Dzemaili, whose ownership had just been resolved in favour of Parma, move to Napoli in a €9,000,000 deal which saw the Swiss international move south in exchange for the permanent transfer of experienced midfielder Manuele Blasi and the loan of Italian-Brazilian defender Fabiano Santacroce. The following day saw Parma complete a triple swoop of strikers. as Graziano Pelle, Fabio Borini and Nicola Sansone all arrived on 2 July. Big man Pelle was signed from Dutch side AZ Alkmaar for around €1,000,000 after long-term interest, while Sansone was brought in on a free transfer from German giants Bayern Munich. Parma also signed young Italian Fabio Borini from Premier League giants Chelsea after a lengthy pursuit. He had been on loan to Swansea City for the latter part of the previous season, but Parma had been tracking Borini for some months and Borini confirmed he had no regrets over the move, despite Swansea's disappointment.^[45][46]

On 6 July, experienced pro and vice-captain Massimo Paci also left the club, choosing to join Novara after his contract expired and Parma chose not to renew it. On the same day, out of favour striker Valeri Bojinov finally made his move to Sporting CP and Chilean attacking midfielder Jaime Valdes moved the other way on a temporary basis. As a result, one of Parma's main aims for the summer of signing of a forward became more important; however, main target Amauri, on loan to Parma for the second half of the previous year, confirmed his desire to stay at Juventus.^[47] Marco Pisano, who had struggled to get many games in his only season as a Parma player behind the more consistent performers Luca Antonelli and Massimo Gobbi at left-back, secured a move to Vicenza on 16 July.

After nearly a month without signing a senior player, Matteo Rubin joined Parma from Torino on 6 August 2011 on a year-long loan deal with left-back unsatisfied with life at a Serie B club,^[48] although his time at Parma was eventually mutually agreed to be cut short in January.^[49] Further developments in the transfer market were not forthcoming until deadline day on 31 August. On that day, summer signing Fabio Borini and Francesco Lunardini were loaned to Roma and Gubbio, respectively.^[50] Beanpole striker Sergio Floccari was also loaned from Lazio for a fee of €1,500,000, as Parma finally found a replacement on the target man front.^[51]

The dates given below relate to the date on which registration for the 2011–12 season was deposited to Serie A. The summer transfer window did not open until 1 July 2011 and it will close on 31 August 2011. Non-EU signings, which are limited to 2 for this season in Serie A and comprise the new registration of those who are not EU or EFTA nationals signed from non-Italian clubs, are marked in yellow.

In

Out

Loan in

Loan out

See also

• List of Parma F.C. seasons

References