Serie A 2018/19: Parma

Parma returned to the big time last season after a stunning rise through the divisions. Their head coach Roberto DAversa brought them into the league with an impressive season in Serie B and has continued his fine work in Serie A. This has led to Parma finding themselves in ninth position. The pragmatic DAversa has already overseen an away win at Inter among other impressive results. In this tactical analysis, I look at his tactics which has brought Parma back with a bang.

Parmas squad

Before going into Parmas tactics under DAversa, lets get comfortable with their squad. They have the former Napoli back-up goalkeeper Luigi Sepe between the sticks. Their defensive options include the Portuguese veteran Bruno Alves who is a mainstay in central defence alongside either the youngster Alessandro Bastoni, formerly of Atalanta, or Riccardo Gagliolo. The experienced Massimo Gobbi is one full-back option we recognise from his Fiorentina days.

Midfield options include two very good defensive midfielders in Slovenian Leo Stulac or the playmaker Matteo Scozzarella. Alongside either of those two, we often see Antonino Barilla (suitable name from the town where the pasta giants hail from), Alberto Grassi or Luca Rigoni. The front three normally includes the revitalised Gervinho, top class striker Roberto Inglese and the tricky Luca Siligardi. Its a good squad with both experience and youth which has worked very well so far as DAversa has rotated quite a bit.

Tactical analysis: Roberto DAversas Parma

DAversas Parma are very pragmatic and set up in a 4-3-3 which changes to 4-4-2 or 4-5-1 in certain phases of the game. Below, Ill look at their pressing, direct style of attack and the vital role played by Gervinho.

Parmas impressive press

Parmas pressing has stood out so far this term and they press in a very man-orientated manner. As you see below, they follow their closest opponents and move high when pressing. The backwards pass from Rodriguez to Zapata is the trigger for Inglese to start the pressing action. The players then follow his movement and push up. Note the position of Barilla in midfield marking Kessie.

The below image is taken a few seconds after Parma started their press. The ball has gone back to Milan goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and Inglese has continued the press. Parmas defensive midfielder Scozzarella can now be seen marking Bakayoko just outside Milans penalty area. This is an example of how man-orientated and aggressive Parma are when pressing. In the previous image, I highlighted Barilla marking Kessie in midfield and now Ive highlighted how Parma allow Donnarumma to play the risky chipped pass into the unmarked full-back, Calabria. As the ball travels, Barilla leaves Kessie and looks to close down Calabria before the ball reaches him. As he does, Scozzarella then drops in and marks Kessie instead of Bakayoko.

The pressing actions often come from triggers like back-passes as highlighted in the discussed scene above. Ot