COACH D’AVERSA AFTER PARMA 1-1 BRESCIA: “WE GAVE OUR ALL TODAY DESPITE THE DIFFICULTIES”

Parma, 22 December 2019 – Coach D’Aversa spoke to the press after today’s home draw with Brescia:

“It wasn’t easy to get back into the game due to the point in which we conceded. I thought that we were better in the first half compared to the second. We dropped off a bit after the interval and we conceded too much space to our opponents. However, in the end, we did well to get a result that can boost both our league position and morale.

“Would I have thought back in July that we’d have Brugman playing upfront? No, I wouldn’t because we have key strikers like Inglese and Cornelius. However, I must say that the lads have stepped up in these situations. We gave our all today despite not having a centre forward. When you’re struggling with injuries then it’s not easy to always maintain focus. I can only thank the lads and praise them for putting in their all because it isn’t always easy.

“We had some difficulties. Brescia were able to bring on Balotelli during the second half, whereas we were at home and didn’t even have a striker. Kucka did well after coming on because he had more of a physical presence. In the second half, we were missing a point of reference upfront, however, it wasn’t a question of desire for us because otherwise, we wouldn’t have equalised in the 92nd minute.

“When you speak about the improvement of Kulusevski, one must also consider the performances of Iacoponi and Scozzaerlla who’ve been here since the club was in Lega Pro. Gervinho? I hope that it’s not a serious injury, as unfortunately, it’s in a department where we’re already struggling. However, the break has come at the right time to help us get some players back from injury.

“Obviously, this team has improved on last year in terms of both mentality and quality. It’s clear that we can’t now take our foot off the gas, although I’ll be the first one to say that the lads have gone beyond what’s expected of them. However, I add that you must always want to keep improving. We must be ambitious in seeking to finish the first half of the season well despite two tough matches against Atalanta and Lecce. Other than our superior quality this season, last year we also struggled with injuries. In terms of the squad, we need to focus on getting some players back and then we’ll consider if we need to bring anyone in.

“Our sporting director is very good at this, who must satisfy the demands of both the Coach and the club. We can’t commit the same mistakes as last year. After our victory against Udinese in the New year, we probably thought that we’d achieved our goal, therefore, we can’t do this again. As for today, we’re all pleased with the performance and we can all go home happy.”