Parma’s defensive struggles: Pecchia reflects on goals conceded

Parma manager Fabio Pecchia addressed the team’s defensive issues in a post-match press conference following their 3-2 defeat against Cagliari. With 12 goals conceded in 6 matches, Pecchia acknowledged the need for improvement while also highlighting the team’s offensive strengths.

Pecchia began by putting the statistics into perspective: “The two goals against Napoli skew the numbers and ruin the statistics. Today’s goal weighs heavily; we were in formation. Beyond the quality play of Gaetano and Piccoli, we should have done something better.”

When asked if the goals conceded were becoming excessive, Pecchia responded: “We also create a lot and score many goals. Certainly, we need to correct some things. I really liked the team in the second half. We were behind but didn’t give up. Then you lose focus for a moment, and strong players punish you.”

Addressing concerns about the defensive phase and midfield filtering, Pecchia explained: “On the first goal, they got in; more attention was needed there. We must persist, stay focused. In moments of decreased tension, we always concede. We create a lot, scoring isn’t simple. On Marin’s goal, I can’t fault the team; it’s a great goal. But at other times, we’ve had lapses. For the rest, I liked the team.”

Pecchia clarified his earlier comments about defensive inattention: “I wasn’t talking about defensive inattention. In the goal, there was too much desire to seek the third goal, and we paid a high price for it.”