VANOLI: “TEN GAMES TO GIVE EVERYTHING!”
02 March 2017
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- Parma manager believes his side can still secure automatic promotion
- Would rather not take the gamble of going through the play offs
- Believes his side are playing the best football in the league
With 24 games played in the Lega Pro Girone A campaign this summer, the man in charge at the Ennio Tardini has today spoken to the club’s official website and has reflected on how the season has gone so far and given his thoughts on the final ten games of the season. With Parma currently sitting third in the table after 24 games, Parma have won 16 games, drawn 6 and lost 4 with Vanoli’s men having not lost in 7 games in the league and the manager said in his interview that he was confident with how well his team was performing and was sure that they could continue to push for automatic promotion if they kept on playing as well.
parmacalcio1913.com: Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to talk to us Paolo. It can’t be easy at the minute, juggling everything that is going on, attending interviews, whilst remaining focused on trying to compete at the top of this league?”
Paolo Vanoli: ”You are most welcome. No you are completely right but it is always nice to sit down and talk football, and at the end of the day it is great to be able to talk about a team that is doing extremely well at the moment.”
””Our return to form means we can finish in that automatic promotion spot.”
pc1913.com: ”You mentioned that Parma are doing really well then, what do you think they can achieve over the course of the final ten games? There is still a lot on offer as a place in the play offs looks more and more likely every week, whilst the race for the title and that automatic promotion spot is still on. What can Parma achieve in these final 10 games?”
Vanoli: ”Anything is possible at this stage in the season it really is. We’re winning games at the moment and our confidence has returned. A couple of games ago it looked like our aim for the rest of the season had to be making sure we finished in a play off spot, but this return to form of late means that we are now capable of pushing on and qualifying for that automatic promotion spot. We have ten games to give absolutely everything that we have in our lockers. If we can finish the season, feeling like we have honestly given everything then we can be happy and if we can do that, then I believe we’ll be there or there abouts because we have that much quality in this squad.”
pc1913.com: ”You have a big game against Vicenza coming up in the league, is that the biggest game of the club’s season so far?”
Vanoli: ”You would have to say yes, on paper, it is at the minute. They are having a great season and have been remarkably consistent whilst ourselves, and the likes of Cittadella and Reggiana haven’t been able to match those levels just yet. However somehow we have clawed our way back into this hunt and we’re now only four points behind them and if we win that game at the Ennio Tardini then we will be a point behind them as it stands at the minute. It is a big game that we’re all really pumped up for.”
”I made sure the players knew what was expected of them after we had teams catching up with us week after week.”
pc1913.com: ”It is only a big game though Paolo, because you managed to put that poor run behind you. What do you think was the main cause of that drop in momentum and the subsequent poor form?”
Vanoli: ”Honestly I don’t know. It felt like the whole place was on a bit of a lull when we were going through that. We had done so well to break the league record for the most amount of wins and obviously off the back of that, everyone was confident and feeling good. Then we went and lost to Cittadella in a difficult game and maybe that just knocked our confidence a little bit and we never recuperated from that. Momentum was dropped in that defeat and obviously we saw Vicenza slipping further away whilst the likes of Pro Patria and Reggiana who were outside the play off spots were catching us week on week and that would not have helped at all. Then it came to that Cremonese game and it was time to snap out of it and I made sure that the players knew what was expected of them.”
Parma captain Alessandor Lucarelli leads a lap of honour after his teammates beat Cittadella 4-3 in the Coppa Italia Lega Pro second leg, to take them through to the final 6-5 on aggregate.pc1913.com: ”What was notable though Paolo was that your form in the Coppa Italia Lega Pro didn’t slip. What was it about that competition that meant the team managed to keep getting positive results?”
Vanoli: ”It is a completely different ball game in the cup competitions. For starters you know that you don’t have any room for error. If you lose you are out and it is all over for you for that season. Maybe the loss of league form was complacency as well, not just on the players fault but on my fault, and maybe in the Coppa Italia we didn’t go into the games thinking we can afford this kind of result here. We knew we had to win and thankfully we did and we’re into the final now with the chance to pick up some more silverware come April.”
pc1913.com: ”That brings us on to the Cup Final now then Paolo. With the two legs of that final coming up in what will already be a busy month for Parma what will the priority be, win the cup or try and win the league?”
Vanoli: ”It has to be both doesn’t it? Honestly if we can get both we would take both because it would be a huge achievement for this club to go through what it went through and then go and win a fair few pieces of silverware in two seasons.”
I would take promotion over winning the cup!”
pc1913.com: ”But what if somebody offered you promotion and no cup win, or a cup win and you miss out on promotion, or you qualify for the play offs?”
Vanoli: ”Of course I would take promotion. I think it is imperative for this club to keep making its way back to the top and towards Serie A and if we can get into Serie B next season, after the start we made this year, and especially after playing in Serie D next year then that would be huge for the club. The cup win would be nice, but I would prefer to avoid the lottery of the play offs if at all possible.”
Yves Baraye celebrates after scoring against Cittadella back in December. Despite scoring twice, Parma would go on to lose the game 3-2.pc1913.com: ”The performances of certain players this year has started to raise a few eyebrows in Italy Paolo. I am sure you are well aware of the rumoured interest in Francesco Corapi and Mattia Minesso, two players that have been influential in Parma’s bid for promotion this year. What are your views on their transfer situation.”
Vanoli: ”As far as I am concerned, if there is rumours around, let them exist. Until it gets to the point where the player is knocking on my office door and requesting a transfer then it doesn’t bother me. Udinese could be interested in Mattia for all I know. I have a lot of time for anybody that approaches me to sign a player in the right way and if they want to do business and Mattia then comes to me and tells me he wants to leave then we shall see what is right for all three parties [Parma, the other club & the player.] Like I said, as it stands they are our players at the minute and will be for the next 12 games that we’re guaranteed to play this year and I know they’ll give everything to try and achieve something huge with this club.”
pc1913.com: ”Okay well that is just about everything for you today Paolo. Thank you once again for taking the time out of your schedule. Good luck for the rest of the season, let’s hope you can be celebrating come May. Just before we sign off this interview, do you have any final words for the fans reading?”
Vanoli: ”Thank you very much! Yes my final words to the fans would be to strap yourselves in because it is going to be an entertaining ride and we will do our best to achieve what you all want us to. Have a good day.”
Fabiano Santacroce, Niccolo Belloni, Mattia Minesso 
Francesco Corapi
Vs. Bassano
90+1: 
