Parma probably expected something different from him. When the club’s owners decided to appoint Carlos Cuesta (the youngest coach of the league), they did so because of his experience as Mikel Arteta’s assistant, the coach who has been thriving at Arsenal.
They were undoubtedly hoping for attacking football: a team capable of creating plenty of scoring opportunities, playing with flair, and offering an entertaining, modern style.
They must have strongly believed in that vision, and surely still do, because they chose Cuesta over Daniele De Rossi, a coach dismissed by Roma for reasons unrelated to tactics (as is now well known) and who certainly possessed greater experience in Serie A and Italian football in general.
The decision ultimately fell on Cuesta, but so far the results on the pitch have not justified Parma’s faith in their new manager. Quite the opposite, in fact.
Too soon to judge?
At present, Cuesta’s team has collected only five points from a possible eighteen: three goals scored, seven conceded, one win, two draws, and three losses, all accompanied by performances far from inspiring. The latest match, against Eusebio Di Francesco’s Lecce (a team that have been struggling a lot), was particularly disappointing, likely a direct clash in the fight to avoid relegation to Serie B.
Yes, it may still be early to make definitive judgments, but football analysis happens as events unfold, not only at the end of the road: that would be way too easy. And for Parma’s owners and supporters, the hope is precisely that this is a road: that they are at the beginning of a journey requiring a natural, transitional phase. For now, however, Parma looks like a deeply disappointing team.
It’s not only a matter of results or standings. Without immediate ambitions for a Europa League spot, there’s time to improve the standings: the real concern lies in the team’s style and identity. Parma still lacks a clear playing identity, a side seemingly trained only not to concede goals, but that can’t be possible, knowing Cuesta’s ideas.
There’s little of Arteta’s creativity or proactive philosophy: in Serie A’s rankings for shots on goal, Cuesta’s Parma sits only in fourteenth place: only Hellas, Genoa, Lecce, Torino, Cremonese and Pisa have done worse and that simply isn’t enough. True, Bonny’s departure was a heavy blow, but Bernabè’s talent has yet to be showcased, and Pellegrino, despite scoring two goals and already being linked to top clubs and a high transfer value, still has much to prove.
All for Cuesta to do
It’s up to Cuesta to find the system that allows his players to thrive: of course we know that Parma isn’t a top Serie A team, everyone, including the club’s hierarchy, knows that, but it’s still reasonable to expect more. At this stage, especially with such a young coach brought in to build a long-term project, it might even be better to dare and lose than to lose without daring at all: for example, Fabregas did that.
And now we can see the results. After the international break, Pellegrino and his teammates will face Vieira’s Genoa, an enigmatic side capable of playing brilliantly or terribly, regardless of the opponent, as shown recently against Lazio and Napoli.
This will be a key test for Parma: an easy, winnable match that could serve as a foundation to build upon. It’s true that this is a new project, and time will be needed, but in football there’s only one way to earn time: by winning, or at least by showing progress. Parma remains a team yet to be discovered, and perhaps these two weeks without official matches will allow Cuesta to accelerate the team’s development. Expectations around Cuesta are high, perhaps too high, because of his link to Arteta, but those expectations are also a sign of respect.
Now his team needs to show more, and that, even more than results, was what these early matches were supposed to reveal. Soon, though, results will matter too. The challenge is demanding, but it also gives Cuesta a real opportunity to show who he is, to express his ideas, and to dare.