Parma fell to a third consecutive Serie A defeat against Lazio, and Alberto Gilardino said his side conceded the goals far too easily. The coach also urged his young squad to maintain a positive approach in a difficult situation.
Gilardino's verdict on the match
Gilardino told Sky Sport Italia: "I will have to watch it again, but I feel we made a step forward in the first half compared to the performance against Torino. We created more dangerous situations to take the lead, but after the restart we conceded the goals far too easily. These are naïve errors and we cannot keep doing this, so it is a process of maturity we’ve got to push forward quicker now."
Parma got their first goal of the Gilardino tenure since he took over from Carlos Cuesta. Lontani was on target in the match, and Football Italia reported that Simone Lontani’s cross bounced in off the inside of the far post to surprise Christos Mandas in added time.
League run and next fixture
The defeat followed 3-0 losses against Inter and Torino. Parma had one victory in Serie A this season, 2-1 over Genoa on September 20, along with one draw and six defeats, and they had scored five goals in eight rounds.
Gilardino said: "In terms of our attitude and being pro-active, we should’ve done something more, especially on the second goal. Fear must not be part of our vocabulary. We are in a difficult situation, we have to face them with responsibility. There is an opportunity in four days to play an important match on home turf, it’s not decisive yet, but I am sure we’ll do better."
Selection decisions and senior players
Gilardino said: "I preferred Vincent Sierro today, as Bernabé was coming off an injury, considering there’s another game coming up on Wednesday, he needed to be rested. He has the quality to play in any of the midfield positions."
Gilardino said: "I expect a lot from the more experienced players, both in terms of communication and attitude. It’s true that Diego Carlos and Sierro were below par today, but I have faith in them, they can and must transmit a clear identity for the future of Parma."
Young squad and Lontani
Gilardino said: "We need leadership in this squad, which is overall very young, so we must all try to maintain a positive approach. I know it’s not easy, but we need that spark to turn in the right direction."
Gilardino said: "Simone has incredible margin for improvement, especially when attacking the space and going one on one. We moved to 4-2-4 in the final stages today and he can be decisive in those positions, but also do damage between the lines. He is very young and we believe he has a bright future."