Serie A

The crociati's start to the season is frankly poor: no points from two league matchdays and immediate elimination from the Coppa Italia, beaten 0-2 at home by Cremonese. Chief executive Federico Cherubini himself spoke of “a spirit that was not there” and admitted the club had hoped for a very different start. In that context, captain Enrico Delprato's extension until 2029, confirmed on 3 September, is the week's first positive signal. Hosting Monza, another side without a point, becomes a fixture they cannot afford to miss.

Carlos Cuesta continues to present himself as a full member of the club's structure, and the board returns the favour by refusing to make him solely responsible for the failed start. Federico Cherubini publicly owned the selling strategy by claiming the search for “a fair balance between competitiveness and sustainability”, while insisting that the replacements signed were of good quality and that a deeply renewed squad had to be given time. Delprato's extension until 2029, described by the club as the outcome of a long negotiation over the summer, embodies that desire for continuity. No public disavowal of the head coach has been made.

The Tardini has made a poor start to the season, with attendance down for the opener and then a home cup elimination, but supporter-group mobilisation remains lively. Boys Parma and the Centro di Coordinamento Parma Clubs have launched, with Lions International, the “Quaderni in spalla” drive, a collection of school supplies redistributed by the Emporio Solidale to families in difficulty, with a first collection point on 3 September at the “Andiamo al Parma” evening and a second before Parma v Monza. The club has also multiplied price incentives to fill the stadium on Sunday: 10 euros in the Curva Sud for students under 26, a family offer at 25 euros. A residency restriction for buyers from the province of Monza was still in force when sales opened.

Pressure is mechanically rising on Carlos Cuesta after three defeats in three competitive matches, including a home elimination from the Coppa Italia against a Serie B side. The content of the match against Cremonese, in which the spirit was missing by the board's own admission, is more worrying than the raw results. The head coach is still searching for his balance, as the announced switch to a 3-5-2 against Monza after a default 4-2-3-1 shows. Hosting opponents also on no points leaves little room for a fourth failure.

Survival and developing young players remain the two stated axes, and the board's message has not changed after the cup elimination: Cherubini pointed out that the club cares about the Coppa Italia but stressed above all the need to find a lasting balance between competitiveness and economic sustainability. Captain Delprato's extension until 2029 secures a reference point in a squad largely rebuilt after €77m of sales. The academy is sending encouraging signals with a 4-0 win for the Primavera against Sassuolo's. In the short term, the objective is to get off the mark against Monza.

The gap between the summer's heavy sales and the level of the replacements is fuelling a worry the board has had to address publicly. Federico Cherubini explicitly answered the “supporters' concerns” about the departures, a sign that the subject has become sensitive in the city. Elimination from the Coppa Italia in front of their own crowd, with a lack of commitment acknowledged internally, amplified the unease. On the pitch, the uncertainty around Adrián Bernabé, troubled by a muscle problem, potentially deprives Cuesta of his best organiser.