Enrico Delpratodefender of Parmaspoke at the press conference after the 1-1 draw against Bari, celebrating the promotion to Serie A: “After Catanzaro – we read on ParmaLive.com the most complicated moment? Yes, perhaps it was the moment in which the chasing teams continued to score points, we lost against Catanzaro and drew against Sudtirol. But we decided to look at one race at a time, it was our philosophy, and we showed that we were there and didn’t want to give up, finding some good victories. Even now I still can’t believe it, I will probably realize in the next few days. It was a beautiful championship also for the teams behind us who continued to win. This gave us the push to continue doing well, backing out was dangerous. We didn’t give up, we stayed on the right path and today we celebrate.”
Was there a risk of suffering the return when there was breathing down your neck?
“No. There was no arm-twisting. Even the other teams, as I have always said, strengthen themselves in January, fight for every point, historically Serie B is more difficult in the second round. It was normal to have a very small decline, it lasted a match and a half. I’m the captain, but there are many captains in the dressing room and that’s right. The more experienced guys helped the younger ones a lot, giving us the right confidence to not give up and fight in every match has been a constant in the group, it has paid off.”
When Pecchia said everyone in and changed many players, was it difficult or was it natural?
“The results help you. The coach has been clear since last year. Since he has a squad of many strong players, because we are all good, he always said that he wanted to give everyone the opportunity to play, it was normal some turnover. We were good, we believed in this. Those who weren’t playing continued to work, putting in a lot of effort. The coach gave everyone a chance, Pecchia’s clarity was fundamental they are committed and never give up. It was another fundamental component in our journey.”
Today at times it seems like you didn’t push to the maximum.
“In the locker room we tried to isolate ourselves from the others’ results, but it became inevitable, we saw both Como and Catanzaro. After the opening goal we relaxed, then Di Cesare scored an extraordinary goal. The draw was enough for us, we decided to unite and to manage. We could have tried to win but we didn’t want to lean too far forward, we stayed lower and didn’t allow any big chances. It went well.”
What will waking up like tomorrow morning be like?
“It’s the first year we’ve won, the wake-up call will certainly be later. We have to celebrate. I’d add, however, that now the goal is to finish first, it’s a challenge we set ourselves. Now let’s celebrate, from the day after tomorrow we’ll prepare the next ones, also because there ‘It’s the derby down to the last minute.’