MD1: Parma - Catania 07-08

[Jager]

Serie A Week 1 - 26/8/07 (14.00 UK)
Parma - Catania

Stadio Tardini


Having narrowly avoided an immediate return to the Cadetti last season, Catania will know the importance of building an early points cushion as they travel to the Stadio Tardini to face Parma. The hosts also struggled last term and will see this as the kind of game they must win if they are to avoid another spell in the doldrums.

Parma’s heyday in the 1990s seems an age ago to the Ducali faithful who have been on the wrong side of mid-table in recent times. Awaking the sleeping giants is a big job for new Coach Domenico Di Carlo in his maiden Serie A season. The 43-year-old transformed Serie B Mantova over the last two seasons, but will be a stranger to this kind of pressure. There have been no high-profile arrivals, but if the Gialloblu perform as they did in a pre-season victory over La Liga side Real Zaragoza then they can challenge for a UEFA Cup spot.

Catania returned to the top flight after over 20 years in the wilderness last year and it was a campaign of two halves. A fairytale start saw the Elefanti rubbing shoulders with the Champions League giants, but the Sicilians slumped and nearly slid into the relegation quicksand. Key men Gionatha Spinesi and Giuseppe Mascara remained, but boss Pasquale Marino has left. Silvio Baldini has big shoes to fill and has a far from encouraging record in Serie A.

Di Carlo is likely to start the season with an attacking mentality and play an attacking trident of Andrea Gasbarroni, Igor Budan and Reginaldo. Daniele Dessena could be a weapon from the bench after his midweek goal for the Azzurrini. Veteran Portuguese defender Fernando Couto is set to get the nod at the heart of the defence.

Baldini will be happy to repeat last year’s 1-1 draw and has a full squad to choose from. Spinesi, who found the net 17 times in the 2006-07 campaign, will probably start as a lone striker with three men behind him.

Keep an eye on: Andrea Gasbarroni (Parma) – The Juventus-owned attacking midfielder has impressed in pre-season when he was even called upon to play as a lone striker.

Last season: Parma 1-1 Catania

Form guide: Parma (- - - - -) Catania (- - - - -)


Parma (probable): Bucci; Zenoni, Falcone, Couto, Castellini; Parravicini, Cigarini, Morrone; Gasbarroni, Budan, Reginaldo

Catania (probable): Bizzarri; Silvestri, Terlizzi, Stovini, Vargas; Baiocco, Tedesco, Mascara, Edusei, Caserta; Spinesi

Ref: To follow...

channel4.com - Football Italia

[D-Kin]

Parma to win comfortably.

[dukeofdavinci]

Baldini forgives Parma Sunday 26 August, 2007

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Silvio Baldini faces the club that sacked him in 2004, but the new Catania boss insists revenge isn’t on his mind at the Tardini.

“I have nothing to take revenge for,” he assured ahead of the Parma clash. “Being substituted is part of our job. The real trouble starts when you can’t find another bench.”


Baldini certainly has experience of the axe, as he was fired from Palermo in 2003-04, Parma a year later and Lecce last term.


He has been welcomed back to Serie A by Catania, whose tactician Pasquale Marino moved on to bigger things at Udinese.


“There will be a bit of excitement and tension. That is always the case on a debut, especially if you are in a new environment, but once the whistle blows we will think only of the football.”


The Sicilians are without Giuseppe Colucci, Jorge Martinez and the suspended Cristian Silvestri, while the same 25 players called for this game will also face Triestina in the Coppa Italia on Wednesday.


“My choices in defence are almost forced upon me, but I have a few more alternatives going forward.”



Catania squad: Babù, Baiocco, Biagianti, Bizzarri, Caserta, Colucci, Edusei, Gazzola, Ioime, Izco, Llama, Martinez, Mascara, Morimoto, Nardini, Polito, Sabato, Sardo, Silvestri, Sottil, Spinesi, Stovini, Tedesco, Terlizzi, Vargas

nothing that he should be mad, cant improve parma and he deserved his sacking.

[Aladino]

1-0 to Catania gol by Morimoto i think

[Aladino]

1-1

[Aladino]

2-2 now, baiocco for catania and someone for parma.

[dukeofdavinci]

Pitchside brawl at Parma Sunday 26 August, 2007

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Catania Coach Silvio Baldini had to be dragged away kicking Parma’s Mimmo Di Carlo during incredible scenes at the Stadio Tardini.

The 2-2 draw was a tense affair off the field even more so than on it, as temperatures rose on the touchline five minutes from time.


Catania boss Baldini (pictured) was sent off for dissent, but before leaving the field of play engaged in a row with Di Carlo and kicked out at the Parma boss.


Baldini faces a lengthy touchline ban for his unprofessional behaviour. He did not meet with the Press after the game.


“Baldini should be ashamed of himself,” said Parma patron Tommaso Ghirardi. “If he was my Coach, I’d fire him on the spot. In 10 years of football I have never seen anything like it. If we don’t behave appropriately, how can we expect the fans to?”


The Sicilian club insisted it had no intention of firing Baldini – who was returning to the Tardini after the Gialloblu had sacked him in 2004.


“Well he’s not the Catania President, I am,” said Antonio Pulvirenti. “I don’t think it was such an extreme gesture. Clearly it wasn’t nice either, but he was provoked. Our Coach was the first person to admit it was a wrong thing to do. There’s no need to exaggerate.


“While Baldini was giving the final instructions to his squad before walking away, the Parma Coach went up to him. It was not his job to do so and you saw the reaction that prompted. It wasn’t right, but we are men and sometimes these things can happen.”


Pulvirenti did try to calm the waters by going to apologise personally to Di Carlo after the final whistle.


“We are men of sport. These are things that should not happen, but let us end the controversy here.”

lol...and we thought players are the only ones to loose cool

[dukeofdavinci]

Serie A Week 1 - 26/8/07 (14.00 UK)
Parma 2 - 2 Catania
Morimoto 12 (C), Pisanu 28 (P), M Rossi 43 (P), Baiocco 44 (C)
Stadio Tardini

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There were opening day fireworks at the Tardini, both on the field and off, as Catania boss Silvio Baldini was dismissed for kicking Parma's Mimmo Di Carlo!

Both clubs narrowly avoided sliding into Serie B last season, so this was an immediate relegation dogfight. It was also a special moment for Catania Coach Silvio Baldini, who was sacked by Parma in 2004. The Gialloblu were also under new management, as ex-Mantova chief Mimmo Di Carlo made his top flight bow.

Andrea Gasbarroni, Daniele Dessena and Catania's Cristian Silvestri were suspended, joining Giuseppe Cardone, Antonio Bocchetti and Giuseppe Colucci in the stands.

Igor Budan launched himself on the counter-attack and Bizzarri took two attempts to get his right-foot shot under control.

Catania took the lead with a splendid strike from Japanese 19-year-old Morimoto. He had far too much space inside the area, but kept his cool to get the cross under control and curl a perfect right-foot shot into the far top corner, leaving Luca Bucci immobile.

Parma fought back with Reginaldo's free kick skimming the woodwork.

Andrea Pisanu drew the Gialloblu level with a fierce strike. He got between two defenders, chested it down and thumped the shot on the bounce that cannoned off the underside of the crossbar.

Reginaldo dispossessed Vargas and cut back for Budan to fire over the bar.

Parma turned the game around completely on the stroke of half-time with another stunner. Youth product Marco Rossi, who just returned from a loan spell at Modena, hit a screamer from the edge of the area for his first official Gialloblu goal.

It lasted all of 60 seconds and was 2-2. Catania scored with a fine team move, as Morimoto was threaded through, but intelligently cut back for teammate Davide Baiocco to leave the goalkeeper stranded.

Domenico Morfeo came on for Budan and almost immediately forced a tricky save out of Bizzarri.

The football petered out in the heat, but the tension on the sidelines was at boiling point. Silvio Baldini was giving his team instructions when a row broke out with the opposition Coach and he kicked Parma boss Di Carlo! Baldini was obviously sent off and several members of his bench had to take the furious Catania tactician away.

Morfeo had two consecutive shots charged down by some desperate defending. Reginaldo spun round in the area and his effort flashed across the face of goal.

the match in words.a point a piece here.

[Jager]

Pitchside brawl at Parma Sunday 26 August, 2007

Catania Coach Silvio Baldini had to be dragged away kicking Parma’s Mimmo Di Carlo during incredible scenes at the Stadio Tardini.

The 2-2 draw was a tense affair off the field even more so than on it, as temperatures rose on the touchline five minutes from time.

Catania boss Baldini (pictured) was sent off for dissent, but before leaving the field of play engaged in a row with Di Carlo and kicked out at the Parma boss.

Baldini faces a lengthy touchline ban for his unprofessional behaviour. He did not meet with the Press after the game.

“Baldini should be ashamed of himself,” said Parma patron Tommaso Ghirardi. “If he was my Coach, I’d fire him on the spot. In 10 years of football I have never seen anything like it. If we don’t behave appropriately, how can we expect the fans to?”

The Sicilian club insisted it had no intention of firing Baldini – who was returning to the Tardini after the Gialloblu had sacked him in 2004.

“Well he’s not the Catania President, I am,” said Antonio Pulvirenti. “I don’t think it was such an extreme gesture. Clearly it wasn’t nice either, but he was provoked. Our Coach was the first person to admit it was a wrong thing to do. There’s no need to exaggerate.

“While Baldini was giving the final instructions to his squad before walking away, the Parma Coach went up to him. It was not his job to do so and you saw the reaction that prompted. It wasn’t right, but we are men and sometimes these things can happen.”

Pulvirenti did try to calm the waters by going to apologise personally to Di Carlo after the final whistle.

“We are men of sport. These are things that should not happen, but let us end the controversy here.”

Did anybody see this?

[dukeofdavinci]

Mimmo Di Carlo: “I am the first to apologise for setting a poor example. Perhaps the heat set something off in Silvio Baldini’s brain, but now he has to apologise as well. As for the game, it’s a shame we didn’t win, as Parma had the upper hand. We were unable to take our chances, but it is the first round and we can only improve.”


Catania President Antonio Pulvirenti: “It was not a nice gesture and certainly the wrong way to react, but Baldini does regret what he did. There’s no need to take any further action, let us close the matter here.”

post match comments.good thing he knows to apologize for the shamble he showed.

[Aladino]

I saw part of it, was quite hectic. a lot if choascouldn't quite se ethe exact thing that was going on

[meccano]

here it is in all its glory....

TalkSoccer Media Player

[Jager]

channel4.com - Football Italia

Bandini handed one match ban, and deservedly so.

[D-Kin]

He's lucky.