Parma coach puts safety first

By Paolo Menicucci

In 2002 Pietro Carmignani led Parma FC to victory in the Coppa Italia and saved them from relegation from Serie A before returning to work with the youth team, earning himself the nickname 'Cincinnato' in the process.

Victorious campaign
Cincinnato was a Roman dictator who returned to his private life in the countryside rather than bask in glory following a triumphant campaign. Now Carmignani is back in the limelight, trying to surpass his own achievements by winning the UEFA Cup and rescuing Parma from relegation again.

Unwanted first
No club has ever lifted a European trophy and been relegated in the same season and Carmignani wants Parma, second from bottom in Serie A, to avoid that unwanted first. His priority is survival. "Maybe we will play a great match on Thursday anyway. At least it will be another chance to show Europe how good our youth system is," he told uefa.com.

Relegation battle
At the age of 60, Carmignani has been back in the Parma hot seat since December, when he took over from Silvio Baldini, and although their league results have left Parma battling against the drop, results in Europe have been far better and on Thursday they host PFC CSKA Moskva in a UEFA Cup semi-final first leg.

'Sweet bonus'
"We have played very well in the UEFA Cup because we have approached every game with a certain philosophy," the coach said. "Our main goal this season is to avoid relegation and the UEFA Cup is a sweet bonus for us. I have used several young players during the competition and they have responded tremendously well.

'Good team'
"However, CSKA are a very good team. They failed to qualify from the UEFA Champions League group stage by just one point after difficult qualifying matches." To their credit, meanwhile, Parma have defeated tough opposition like VfB Stuttgart, Sevilla FC and FK Austria Wien to reach the semis, although Carmignani expects a sterner test against the Russian side.

'Well organised'
"I have analysed their team and they have very good players, especially in attack and on the wings. They play a very organised game and don't leave room for their opponents. I don't expect them to come here and defend, I think they will try to score an away goal instead."

CSKA advantage
Carmignani also thinks CSKA have an advantage after their last league match was postponed. "We are not playing under the same conditions because we played in our domestic league last weekend and face another crucial game on Sunday, while they have had more time to prepare themselves in the best possible way.

Injured quartet
"As a consequence, we will be forced to rest some players, while they can field their best options." In addition, Parma are still without their long-term injured quartet of Stefano Bettarini, Damiano Ferronetti, Vincenzo Grella and Marco Marchionni.

Inexperienced replacements
"We have four players who have been out injured for more than a month and we have others who need a rest because they are tired after so many recent games. I will be forced to field several inexperienced youngsters."

Seeking survival
After the CSKA tie, Parma will welcome AS Livorno Calcio and AS Roma to the Ennio Tardini stadium in their quest for Serie A points. "Unfortunately we need to win our next two home games if we want to avoid relegation," Carmignani said. "We cannot wait any longer to start winning games in Serie A."