On Hernan Crespo’s lob to make it 1-0, favored by a sensational mistake by Blanc, Alberto Malesani contained (evidently with difficulty) his joy, while half the bench jumped on him. But when Paolo Vanoli doubled the lead – a precise header from Fuser’s cross – here was the coach’s liberating run, immediately immortalized by the cameras. Under the Moscow sky there were still ten minutes of the first half and an entire second half to play. Malesani, however, had already sensed that he was creating a masterpiece with his Parma. Marseille had been nipped in the bud. The French, who had ousted Bologna in the semi-final without ever beating them but only on the away goal rule (0-0 at the Velodrome, 1-1 in the return match at Dall’Ara), were on their feet. Like that boxer hit by an impressive volley of blows. Which Parma had placed in rapid sequence by leveraging the solidity of a granite defense, the mix of mobility and substance ensured by their midfield, the imagination in power of a “lighthouse” of the caliber of Juan Sebastian Veron and the prolificacy of his stockers in penalty area.
«The essence of football»: here, twenty-five years later, what that Parma-Marseille still means for Alberto Malesani. «I define it this way because, in that final, I think all the aspects necessary for a team to win an international competition are condensed. It is no small feat, if we consider how many years have passed without another Italian still managing to win the UEFA Cup.”
Mister, with what spirit did your Parma reach the final in Moscow?
«The path taken in the previous rounds, eliminating teams of the caliber of Fenerbahce, Bordeaux and Atletico Madrid, had increased a confidence that was already born from the awareness of a clearly visible talent in all our performers. That Parma was a great team with a great club behind it. The rest was done by field work, conducted in depth. A job that was nourished not only by the care, I would say almost obsessive, of everything concerning the technical and tactical part but also, and perhaps even more strongly, by the aspect linked to motivation”.
A team that was hungry, you mean?
«Exactly. In my Parma, if you think about it, there were many players who hadn’t yet managed to win something important at club level. The time had come to do it, at all costs. That need that started from within was the common thread that united us all: I myself had little experience of Serie A under my belt, although Fiorentina had represented a nice springboard. Here, the motivations that each of us had in our bodies, minds and souls were put at the service of the team.”
Returning to Parma-Marseille, what, in your opinion, was the key to the match?
«I don’t think there was one that was more decisive than the others. The success came from a combination of things. Starting with the study of the opponent, by myself and my collaborators: we analyzed Marseille’s game and characteristics in depth, its strengths and weaknesses, its strengths and weaknesses. Another decisive factor was the full involvement of the players, placed in the ideal conditions to express themselves and implement those solutions tried and tested again before the final.”
For example?
«In the defensive phase, it was Veron who decided whether it was best to attack them with three or let them vent, allowing Marseille to enter on the sides. In the offensive phase, however, the extreme participation of the two chains in the maneuver: on one side Vanoli and Cannavaro, on the other Thuram and Fuser. Lilian, in particular, was very good at sinking, creating situations of numerical superiority. He was effective right up to the edge of the area.”
The third goal against Marseille, an anthology of football for the choral development of the maneuver, was born precisely from an offensive initiative by Thuram: exchange with Fuser, ball to Veron, veil from Crespo and surface-to-air missile from Chiesa which leaves no escape for the opposing goalkeeper.
«She said it all and I can only agree: it’s a fantastic goal, which you’ll never stop watching. I’m proud of it. And I’m sure that all my boys from back then are too: several of them have undertaken a career as a coach and I’m pleased to note how there is something of our Parma in their teams.”
They were a brilliant team in their expression of play, but with a defined balance.
«The offensive projections of the wingers were balanced by two central defenders like Dino Baggio and Boghossian, both extremely tactical. A bit like what Inter are doing now. We got there twenty-five years ago…”.
In short, it was a Parma that entertained and had fun.
«Yes, he hit on a fundamental question. The strength of our team was precisely this: the fact that all the players had fun. And when you play football, there is nothing better than doing it with this type of mentality.”
With two stackers like Chiesa and Crespo everything was simpler, right?
«Two explosive players. But consider that, in that team, we also had Balbo and Asprilla. Of course, Tino no longer had the polish of that player they had met in Parma just a few years earlier: he was coming off some injuries, but he still managed to make his contribution. That team could have won everything: it was necessary to maintain the framework and include at least another couple of champions who could guarantee a further leap in quality. Instead, a different reasoning was made.”
Mister, even with due proportions, just like twenty-five years ago in Parma today we are experiencing days of absolute football exaltation.
«The return to Serie A made me happy: the place deserves it and this club deserves it which has made huge efforts and investments in recent years. And then I appreciate Pecchia very much: I advise him to stay here for a long time.”
Vittorio Rotolo
