Parma only managed a draw against relegation favourites Chievo, but Coach Roberto D'Aversa claims "we earned one point rather than lost two."

The Ducali were expected to win against the current last-placed team in Serie A, especially after Fabio Depaoli saw red, but were only able to claw back a 1-1 draw.

Parma only managed a draw against relegation favourites Chievo, but Coach Roberto D'Aversa claims "we earned one point rather than lost two."

The Ducali were expected to win against the current last-placed team in Serie A, especially after Fabio Depaoli saw red, but were only able to claw back a 1-1 draw.

"We were trailing a team that [Coach Domenico ] Di Carlo has completely revitalised,” D'Aversa told Radio Rai after the game. “When you keep that in mind, you can say we earned one point rather than lost two.

“Clearly what we wanted was a victory so that we could get closer to our objective, which is of staying in Serie A. But our only regret is the result, not the performance.

“Whether we won or lost points today is a matter of perspective. When your opponents take the lead, it's far from guaranteed that Parma can turn the tide against Chievo. The team we were up against have notorious mental fortitude, and they're Serie A veterans.

“There's some remorse now, but all things considered, one point is not so bad. Last year there was a team that lost 11 games in a row, the Serie A championship is extremely hard.”

Parma have suffered a considerable dip in results after the loss of some of their key players to injury, particularly fast-paced goal-scorer Gervinho and midfielder Alberto Grassi.

“Gervinho isn't badly hurt, we're hoping to have him back in the space of two or three weeks. On the other hand, Grassi's season is at an end. His surgery went well, I'll take the opportunity to send him my best wishes. He was very unlucky, in the past he'd already had to stop playing for two months because he hurt his calf.

“We're all very sorry for him, but he reacted well to the surgery. It's early to speak about the transfer market, but the club knows what to work on.”

Parma fielded no fewer than nine Italians against Chievo this afternoon, although Portugal international Bruno Alves got the goal.

“And six of them were among those who contributed to winning the [Serie B] championship last year. Our objective is still to avoid relegation. Once we have that, things might change, but now this is what our minds are trained on.”

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