When Destination Calcio spoke to Fabio Pecchia in August, the Parma manager was under no illusions about the challenges awaiting his team in Serie A.

The Ducali lost only four games en route to promotion last season, returning to Italy’s top tier at the second time of asking under the former Napoli and Juventus midfielder following heartbreak against Cagliari in the Serie B play-offs in 2023.

“We’re a young team about to be tested in a highly competitive league, but the message to my players is to embrace the challenge and play the hand we’ve been dealt,” he said.

“The demands in Serie A will obviously be different, but the way we approach every game should not – and will not – change.

“We’re going out there to have fun, play our brand of football and win.”

It was an admirable statement of intent from Pecchia, but one which in hindsight looks somewhat naive after the 51-year-old was sacked on Monday night with Parma third from bottom in Serie A.

“Parma Calcio and Fabio Pecchia are parting ways,” the club said in a statement.

“After 110 matches, we must acknowledge his remarkable achievements, including leading the club to a historic Serie B title. Pecchia and his staff have embodied the club’s values and left a lasting legacy.”

The Ducali may be just one point adrift of safety, but there is precious little optimism to be found amid a dismal run of form that has delivered just two points in the last seven matches. Parma are yet to win a match in 2025, their last victory coming on December 28, when they beat perennial bottom-dwellers Monza.

It is a disappointing ending for Pecchia and one which not many could have foreseen, when Parma hit the ground running in their first top-flight campaign in three years, drawing against Fiorentina and beating AC Milan in their first two matches.

Consecutive losses to Napoli and Udinese checked their momentum, though there were caveats.

Leading 1-0 in Naples, Parma had to play the last 15 minutes plus injury time without a recognised goalkepeer after Zion Suzuki was sent off and Pecchia had used all five substitutes at his disposal. Even so, the visitors held their own until Romelu Lukaku equalised with 92 minutes on the clock and Frank Zambo Anguissa netted the winner four minutes later.

Two weeks later against Udinese, Parma led 2-0 before relinquishing the initiative as the Friulani came back to win 3-2. Both results pointed to a degree of naivety Pecchia was struggling to eradicate.

Hardly surprising considering that only five players on Parma’s books are older than 29, but a luxury they could not afford in a league where margins are as fine as they are in Serie A.

Coming less than a year after he restored the club to the upper echelon of calcio, there are elements of Pecchia’s sacking that may feel slightly harsh.

Safety, after all, remains one point away and Parma did not abandon their commitment to their brand of football and, along with Como, have indeed scored more goals than any other team outside the top-nine in Serie A.

But their attacking emphasis has been nullified by a defence that has conceded 45 goals in 25 matches, the second-most in the league behind Verona. As the old adage goes, strikers win matches and defenders win titles.

Parma chairman Kyle Krause can also justifiably point out to a significant financial outlay that is yet to pay dividends this season.

The Gialloblu spent north of £27m to strengthen the squad that swatted aside everything before it in Serie B last season. In came Belgian midfielder Mandela Keita for £10m from Royal Antwerp and Japan international Zion Suzuki from fellow Belgian top-flight side Sint-Truidense for £6.2m, while defender Giovanni Leoni arrived from Sampdoria for £4.2m and Matteo Cancellieri joined on loan from Lazio.

Further attacking talent was added last month with the signing of Sweden international Jacob Ondrejka from Royal Antwerp, part of a £14m splurge in the January transfer window.

Of those signings, only Suzuki and Cancellieri can be classified as a success so far. Keita has started just 11 of his 17 Serie A appearances, while Leoni has played just 491 minutes of league football and Ondrejka is yet to make his first start for the club.

Cristian Chivu has replaced Pecchia in charge after signing a six-month deal until the end of the season. The Romanian, who coached Inter Milan Under-21 team last term, faces a tall order.

Historically, promotion to Serie A often comes with a return ticket to Serie B.

Over the past 10 years, at least one of the three newly-promoted teams has gone straight back down and two of the newcomers have been relegated five times in the past decade. With Parma and Venezia currently in the bottom three, the trend looks set to continue this season.

Chivu has barely time to get his feet under the desk before Parma welcome Bologna in the Derby dell’Emilia on Saturday, with trips to Udine, Monza and Verona to follow over the next four weeks.

The latter two fixtures shape up as the proverbial six-pointers, before Parma face a torrid run that will in all likelihood determine their fate.

Between April 6 and the end of the season, the Ducali host Inter, Juventus and Napoli and travel to Florence, Rome to face Lazio and Bergamo to take on Atalanta.

In short, they face each of the current Serie A’s top six. If Chivu survives that, he may well earn himself a longer contract at the Stadio Tardini.