HP Terbaru 2023 – Former-Arteta deputy Carlos Cuesta is making a name for himself at Parma

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By Alex Roberts

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Cuesta was born a couple of months after Parma won the old UEFA Cup in 1994-95 and nearly two-years-old when they were Scudetto runners up in 1996-97. So, for most of their now manager’s life, Parma were a midtable Serie A side at best, or in Serie C at worst.

Parma made it back to the big-time last season with Fabio Pecchia in the dugout, but as the season went on, and relegation back to Serie B was starting to look like a very real possibility, he was sacked in February and Cristian Chivu was brought in.

Chivu galvanized the squad and managed to turn it around, winning three, including a memorable 1-0 victory over Juventus, drawing seven, and losing three more. Parma ended the season in 16^th, five points above the drop.

As is so often the case, just as things were starting to look up, there was a setback. Impressed by their former defender’s brief spell, Inter Milan appointed Chivu as their successor for Simeone Inzaghi, and Parma were once again on the look out for a new manager.

They could have played it safe, gone with one of the many 60-something Italian maestros that have been there, done that, worn the beautifully tailored suit, but that isn’t really how Parma operate, they’re a club that doesn’t mind taking a risk.

Previously, they gave former Leicester and Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca his first job in senior management, Pecchia wasn’t hugely experienced, spending most of his career as an assistant, and of course, Chivu was a rookie too.

Thankfully for Parma, there is no shortage of young men wanting to make a name for themselves as a manager, and few are younger than Cuesta. In June, shortly before his 30^th birthday, he was named the youngest manager in Serie A since 1939.

He had spent the previous five years at Arsenal, learning from Mikel Arteta, an apprenticeship that mirrored his own under Pep Guardiola at Man City. Perhaps Arteta saw something of himself in Cuesta.

“(Leaving Arsenal) was maybe the most difficult decision of my life,” he told The Guardian. “I was incredibly happy at Arsenal, surrounded by incredible people in an incredible project. Not only with great players and a path that is only growing and growing, but with a person who has been incredibly important for me, which is Mikel.”

By the time he was appointed as Parma manager, Cuesta had already been coaching in some form or another for half his life. He did play as a youngster with local lower division side Santa Catalina Atletico, but with little chance of making it professionally, he changed tact.

Now, as we approach the final stages of his first season at Parma, we can certainly say the future is bright. Cuesta has his side in 12^th and can look up towards the top half with a relegation dog fight highly unlikely.

Parma had a clear plan last summer. With Giovanni Leoni, Ange-Yoan Bonny, and Simon Sohm, among others, all leaving for around €85 million, they would reinvest a good chunk of it in young players with a good resale value to go with their shiny new manager.

The only player Parma signed over the age of 25 on a permanent basis was back-up goalkeeper Vicente Guaita. The reported €44 million they spent was used to bring in Matija Frigan, Christian Ordóñez, Oliver Sørensen, Mariano Troilo, Abdoulaye Ndiaye, Sascha Britschgi, and Nesta Elphege.

Tactically, Cuesta has stuck with a back three, but tweaked Parma’s midfield depending on their opponents. Sometimes they’ll deploy a 3-5-2, other times a 3-4-2-1, and if Cuesta is feeling a little adventurous, a 3-4-1-2.

It’s also clear that Cuesta is prioritising defensive solidity. Parma aren’t bothered about controlling possession, averaging 44.7%, their xG is the second worst in the Serie A at 24.9, and they’ve scored 0.7 goals per 90. 

All of that sounds abysmal, but they’re structured, organised, and clearly very well coached. They’ve only conceded 32 goals, averaging 1.2 per game. Cuesta is playing the hand he’s been dealt, perhaps in time he’ll be able to be a little more expansive.

They had a rocky start. A 2-0 defeat to Juventus in Cuesta’s first game must have been a pretty rude awakening. Parma didn’t get their first win until the end of September, when they beat Torino 2-1.

It’s all starting to come together now, though. Parma are on a four-game unbeaten run, winning three and drawing their most recent fixture against Cagliari 1-1. Their best result came at the San Siro, against Max Allegri’s title challenging AC Milan.

Parma have a good record against them, beating them 2-1 at the start of last season too. That game wasn’t as consequential, though, this was a major blow to AC Milan’s title ambitions, and may have handed the Scudetto to rivals Inter.

As you’d have probably guessed, it was a bit of a smash and grab from Parma. AC Milan dominated throughout, but in the end, it was Mariano Troilo’s 80^th minute header, from a corner, that won it. Arteta would be proud.

Italian football isn’t what it was, in all honesty, it’s a bit of a mess. With a lack of superstars, clubs need to take risks with recruitment, including that of managers in hopes they can generate money through sales.

As much of the football world focuses on another young Spanish manager with Arsenal links, Cuesta is quietly cultivating a reputation as a very well-rounded and tactically astute coach. 

Once the time comes for Arteta to leave Arsenal, and although that probably won’t be for a while, they may have the perfect replacement on speed dial.

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(Images from IMAGO)

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