After the defeat in Parma, the Granata coach criticized Collu’s refereeing for the 1-0 penalty: “It’s impossible for players to jump like penguins with their hands behind their backs.”

Even someone as calm and thoughtful as him cannot stomach a penalty like that. Because, let’s not beat around the bush: games revolve around incidents, and when refereeing decisions take on the appearance of a refereeing error, as in the case of the penalty awarded to Parma and then converted by Pellegrino, the ninety minutes become an almost impossible climb. Marco Baroni does not raise his voice, and he does not do so this time either. But his thoughts are very clear. He has a wealth of experience behind him, first as a successful player and then as a long-time coach. He draws on this experience to describe the key moment that turned the whole evening at the Tardini around. “In soccer, there are dynamics in movement: it’s impossible for players to jump like penguins with their hands behind their backs,” says the Torino coach, talking about the incident involving Ismajli that led to the 1-0 penalty. When an arm is not stretched out towards the ball but is instead stretched out along the body, as we have already seen in many other cases in our league, it cannot be a foul.“ Baroni goes further and offers his services to the referees. ”I am convinced that, little by little, by working together with others, we will correct these situations with respect for soccer and the spectacle in order to move in the right direction. I am ready to contribute my experience, because this rule will need a slight modification.“ During the match, Baroni was cautioned… ”because the referee told me that I celebrated after our goal. I will try to moderate myself next time.”

Regardless of the result, especially in the first half, the Granata offered one of their best performances in terms of defending and pressing forward. “The team played an important game and responded well, starting with their aggressiveness,” reflected the Torino coach. “We sought to regain possession and created many chances. Apart from the penalty, Parma had two shots…” The result is negative, and the coach is not happy: “This defeat hurts,” continues Baroni, “we are angry, but we also know that this is the right path. We have to do more, always playing with this intensity, with this energy, because the performance was convincing. Obviously, we are heavily penalized by the result, in the next games we have to add a little more focus.” He added: “The team must not take a step back: this is the path to follow, and obviously we must do better. I told the players that we must believe, continue, and insist on this type of performance.” Maripan concluded: “The situation is not good, but we remain positive; we must have faith in the team. From now on, we will take it one game at a time.”