Analyzing Parma's Fall from Europa League Contenders to Serie A Cellar Dwellers

Last year, Parma were one of the biggest surprises in Serie A, finishing higher than clubs like Milan, Lazio and Udinese and just two points off the final Europa League qualification place. 

This season has been a completely different story. 

Per WhoScored.com, the Gialloblu posted a middling plus-12 goal differential in the 2013-14 term, but what really marked their campaign were some impressive performances against Italy's better clubs. 

Parma took all 12 points in meetings against Milan and Napoli and drew twice against Fiorentina. Although the club did drop all 12 points in the four matches against Juventus and Roma, those prior results were enough to give the Stadio Tardini outfit a leg up on other mid-table challengers. 

Alessandro Lucarelli and Gabriel Paletta comprised one of the peninsula's better centre-back pairings, while Jonathan Biabiany, Antonio Cassano and Marco Parolo were all potent offensive forces. 

While four of those aforementioned standouts remain on Parma's 2014-15 roster, a number of impact role players were lost over the summer, creating a thinner squad that has clearly had difficulty competing this year. 

The departed Amauri, Marco Marchionni and Parolo combined for 100 appearances, 17 goals and 9 assists, creating a sizable void that Parma's summer signings haven't adequately filled. 

Marco Vasini/Associated Press

A year after failing to impress at Inter, Ishak Belfodil found himself back at the Tardini, while the Gialloblu also clinched loans for Serie A veterans Paolo De Ceglie, Mattia Cassani and Francesco Lodi.

Prior to this season's kick-off, one couldn't really criticize any of those moves. According to Transfermarkt.com, Belfodil is an intriguing prospect who was re-signed at a reasonable €3.5 million, while De Ceglie, Cassani and Lodi have each proven to be reliable contributors. 

On the pitch, Belfodil has been awful, failing to register either a goal or an assist in 10 appearances. De Ceglie has knocked in three goals but has really struggled defensively, while Lodi has looked a shell of the player considered one of the classier midfielders in Serie A just a few seasons ago. 

Parma's average of goals scored per game has dropped from 1.53 to 1.14, an approximately 20 percent decline. While that's cause for concern, it isn't nearly as urgent as the back line's transformation from a decent unit to a shambolic one. 

To date, the Gialloblu have allowed 34 goals in 14 matches, by far the worst concession tally in the Italian top flight—Cesena's 25 goals conceded are the league's second-worst total. 

This year, Parma boss Roberto Donadoni has relied heavily on a three-man back line due to an injury to Gabriel Paletta that has kept him sidelined for more than two months and counting. 

A trio of central defenders isn't totally alien to this Parma side: According to WhoScored, Donadoni utilized a 3-5-2 system in 16 matches last season, taking 22 points from those fixtures. Still, Donadoni's 4-3-3 fared much better, as the Gialloblu amassed a 9-9-4 record and 36 points from those 22 matches. 

Bear in mind that Paletta was an integral part of that struggling three-man unit last year, and his absence this season has made an already underperforming contingent even worse. 

Lucarelli, the elder statesman, is error-prone, and his penchant for picking up bookings has only been magnified without Paletta alongside him. The 37-year-old has seen precipitous declines in his tackles, interceptions and aerial duels won per game, as he's averaging roughly 50 percent of the numbers he was putting up last season, according to WhoScored. 

Marco Vasini/Associated Press

Parolo, who is now starring at Lazio, was everything for Donadoni's midfield, and his departure—along with veteran hard man Walter Gargano's return to Napoli—has eviscerated Parma's quality in the center of the park, further exposing the central defense. 

Jonathan Biabiany, one of the most dynamic wingers in Serie A, has been a non-factor this season, as a heart condition has put his career in jeopardy. 

Antonio Cassano is always capable of a match-winning moment, but with Parma mimicking a sieve at the back, Cassano would have to produce three a game for the Gialloblu to get a result. 

Even with their poor form, Parma are still just five points out of that precious, relegation-saving 17th position. 

When Paletta returns, the defense should receive a significant boost, which will lead to more positive results. Unfortunately, no return date has been set for the Italian international. 

Parma has the firepower to compete on a weekly basis, but until the defense improves they will continue to struggle. 

Football Italia is reporting that the club is set to be sold to a Russian group, and supporters will hope that the new ownership will act straightaway when the January transfer window opens in a few weeks. 

It's very rare that a club can go from sniffing a European finish to dead last in the span of a year, but Parma may be next in line to achieve that ignominious feat.