Ancelotti joined Parma the following season, a team which had recently enjoyed several years of domestic and European success under the previous manager Nevio Scala, and which contained several promising young players, including future Italy stars Gianluigi Buffon and Fabio Cannavaro. Ancelotti made his debut in the Coppa Italia in a 3–1 loss to Pescara.&lt;ref name="Parma Calcio 1913 » Fixtures &amp; Results 1996/1997"&gt;&lt;/ref&gt; Ancelotti made several changes at the club, implementing a rigorous Sacchi-inspired 4–4–2 formation, and initially deploying creative forward Gianfranco Zola out of position on the left wing in order to accommodate Hristo Stoichkov up-front, although both players were later eventually sold by the club after lack of playing time due to struggling to perform in this system. With the new attacking partnership of Enrico Chiesa and Hernán Crespo, Parma finished second in Serie A during the 1996–97 season under Ancelotti, which guaranteed them a place in the next edition of the UEFA Champions League. The following season, the club had agreed to sign another Italian creative forward, Roberto Baggio, but Ancelotti impeded the transfer as he once again did not feel that a player like Baggio would fit into his tactical plans. Ancelotti later stated that he regretted this decision, stating that at the time he believed that the 4–4–2 was the ideal formation for success, and that offensive playmakers were not compatible with this system. After suffering a first round elimination in the 1997–98 Champions League, and a semi–final appearance in the Coppa Italia,&lt;ref name="Parma Calcio 1913 » Fixtures &amp; Results 1997/1998"&gt;&lt;/ref&gt; Ancelotti was only able to guide Parma to a sixth-place finish in Serie A during the 1997–98 season, and was sacked at the end of the season, despite qualifying the team for next season's UEFA Cup.