LILLE 0 PARMA 1
Sensini 24'

(Aggregate score Lille 2 Parma 1)

What a totally wasted opportunity - AGAIN! That's all I need say really - but, well, I watched it, just as well comment, although there's very little to comment on.

I made spaghetti again - but can't blame that, surely? (What's that song? "Yummy, yummy, yummy, I got love in my tummy"?!? :) Been singing that all afternoon!!) I don't know why I watched it really. Habit? Hope? Dunno. The advert before the game was good though - an Italian ppv ad featuring Fabio kicking the ball into somebody's house and having to go and ask for it back, coyly. Eventually to the game (about 3 minutes in by this time) and it was scrambled. (How come Lazio's and Brescia's weren't?) First impressions - full house - lots of noise, Frey in pink - the rest of the lads in white - and this lineup:

Frey, Djetou, Sensini, Cannavaro, Sartor, Almeyda, Boghossian, Gurenko, Nakata, Di Viao, Marchionni

Boghossian? I thought he was unfit - why the heck was he playing. Gurenko? Who is he? I was under the impression that Benarrivo was to start this game - we sure as heck needed somebody with a bit of spirit. However, having said that - we were much improved, in the first half, from the dire showing at the Tardini two weeks ago. But not a lot. We were faster and fitter-looking - but the passing was still all over the place (especially from Djetou, who is simply not good enough). I noticed too that Nakata smiled a lot. Why's that? And Fabio was marking an absolute giant with silver boots. But, although we weren't terrific, we were ok and we had by far the most possession. Frey had very little to do - but what he had to do was evidence that he had, at least, been practising his catching. I felt some warmth and a vague glimmer of hope - especially after we scored on 24 minutes!! A free-kick - taken by Sensini - whoomph - over the wall and into the top right. Goalie never moved. (Could they do it?) Half-time 0-1.

2nd half kicked off and Junior had replaced Gurenko. Not long into the half, Milosevic came on for Sartor. Oh, that's right Renzo - we needed to score!! (However, Savo was totally ineffectual in everything he did). Almeyda had one of those shots from way out - way over. Lamouchi came on for Boghossian. That really is rather all there is to say. Honestly. It was rather like watching Everton playing Tottenham with the 9 men the other night - you just knew they were never going to score. Pepper, pepper, pepper - but everything poorly executed. Lamouchi missed an absolute golden chance. (Wasn't it him who missed two golden chances a fortnight ago?!) He had all the goal in front of him and tapped the ball gently at their keeper. Oh groan. Final whistle eventually came and it felt rather a relief. The Lille lot were overjoyed - and why shouldn't they be - first time in Europe and all that. Our boys were dejected. Di Vaio and Djetou and Lamouchi were in tears (looked) - Fabio just looked furious and didn't swap his shirt (d'oh!!). UEFA Cup draw here we come.

I am so angry. Not disappointed; just angry. What the hell is the point in Parma playing a season even? What's the point in all that hard work? Three years running we had that chance to play in the CL - three years running, we blew it. That's really shocking. Two small questions: Will Ulivieri go? Will Fabio go? One very big, huge question: Where Has All The Money We Got For Lilian And Gigi Gone?? Hell's bells anybody can see that we need attackers - why don't we have any? We could've played there all darned night (as the cliche goes) and never, ever have scored - at least not with what we have as "forwards". I think that at least we will be spared this humiliation again next year - as we will be lucky to survive in Serie A - no chance a CL place. I have very little interest anyway.

Vino, methinks - and lots of it.

Hey, life's not so bad - Beckham scored an own goal! :) Ah, who needs football anyway when they have herbs to cultivate?!?! :)

PARMA 0 LILLE 2

The whole season depended on this.

I watched, beforehand, with some glee, Lazio losing 2-1 to Copenhagen, away. That match was unscrambled on RaiDue and I did kind of sigh a little over their (Lazio's) team. Crespo and Lopez up front; one can dream. But they have Poborski, which kind of makes a laughing stock out of the whole thing. Bravo Copenhagen anyway. A little of Liverpool's match with some Fins followed. Obviously though, their (Liverpool's) just one Fin was better than the opposing 11 together - and he sure as heck is prettier! :)

Anyway, the Parma game was scrambled. Good job too. I wish it'd been a little more scrambled, so I couldn't see it at all. The emotion of "missing Buffon already" and having to come to grips with that clown in goal (rather, looks like a macaw), lasted briefly and was replaced with deep agony. Parma are terrible. Awful. Lille didn't particularly deserve to win this game - but Parma most certainly deserved to lose it. I honestly can't think of one single positive thing to say! They don't have anything; if you get me. Not skill; not cohesion; not togetherness (that's the same, ain't it??); not passing ability; not nothing - even, I would suspect, the ability to pick up hotel room "companions" on their away travels as previously. (Read about that this week - that and Malesani's revelations on the "Big 3" during his last days - kind of very disillioning). The starting line-up was something like this:

Frey, Bacchini, Sensini, Djetou, Cannavaro, Lamouchi, Almeyda, Nakata, Junior, Milosevic, Di Vaio

Frey was at fault for the first goal (fell over) and wears his outfit with no style whatsoever (or his platinum hair; only Canizares can do that). He leaps around a lot but that doesn't fool anybody.

Bacchini. Who is he? He was hopeless. Falsini, last season, was similar, only he looked keener. Bacchini is very ugly too. (He was replaced by Marchionni - who didn't see enough of to judge, but is a high leaper and does have the air of a footballer about him, which was a rare phenomenon this evening)

How amazing that we are now relying on the returned (too old) Sensini!! For sure though, he is now too old - can hardly turn - does backpasses without looking - sloppy. We have to thank him for one timely intervention though, or the score would've been 3-0. What's more, he had Parma's best chance of the game - perhaps not best "chance" but "only shot on goal" and that was a point blank header, neatly saved by the Lille keeper.

Djetou is hopeless. Just hopeless. He probably thinks he's Lilian, what with being French and all - but he couldn't hold a candle to Dave "the Rave" Watson (even now) - let alone Thuram. Great replacement.

Fabio was ok. Nothing special. Struts a lot with his captain's armband, but obviously can't instill much in the way of team spirit.

Lamouchi. Pass. Two good chances to score; both atrociously exercised. (Eventually subbed by Appiah, who didn't exactly inspire himself)

Almeyda I hardly noticed. He went tumbling a couple times and "earned" free kicks. Apart from that, pretty anonymous.

Nakata is, in yellow/blue, as I had expected unfortunately - junk. He thinks he's good though - so perhaps that's a start.

Junior I cannot handle. He plays in fits and starts. One minute he's going good with great runs down the flanks - next, he is absent or dreaming of Christmas or something. He will never be Benarrivo.

Milosevic (subbed by Mboma; yet to learn about offsides) was as bad as his partner, Di Vaio. They are hopeless - really, really hopeless.

The team is tragic. The crowd was hopeless (half empty). Probably, at the end, Renzo was making excuses about the season not having started yet and praising the "team" for doing their best and with heart. So, I am glad I can't understand much Italian.

I don't want Parma to go into the Champions League. They're simply not good enough - in fact, they'd be embarrassing. I doubt they will now anyway, barring a miracle. So, that leaves the UEFA Cup again. Yep, the season is over before it's started.

I made spag bol too (with Italian basil AND aceto balsamico). I'm disappointed. Disappointed, but far from surprised. The glorious promise that AC Parma had for so many years has, I am sorry to say, disappeared. 'Course, there's the possibility that I'm wrong.

(P.S. The final humiliation was that they felt confident enough in our inadequacies to bung on Mikkel Beck towards the end. BECK!!!!!!!!)

(P.P.S. Just read the official site report agog!! As usual, they fudge the real issues - but what is this about the fans? All 14,000 something of them - cheered to the end??? What is the capacity of the Tardini? 22,000 or something? The entire other end curva was empty. That's not support; not for such an important game as this. Wait til they get to Lille - then they'll know what support is all about. Cheered? I don't think so. Jeered more like. Wonder how many'll be making the away leg journey .........)

I found this jpg on the Lille forum.

(9/8) Here are the Italian papers' ratings for the Parma players last night (courtesy of the official site). Seems like they and I are in agreement.

SEBASTIEN FREY: average 5,750
Gazzetta dello Sport: 5,5
Stadio-Corriere dello Sport: 5,5
Tuttosport: 6,5
Gazzetta di Parma: 5,5

MARTIN DJETOU: average 5,625
Gazzetta dello Sport: 5,0
Stadio-Corriere dello Sport: 5,0
Tuttosport: 6,5
Gazzetta di Parma: 6,0

NESTOR SENSINI: average 6,000
Gazzetta dello Sport: 5,5
Stadio-Corriere dello Sport: 6,5
Tuttosport: 6,5
Gazzetta di Parma: 5,5

FABIO CANNAVARO: average 6,250
Gazzetta dello Sport: 6,0
Stadio-Corriere dello Sport: 6,0
Tuttosport: 7,0
Gazzetta di Parma: 6,0

JONATHAN BACHINI: average 5,625
Gazzetta dello Sport: 5,0
Stadio-Corriere dello Sport: 5,5
Tuttosport: 6,5
Gazzetta di Parma: 5,5

MATIAS ALMEYDA: average 6,000
Gazzetta dello Sport: 6,0
Stadio-Corriere dello Sport: 6,0
Tuttosport: 6,0
Gazzetta di Parma: 6,0

SABRI LAMOUCHI: average 5,625
Gazzetta dello Sport: 5,5
Stadio-Corriere dello Sport: 5,5
Tuttosport: 6,0
Gazzetta di Parma: 5,5

JUNIOR: average 5,500
Gazzetta dello Sport: 5,0
Stadio-Corriere dello Sport: 5,5
Tuttosport: 6,0
Gazzetta di Parma: 5,5

HIDETOSHI NAKATA: average 5,625
Gazzetta dello Sport: 5,5
Stadio-Corriere dello Sport: 5,5
Tuttosport: 6,5
Gazzetta di Parma: 5,0

MARCO DI VAIO: average 5,750
Gazzetta dello Sport: 5,5
Stadio-Corriere dello Sport: 6,0
Tuttosport: 6,5
Gazzetta di Parma: 5,0

SAVO MILOSEVIC: average 5,500
Gazzetta dello Sport: 5,0
Stadio-Corriere dello Sport: 5,5
Tuttosport: 6,0
Gazzetta di Parma: 5,5

MARCO MARCHIONNI: average 6,000
Gazzetta dello Sport: s.v.
Stadio-Corriere dello Sport: 6,0
Tuttosport: 6,0
Gazzetta di Parma: s.v.

STEPHAN APPIAH: average 6,500
Gazzetta dello Sport: s.v.
Stadio-Corriere dello Sport: s.v.
Tuttosport: 6,5
Gazzetta di Parma: s.v.

PATRICK MBOMA: average s.v.
Gazzetta dello Sport: s.v.
Stadio-Corriere dello Sport: s.v.
Tuttosport: s.v.
Gazzetta di Parma: s.v.

Average for the mathc against Lille: 5,827