Oh. They blamed the rain. OK, difficult to play "attractive" football on a soggy pitch - but both sides were in the same situation - don't we have the capabilities to change from passing football to the gritty stuff? I think we do have the capabilities and if we don't have, why don't we? Good grief these players get paid enough! Don't they want to get their shorts dirty??? I apologise (slightly) for I didn't see the game - and I've hardly kicked a football either - but I am pig sick!! A dreadful start to the season. I don't understand just WHY Malesani insists on playing Falsini. Who the hell is he?? And Di Vaio should've replaced Amoroso (now he IS one who would not want to get his pants muddied) way before 92 minutes. Nice to see that Almeyda played a full 90 minutes - but that's all we can take out of this game. 'Cept the point. And the clean sheet was something, I suppose.

Teams

BRESCIA (3-4-1-2): Srnicek; Bonera (Galli 67), Calori, Petruzzi; Esposito, Yllana (E.Filippini 89), Bisoli, Diana; Baggio; Hubner, Gonzalez (A.Filippini 62). (Subs not used: Castellazzi, Orlandini, Marino, Del Nero)
Manager: Mazzone

PARMA (3-4-1-2). Buffon; Sartor (Benarrivo 83), Thuram, F.Cannavaro; Conceicao, Lamouchi, Almeyda, Falsini; Micoud (Fuser 65); Amoroso (Di Vaio 92), Milosevic. (Subs not used: Guardalben, Appiah, Torrisi, Mboma)
Manager: Malesani

Bookings: Petruzzi 20, Bisoli and Milosevic 77
Referee: Nucini of Bergamo

PLAYER RATINGS (also, always available from the Official Site

GIGI BUFFON: average 6.125 (5.94 - two appearances)
Gazzetta dello Sport: 6. He had little to do, but what he did he did well. He was forced to make two saves with his feet in the opening minutes and he collected Roberto Baggio's free-kick with ease.
Corriere dello Sport: 6. He came out once and failed to hold the ball, but aside from that he defended the goal well.
Tuttosport: 6. Came out a few times and failed to gather the ball, but he also made a few good saves. He had few problems overall.
Gazzetta di Parma: 6.5. Despite the conditions of the pitch and the slipperiness of the ball, he gathered nearly every ball he came for. He also saved well from a Baggio free-kick.
GIGI SARTOR: average 6.25 (6 - two appearances)
Gazzetta dello Sport: 6.5. He showed great attentiveness and determination. But he paid the price for the treacherousness of the pitch, suffering from cramps in the final minutes.
Corriere dello Sport: 6. He didn't have too many problems dealing with Raul Gonzalez but Dario Hubner caused him a few more difficulties.
Tuttosport: 6. Hurt himself in the finale, but he made few mistakes.
Gazzetta di Parma: 6.5. Made some timely interventions and showed composure in distribution of the ball. He paid for his hardworking performance in the final minutes with cramps.

ANTONIO BENARRIVO: average no vote (one appearance this season).

LILIAN THURAM: average 6.25 (6 - two appearances)
Gazzetta dello Sport: 6.5. He played as the central defender, despite it not being his favoured position. He coped with his customary stylishness.
Corriere dello Sport: 6. Solid and sure at the heart of the defence.
Tuttosport: 6. Didn't shine as on other occasions, but he nevertheless coped with his customary composure.
Gazzetta di Parma: 6.5. He showed great composure and, at the same time, great energy. When he plays like this he gives a sense of security to the team.

FABIO CANNAVARO: average 7.125 (6.75 - two appearances)
Gazzetta dello Sport: 7.5. Hardly any mistakes. Formidable.
Corriere dello Sport: 7 Gonzalez was crashing against him like a fly against a windowpane. The conditions must have excited him because he battled to the limit of his ability.
Tuttosport: 7. Absolutely the best. He was decisive on the few occasions that Brescia managed to go forward.
Gazzetta di Parma: 7. An exemplary performance once again. He managed to anticipate everything, gather balls that appeared lost as well as managing to distribute the ball perfectly to initiate offensive manoeuvres from the back. He bossed every area of the pitch.

SÈRGIO CONCEIÇÂO: average 6.375 (6.06 - two appearances)
Gazzetta dello Sport: 6.5. He gave a perfect assist for Savo Milosevic in the opening minutes, while in the second half he put in one ball after another. An important player.
Corriere dello Sport: 6.5. He's improving game in game out, as was also shown in his performances with the Portuguese team. Compared with the Fiorentina game he is showing more consistency, and he repeatedly endeavoured to crack open the Brescia defence.
Tuttosport: 6.5. Carlo Mazzone man-marked him with Aimo Diana, but he still managed to throw himself forward and also shoot.
Gazzetta di Parma: 6. He found before him Brescia's man of the match Diana, and he rarely managed to bypass him. He worked hard in the second half but the pitch caused him problems as well.

MATIAS ALMEYDA: average 6.125 (one appearance)
Gazzetta dello Sport: 6. Debut was nothing to shout about. Still warming up.
Corriere dello Sport: 6. A good debut in the League. As soon as he reaches his top form he will prove a great help for the team.
Tuttosport: 6. His first match for Parma was in the rain and mud. No proper assessment can be made on this basis.
Gazzetta di Parma: 6.5. A good performance. He put pressure on the opposition running at them with the ball at his feet. He did simple things to re-launch attacks, even shooting on goal on four occasions. He didn't score, but he's showing positive signs.

SABRI LAMOUCHI: average 6 (6.125 - two appearances)
Gazzetta dello Sport: 6. Like Almeyda he began slowly but gathered pace and became more influential as the game went on.
Corriere dello Sport: 5.5. He was a little unsure of himself. Given that he has just won a League title with Monaco in France we should expect more of him. He has the character to return to form.
Tuttosport: 6.5. He had some good moments, breaking forward frequently to support the forwards.
Gazzetta di Parma: 6. He started slowly, but he had a new partner in the centre. His influence slowly grew in the course of the game and he won some important balls.

GIANLUCA FALSINI: average 5.875 (5.81 - two appearances)
Gazzetta dello Sport: 6. He covered a lot of ground. He also had a great chance in the first half. He made few mistakes.
Corriere dello Sport: 6. He went close to scoring and did well when up against Massimiliano Esposito, although not so well against Diana.
Tuttosport: 5.5. The missed chance is a black mark against him. His movement on the flanks was good, but perhaps he's not at his best yet.
Gazzetta di Parma: 6. He was attentive on the flanks, but managed to push forward less than usual. He had the chance to score, but he missed it.

JOHAN MICOUD: average 5.25(5.25 - two appearances)
Gazzetta dello Sport: 5. He was never in the game.
Corriere dello Sport: 5.5. We saw him last year with Bordeaux and technically he looked like a complete player. For now, for Parma, he is not even half the player.
Tuttosport: 5.5. He plays in the playmaker's role, but has few ideas.
Gazzetta di Parma: 5. He is still slow, doesn't help out the defence enough and is insufficiently incisive going forward. He should change pace occasionally, with or without the ball, but doesn't do it. The Italian League demands more consistency by individual players.

DIEGO FUSER: average 6.25 (one appearance)
Gazzetta dello Sport: 6.5. He came on for the Frenchman and nearly scored the coup de grace.
Corriere dello Sport: 6. He put a lot of heart and energy into the performance. He also nearly scored.
Tuttosport: 6.5. He was immediately at the heart of the action, and went close to giving Parma the lead. Perhaps it would have been better had he been on from the off.
Gazzetta di Parma: 6. He revitalised the offensive manoeuvres and twice fired on goal.

SAVO MILOSEVIC: average 5.375 (5.19 - two appearances)
Gazzetta dello Sport: 5.5. The referee denied him a goal (as did the Brescia keeper Pavel Srnicek). But he was not in the match enough.
Corriere dello Sport: 5.5. He looked a bit predictable and a pitch in that state should have been perfect for such a player.
Tuttosport: 5. Compared with his team-mates he had the merit of being involved in all Parma's chances...but he missed all of them.
Gazzetta di Parma: 5.5. Huge level of zeal, and he did his best to break down the opposition defence, but in the end he didn't come up with much. He comes back a long way to pick up the ball, probably too far, as a consequence he finds himself too far from goal when he does gather the ball.

MARCIO AMOROSO: average 5.25 (5.94 - two appearances)
Gazzetta dello Sport: 5.5. There were some good things in the first half.
Corriere dello Sport: 5.5. He did OK in the first half but he got lost in the second. It's a pity because it was at that time that Parma pressed forward most decisively.
Tuttosport: 5. He did very little and is still a long way off the player that was much admired at Udinese.
Gazzetta di Parma: 5. It wasn't going to be his day. A player who relies so heavily upon technique, dummies and bursts of pace was never going to do much in the mud bath in Brescia.

MARCO DI VAIO: no vote (two appearances)