Jamie Vardy’s team, Cremonese, has found itself surprisingly embroiled in the fight for Serie A survival, despite what was an impressive start to the season.
When Vardy joined Cremonese on the summer transfer deadline day, the newly promoted side had already caused a stir by defeating Serie A giants Milan 2-1 at San Siro in the campaign’s opening match.
Just a few weeks ago, Cremonese felt they were in a secure position, and few would have anticipated them battling relegation in the final two months of the season.
However, that is precisely the situation now, as the Serie A relegation struggle intensifies. Teams like Cagliari, Lecce, and Cremonese are displaying genuine fight and belief, proving that under high stakes, teams can rise to the occasion.
Vardy, a legend from Leicester City, has contributed five goals and two assists in 25 Serie A appearances this term. Despite their very positive start, Cremonese had still expected a challenging campaign.
“We always sought out hungry players, eager to maintain a high standard,” Cremonese director Simone Giacchetta stated in September, following Vardy’s signing. “The idea to approach Vardy eventually came up. We are talking about a player who was a Premier League top scorer and has won so much.”
“He understands sacrifice and thrives amidst adversity. I believe we share this trait. He perfectly embodies the philosophy that if you truly believe, dreams do come true.”
Regrettably, Cremonese had to dismiss their coach, Davide Nicola, in mid-March, bringing in experienced Serie A specialist Marco Giampaolo as his replacement.
The Grigiorossi had endured a 15-game winless streak, collecting merely four points during that period, making Nicola’s dismissal seem unavoidable.
Giampaolo’s influence has already yielded positive outcomes, with the former Milan coach securing a victory in his first match in charge away against Parma. This significantly boosted Cremonese’s hopes for survival, though their task is far from complete.
Currently, Cremonese is level on 27 points with Lecce, technically sitting just outside the relegation zone thanks to a better goal difference. However, should both teams finish with the same point total at the end of the season, a dramatic relegation play-off after the regular season would determine which team drops to Serie B.
The fate of Pisa and Hellas Verona appears largely sealed, as both teams have garnered only 18 points each and are currently nine points adrift of safety.
Lecce and Cremonese, conversely, will contend with Fiorentina (29 points) and Cagliari (30 points), while Torino, Genoa, and Parma seem more secure, being much closer to the 40-point mark typically associated with survival.