FEATURE: With or without Jamie Vardy, Cremonese should do well this season

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Cremonese aren’t the fanciest club in Italy. The last time they were seen in Serie A, the Lombardian side finished 19th and got relegated in their very first season back in the top-flight since 1995. Ideally, it is a club which wouldn’t really catch the global football fan’s attention on a daily basis but because of Jamie Vardy, it might now change.

The former Premier League winner arrived in the northern city of Cremona on Sunday amidst much fervour. Even Vardy barely knows any Italian, his connection with the crowds was palpable, as he earned a hero’s welcome at a club which is certainly stranger to having big names arrive too often. 

It is obvious that the ex-Leicester City star adds something new to the Cremonese squad with his off-the-ball running and finding the right spaces to attack on the counter-attack, it is fair to say that Davide Nicola’s side have been one of the surprises of the season so far in Serie A.

They have both of their first two games – beating Milan and then fellow newly promoted side Sassuolo. Beyond the results, it is the performances that deserve credit because under Nicola, Cremonese already have an identity. Perhaps, that is not surprising considering the 52-year-old’s incredible track record of helping teams stay in the top-flight, but there is a chance that the Grigiorossi do more than that this season.

Jari Vendeputte and Alessio Zanoli have impressed this season. Warren Bondo, who spent the second half of last season at Milan, has solid Serie A experience and so does Federico Baschirotto. The same applies to Giuseppe Pezzella, who has one assist and he has done well for more than one Serie A side. Filipo Terraciano will also have a key role to play in the campaign.

Antonio Sanabria is a bit of a cult hero amongst Calcio fanatics, who have seen him come up with vital goals during his time at Torino. He is still only 29 and has shown multiple times in the past that he knows how to operate effectively in a front two. Franco Vazquez is a well-known name and while he is 37, the forward also has the know-how of operating in a front two and his experience will come in handy for Nicola’s side, who play a system which relies on a deeper backline and using a direct attacking setup.

This approach will also suit Vardy, who will attack the spaces and will have a major role to play against the bigger sides, who will use a more frontfoot approach against Cremonese. They will leave space for Vardy to attack and the Englishman, as seen multiple times is adept at thriving in a front two and that is how he won the Premier League in 2016.

Cremonese may not be the perfect side right now but they have enough nous in the side and in the manager to stay up or more. Vardy brings a proven threat and will only add to what they have but even without him, expect Nicola to do something useful with the side.

Kaustubh Pandey I GIFN