Jamie Vardy had not reached his destination, but already he was getting a taste of what may await him, a crowd of Cremonese supporters greeting him at the exit of Milan’s Linate airport – 50 miles away from their team’s home town. Never mind the fact it was almost midnight on a Sunday. He hopped out of his car to sign autographs – one over a tattoo of his own face. They sang for him to “take us to Europe”.
Even in a summer of famous names making unexpected late-career moves to Italy – from Kevin De Bruyne and Napoli to Luka Modric at Milan – Vardy joining Cremonese feels most improbable of all. A player who once finished eighth in the Ballon d’Or vote, signing for a club with a 16,000-seater stadium who have made only fleeting appearances in the top flight since they were founded in 1903.
Promoted via the playoffs in June, this is Cremonese’s ninth-ever season in Serie A. Six of the previous eight have ended in relegation. The two exceptions came back-to-back, in 1993-94 and 1994-95, the latter with a young Enrico Chiesa up front.
Before this season, they were the bookies’ favourites to go down again – ahead even of fellow newly promoted sides Sassuolo and Pisa. They may yet, but in two games Cremonese have contradicted the narrative of a team hopelessly out of their depth.
They opened with a 2-1 win over Modric and Milan at San Siro: a night of extraordinary firsts. This was Cremonese’s first-ever away victory against the Rossoneri, and the first time they had won their opening game of a Serie A campaign. All the previous eight ended in defeat.
It was also the first time their manager, Davide Nicola, had beaten Massimiliano Allegri. Hired this summer after Cremonese declined to renew the contract of the man who got them promoted, Giovanni Stroppa, Nicola is reputed as Serie A’s great survival expert. In recent years, he has steered Crotone, Genoa, Torino, Salernitana and Empoli through troubled waters to 17th-place finishes.
Typically, he is the man that owners turn to midterm, to rescue seasons gone awry. Last year, afforded the chance to lead Cagliari from the start, he made it to the heady heights of 15th.
After Cremonese’s win over Milan, he spoke about the importance of fostering a positive environment. “Everyone’s happy to have given some joy to the fans tonight,” he said. “That’s so important for the energy it transmits.”
The atmosphere was electric back at their own Stadio Zini as they hosted Sassuolo on Friday. Rumours of Vardy’s imminent arrival played their part. Before kick-off, the club’s sporting director Simone Giacchetta described the situation to Dazn as “one of those things that start out a bit as a joke, then, over time, it starts to take on form.”
It helps when the club’s owner is a billionaire. Giovanni Arvedi bought Cremonese in 2007, when they were still playing in the third tier. His investment has been essential in this climb back up the ladder. Cremonese have not spent recklessly – their total outlay on transfer fees this summer is less than €15m – but his backing will have made wage negotiations for Vardy less painful.
Cremonese jumped out to a 2-0 lead over Sassuolo before half-time. Filippo Terracciano headed home from a corner, then Franco Vázquez applied a final touch on Antonio Sanabria’s shot across goal. But last season’s Serie B champions pulled back level after the interval. Andrea Pinamonti served an efficient turn-and-finish before Domenico Berardi converted a penalty given away cheaply by the substitute Alberto Grassi.
The visitors looked to push for a winner. But Cremonese won a penalty of their own in injury time when another substitute, Romano Floriani Mussolini, was fouled by Alieu Fadera. Manuel De Luca, the player whose two goals in the playoff final against Spezia secured Cremonese’s promotion in June, scored from the spot before running the length of the pitch to celebrate under the home Curva.
Mussolini’s surname will jump off the page for many readers. He is the great-grandson of the fascist dictator Benito Mussolini and the son of Alessandra Mussolini, a former member of the Italian and European parliaments. And yes, he plays on the right wing.
He is also his own person, a 22-year-old who has insisted politics does not interest him. His desire to distance himself from that discourse may be reflected in the fact that he chooses to wear his first name, Romano, on his shirt.
after newsletter promotion
Nicola praised his performance on Sunday, noting with satisfaction that this was the fourth player in two games to whom Cremonese had given a Serie A debut. One of the most impressive aspects of their fast start is the number of players who have made telling contributions.
Cremonese are playing in a 3-5-2 under Nicola. Their front two against Milan was made up of David Okereke and Federico Bonazzoli – who sealed the win with a brilliant scissor-kick. Injury kept him out against Sassuolo, but Vázquez returned from suspension to start, and Sanabria was given the nod alongside. De Luca came on as a late sub in both games.
Each of these players has different strengths, and the pecking order is not yet clear. Sanabria and Bonazzoli have each worked under Nicola at previous clubs and the latter spoke recently about how much he values their relationship, saying: “His importance to me goes beyond the usual player-manager dynamic. He has a weight in my life.”
The expectation, still, is that Vardy will start. Despite turning 38 in January, the Englishman scored nine Premier League goals last season, and his directness ought to make him a good fit. Nicola likes his teams to play in a low block, relying on fast breaks and efficiency on the counterattack. Cremonese, through their first two games, have conformed to this type.
Quick Guide
Serie A results
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Cremonese 3-2 Sassuolo, Lecce 0-2 Milan, Bologna 1-0 Como, Parma 1-1 Atalanta, Napoli 1-0 Cagliari, Pisa 0-1 Roma, Torino 0-0 Fiorentina, Genoa 0-1 Juventus, Inter 1-2 Udinese, Lazio 4-0 Verona
It is early yet to draw conclusions, but there are encouraging signs beyond the results. Jari Vandeputte, something of a lower-league legend after piling up 32 goals and 66 assists in the second and third tiers over the past four seasons (playoffs included), ran the midfield and set up the opening goal against Sassuolo. Alessio Zerbin, a loan signing from Napoli, has impressed on the right.
The most important thing, of course, is that they have six points on the board. Enough to move them top of the table on Friday night, even if other clubs have since caught up.
Vardy’s arrival has multiplied the already abundant enthusiasm for this underdog story. Leicester’s 2015-16 Premier League title was widely celebrated in Italy, a triumph to which many fans felt connected through the figure of Claudio Ranieri. Patriotic pride was found in the fact that one of the country’s most likable exports had authored such an unlikely triumph in the richest league in the world.
For an English symbol of that success to travel in the opposite direction, all these years later, has unleashed waves of happy nostalgia. Those fans who greeted Vardy at Linate were asking him to take them on a European adventure. For now, their club’s ninth-ever season of top-flight football is shaping up as its own fascinating caper.
