Cremonese, third coach may arrive in a few months
Cremonese arrives at the last four days of the championship stuck in third-last place in the standings. The draw, albeit not very productive, between Verona and Lecce allowed the Salentini to overtake the team coached by Marco Giampaolo, who now looks with concern at the next round: scheduled are Pisa-Lecce and Cremonese-Lazio.
Weighing like a boulder on the mood of the Lombard club is above all the heavy 4-0 cashed on Friday night at the Maradona against Napoli. Conte’s Azzurri overwhelmed the Grigiorossi with goals from McTominay, an own goal by Terracciano and De Bruyne in the first half, and Alisson Santos in the second half. It was a straightforward defeat that left Cremonese pinned at 28 points and, in fact, never saw Giampaolo’s team really get into the game.
The change in bench from Davide Nicola did not produce the hoped-for improvements. After an encouraging start in Parma, where in addition to the victory came the last goals on action, the team returned to show the limitations that have held back what looked like an amazing season for a newly promoted team.
The Bentegodi draw between Verona and Lecce, which shifted the balance in the relegation zone, came at the end of a hard-fought match full of twists and turns. Di Francesco’s Salentini withstood the Scaligere offensives, with Falcone starring in some decisive saves. In the second half, Hellas had even found the go-ahead goal with Edmundsson, but the goal was nullified by Var for a push on the visiting goalkeeper. It ended 0-0, a point that was of little use to Verona, now one step away from Serie B with only 19 points in the standings, but worthwhile for Lecce.
With this draw, Lecce climbs to +1 on Cremonese, bringing them to 29 points. A minimal advantage, but psychologically important in view of the last four days. The Salentini can count on a calendar that, at least on paper, offers some glimmer: the challenge against Pisa, already mathematically relegated and bottom of the table with only 10 points, represents a concrete opportunity to stretch further on the red zone.
For this reason, rumors about a possible new change of coach are becoming more and more insistent: among the options is a return of Nicola, but – suggests the Quotidiano Nazionale – the arrival of a third technician is not even ruled out in this very delicate finale.
It is worth mentioning that already on the eve of the 33rd day Giampaolo’s position appeared in the balance. The draw against Torino, with a goal annulled by the Var to Baschirotto that had infuriated the environment, and the simultaneous 1-1 draw between Lecce and Fiorentina had already turned the spotlight on the grigiorossa bench. At that juncture, there had been persistent talk of a possible return of Davide Nicola, the coach who had been exonerated in previous weeks, as an emergency solution to ferry the team to safety.
