Cremonese: Giampaolo Sacked—One Name Stands Out as His Successor

“U.S. Cremonese announces that it has relieved Mr. Marco Giampaolo of his duties as head coach of the first team. The Grigiorossi club wishes to thank the coach and his staff for the professionalism, commitment, and dedication they have shown in their daily work since their arrival in Cremona.” The dramatic turn of events was confirmed in a statement released late Tuesday evening, just a few hours after the Coppa Italia victory over Parma.

It was a bitter ending for Giampaolo, considering that just that Tuesday evening, Cremonese had secured the most prestigious victory of its season: the Grigiorossi won 2-0 at the Tardini thanks to goals by Lottici Tessadri in the 5th minute and a left-footed chip by 19-year-old Licina—on loan from Juventus—in the 41st minute. This victory secures their spot in the Round of 16 of the Coppa Italia, where Cremonese will face Como.

Cremonese began the Serie B season with two losses in their first two matches. The first loss came on the road against Empoli, 1-0, even though the Tuscan side played with only ten men for over half an hour. The second, even more crushing defeat, came last Friday at home at the Zini Stadium against Modena: Daniele Galloppa’s Canarini won 3-0 thanks to a brace by Giacomo Olzer, who scored in the 31st and 45th minutes, and the final goal by Giuseppe Caso in the second half. This crushing defeat sent Cremonese plummeting to last place in the standings with zero points, alongside six other teams.

It’s worth noting that Giampaolo had already been called to the Grigiorossi bench last season, taking over from Davide Nicola in March with the team in the relegation zone in Serie A. The coach from Abruzzo was unable to pull off the feat of avoiding relegation, but he had convinced the front office to bet on him for the new chapter in Serie B, bolstered in part by his emotional connection to Cremona—a city where he had already played a key role during the 2014–2015 season when Cremonese was competing in Lega Pro.

One name stands out above all others as a potential successor: Fabio Pecchia, who has been linked in the past to other Serie B coaching positions, but surprises are always just around the corner.