Cremonese are hoping to strike a chord in Serie A following their promotion and have belief in their signings to find harmony on the pitch, but their composition doesn’t seem fully in tune yet, Apollo Heyes suggests.
The Lombardy side secured their spot in the Italian top flight after finishing second in Serie B last season, returning to Serie A for the first time since the 1995-96 season. Finishing only two points behind league winners Lecce, Cremonese will be hoping to overcome the odds and avoid immediately dropping back to the second division in the upcoming campaign, but things are looking tough.
Cremonese have made a number of low-cost signings this summer, adding players like Charles Pickel, Emanuel Aiwu and Giacomo Quagliata. They’ve also picked up Inter’s Ionut Radu and Hertha Berlin’s Santiago Ascacibar on loan.
Coach Fabio Pecchia, who guided them to promotion last season, unexpectedly resigned at the end of May, forcing Cremonese to bring in a replacement for their Serie A campaign. The Grigiorossi brought in Massimiliano Alvini, a coach with no experience in the top flight, to replace him.
The change in coaches and fairly underwhelming transfer market campaign has left Cremonese’s chances of avoiding relegation low, but it’s too early to count out the Lombard club just yet. The Grigiorossi have retained their well-gelled front three of Luca Zanimacchia, Cristian Buonaiuto and Daniel Ciofani and the trio will most likely be their biggest source of goals.
Key man: David Okereke
Cremonese invested to pick up the 24-year-old Nigerian forward, pictured above, from Club Brugge after his decent year on loan with Venezia. Okereke scored seven goals and provided one assist in 32 appearances for the Arancioneroverdi last campaign, managing to impress despite the team’s struggles.
Okereke will be hoping to play a leading role for Cremonese in the upcoming season and it’ll be vital for him to make the most of his chances, especially when against top opposition.
Coach: Massimiliano Alvini
Alvini spent last season in charge of Perugia, guiding the team to an eighth place finish, five points below seventh place Benevento. He mostly lined up his side in a 3-5-2 formation, trying to keep his defence tight as his team worked to make the most of their opportunities.
The 52-year-old Italian coach has his work cut out for him in Serie A and a strong start to the campaign would do wonders for both his job security and Cremonese’s chances of surviving relegation.
Watch out for: Unexpected upsets
Cremonese will understand the value of each point across the season, so they’re likely to employ a fairly defensive style that’ll see them try to exploit a limited number of chances. Top flight regulars, especially those in the running for a top four finish, will have to stay focused in order to avoid suffering a painful upset.
Get the full 2022-23 Serie A season preview here.