Cremonese head coach Davide Nicola has indicated that Jamie Vardy is likely to receive increased playing time, beginning with tomorrow`s fixture against Inter Milan at the San Siro stadium.
Cremonese has made an impressive start to the Serie A season, remaining undefeated in their opening five matches. They now face a challenging away game at Inter`s home ground, where they`ve already tasted success this season by defeating Inter`s local rivals AC Milan in their season opener.
At a press conference on Friday, Nicola spoke about the upcoming match: “Inter excels in all aspects of the game – ball possession, pressing between the lines, tracking back, and counter-attacking. This match presents an excellent opportunity for us to learn from one of the best teams and gauge our own potential. It will give us insight into what`s required to compete at the highest level.”
Regarding Vardy, who has made just one Serie A appearance so far this season due to a minor injury, Nicola said: “Vardy has made significant progress and will be involved in the upcoming match. We`re gradually increasing his playing time now that he`s overcome his physical issue.”
Nicola also commented on other players: “Bonazzoli has been a regular fixture, while Johnsen offers different skills compared to Vazquez, who is a versatile player. We`re deploying strikers who allow us to maintain consistency and build our game, while also integrating those who have had less playing time. As everyone reaches full fitness, we`ll explore new tactical options.”
The coach confirmed that first-choice goalkeeper Emil Audero will miss the Inter match due to an injury sustained during the warm-up of last week`s game against Como. “It`s not a major issue, but Audero wisely recognized the problem and stopped in time,” Nicola explained.
As Cremonese prepares for this challenging fixture, Inter will be without injured striker Marcus Thuram. Captain Lautaro Martinez is expected to lead the Nerazzurri attack, possibly partnered with either Ange-Yoan Bonny or Francesco Pio Esposito.