Relegation-threatened Cremonese fires Nicola with Vardy’s team winless since December

By Canadian Press on March 18, 2026.

CREMONA, Italy (AP) — Relegation-threatened Cremonese fired coach Davide Nicola on Wednesday amid a more than three-month winless streak in the Italian league.

A 4-1 home loss to Fiorentina on Monday left Cremonese in 18th place and three points from safety.

Marco Giampaolo, who coached Lecce last season, was expected to take over for the final nine matches of the season.

Cremonese, which features former Leicester striker Jamie Vardy, visits Parma on Saturday.

Cremonese’s last victory came against Lecce in early December.

The struggles over the last few months followed a strong start for Cremonese after winning the Serie B playoffs to return to the top flight after two years. Cremonese stunned Milan in its Serie A opener then remained perfect after a dramatic late win over Sassuolo in the second round and lost just one of its opening eight matches.

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The Associated Press