06.05.2022 – 21:26
There are always miracles – and in Italian football Davide Nicola (49) is responsible for them.
The coach is well on the way to writing a rescue fairy tale in Serie A with the Ribéry club US Salernitana. It would be his second…
Salernitana’s 2-1 win over bottom side Venice on Thursday night kept the Nicola team out of a relegation zone in Italy for the first time since Matchday One. Salernitana even spent most of the season at the bottom of the table.
In mid-February, Davide Nicola then took over the coaching position from the dismissed Stefano Colantuono (59). Although he started with an impressive 2-2 draw against AC Milan, he also needed some time to get started, and in the first seven games he played without a win. After the 1-2 defeat on matchday 32 at AS Roma and a total of only 16 points, Salernitana’s relegation seemed already sealed.
“Fireman” Davide Nicola after the victory against Venice
Photo: EPA
But: Nicola had apparently finally found his formation in Rome and from then on only played in the 3-5-2 system (with Ribéry up front if he is fit) – and his team suddenly started winning. Four wins from the last five games, plus a draw against Champions League club Atalanta Bergamo – Salernitana collected 13 points in less than three weeks.
Now the team is above the famous line, with three games before the end of the season, one point clear of the relegation zone. On Sunday you meet the cellar neighbors from Cagliari. Another win would mean a giant step towards relegation miracle.
Despite all the euphoria, Nicola warns: “We have a game to play on Sunday and it will be tough. I don’t care if we left the relegation zones. I don’t think we have any more or less chances of staying up than before.”
In the event of rescue, however, the coach announced that he would walk to Rome (over 270 kilometers) to visit the Pope. Nicola knows what he’s talking about. Because: In 2017 he had to cycle 1,300 kilometers to his hometown of Turin to keep a similar promise. At that time he had saved FC Crotone – after a whole season on the relegation zone – on the very last day of the game.
Now the miracle could repeat itself…
00:35
Tollhaus Waldstadion
Here the Frankfurt fans storm the square!
Quelle: Reuters/@dirk_hoefer via Spectee
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