Jamie Vardy will play no part in Cremonese’s Serie A home clash with Torino on Sunday after Marco Giampaolo left him out of his 23-man squad. Vardy had been working on an individual programme throughout the past week, and Giampaolo chose not to rush him back into contention.
The decision means Cremonese will again manage Vardy’s fitness carefully in a match that carries significant weight in the relegation battle. Morten Thorsby was also omitted after training separately from the main group, leaving Giampaolo to lean on Milan Djuric, David Okereke, Federico Bonazzoli and Antonio Sanabria as his four attacking options.
That trimmed forward line is the clearest sign of the balancing act Giampaolo faces. Cremonese need the result, but they also need to avoid another setback for a player they are still easing back after a week of individual work. The squad list for the match also included Audero, Silvestri, Nava, Luperto, Baschirotto, Bianchetti, Ceccherini, Terracciano, Faye, Folino, Pezzella, Barbieri, Zerbin, Lottici Tessadri, Floriani Mussolini, Vandeputte, Payero, Grassi and Bondo.
The absence of Vardy and Thorsby leaves Cremonese thinner than they would like for a game with direct consequences in the relegation fight, but it also underlines how tightly Giampaolo is controlling risk. For now, the priority is keeping Vardy available for the run ahead rather than forcing him into Sunday’s test against Torino.
