Nicola ‘not playing’ Tudor’s games but Cremonese see ‘real Vardy’

Davide Nicola says he won’t ‘play these games’ as Juventus coach Igor Tudor claimed the Bianconeri would have been table leaders if they had met Cremonese rather than Milan.

Nicola previewed tomorrow’s Serie A game against Atalanta at a press conference, where he was asked his thoughts about Tudor’s recent claims.

The Juventus boss had argued before a Champions League game against Real Madrid that the Old Lady would have been the table leaders if they had met Cremonese rather than Milan.

“I read something, but it doesn’t mean much. I think that what he was trying to say was that if they had met teams with different objectives than those of Juventus, they would have had more points,” Nicola said via TMW.

Nicola hits back at Tudor

“It’s what Tudor said, the Juventus coach. I’m not playing these games, and it must be proved too. Those fighting for the title may win more games against those involved in the race for survival, but never say never. It’s what makes football beautiful.”

Jamie Vardy started his first game in Serie A last week, and Nicola was happy with his contribution in both attack and defence.

“I think we all agree. After some substitute appearances, he started when we could see the real Vardy,” said the Cremonese coach.

Nicola: Vardy ‘a top player’

“He proved great ability in helping the team, attacking the space and creating goal-scoring opportunities. We must assess the workload, because he’s always had important numbers as a top player. If he’s able to keep these numbers, it’s also because of his mentality.

“We must fit everything together to allow this team to make the most of any characteristic, and we can only do so by balancing the playing time. Jamie will be useful during the game, like all his teammates. Our strikers need to get back in shape and get explosiveness, which they can only get by playing.”

Nicola also confirmed that Emil Audero has recovered from an injury and will be part of the team tomorrow.

“He has recovered. We’ll have a briefing with the doctors tomorrow, but he’ll surely be available.”

Cremonese sit 10th in the Serie A table with 10 points in seven matches. They have scored eight goals and conceded nine.

Vardy has yet to score his first goal with the Grigiorossi, but has only collected 153 minutes in Serie A.