Crotone are playing in just their third-ever Serie A campaign this season, and life in the top-flight has never been easy for the Sharks of Calabria.
About the Club
Names: Football Club Crotone. Nicknamed, I Pitagorici (The Pythagoreans), Gil Squali or Lo Squalo Calabrese (The Sharks or The Shark of Calabria) and Rossoblu (Red and Blue).
Founded: 1910.
Stadium: Stadio Ezio Scida. Capacity, 16,547.
Manager: Giavanni Stroppa. 520year old Stroppa is a former Italy international that played for a number of Italian clubs including AC Milan, Lazio, Udinese and Genoa.
As a manager, Stroppa started his career with Sudtirol in 2011, but moved to Pescara and Spezia before returning to the Sudtirol hot seat for another season in 2015/16. Foggia brough Stroppa in for two years in 2016 in which he earned promotion to Serie B.
Stroppa joined Crotone in June 2018 and was sacked in October that year, only to be rehired in December. Stroppa guided Crotone back to Serie A for just the third time in the club’s history last season.
History
Crotone have spent most of their history in Serie C and didn’t earn promotion to Italy’s second tier until the 2000. During the early 2000s up until 2016, Crotone yoyoed between Serie C and Serie B.
In the 2014/15 Serie B campaign, Crotone finished in 17th position, but the following campaign the club claimed 2nd spot and earned promotion to Serie A for the first time in their history.
Crotone managed to avoid relegation in the debut season in the top-flight, finishing 17th, but the following season they were relegated back into the second tier. Crotone only managed to finish 12th on their return to Serie B bit the next season they claimed 2nd place once again and returned to Serie A.
As Things Stand
Life back in the big time has proved tough once again for Crotone in 2020. The club have failed to win any of their opening 10-games in Serie A this season, picking up just 2pts so far. Crotone occupy last place in the table, 3pts behind the nearest team, Genoa, and 6pts from safety.
Nigerian forward, Simeon Nwankwo has provided one of the bright sparks in an otherwise dull season for Crotone, netting 3 Serie A goals (which is one more than he managed in either of his last two top-flight campaigns).
Goals have been the issue at both ends of the pitch for Stroppa’s men, with the club scoring 6-goals and conceding 24 so far this season.
Only Torino have as bad of a defensive record as Crotone and unless something drastically changes soon, the club looked destined for a return to Serie B.
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