‘ Giovanni Stroppa: Simy Hardly Makes Mistakes In The Box,He Can Play In Any Team

 

Nigeria striker, Simy Nwankwo, has been hugging the headlines as the player of the moment in Serie A, for obvious reasons. After hitting two as Crotone pipped Parma 4-3 at the Estadio Ennio Tardini, Simy romped to 19 goals haul, plus two assists so far in the 2020/2021 campaign, with only Cristiano Ronaldo (25 goals/ 2 assists), Romelu Lukaku (21 goals/ 8 assissts) and Luis Muriel (19 goals/8 assists) as the better Serie A strikers.

The former GUO FC striker has thus helped himself to a great market value with his current fine form for Crotone and now the chances of his staying put in the Serie A side are very few following what has turned out as an unforgettable season for the Nigerian.

Completesports.com called up Giovanni Stroppa – Simy’s longtime coach in Crotone from the summer of 2018 until last February when he was sacked . And the gaffer said interesting things about his former striker.

Did you anticipate an incredible goal scoring form for Simy at the beginning of the season?

“From my experience, he [Simy] always scored goals. Last season he made 20 goals in the second division, and the season before it was 14. This is his time.

“Also last year Simy blossomed exactly between March and April. I regret that he isn’t scoring these goals with me on the bench, but I’m really very happy for Simy. He is a fantastic guy. He started in Crotone in the summer of 2016, but at the beginning he was the third or the fourth choice of the coach.

“He conquered all directly on the pitch. Also technically, he has improved very much, and on this one, I want to take some credit. Surely, the context of the team has helped Simy to score goals, which he does now with more expertise.

“He has to improve in heading and shooting from outside the area. But inside the area, he hardly makes mistakes: he is a killer!”.

Your best moment as his coach?

“One year ago we were together in the Serie A. As I told you earlier, Simy is a fantastic guy and I always worked very well with him. I wasn’t in Crotone when he arrived in 2016, but I know that at the beginning Simy had some problems, he wasn’t welcomed very well. He earned and conquered all.”

In your last period as Crotone coach, Simy was being put on the bench. Why this decision? Was something going wrong?

“He had to be challenged. The other striker was Riviere, but he often had injuries. Simy has a strong character, so sometimes he had to be put in discussion. Anyway, under me, he played 95 games. Also last year, sometimes he started on the bench, but then – when he came in the second half – he scored goals. This year in Serie A was more difficult, but with me Simy played from the beginning quite often”.

Simy could leave Crotone after this season. Which club do you think will be great for him?

“I think that he can play in any team. His probably departure from Crotone is very good for all the parties. Firstly for the club, which grew up with him and also for the striker. We haven’t forgotten that he is the best Nigerian striker in the history of our Serie A. He is ready for another experience”.

Exclusive Interview By Raffaele Campo

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