Football. Just two days prior to Napoli’s first leg match in the Champions League round of 16 against Barcelona on Wednesday, a significant change was announced. Napoli’s club boss, Aurelio De Laurentits, decided to change the coach. It was a rather surprising move considering that just last season, everything seemed to be going well for the football team in Naples. They had even won their first championship since 1990, which had the city in a state of euphoria. But things took a turn when the 64-year-old master coach, Luciano Spalletti, declared he was tired and needed a break. He decided to take up the role of Italian team boss in August. His successor was Rudi Garcia. However, his stint was short-lived as he had to leave in November.
Francesco Calzona becomes the third coach for Naples this season
By the time Garcia left, Naples was in the fourth position. However, they were already lagging behind Inter by ten points after just twelve rounds. Walter Mazzarri, who had previously managed Naples from 2009 to 2013, was chosen as the next coach. Unfortunately, the anticipated upswing didn’t happen. Currently, Naples stands at the ninth position, trailing Inter by 27 points after 24 rounds. In a bid to change things around, Francesco Calzona has been appointed as the coach. The 55-year-old has been the team boss for Slovakia since 2022 and had previously served as assistant coach for Naples between 2015 and 2018, and again between 2021 and 2022.
Football legend Marek Hamsik recommended the team boss
Marek Hamsik, a football legend, recommended Calzona for the job. The 36-year-old Hamsik, who recently retired, had spent close to twelve years with Naples. He has played in 136 international matches, which lends a lot of weight to his opinion. As of now, Calzona will be managing the Slovaks at the European Championships and will also oversee the match against Austria in Bratislava on March 23rd. Before this match, there is a series of challenging matches for Calzona and Naples against Barcelona, Juventus, and Inter. It is hoped that his contract with the Slovaks, which is for the World Cup qualification and begins after the European Championships, will end with his tenure in Naples in the summer.
“We don’t have that many coaches on hand,” asserts Marian Tomcak, a Slovakian TV football expert. He points out that Vladimir Weiss, who guided the Slovaks to the World Cup round of 16 in 2010, is currently coaching Sturm’s European Cup opponents Slovan Bratislava.
