Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Ifeanyi Ibeh
Published on 2024-02-20 10:51:43
Napoli have made the decision to sack manager Walter Mazzarri, in addition to bringing in Slovakia national team coach Francesco Calzona. This move marks the third manager that Napoli will be playing under this season and comes just two days before they are set to host Barcelona in the Champions League. The decision to replace Mazzarri with Calzona has been made as the Italian team continues to struggle in Serie A.
Mazzarri took over as manager in November after Rudi Garcia was dismissed. However, Napoli’s performance in Serie A has faltered, leading to the decision to bring in Calzona to take over the team. This marks the first time that Napoli has had three different coaches during a season since the club was restructured in 2004. The last time this occurred was in 1997, when they had four different coaches throughout the season.
Aurelio De Laurentiis, the owner of Napoli, expressed gratitude towards Mazzarri for his contributions to the team during a difficult period. De Laurentiis also confirmed that Calzona has been hired and will assume his role as manager for Wednesday night’s match. Despite the decision to replace Mazzarri, De Laurentiis expressed that it is always difficult to terminate the services of a friend.
Francesco Calzona previously served as an assistant under Maurizio Sarri at Napoli and has a notable achievement from guiding Slovakia to Euro 2024. He will continue to manage Slovakia while also taking on the duties at Napoli. His role as manager for both teams until the end of the season is an unprecedented move for Serie A.
Napoli’s performance has significantly declined since the departure of the title-winning coach Spalletti. The team has had a challenging season, winning only four of their 12 league matches under Mazzarri’s leadership. Additionally, they have fallen behind in the race for next season’s Champions League, trailing nine points behind fourth-placed Atalanta and Bologna in fifth.
Despite the uncertainty surrounding Napoli, Calzona will have an opportunity to make his debut in Serie A with upcoming fixtures against relegation-threatened Cagliari and Sassuolo. It is clear that the team is in need of a turnaround in order to improve their performance and compete effectively in both domestic and international competitions.
