After Saturday’s draw to Genoa at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, rumours have begun to swirl about the possible dismissal of supposed caretaker coach Walter Mazzarri. Mazzarri returned to Napoli after a Matchday 12 defeat to Empoli that left the reigning champions fourth in the table, 10 points behind league leaders Inter. In his 12 league matches in charge, Napoli have managed only four wins and three draws, tumbling to ninth in the table.
It’s long been a foregone conclusion that Napoli will not retain the Scudetto – the gap to the top has become a 27-point chasm. Worse yet, even if Serie A earns a fifth Champions League spot, the Azzurri’s chances of qualifying for Europe’s grandest competition have quickly faded. In-form Atalanta and Bologna, who occupy the fourth and fifth spots in the Serie A table, have opened up a 9-point lead over Napoli.
Perhaps the biggest concern for Aurelio De Laurentiis is his team’s sudden inability to score. Mazzarri’s Napoli have managed only eight goals, compared to 24 scored under Rudi Garcia over the same number of league matches. Though Mazzari’s had a more difficult schedule than his predecessor and has rarely had last season’s Capocannoniere at his disposal, his team has failed to score in 9 of his 17 matches (53%) across all competitions. Four of the six scoreless outings (against Inter (twice), Juventus and Roma) happened with Victor Osimhen in the squad.
It’s unlikely that De Laurentiis will change coaches prior to Napoli’s Champions League clash against Barcelona on Wednesday. However, he could make the decision shortly thereafter if the Azzurri again fail to earn a positive result at home.
One of the names currently linked to the role is Francesco Calzona. Calzona is certainly no stranger to Napoli, serving as an assistant to Maurizio Sarri and Luciano Spalletti for Napoli’s five best seasons (by point total) in the three-points-for-a-win era.
That success has continued in international play. Since taking the helm of the Slovakia national team in 2022, Calzona has a record of seven wins, four draws and three losses – an average of 1.79 points per game. Two of those losses were against a formidable Portugal side, who were the only team to finish ahead of Slovakia in Euro 2024 Qualifying Group J.
For that very reason, though, it’s unlikely that Calzona would be a permanent replacement for Mazzarri. The long-time assistant to Maurizio Sarri will not relinquish an opportunity to coach in a major international tournament in exchange for a four-month contract with his former club. However, a temporary arrangement, whereby Calzona coaches Napoli until June before returning to Slovakia, remains a possibility. Slovakia have only two friendly matches (against Austria and Norway in late March) between now and the Euros.
According to Italian journalist Matteo Moretto, the Slovakia Football Federation has given Calzona the green light to pursue the double coaching role. Additionally, Moretto reports that Calzona’s coaching staff would include former athletic trainer Francesco Sinatti and former captain Marek Hamšík. Both Calzona and Hamšík, who introduced Calzona to the Slovakia Football Federation, are expected to be guests of De Laurentiis on Wednesday. The original purpose of their visit was to observe the regista of Calzona’s 4-3-3 formation, Stanislav Lobotka. Perhaps the trio will discuss the possibility of saving Napoli as well.
