Napoli switched things up on the bench again on Monday, going from Walter Mazzarri to Francesco Calzona. It marks the first time they have had three different coaches during a season since Aurelio De Laurentiis re-created the club in 2004 after they had gone bankrupt, Il Mattino informs.
In general, it last happened in 1997, when they had four: Bortolo Mutti helmed them for the first six games, Carlo Mazzone until the ninth round, Giovanni Galeone was sacked after the 19th matchday, and finally Vincenzo Montefusco until. They got relegated to Serie B, finishing dead last with 14 points.
In addition, Calzona is managing both Napoli and a national team, Slovakia. It is a first for Serie A in the modern era. He joins a select list that comprises Guus Hiddink, Sir Alex Ferguson, Fatih Terih, Ralf Rangnick, Rinus Michels, Fabio Cannavaro, and Dick Advocaat, Goal informs.
The Federation made it clear that it greenlighted double duties only until the end of the season and that the coach would be available to tend to his commitments at all times.
De Laurentiis motivated the decision to Sky.
“Mazzarri is a friend of the family, and it’s always tough to fire one of those. I thanked him since he helped us during a difficult moment. However, Napoli always need to give their fans something more, and we must fully back Calzona now. He knows 80 percent of the group. Time is a gentleman and will tell whether he’s the right choice.”
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