Napoli sacked Italian coach Walter Mazzarri on Monday and announced their third coach of the season, Italian Francesco Calzona, a familiar face for the team. Calzona will juggle his role with coaching Slovakia until the end of the season and will make his debut this Wednesday against Barcelona in the Champions League Round of 16.

"I thank Walter Mazzarri, a friend of the De Laurentiis family and Napoli, for supporting the team in a complex moment. He will remain in the hearts of the Neapolitans and our family," said Aurelio de Laurentiis, the club president, through 'X'.

Joao Félix Returns Two Days Before Champions League Match with Napoli

"Welcome back Francesco Calzona, who has worked with us with Sarri and Spalletti," added the president.

The situation in Naples has been untenable this season. Just two days before a Champions League Round of 16 match, Aurelio De Laurentiis dismissed his second coach of the campaign, as Mazzarri replaced Frenchman Rudi
García, who started the season.

Mazzarri failed to turn around the terrible start of his predecessor, whom he replaced in November, and the recent draw against Genoa (1-1), with a goal from Belgian Cyril Ngonge in the last minute, was the trigger for De Laurentiis to seriously consider a coaching change, despite the risky situation of handing the team to a coach with no time to work before the Barcelona match.

Napoli Consider Firing Coach Ahead of Barcelona clash

The move comes after Mazzarri's poor results, which do not improve on García's. In 17 games played, he has won only six, drawn three, and lost eight, placing the team ninth in Serie A, 5 points away from European spots and 9 away from the Champions League.

Among the defeats are a humiliating elimination in the Italian Cup against Frosinone (0-4), the Supercoppa Italiana final, and losses in the domestic league against Inter, Juve, Roma, and Milan.

The identity crisis Napoli is going through since the departure of Italian Luciano Spalletti, the current coach of Italy who won the historic 'Scudetto' last season, is taking a toll in Naples.

The new coach, like Mazzarri and García, has been part of Napoli before.

Calzona was the assistant to Italian Maurizio Sarri, the current coach of Lazio, during his time at Napoli (2015-2018), and to Luciano Spalletti (2021-22) until he received the call from Slovakia in 2022.

In his time as the Slovak national team coach, he has played 14 matches, winning seven, drawing four, and losing three, earning Slovakia a spot in the upcoming Euro Cup.

Now, the new leader on the Vesuvius bench has Tuesday's training session to get to know the squad and prepare for the crucial match this Wednesday against Barcelona at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.