“He did damage to my Napoli”, then without doubts about Kvara

Francesco Calzona spills the beans on his three months at Napoli: the Slovakia coach has clarified the reasons that led to the failure of his Italian experience.

The Naples has just returned from a tenth place and a season in which three coaches have changed and is preparing to start again with a prestigious name like that of Antonio With you. Among the three coaches of last championship, the last was Francesco Calzone, coach of Slovakia who agreed to coach the Azzurri as his second assignment. Taken over from Mazzarrithe former deputy of Sarri he was unable to straighten out the fortunes of a season which, however, had already been compromised before his arrival.

The coach hit the headlines in this Euro 2024, where he managed to beat Lukaku and De Bruyne’s Belgium. The Corriere dello Sport so he interviewed him to talk about his European Championship Slovakiabut also of theItalywithout leaving out some passages about his three months in Naples.

Calzona tells everything: his three months in Naples

Calzona holds back when it comes to Slovakia in the round of 16: “Forget it, we have to meet teams that have the obligation to win to stay in the race“. He doesn’t hold back from praising the current Italy coach Spallettiwith whom he collaborated during his first season in Naples: “It made me discover a lot of new things. In particular, his fierce management of the team and the environment. He never delegates, everything happens under his control. He has a unique ability to adapt to all environments and knows how to speak to the team“.

The coach then expressed the desire not to dwell too much on his bond with Sarri and Spalletti, which he believes he has talked about excessively in recent times. Inevitably, then, the interview focuses on his experience as Napoli coach this season: “When I arrived, seven and a half months had already passed. I said over and over again that I had met difficulty and problems I didn’t expect to find“. The technician then left a surprising revelation:

“Do you know what caused the worst damage? The obligation of having to constantly chase victory, due to the largely compromised ranking. We drew 1-1 at San Siro against an Inter team fresh from fifteen victories in a row, we played a much more than decent match, but that draw was seen by the environment as a disconcerting disappointment. We were forced to win and we didn’t have a mental condition up to the task. On some occasions we also played good football, but it wasn’t enough, we needed the three points. Nothing was valued anymore. “.

The technician also adds about the spread of rumors in the environment which he says are not true:

“95% of the things that were written or told on TV were not true. Almost all of the conflicts reported from Castel Volturno did not occur. They were jokes“.

Calzona on Kvara and De Laurentiis

When it was then highlighted to him that Mazzarri, as well as Calzona himself, had highlighted that many players wanted to leave, the coach responded by commenting that this was: “a different discussion“. The coach, thus, also refuses to comment on the story Kvaratskhelia: “I had very little time available and team and ranking urgencies, I couldn’t deal with the personal problems of this or that player“. Calzona also underlined what, in his opinion, he should improve:

“You are also seeing it at the European Championships, many players have an active and systematic participation in the non-possession phase. Kvara only occasionally. And then he must learn to shoot his cartridges better in the thirty meters and be more productive in midfield. If he manages to correct these three points he will win the Ballon d’Or, I’m sure of it.”

Final emotional closure on the experience in Naples: “My daughter is crazy about Naples. She often asked me why we didn’t win, I kept the answer to myself, I don’t tell her fairy tales.” No response then up With you: “I am the man of the past. With me De Laurentiis He always had exemplary behavior. He asked questions, inquired, but never interfered. Before meeting the team he always asked. Immediately after meeting the team he explained to me what he had talked about“.