Napoli sack manager Walter Mazzarri 2 days before UEFA Champions League game

Napoli have sacked their manager Walter Mazzarri, the club announced on Monday, two days before playing against Barcelona at home in the first-leg game of the UEFA Champions League round of 16.

Francesco Calzona, the incumbent boss of the Slovenian national team, will succeed Mazzarri, Napoli said. Calzona will continue to work with Slovenia at the upcoming UEFA European Championship in Germany.

Napoli's underperformance this season must be one of the reasons behind the removal of Mazzarri. As the reigning Serie A champions, they are currently in ninth place in the league with only 36 points after 24 games, 27 points behind leaders Inter Milan.

Napoli won only six of the 17 games under Mazzarri, who took over in November 2023 from Rudi Garcia on a seven-month contract. The 1-1 draw with Genoa at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium on February 17 was the last straw that broke the camel's back.

Luciano Spalletti, who led Napoli to win their third Serie A title in history in 2022-23, decided to part ways with the club after that and took charge of the Italian national team.

Calzona was part of Spalletti's coaching staff before he was appointed manager of Slovenia in 2022. His first test, which will be a big one, is to host Barca at home on Wednesday. Despite their poor performance in Serie A this season, Napoli managed to reach the Round of 16 in the Champions League after finishing in second place in Group C behind Real Madrid.

Though it's unlikely for Napoli to return to the Serie A title race this season, their hopes of securing a Champions League berth for 2024-25 are not zero. They are nine points behind Atalanta, who are in fourth place at the moment. Their future opponents include Juventus, Inter, Atalanta, AS Roma and Bologna, all in the league's top six.