In the wake of his dismissal as Napoli’s coach ahead of their Champions League match against Barcelona on Wednesday night, Walter Mazzarri has voiced his sadness.
Following Napoli’s 1-1 tie with Genoa in their Serie A match on Saturday, Mazzarri was fired.
The 62-year-old was brought in to take Rudi Garcia’s position after he was fired earlier this season. However, Mazzarri resigned from his position following a string of disappointing performances that left Napoli in ninth place, 27 points behind Inter Milan, the clear leaders.
Mazzarri’s choice at Napoli has been met with dismay from the former Torino manager, despite the fact that the club has now named a new manager to take his position.
According to La Repubblica via GIFN, Mazzarri was hoping to manage Napoli’s clash against Barcelona at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium on Wednesday night.
It was believed that the Italian tactician was hoping to have Super Eagles star Victor Osimhen back for the clash after he missed the 1-1 draw against Genoa.
“I was hoping to manage against Barcelona with Victor Osimhen on the pitch,” Mazzari said as per GIFN.
However, Mazzari will not get his wish as Napoli have already appointed Slovakia boss Francesco Calzona as their new manager until the end of the season.
Why Osimhen missed Genoa Clash
Osimhen was in the stands for Napoli’s clash against Genoa as he only returned from the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, helping Nigeria reach the final.
The Nigerian striker arrived back at the club tired after playing in all of Nigeria’s seven games at the biennial competition.
There had even been doubts over his availability for the Champions League clash against Barcelona, but he is set to feature as Napoli look to put their season back on track.
