Francesco Calzona, who recently concluded his tenure as the coach of the Slovakian national team, has expressed his strong desire to return to club management. While Italy remains his preferred destination, he is also open to a new coaching experience in another country.
The 57-year-old tactician previously served as an assistant coach to prominent managers like Maurizio Sarri, Eusebio Di Francesco, and Luciano Spalletti before taking on the significant role of leading the Slovakia national team in 2022. He held this position until recently, with a brief interlude between February and June 2024 when he also served as the interim coach for Napoli.
Calzona Yearns for Serie A Opportunity
Speaking about his experience with the national team, Calzona shared with Sky Sport Italia Unplugged, “National team football offers a great deal, but it also takes away a lot. There are only games every three or four months, and when you finally get the players together, there’s very little time to implement any work or instill an identity in the team.”
He elaborated on the challenges, stating, “We had 22 out of 27 players spread across various different leagues, making it incredibly difficult to bring them together. However, it was a satisfying experience.”
Contrasting this with club management, Calzona emphasized, “Club football is an entirely different matter; you are on the field every day, and this is what someone in our profession truly wants to be doing.”
Now a free agent after declining a contract extension with Slovakia, Calzona is contemplating his next career move. “I would like to return to club football, and Italy is my priority,” he stated, adding, “although I don’t mind another experience abroad. It was a fantastic experience in Slovakia.” He also commented on the tactical sophistication of Serie A, noting, “Serie A is difficult tactically, as the coaches are very well-prepared, and there are so many talented bosses here.”
Addressing the current state of Italian football, Calzona believes the focus should be on nurturing young talent. “I don’t agree that there are too many foreign players in Italy, nor that we lack homegrown talent. We need more courage to play youngsters because, if you look at the results, Italy’s youth teams are doing extremely well,” he explained. “We just need to have the patience and allow them the opportunity to make mistakes. It’s really about courage.”
Reflecting on his time at Napoli and working with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who is now making a significant impact at Paris Saint-Germain, Calzona remarked, “I think it’s in his DNA to reach the levels he is achieving; he’s a fantastic player with extraordinary qualities. Unfortunately, it wasn’t possible to keep him in Italy, but he’s a protagonist in the Champions League. If Georgia had qualified for the World Cup, you could have been talking about him winning the Ballon d’Or.”