Napoli director Mauro Meluso feels the team is ‘on the right track’ under new coach Francesco Calzona and insists Kvicha Kvaratskhelia ‘did not behave unprofessionally’ against Barcelona.
The match with Cagliari kicks off at the Unipol Domus Stadium in Sardinia at 14.00 GMT.
New coach Calzona made his debut in the Champions League 1-1 draw with Barcelona on Wednesday evening, barely 48 hours after being appointed to replace Walter Mazzarri.
This is his first Serie A match and he brings Piotr Zielinski and Giacomo Raspadori back into the starting XI, missing suspended Giovanni Di Lorenzo and injured Cyril Ngonge.
“Calzona starts with a huge advantage, having worked here recently, so he already knows most of the players and the environment around the club,” Meluso told DAZN.
“Having seen even just a few training sessions, we already feel that the team is on the right track.”
Calzona was at Napoli both as an assistant manager to Maurizio Sarri, but above all to Luciano Spalletti in the 2021-22 campaign.
He left before the Scudetto season in order to become the coach of the Slovakia international squad, a job he continues to hold in conjunction with the Napoli role.
There was some controversy during the Barcelona match when Kvaratskhelia stormed off angrily as he was substituted in the 1-1 draw.
“Kvara did not behave unprofessionally. I think any player is not happy to be substituted, whether he did well or badly. By his own admission, he confessed that he was angry because his own performance had not been up to his usual standards,” assured Meluso.
“An off day can happen, even for a champion, but he did not protest the decision of the coach.”