Slovakia back in focus for multi-tasking coach Calzona

Slovakia booked their place at a third successive European Championship finals with a slick showing in the qualifiers under former coffee salesman Francesco Calzona and will expect to advance from Group E in Germany.

They have Romania, Ukraine and Belgium in their section and open their campaign against the Belgians in Frankfurt on June 17.

The team is managed by Italian Calzona, who finished the season in a dual role as coach of Serie A side Napoli when he replaced Walter Mazzarri in February.

Calzona’s focus has therefore been away from the national team to a degree, bar keeping an eye on Stanislav Lobotka, who has been a key part of the Naples club’s midfield this season.

"Putting together 25-30 players from at least 11 or 12 different championships with different roles and mentalities was the hardest part," Calzona previously told Reuters of the successful qualification campaign.

"Getting them to all think along the same lines, and in a short time, was really difficult. But we always play to win."

Calzona admits his time as a coffee salesman 20 years ago left its mark on him.

"That period made me understand many things, it was a fantastic experience," he said. "Still some customers call me asking for coffee."

He was appointed by Slovakia in August 2022, becoming the first coach of non-Czechoslovak origin in the country’s history.

SMOOTH QUALIFICATION

The team qualified for Germany with some ease, winning seven and drawing one of their 10 games and finishing behind group winners Portugal, who had a 100 per cent record.

Defensively solid but not all that eye-catching in attack, they share the goals around, with winger Lukas Haraslin leading their scorers' list in the qualifiers with three in five games.

Long-time number one