Napoli Fires Rudi Garcia And Reappoints Former Coach Walter Mazzarri

Serie A title holders Napoli have brought back Walter Mazzarri as their new coach, the club confirmed two days after the 0-1 loss to Empoli.

The former English Premier League boss has taken over from Rudi Garcia and is the Azzurri’s third senior coaching change in five months. With Napoli trailing league-leaders Inter Milan by 10 points, Garcia’s axing transpired after a run of poor home form which included a 1-1 draw to Union Berlin in the UEFA Champions League (UCL).

President Aurelio De Laurentiis confirmed the club’s decision three months into the season, releasing this official statement moments before Mazzarri was announced.

“Societá Sportiva Calcio Napoli has decided to remove Mr Rudi Garcia from the role of head coach. We thank him and his staff for the collaboration shown until now,” the statement reads.

Garcia signed a two-year deal that was due to expire in June 2025. The 59-year-old leaves Napoli in fourth place with 21 points after 12 rounds, 11 less than at the same stage of last season when Luciano Spalletti was at the helm. Under Garcia, Napoli scored 24 times and conceded 13 goals in Serie A, a negative turnaround of six and four respectively. With the most difficult fortnight of the club’s season coming up, De Laurentiis saw fit to make the change, taking advantage of the 13-day international break in which Alex Meret, Giacomo Raspadori, Matteo Politano and Giovanni Di Lorenzo rejoin Spalletti on international duty with the Italian team.

Unsurprisingly, De Laurentiis’ handling of Spalletti’s contract renewal in June came under scrutiny, with some predicting that Garcia’s appointment would end in disaster.

With many perceiving Mazzarri’s return as nothing more than an interim coaching role, the move by De Laurentiis had a mixed reception with fans on social media. However, the 62-year-old’s reputation throughout the city of Naples is still intact after winning Napoli’s first Italian Cup in 25 years, defeating traditional rival Juventus 2-0 in 2012.

At the beginning of that spell, Mazzarri debuted with a sixth-place finish in 2009-10 before guiding Napoli to Champions League qualification the following campaign, a stunning transition for a club that fell to bankruptcy in 2004.

Mazzarri’s earlier tenure was best remembered for his free-flowing, attacking brand of football spearheaded by Edinson Cavani, Ezequiel Lavezzi and Marek Hamsik, the Three Tenors netting 182 goals collectively throughout that period. During the 2012-13 season, Mazzarri took Napoli to a second-place finish in Serie A, the club’s best performance since the Scudetto triumph of 1990.

Why Mazzarri?

At this stage of the season, there are slim pickings on offer. Former Marseille coach, Igor Tudor, was linked with the job but insisted on a two-year deal, whereas Mazzarri was happy to sign a seven-month agreement. While Antonio Conte refuses to take over the project during the season, he’s reportedly keen to begin the 2024-25 campaign. Fiorentina’s Vincenzo Italiano and Bologna’s Thiago Motta, along with Paris Saint Germain’s Luis Enrique, were on Napoli’s shortlist and could be approached again in the summer.

Undoubtedly, nostalgic Napoli fans are hopeful that Mazzarri can rewind the clock to mirror the magic of a decade ago. The Neapolitan defence needs cohesion, the frontline inspiration. Raspadori and Politano both kept good form under Garcia, while Ballon d’Or stars Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and $213M Victor Osimhen were at odds with the French tactician.

Overseeing 89 wins, 49 draws and 44 defeats during his first Napoli term, Mazzarri was courted by Inter in 2014 before moving to Watford, then Torino. He has been unemployed since May 2022 when Cagliari sacked him three weeks before they were relegated to Serie B.

Baptism of fire

Mazzarri’s main tasks are to ensure Napoli qualifies for the UCL knockout stages and close the gap on third-placed Milan. There are still 26 rounds remaining in the Serie A season, however, considering Inter’s scintillating form, few expect Napoli to make up the the ten-point deficit required to defend their title.

Mazzarri will make his 2023-24 debut on the bench at Atalanta before three successive blockbusters against Real Madrid (UCL), Inter and Juventus.