Won the cup in 2012
This article was first published on November 13th at 1 p.m. and has been updated following the coaching change.
According to consistent reports from Italy, coach Rudi Garcia was about to be fired from SSC Napoli. This step has now been officially taken. The 59-year-old was considered a favorite to succeed the 59-year-old – among other things, loudly Fabrizio Romano – first of all, Igor Tudor, who is currently without a club. Napoli reportedly held concrete contract discussions with the 45-year-old Croatian, who most recently worked at Olympique Marseille. Ultimately, the Italian champions decided on Walter Mazzarri.
“La Gazzetta dello Sport” named Fabio Cannavaro as an alternative candidate. The 50-year-old Italian, world footballer in 2006, was born in Naples and played there in his youth. He coached Benevento Calcio in Serie B until February 2023, but was unable to achieve any success with the team that was later relegated. “Two natural leaders, two profoundly different styles of coaching,” wrote the leaf about Tudor and Cannavaro.
Italian media then unanimously reported on Tuesday that Mazzarri should return to the Napoli coaching bench. The 62-year-old last worked for Cagliari Calcio in the 2021/22 season, but only scored an average of 0.88 points in 34 games. The Rossoblù were relegated from Serie A at the time. From October 2009 to May 2013, Mazzarri was in the Napoli dugout and won the cup in 2012. In 182 games there was an average of 1.74 points. He has now signed a contract until the end of the season. According to reports, the length of the working paper was the sticking point for Tudor, who only wanted to sign for two years.
SSC Napoli as defending champions is already far behind Inter and Juventus
After the home defeat against FC Empoli (0-1) on Sunday, club president Aurelio De Laurentiis made the decision to release the Frenchman Garcia, who had only signed up for master coach Luciano Spalletti in the summer, from his duties. In Serie A, the team is in fourth place behind Inter, Juventus and Milan. In Champions League Group A, second place behind Real Madrid awaits the round of 16. The club boss had spoken to Antonio Conte a few weeks ago, but he said he was not available. In contrast to the Bundesliga, for example, in Italy it is not possible to detach a coach from a competitor during the season, which is why candidates mentioned in the summer such as Thiago Motta or Vincenzo Italiano were not considered.
Garcia won eight wins and four draws in 16 competitive games with SSC Napoli, his points average is 1.75 – his predecessor Spalletti was 2.1. The 64-year-old announced a break with Napoli after the championship, despite a valid contract until 2024. De Laurentiis agreed to a sabbatical. For his part, Spalletti stated that he would not look after any other team next season. However, the trainer took over the Italian national team at the beginning of September. Italian media are unanimously reporting that a fine will be due for a new coaching job in 2023/2024 – allegedly in the amount of several million euros.
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