Mazzarri Returns To Napoli After Ten Years

Napoli has employed their third coach in five months

Walter Mazzarri 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.

Read the full article by David Ferrini on Forbes SportsMoney