Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis met with the media today to present the club’s new manager, Rudi Garcia, following the departure of Luciano Spalletti.
To the surprise of many, the Partenopei announced the appointment of the Frenchman this weekend following an extensive yet expedited search for a new coach.
“I told you I didn’t want this to be a long search otherwise you (the media) would have tormented every day,” joked De Laurentiis.
“I started by evaluating coaches that had success in playing with a 4-3-3 formation. Most of the managers I looked at played a 4-2-3-1, 3-4-3, or 4-4-2–for me, it was essential maintain the current set-up with the players we have.”
He continued, “Look at the success he had at Roma, especially in the season where they began by winning ten games in a row. Let’s also not forget what he achieved in the Champions League with Lyon.”
“After looking at everything he’s done, something told me he was the right person for the job.”
Then it was Garcia’s turn to take the floor and outline the objectives he has for the team following their Scudetto success this past season.
“De Laurentiis has set a pretty high bar,” he said. “The dream is to win trophies.”
“First I want to applaud the club for winning their first Scudetto in 33 years. A team like Napoli must play in the Champions League every single year while being an important club in this country.”
“Winning will give the team confidence but we’ll start from scratch once the new season officially starts. We’ll have to put last season behind us because you won’t win if you rest on your laurels and don’t put in the hard work needed for success.”
Adding, “This is a squad with a lot of depth–players on the bench that can turn the tides of a game, this is important. My teams like to attack, score goals, then do everything needed to manage the game.”
“The president will give me a quality team, one which we’ll be able to entertain the supporters with. I’m excited to get started.”
