Aurelio De Laurentiis explains why he chose Rudi Garcia for Napoli and aims one final sideswipe at Luciano Spalletti. ‘I should thank Spalletti for saying he wanted a Sabbatical.’
The Partenopei had to find a new coach after Spalletti decided to walk away, feeling he could not do better than winning the Scudetto for the first time in 33 years.
Garcia has replaced him at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona and was presented to the media in a royal hunting lodge at Capodimonte.
“It is a regal place, so it’s as if we wanted to celebrate the success of this year and set the path for the new coach to continue our regal path for Napoli going forward,” said the President.
Once again, the patron thanked numerous people, but tried to resist saying Spalletti’s name when referring to their success, something he has already done in several interviews and press conferences.
“I think the Scudetto was the start of something that we had tried to anticipate in previous years, finally we achieved it, but we hope it was not a fluke, rather the beginning of a journey that the people of Naples deserve.
“Our first objective therefore will be trying to repeat ourselves and, I don’t want to be presumptuous, let’s say reaching the Champions League Final would be a good step.”
When De Laurentiis did mention Spalletti, it was to effectively say that his departure was good for the club.
“Contracts are worth only so much, they are there for penalties, if needed. You have to look people in the eyes. If at a certain point I ask, do you want to be part of the glory of Napoli, or are you thinking about a different situation?
“After winning the Scudetto, why was it good for me to choose Rudi? And why should I thank Spalletti for saying he wanted a Sabbatical? Because winning a Scudetto after 33 years, that can give you a sense of being sated. On the other hand, we can bring in a coach who knows how to play this violin and make it sound like a Stradivarius, who can tell the players not to rest on their laurels.
“Players are on the one hand employees, but on the other they are businesses in and of themselves. If you think your aim is to do well to then join one of the best four teams in the world, but how are you meant to do that if you don’t put in the daily effort and show respect for the club you are at? I always say, we work ultimately for the fans, who are our clients. It is our city.”
Napoli were reported to be considering numerous options for the job, including Christophe Galtier, Julian Nagelsmann, Vincenzo Italiano and Luis Enrique.
“I did not have a long casting process, I was just trying to put you in the media off. I spent three weeks organising the Scudetto celebrations, so that was a generous giving to the city, because the party we started with Napoli-Fiorentina did not feel sufficient.
“I only really started thinking about the coach from June 5, thinking about who played successfully with the 4-3-3. Many had a 4-2-3-1, a 3-4-3, 4-4-2 or other systems. It was fundamental for me to continue the system that worked with the players at our disposal.
“Rudi twice reached second place with Roma, and in the first season he had a run of 10 consecutive victories, so I thought this man was right for us. At Lyon he came close to something important in the Champions League and that is important to increase the Napoli brand in the world.
“You know how much I care about that, not because I believe in a tournament that I dislike, just as much as I dislike the European Super League, the Europa League and the Conference League. UEFA need constant reaffirmation to get votes and win elections.
“I am an innovator, just as I was in changing the kit by making it ourselves, but it’s not so easy to change football, as we need to change the minds of so many people.”
The President described an immediate bond with Garcia when they met to discuss terms.
“I admired his spontaneity, as it felt like we’d known each other for a long time, that we’d met in the past. I was like a well-oiled mechanism with no difficulties.”