Napoli President Aurelio De Laurentiis explains why he opted not to fire Rudi Garcia after a run of poor results. ‘A change of coach is always traumatic and there aren’t many who use the 4-3-3 with a high press.’
The patron spent weeks over the summer trying to find the right replacement when Luciano Spalletti asked to be released from his contract after winning the club’s first Serie A title in over 30 years.
Garcia was not one of the favourites, but was appointed and his position was placed in doubt after a difficult start to the campaign in Serie A and the Champions League.
“I read all sorts of things after the defeat to Fiorentina,” De Laurentiis told reporters at the Castel Volturno training ground today.
“In life you can have doubts and must evaluate your performance, if there were any errors then I take responsibility. The decisions made over the summer were mine, obviously along with my collaborators.
“But that’s a long way from sacking the manager… A change of coach is always traumatic and there aren’t many around who use the 4-3-3 system with a high press, like Sarri and Spalletti.
“I had a lot of things to deal with lately, but now I am back and am close to the squad to give them a sense of calm.”
That sense of calm is what De Laurentiis claims the local media have not helped create in a notoriously temperamental environment.
“We are Napoli, we have qualified in Europe for 15 years in a row. We cannot scream that the house is burning down every time a tiny piece of paper catches fire. We are the fire brigade, decisions must be made calmly and without mistakes dictated by hastiness.”
De Laurentiis also commented on the growing investigation into players gambling and suggested why no Napoli stars have yet been involved.
“I have always been very careful to sign players with a family background and geographical provenance that assured me. I care a great deal about the culture of fair play, Napoli also engage in a sort of ‘surveillance’ action on athletes. I think my players are good lads with strong families behind them.
“Naturally, dealing with suddenly becoming rich is another problem. If someone does not have other interests, they could be blinded by something else.”