After a year that started high and ended low, Walter Mazzarri’s Napoli will be desperate to keep their heads above water in the new year.
No team has had a greater fall from grace in the last 12 months than the Partenopei, who started last year flying high under coach Luciano Spalletti. They went on to lift their first Scudetto in over three decades, but the parties in the Campania capital left a mess that is still being cleaned up.
The mistake that was Rudi Garcia’s appointment threw Napoli off base this season and forced Aurelio De Laurentiis to find a replacement, which ultimately turned out to be Mazzarri, much to everyone’s surprise.
Napoli enter 2024 sitting eighth in the Serie A table, five points behind fourth place Fiorentina. They have progressed in the Champions League, but face Xavi’s Barcelona in the Round of 16, a tough draw.
Mazzarri and the Partenopei have one goal in the new year – get through to next season with the fires contained, securing a top four spot in Serie A to allow them to regroup and rebuild over the summer before a fresh start under a new coach.