Italian journalist Massimiliano Gallo reflected on Walter Mazzarri’s return to the Champions League at the helm of Napoli, weighing in on his turbulent career.
The Partenopei can guarantee their spot in the Round of 16 of Europe’s premier club competition with a win away to group leaders Real Madrid. A Braga defeat to Union Berlin would also send the Scudetto holders through to the knockout stages.
Regardless of their decent European campaign, Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis decided to sack coach Rudi Garcia earlier this month, bringing back Mazzarri to replace the Frenchman.
The 62-year-old had previously found success during his four-year spell with Napoli from 2009 to 2013, but his career afterward soon petered out, with the tactician failing to recapture the magic shown in Campania.
Now Mazzarri has been given another chance at the highest level, returning to the Champions League with an away trip to Real Madrid, a true test of his and Napoli’s mettle.
Writing on page 15 of today’s Corriere dello Sport, journalist Gallo gave his thoughts on Mazzarri’s return to the Champions League.
“There is only one detail that separates Woody Allen from Walter Mazzarri. And it’s that which the famous director has already dedicated a film to the theme of luck, or more precisely of chance: Match Point.
“Symbolized by the ball that touches the tape and can decide whether to finish its run in the opponent’s half or remain in yours.
“Woody would be fascinated by the story of Mazzarri, who twenty days ago was a country gentleman trying to make the life that was happening to him go well, and this evening he will cross the locker room of the Santiago Bernabeu and go to sit on the bench, a few meters from Carlo Ancelotti, leading the strongest team that has ever happened to him.
“Seen from Mazzarri’s side, what happened to him is above all a form of compensation. He deserved to get there much earlier at the Bernabeu.
“But what he mistook ten years ago for a shortcut to the elite of football (i.e. the Inter bench), in reality turned out to be a bumpy path that took him to the dirt roads that he had tamed with so much effort, self-sacrifice and bloodshed to gain the fame he deserved.
“With one substantial difference: Reggina, Sampdoria, Napoli themselves were stages that he had travelled with the enthusiasm and strength of someone who feels that he is gaining notoriety.
“Years later, from Inter onwards, it’s as if he had faced the same roads with the contrary wind, in the rear, knowing he had very little chance of returning to the head of the group. They are not pleasant feelings.”