Rudi Garcia opened up about his arrival at Napoli, the atmosphere of the city and his excitement for the upcoming season.
The 59-year-old French coach was a surprise pick to replace Luciano Spalletti, who left the Partenopei at the end of this season, wanting to take a year away from football to spend with his family.
Garcia’s most recent experience in the dugout was a nine-month spell in Saudi Arabia with Al-Nassr, where he averaged 2.30 points per match across his 23 league matches. He was dismissed in mid-April.
Speaking to Napoli’s media department, Garcia first spoke about how it felt to arrive at Napoli this month.
“I have good feelings, I received a warm welcome, I thank the fans. As soon as I arrived in the city, I saw flags and banners of the Scudetto, and I must say it was a beautiful thing. You can see that you talk, eat and live football here and that’s something I like a lot.”
He touched on his expectations for his first match at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
“I know that the Napoli fans can have a big impact by putting pressure on their opponents and charging their players. I can’t wait to play my first home game. Napoli are joyful, enthusiastic music that makes you want to dance and score goals.”
The French coach spoke about his knowledge of the city and surrounding area.
“In the past I have visited Pompeii, I have seen the Amalfi Coast which is crazy. I’ve never toured Naples, in the past it was complicated, I would have done it, but I would never have thought of doing it as coach of Napoli.
“It will be complicated, but I’ll do it anyway. When I’ve done a good job and I’m resting, I’ll go and discover the city and Campania.”
Finally, Garcia sent a message to the Napoli fans.
“A big hello and thank you for the welcome. I’ll give my all to continue to see the fans happy.”
Garcia has experience in Serie A, having spent two and a half years with Roma from July 2013 to January 2016.