“You can make a wife stay with money, but if she’s decided to sleep with someone else, she’ll sleep with someone else.”
Those were the words of Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurenitis after manager Walter Mazzarri decided to leave for greener pastures at Inter Milan. A second place finish in Serie A in 2012-13 was not enough to keep the tactician in Naples, and in need of a new challenge, Mazzarri will look to re-invent the Nerazzurri.
Napoli were left to find a new bench boss, and once De Laurenitis failed in his attempts to lure Cesare Prandelli away from the Italian national team, he settled on his second choice, Rafa Benitez.
There is no doubt Benitez is one of the most polarizing figures in European club soccer. He should be lauded for the job he did at Chelsea — winning the Europa League, and finishing third in the Premiership is no small feat. He even won over some of the Chelsea faithful who despised him from his Liverpool days.
But with his previous brief stint in Italy, which came in 2010 at Inter, being viewed as a complete failure, the question must be asked: is Rafa Benitez the right man for the Partenopei?
For Napoli, this must be viewed as quite the coup. De Laurenitis is a famous movie producer in Italy and certainly knows what a big name can do for club’s notoriety.
Love him or hate him, Benitez is a big name. Not only is De Laurenitis banking on this bringing more supporters to the San Paolo, but he is also hoping that it will attract some big name players.
European experience
Mazzarri did a wonderful job in Naples, guiding them to Champions League qualification twice in three seasons, and also winning them their first major trophy (the 2012 Coppa Italia) since the Diego Maradona glory days. However, Mazzarri never seemed to be able to take the next step with Napoli, and showed an inability to rotate his squad when competing in Europe.
Benitez, you can argue, won’t have similar problems. With a small squad at Chelsea this season, he found a way to rotate and compete on all fronts. He also has the pedigree of winning a European trophy with three different teams.
Tactically, it is assumed that Benitez will have to make a lot of changes in the squad. Since Napoli’s return to Italy’s top flight, they have played with a three-man defence. Benitez will likely go with four at the back, meaning the current squad makeup is not tailor-made for the Spaniard’s style.
Mazzarri was most notable for his attacking style of play. Benitez will demand defensive responsibility from players, and is very adamant his squad keep its shape at all times. Undergoing this change in mentality will be difficult for Napoli, and it’s also why we can expect to see a lot of new faces at the San Paolo next season.
This is a very similar situation for Benitez as the one at Chelsea because he went to Stamford Bridge with so much baggage from his time at Liverpool. In this case, his tenure at Inter has left a lot of doubters questioning whether or not he can succeed in the Italian game.
In truth, he went to Inter at the worst possible time. He followed Jose Mourinho who had won the treble in 2009-10, and Inter owner Massimo Moratti refused to open up the purse strings for the Spaniard. Benitez won the Italian Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup at Inter, but was fired over his public complaints about a lack of transfer funds.
Fortunately for Benitez that should not be a problem at Napoli this summer. The club has turned a profit in every season since returning to Serie A in 2007. More important, extra funds may be made available at the cost of star striker Edinson Cavani.
The €63M buyout clause in the Uruguayan forward’s contract has yet to be met, but it is certainly one of the transfer sagas of the summer to watch. Napoli will re-invest that money, though, and this is another opportunity for Benitez to prove his doubters wrong as he did at Chelsea.
If he is given time to build this squad to his specifications, he can achieve great things at Napoli. This is a team on the brink of taking that next step from pretenders to contenders, and Benitez is the right man for that job.
Dan Riccio is the host of the European Football Weekly podcast on Sportsnet 590 The FAN. Listen to the podcast HERE and follow Dan on Twitter.