Mazzarri has managed to reintroduce his old form and restored verve to a Napoli side that seemed dull. Could such a coach’s choice make it possible to win a Champions League spot?
And in the end, Walter Mazzarri rebelled against De Laurentiis and Spalletti’s 4-3-3: with courage the new Napoli coach returned to his old tactical concepts, with the three-man defense and restarts. Salvatore Aronica, a former defender of the Azzurri team, spoke about it to the microphones of TvPlay, then focused on the Scudetto fight.
The first topic Aronica touched on was referees: “In the period when I played in Serie A there was a lot of psychological subordination. I used to play in small clubs and I used to pay duties. The small ones have always been little listened to in the League and in the important buildings. It is different if Empoli or Verona is wronged rather than Inter, Juve or Napoli.”
According to the former footballer, Napoli is in crisis because although it is not too different a team from last year’s, it has lost two key men. “It all starts from far away, from the end of last season, with the goodbyes of Spalletti and Giuntoli after winning the Scudetto. There it became clear that something was changing. Continuing to work on the same project with different technician as Rudi Garcia is made the Azzurri start again without conditions of cause.”
“Napoli went into crisis with the game lost on the road and the results that were not coming. Factors, these, that led the club to intervene with the change of coach, entrusting the team to Walter Mazzarri. It is never easy for a coach to change right away. And then there is to say that Mazzarri immediately faced difficult matches. “
Mazzarri changes form: “He’s back at it because of absences, but now he can clinch a Champions League spot. “
For Aronica, the Super Cup in Arabia was not a bad show: “I liked the format, with an intriguing and more competitive mini-tournament. We saw some good competitions. Mazzarri had to make a virtue of necessity given the injuries and absentees. In the final he suffered Inter’s play but the refereeing aspect was incisive. However, Inter deserved the Super Cup, they are a team that leads the way in Italy with only Juve that can give them a hard time. “
According to the interviewee, Mazzarri changed form, returning to a three-man defense, mainly because of absences. “However, I was pleased to see Napoli with the module that has marked his career after starting with the 4-3-3 in the wake of Spalletti and Garcia. As an experienced coach he redesigned something to have a more effective Napoli. Against Fiorentina he had succeeded by harnessing Italiano. With Inter he tried again but it went badly.”
“I think the title will be won by Juve who are in condition and have no European commitments, Allegri has given a soul to this team. Inter, on the other hand, will lose ground. Napoli will have to achieve Europe qualification; fourth place is not far away and I think Mazzarri, knowing him, will be able to achieve it also thanks to the new signings. “