On Tuesday, the Serie A champions, Napoli, officially announced that they have hired their former manager, Walter Mazzarri, as their new coach.
The 62-year-old has replaced Rudi Garcia as coach after the team’s loss to Empoli, leaving last year’s champions with 21 points, 10 behind current leaders Internazionale. Napoli has suffered three losses in their first 12 league games, with the other two defeats happening at home against Lazio and Fiorentina. They have also drawn three games, currently sitting in fourth place, two points behind third-placed Milan and eight points behind second-placed Juventus.
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Napoli’s disappointing start to the season reached a new low on Sunday with a 1-0 loss to Empoli at home. Despite Garcia’s tactics, the team was unable to secure a win against the 17th place team in the standings.
In June, Garcia became the manager of Napoli following the resignation of Luciano Spalletti. Under Spalletti, Napoli had won their first Scudetto in 1990, but now they are in danger of losing their position in the title race this season. At this point last year, Napoli had a strong record of 10 wins and two draws, remaining unbeaten in Serie A.
After managing Napoli from 2009-2013, Mazzarri has returned for a second stint with the team. During his initial season (2009-2010), he led them to a sixth place finish, and in the following season, he helped them qualify for the group stage of the Champions League.
The Italian football team, Juventus, has extended Nicolò Fagioli’s contract until June 2028. This comes after the midfielder was banned for seven months by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) for breaking betting rules. Fagioli’s previous contract, which was signed in August 2022, was set to expire in 2026.
Source: theguardian.com
