Benitez nabs Napoli job
Serie A runners-up Napoli this week snapped up Rafa Benitez
as their new head coach on a two-year deal after the loss of Walter Mazzarri to Inter.
Fresh from plundering the UEFA Europa League trophy to add
to an already impressive collection, Benitez has decided to step from the
frying pan into the fire with Napoli after his rather uncomfortable alliance
with Chelsea came to an end.
The fans in Naples will be a lot more welcoming to begin
with than the Stamford Bridge faithful ever were, but they’ll surely turn against
their new man quickly if this season’s achievements aren’t at least matched in
the next campaign under the Spaniard.
Having finished the 2012-13 league campaign 9 points adrift
of champions Juventus, the Neapolitan support will be determined to see their
side push Juve even harder next season. They will also expect some
success in the Champions League, at least a quarter-final spot, especially with a former
Champions League-winning coach now on board.
The former Liverpool and Valencia boss made it clear he was
only interested in taking on a role with a Champions League competitor, whether
in England (his preferred choice) or in continental Europe. The only clubs that
were believed to hold an interest in him within the English
game included the likes of Everton, Stoke City and Newcastle United, none of
whom would have been able to offer the kind of challenge he was looking out for.
Therefore, that’s led Benitez to put his neck on the block
once more in Italy after a frustrating six months at Inter during the 2010-11
season. Having conquered La Liga twice with Valencia and after putting
Liverpool back at the top of Europe in 2005, the 53-year-old apparantly believes his
destiny lies in gaining success in Italian football to prove any doubters in
that football-mad country wrong.
It was mooted that illustrious clubs such as Real Madrid and
Paris Saint-Germain may look to Benitez to become their new coach, but that
never quite materialised. The move to Napoli to work in an environment where
fan pressure is enormous will be a big challenge for Rafa and there’s no doubting he'll have to deliver a winning team in double-quick time on his arrival.
His most pressing task will be to convince forward
Edinson Cavani and midfielder Marek Hamsik to stay in Naples. The two are the star
turns of a wickedly effective Napoli side and will be crucial to Benitez’s
hopes of landing Lo Scudetto and doing
well in European competition.
Should the new coach keep hold of his prize assets and add
to the side with two or three quality acquisitions, then Napoli could be a real
contender for the title. The Spanish tactician certainly has the pedigree to
suggest he can lead to Napoli to trophies and he'll hope that with the president’s
backing he can give his new club that extra push required to reach the top of
the tree domestically, while putting up a good showing in the Champions League
to boot.
Twitter: @davewh1980
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