Napoli coach Walter Mazzarri expressed his excitement at being back at the club: “This is the strongest team I have ever coached.” The Partenopei travel to Bergamo tomorrow to play Atalanta, Mazzarri’s first game in charge of a club since being dismissed by Cagliari on 5 May 2022. Speaking in his pre-match presser, the coach explained why he returned and what he expects from a very difficult match in prospect:
“I am excited, I swear. After a 23-year career, you have made me re-emotional. Is this the strongest team I have ever coached? Yes, definitely yes. I have to be careful what I say. Because I’m notorious for complaining. I don’t complain anymore, I’m a new Mazzarri, I slept well and I’m rested (laughs, ed). Last year they created a masterpiece with Spalletti, I was thrilled to see him. Everyone was really nice, beautiful football. When you see a team like that, you hope to coach them and thanks to the president who called me. I hope to coach them until the end of the year.”
“Having been in football for a while, I imagine that a team not used to winning championships unconsciously can pay something for it immediately afterwards. You can think you are so much stronger than others, but in today’s football it is difficult for anyone. I came here to make the team understand the dangers there are: the others are waiting for us with greater attention, we must not underestimate anything, this is my task.”
“De Laurentiis? With the president I have maintained a good relationship over time, we call each other ‘tu’, there is mutual esteem and we have clarified what needed to be clarified.
“The calendar? I was born to suffer, that’s why they called me. I only saw Anguissa today for the first time, when I arrived there were few starters. But I did what I always do, I talked to those who were there and they understood that I am here to watch over the particulars. Then there will be time to get together, we’ll play every three days and we’ll always be in training camp, I’ll be able to talk to everyone.
“Osimhen is a wonderful guy, he’s been cheerful from the very first moment. He’s generous, someone who thinks about the team and wins, who sacrifices himself. He is becoming available again and I am happy. I don’t like to give advantages to the opponent on the formation: Raspadori and Simeone you know well, I’ll also make my evaluations on the physical condition of those I have available.”
“I’ve only just arrived and need to understand the reasons for some ups and downs. I am not yet able to say the reasons. And then I would never allow myself to criticise the work of those who have been there before me, but I will work with Pondrelli and the staff to solve any problems.”
“4-3-3? At Coverciano they often call me to give lessons on each formation, then I’ve always updated over the years when I’ve been out. Now we’ll see with Napoli: I don’t know if we’ll always play in the same way, but it’s clear that I’m starting from the habits of this team that has excited everyone in a certain way. Then from match to match we’ll see what adjustments to make.
“Atalanta are a great team, they play man on man and are coached by a strong coach like Gasperini. I’m not used to thinking too long. Even when I arrived here ten years ago we had a tough schedule. The situation is more or less similar: if it went well for us that time, we must hope it will go well this time too’.
“Objectives? The moment is delicate, let’s not think about it now. The next game is the important one, those who know me know that. At the end then we will draw the conclusions, for now we just have to solve any problems within the team. And tomorrow will be the first test. It’s not easy for anyone to face Atalanta, then I’ll be more aware of the team again.”
“We can’t think about the Scudetto if we don’t think about winning games. We are 10 points from the top, it’s useless to talk about winning the Scudetto. Let’s think about winning. And also not to lose any more points at home or away”.
“For me Napoli is home. De Laurentiis showed me a clip of the Scudetto film that will be released soon and I got the shivers. Yet I was not here to win the Scudetto. Since I left, the Neapolitans have always shown me love. The great climb up the ladder started from the years when I was here. That is a positive I take, then they were good at continuing to grow.”
“When I left it was the end of my cycle. I told myself that we needed a quality leap in the market otherwise it would have been complicated to go into the fifth year with a team that already knows you well and that needed to be stimulated differently. And then I had to improve on the 2nd place to do even better and that would not have been easy.”
