From Tuscany through Naples with love: Walter Mazzari

Walter Mazzari handled expectations at Naples pretty well. But can he continue in that same vein at the San Siro where expectations will be higher than that of the Napoli ultras?

So when Walter Mazzari decided that he had taken his Napoli team as far as he could, and that he needed a change of scenery, he decided to make the move to Internazionale. Promising indeed, as it does leave Inter fans salivating at the prospect of getting to witness some of that flamboyant attacking football that Mazzari cultivated at Napoli.

On the other hand, it says a lot about Mazzari’s character and his ability to work with tricky management. He worked with probably the most hot headed owner in football (Aurelio de Laurentis) at Napoli, and now well, its Massimo Moratti, piece of cake. Just ask Gasperini.

Leaving the owners aside, Mazzari has a task of pretty epic proportions on his hands. This Inter squad is the same that was seven points behind Juventus at the winter break, and then a combination of injuries and lack of quality helped them finish a whopping 33 points behind Juventus come the end of the season.

A modest playing career mostly in the lower reaches of Italian football was followed by his apprenticeship under Renzo Ulivieri at Napoli where he honed his coaching skills for a period of three years. His first head coaching role was with Acireale in Naples, where he coached them for a year before moving back to Tuscany to coach. His major break in Serie A came with Reggina as he led them to Serie A survival three years in succession, on a shoestring budget, thus cementing his reputation as a very good man manager and a flexible tactician.

His next spell at Sampdoria made it clear that he wasn’t destined to be a perennial relegation battler, as he took a modest Sampdoria squad to a 6th place finish in the Serie A, thus taking them to the Uefa Cup in the process. A team that battled for the European places was rejuvenated by an inspired piece of transfer business, as Cassano and Montella were signed on loan, and Pazzini was signed during the winter transfer window. Mazzari constructed a Samp team that had a solid, stout defensive base and an attack that was hands down the best in Serie A. This would remain a feature of Mazzari’s teams as he always preferred having a team built on a short passing game as the strongest aspect of their play. Following a slightly disappointing second season where they finished 13th and reached the finals of the Coppa Italia, Mazzari made the move to Napoli, with the objective of restoring The Partenopei to the glory they were accustomed to in their heyday (the Maradona years).