“Maybe because of my origins, I’m closer to a Spanish philosophy, but England was the home of football,” said Rudi Garcia in a 2020 interview with The Athletic. “I coached in Italy too, learned the beautiful language and ate the beautiful food. But I really loved Italy because of the tactics of Italian football. It’s very tactical. Maybe I’ll go there again in the future.”
That aspiration became a reality on Thursday, when SSC Napoli announced that Garcia had been hired to replace Luciano Spalletti as club manager. With Napoli linked to flashier names, like Luis Enrique and Christophe Galtier, the appointment was rather underwhelming. However, upon further inspection, Garcia appears to be the right man for the job.
Knocking at the Door
Like his predecessor two years ago, Garcia joins with a trophy cabinet that is rather bare. Prior to leading the Azzurri to their first Scudetto in 33 years, Luciano Spalletti had collected most of his silverware in Russia, where he won the league twice. The pinnacle of Garcia’s career was the 2010/11 campaign, when he steered LOSC Lille to their first trophy in 55 years and their second double in club history.
Winning Ligue 1 and the Coupe de la Ligue, Garcia earned his first of three French Coach of the Year awards. A year later, Nasser Al-Khelaifi purchased PSG, beginning an era of Parisian dominance. Garcia, who spent most of his coaching career in France, has not collected any hardware since. Even Spalletti was more decorated when he joined Napoli, though nearly two decades had passed since the Tuscan won the Coppa Italia (twice) and the Supercoppa Italiana during his first stint at Roma.
But if there is anything to learn from Spalletti’s two seasons at Napoli (and indeed from Carlo Ancelotti’s season-and-a-half), it’s that past success, or lack thereof, is no guarantee of future success, or failure. Spalletti was ever the bridesmaid, until he married Napoli – his Roma sides finished second in Serie A on four separate occasions.
Curiously, it was Garcia that Spalletti replaced when he returned to Rome in 2015. The Frenchman was relieved of his duties midway through the 2015/16 campaign, after a poor run in which Roma managed only one win in seven league matches. But two seasons prior, in his first venture outside of France, Garcia knocked on the door. Roma started the 2013/14 campaign with ten consecutive victories, a Serie A record that remains today. During that run, the Giallorossi recorded nine clean sheets, scoring 24 goals while conceding only one. More importantly, the run included a 2-0 win over Lazio – a morale-boosting result after the Giallorossi lost to their city rivals in the Coppa Italia final to conclude the previous season. Though they ultimately finished well behind dominant Juventus, who dominated Serie A for nearly a decade, Garcia’s 85-point haul was a club record at the time. Only Spalletti fared better in the capital. The Tuscan collected 87 points during the 2015/16 campaign, but he too succumbed to the might of the Bianconeri. Garcia repeated as runners-up in 2014/15, but once again Juventus were well beyond reach.
After Roma, Garcia returned to France, where he had transitioned from player to coach. His first Ligue 1 coaching job was at Le Mans in 2007. In their third season after earning promotion, the Spanish-named Frenchman led MUC 72 to a respectable 9th-placed finish, while reaching the Semi-finals of the Coupe de la Ligue. That caught the attention of his former club Lille, where Garcia enjoyed his longest tenure as a coach. In his five seasons in charge, Lille never finished lower than 6th in the league.
Speaking to The Athletic, Garcia gave a description of Lille that is not dissimilar to how one might describe Napoli. “After 11 years there, Lille has a special place in my heart,” he said, “but also the people in the north of France. It’s a working-class area, the people are humble. And they love football.”
Garcia returned to France in 2016, spending three seasons at Marseille before signing with Lyon. When he joined Lyon in mid-October, 2019, Les Dogues were 17th in the league. By the end of Matchday 28, when the Ligue 1 season was prematurely ended due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Lyon had climbed to 7th in the table, only one point behind 5th-placed Stade Reims. Meanwhile, Garcia continued to demonstrate his proficiency in cup play, leading Lyon to the Semi-finals of the Coupe De La Ligue and the Finals of the Coupe de France.
The following season – Garcia’s first full season at the club – Lyon came within 40 minutes of Champions League qualification. However, after conceding two second-half goals to 9th-placed Nice, they were resigned to fourth place, two points behind Monaco.
European Pedigree
“When I took over, I said it would take seven years to get into Europe and another ten to win the title, but we’ve managed it in less time,” said Aurelio De Laurentiis at a sold out Stadio Maradona. Though Napoli were playing Friuli-Venezia Giulia, fans flocked to the Maradona to watch their club’s Scudetto-clinching draw to Udinese. “Now we’ll go again and try to win the Champions League.”
While Garcia may not win Europe’s greatest and most difficult competition, he certainly has the capacity to take Napoli beyond the Quarter-finals. After all, in 2019/20, Garcia guided Lyon to a Champions League Semi-final berth, outwitting Maurizio Sarri and Pep Guardiola along the way. Led by Memphis Depay, Lyon dispatched Cristiano Ronaldo’s Juventus in the Round of 16, taking advantage of the away goal rule in the 2-2 draw on aggregate. Perhaps that result should not have come as a surprise. In addition to Lyon, Juventus were eliminated from the tournament by Ajax, Porto and Villareal in consecutive seasons.
However, no one predicted that Lyon would advance past Manchester City in the Quarter-finals, even in a single-leg elimination match, a change in format necessitated by the pandemic. In a video for The Coaches’ Voice, Garcia provided a tactical breakdown of his 3-1 victory over City, including how Lyon forced the Citizens to play wide, took advantage of the space behind City’s high line and limited City’s passes into the area.
Two seasons prior, with the help of a 21-year-old André-Frank Zambo Anguissa, Garcia took Marseille to the finals of the Europa League. Unfortunately for him, Marseille were shut out by Atletico Madrid 3-0 in the final.
Garcia’s return to France with Marseille was perhaps the least impressive spell of his coaching career. Les Phocéens finished 5th in the table in two of Garcia’s three seasons in charge, well off the pace for Champions League qualification. They could have (and should have) qualified for the Champions League in the 2017/18 season. However, Marseille dropped to 4th in the table after dropping points to EA Guingamp in the penultimate round of the season.
Tactics
With 812 matches coached (638 with clubs in the top five European leagues), Garcia has experience with a wide variety of formations. Regardless of his tactical setup – the most prevalent being the 4-3-3 and 4-4-2 – Garcia has stayed true to his core principles. “I like my teams to have the ball. To play short passes, to be collective. The defense is stable, I let my forwards be as creative as they want. They have freedom.”
With a positive, attack-minded style of play, Garcia is well-suited for Napoli. “I think football is a spectacle and people come to watch a spectacle,” he told World Soccer in a 2013 interview. “At the same time, we must not forget that they will be happiest if we are winning games.” Lille scored 72 goals in Garcia’s second season in charge, bettering the goal total of league winners Marseille. Remarkably, Garcia bettered that total on two separate occasions – with Marseille in 2017/18 (80) and Lyon in 2021/22 (81) – and both times they were not the top scorers in the league.
Perhaps the most prominent feature of Garcia’s system is the fluidity with which his players interchange positions. Whether it was Rio Mavube at Lille, Daniele De Rossi at Roma or Luis Gustavo at Marseille and Al-Nassr, the holding midfielder drops into the back line, creating a numerical advantage in the buildup. This frees the full backs to get forward, as Di Lorenzo, Mario Rui and Olivera are already inclined to do.
Like Spalletti, Garcia exploits space. His wingers tend to drift centrally, pulling the opposing defenders with them to open up the flanks for the fullbacks. Similarly, his forwards will drop, pulling the central defenders with them to open up the space in behind for the attacking midfielder to run into.
Where Garcia differs from Spalletti is in the verticality of his play. Spalletti’s Napoli was patient in the buildup, often stringing together long sequences of passes. Garcia’s teams tend to be more direct, immediately pushing forward after winning possession.
But the key to Garcia’s system is the balance in the midfield. Napoli have a trio of midfielders who, despite having slightly different qualities, can replicate what De Rossi, Strootman and Pjanic did at Roma. Few players are as aggressive as De Rossi was, but Lobotka is equally adept at reading the game and anticipating the pass, winning possession with interceptions and tackles, and playing short passes to the other midfielders. Where Lobotka lacks in aggression, he makes up in elegance. Anguissa could play the Strootman role – a physical, box-to-box midfielder who can hold the ball up or progress it forward, either on the dribble or with the pass. He’s a robust tackler, aggressive in the press and has the stamina and mobility to cover the entire pitch. Finally, Zielinski has the creativity and ingenuity of Pjanic. The industry of Lobotka and Anguissa will allow Zielinski the freedom to roam, build triangles with the wide players near the touch line and create chances for the forwards.
Out of possession, Garcia’s Napoli will assume a similar shape as Spalletti’s. The wingers will drop and the attacking midfielder will step up, creating a defensive 4-4-2. As Garcia’s Lyon did to Manchester City in the Champions League, Napoli will protect the centre of the park, forcing the opposition to use the wings. Then the Partenopei will press, cornering the opposition on the touch line, which will act as another defender.
1 Out of 49
At the presentation of the 2023 summer retreat at Castel di Sangro, De Laurentiis articulated what he was looking for in his next manager. “The list has grown from 22 to 49. It is necessary to verify their availability and if they are suitable for this line of attack and high defense. It is a matter that takes time and it is necessary to understand their character and if they can be inserted into a Neapolitan culture.”
Availability
Many of the candidates linked to the Napoli job were still under contract. Vincenzo Italiano, Thiago Motta, Alessio Dionisi and Paulo Sousa elected to remain with their respective clubs. Roberto De Zerbi was in high demand, but the former Sassuolo coach made it clear he had no intention of leaving Brighton & Hove Albion, who he guided to Europa League qualification last season. Even Christophe Galtier, whose departure from PSG remains imminent, is still tied to the French club. Julian Nagelsmann, who was also linked to the Napoli job at one point, was the consensus replacement for Galtier. But on Saturday, after the appointment of Garcia, reports surfaced that negotiations had broken down and Nagelsmann will not be the next PSG coach. Galtier’s likely replacement? You got it – Luis Enrique.
Suitabilty
De Laurentiis clarified that he was seeking a manager who employs a 4-3-3 formation. That effectively ruled out Gianpiero Gasperini and Antonio Conte, though Conte would have been too expensive to begin with. Perhaps the formation also ruled out Sérgio Conceição, though in truth, Conceição’s tactics are not dissimilar to Garcia’s.
Character
It’s much easier to replace a coach who has failed. It takes bravery and confidence to replace a coach who just delivered a city its first league title in over 30 years, and who did it in style to boot. Perhaps this was amongst the reasons Enrique was so reluctant to join Napoli.
From describing the character of Francesco Totti to his approach to the Champions League match against Juventus, Garcia has often spoken about humility. A certain amount of humility will be required to work for Napoli’s charismatic owner, especially if there is no sporting director to act as a buffer.
It remains to be seen whether Garcia can manage De Laurentiis like Spalletti did. In 2009, he was sacked by Lille due to differences of opinion with board member Xavier Thuilot. However, Garcia was rehired a month later, after Thuilot himself was sacked. That proved to be a wise decision.
If you ask Brazilian star Juninho, Garcia will have no issues with the powers above. Rather, it’s his relationship with the players that fans ought to be concerned about. “My experience with Rudi Garcia was terrible,” the Brazilian told Portuguese media MaisFutebol. “He is the most evil character I have met in my entire soccer career. He doesn’t know how to lead anything. He leads by the fear he imposes on others. He only respects people who have power or those he can take advantage of in the relationship.”
Those comments were made ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo joining Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League, where Garcia was coaching at the time. He lasted only 26 matches. In April, Al-Nassr announced that Garcia had left the club by mutual agreement amidst speculation of a strained relationship with Ronaldo. He wasn’t the first and probably won’t be the last to be caught in the path of destruction that is Cristiano Ronaldo. Eight of Ronaldo’s coaches have been sacked over the superstar’s last six campaigns: Zidane at Real Madrid; Allegri, Sarri and Pirlo at Juventus; Solskjaer, Carrick and Rangnick at Manchester United; and most recently Garcia at Al-Nassr.
Price
Though De Laurentiis did not mention price, the Napoli owner runs a tight ship. It is widely known that the Roman filmmaker will not pay a buyout for a coach – another hurdle that needed overcoming with the candidates still under contract. The impetus for Napoli’s turnover last summer, which led to the arrivals of Kim, Kvaratskhelia, Olivera, Ostigard, Raspadori and Simeone, was a reported self-imposed salary cap of €3.5 million net per season for new signings.
It’s quite possible the same cap applied to the manager. Carlo Ancelotti, who, according to Corriere dello Sport, earned €6 million net per season, failed at Napoli. Garcia is expected to earn around €3 million net per season, similar to Spalletti’s salary. Even with the benefits of the decreto crescita (growth decree), which provides Italian organizations a tax break on the gross salary of employees who worked outside of Italy for two years, Enrique and Galtier would have cost significantly more.
And for what? Enrique plays attractive football, but hasn’t coached at the club level in nearly six years. Granted, he racked up the silverware in his last club role, including two Spanish League titles and a Champions League crown. But that was with a Barcelona side featuring the likes of Marc-André ter Stegen, Gerard Piqué, Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets, Ivan Rakitic, Neymar, Luis Suárez and Lionel Messi, all in their prime.
Like Garcia, Galtier was successful at Saint-Étienne and Lille, including leading Lille to their first Ligue 1 title since Garcia won it, but he disappointed at PSG. With all the talent in the PSG squad, Galtier barely won PSG’s ninth league title in 11 seasons, while exiting the Champions League in the Round of 16.
Garcia has coached some of the worlds best players, including Eden Hazard and Dimitri Payet at Lille, Daniele De Rossi and Francesco Totti at Roma, Florian Thauvin and Lucas Ocampos at Marseille, Bruno Guimarães and Memphis Depay at Lyon and Cristiano Ronaldo at Al-Nassr. However, next to his 2019/20 Lyon squad, this Napoli might be the most complete team he’s ever coached.
Neapolitan culture
A Frenchman of Spanish descent, Garcia was destined to arrive at Napoli, a city that can be overbearingly passionate. Few Italian squares are more difficult to coach at, but Rome may be one of them. Garcia didn’t simply survive in Rome for two-and-a-half seasons, his teams excelled there. Enrique also coached in Rome, but didn’t last so long. “His work was good,” said Roma’s then general director Franco Baldini. “At a certain point it wore him out and he felt the need to stop.” Enrique vacated the capital after finishing in 7th place in his lone season with the Giallorossi.
Neapolitans are not only passionate about their football. They’re also passionate about food, language, art, film and music. Garcia may not speak Napoletano, but he learned to speak Italian shortly after joining Roma. There, he met his partner and journalist Francesca Brienza, then working for Roma TV, with whom he’s maintained his fluency. Brienza is a lover of art and will undoubtedly relish the opportunity to explore Napoli’s vast art scene, from Jorit’s San Gennaro to Caravaggio’s Le sette opere di Misericordia (The Seven Works of Mercy), and everything in between. Perhaps this is why De Laurentiis chose the Capodimonte museum as the venue to host Garcia’s presentation.
Born in Rome, Brienza will be happy to return to Italy, having followed Garcia to France and Saudi Arabia. Back home to celebrate Brienza’s 37th birthday, the couple revealed they are expecting their first child (and Garcia’s fourth, after three daughters with his ex Veronique). The birthday festivities included the Vasco Rossi concert as the Stadio Olimpico, a final show before their Neapolitan adventure begins. While Brienza will take care of the art, Garcia will surely take care of the music.
