On Saturday, Rudi Garcia gave his first press conference at Dimaro Folgarida. Forza Napoli Press brings you the entire press conference in English.
Opening Remarks
Mayor of Dimaro Folgarida, Andrea Lazzaroni – Greetings, welcome back ‘comma’, welcome ‘comma’, champions ‘period. This is the first wish. Thanks for being all here: the team, the coach, coach Garcia great honor for us, great honor to find all the journalists who convey our name. This year will be best retreat ever. Thank you and good continuation. Thank you.
Head of Napoli’s Press Office, Guido Baldari – Before starting this conference, Napoli football wanted to remember a friend who passed away a little over a month ago, a journalist who always covered Napoli with great passion, with great competence, with great professionalism, and we wanted to dedicate to him a round of applause, bye Alessandro. This scudetto is also for you. Thank you all. So I would immediately give the floor to Diego De Carli. The representative of Trentino also wants to immediately welcome the mister.
Representative from Trentino, Diego Decarli
Coach, good evening. Welcome, is it your first time in Trentino? Garcia: No, I already came, years ago. Here, you haven’t come? Garcia: Not in Dimaro, nearby. Perhaps it’s a bit early to give an opinion, but I ask you how you feel about today, how you feel about the hotel, how was the pitch, did you eat well?
Garcia: No, everything is beautiful, everything is beautiful and it is something that does not exist in France, and therefore I missed this thing about the Napoli village. For us, it is time for football, it should be like this. I have seen many children with relatives, the parents, the whole family, all guests in blue. You can really see the love for the club, for its shirt, for its players, and this is truly a pleasant moment. We train like we’re at the Maradona, no? You’ve also seen the colors, the environment, all these things here, and for me it is very good to rediscover this environment that you know how to create in Italy and that some clubs in Europe should also reproduce for themselves.
Mediaset
I would like to start from a personal and private aspect of you, in the sense that there was great enthusiasm when you were presented in Naples, great enthusiasm towards you yesterday, upon your arrival on the pitch today for your first training session. Having replaced a coach like Spalletti who won the Scudetto, a coach who left his mark, did you expect such a warm welcome and to have already entered the hearts of Napoli fans so quickly?
Garcia: But it’s already time for me to be able to thank everyone for the welcome. And then what I see are many smiles and it shows that the fans are joyful, enthusiastic and proud above all of last year’s team results. It is obvious that after 33 years, after Maradona, winning the scudetto is a fantastic thing and therefore the Napoli fans are proud of this, and they are right because it is a great achievement to have done this, so congratulations to all those who participated, and Luciano first of all, obviously knowing that I also thank him for having said leave Napoli and Garcia to work in peace.
Il Mattino – Pino Taormina
Good evening, you mentioned De Laurentiis in the center of the village and already in the center of the village you are speaking with De Laurentiis about the market, what did you put at the center of your village?
Garcia: I said it during my presentation press conference The thing I liked about the president is his ambition at this level we’ve reached. Obviously if we have ambitions it means that we have to have a great team like last year, it means fewer players leaving, knowing that Kim will no longer be with us, and therefore I would like to keep all the others and then let’s see. Obviously if there are some places to perhaps, not improve, but to double the quality or there are some profiles that can reach the squad and help us on some parameters, only this, so let’s see for the moment. You have seen that above all I brought many young people from the youth sector because at least I can see them. Obviously there are also players who come back on loan and I wanted to see them too because my eyes are my eyes and not those of others that tell me this is quality. And this I hope to find among these players at least one who could stay with the team and do great things in the future for Napoli. I must say that in the past I’ve almost always had this thing of taking many young people and maybe even some unknown ones and maybe and maybe finding one of great quality. I’ll name a name, to give you an example, because that way you won’t ask me the question about if I want any of my former players, like Maxime Lopez, who is at Sassuolo. Maxime, I did not only make his debut but he came as a nobody, let’s say. I knew him, he came to training, he immediately showed personality and then he never moved from the team, but he’s not one who will reach our team because it is not the profile we are looking for.
RAI – Fabrizio Cappella
I wanted to talk about keeping as many players as possible. In recent days, Osimhen especially on social networks confirmed with photos, images etc. his attachment to the shirt. I wanted to know if you have heard from him and if even with you he has shown himself so willing, “Yes, I want him back here,” and then, a curiosity, if you can give us an explanation on the resignation of Sinatti.
For the first question, I could only answer ‘yes,’ a big yes, but obviously I heard it and so I assure you. The things that I don’t know is what he says on social media because I don’t go on it. But if what you say is true that he stated his love for his club, his shirt, I can assure you that yes, he wants to stay, he is happy to be with us and still wants to do great things. Then, for Francesco Sinatti, I proposed to him to stay with us, to put him on the same level as Paolo Rongoni, to work together with us, and after reflection, he told me that he no longer has the energy. For this reason only he is no longer with us, which is a pity because I am one that when I arrive I know that in the club there is always quality and people who also know the club and the players and we can also buy time to go faster, however, I respect the decision of Francesco Sinatti.
La Repubblica – Marco Azzi
Good evening, I wanted to ask, last time you said that your teams must always have a plan B, assuming that the Plan A is the 4-3-3, anticipate if you already have something in mind?
Garcia: I think a good coach acts according to his squad. So when the squad is complete we will have more precision on what form we can use but I want a team and smart players who can also use other game models, so let’s see. Let’s see the characteristics of the players who make up the squad and yes we need it. We need it to win games to be able to do other things because all clubs work well. All clubs know that this team has these strengths, these weaknesses, and try to prevent us from playing to our strengths, so we have to have a full B and maybe a plan C.
Sky Sport Italia – Massimo Ugolini
I wanted to quickly ask you two things: the first impression if there was something that struck you in this first approach with your players, if there was an episode, a moment in which you had a perception of the group maybe different from what you had in mind?; and second concerns the market, Kim’s replacement. You are working, there is always a deadline in mind to be able to prepare, in any case, in the best way. Who will replace the best defender in the league?
Garcia: For a manager, he always wants to have his full squad as soon as possible, but this is utopia, it almost never happens. So, we have plenty of time to find a suitable central defender. Obviously the club has been working on us for quite some time and we have possibilities but we also want to be as safe as possible, even if 100% success is never on the transfer market. It never exists for any team. So let’s evaluate and talk. Then there’s also the economic aspect that obviously comes into play. So for me there’s no rush, we have three and so we are looking for the central defender who would replace in the best possible way. Then on my current squad, since not everyone is there, there is nothing particular. I see that everyone is attentive, everyone is motivated. As soon as we made positions today, a bit 10 against 10, what a good rhythm there was, there were a bit of duels, it means they are hungry. I expect this especially with a group with so many young people who also have to show me something, so everything is normal, nothing particular. I can’t wait for the players who have played for their national teams to arrive and that we are full.
Corriere dello Sport – Fabio Mandarini
Even if you have a great international experience to be able to coach Kvaratskhelia/Osimhen together, who last year were among the best couples in Europe if not the most beautiful in Europe
Yes, then obviously there are the individuals who show themselves more than the others, those who score assists and those who score goals. But to score goals and score assists the ball has to arrive. Who do I mean? I mean I like to talk about the collective of the team and not too much of the individuals. I hope these two, and Kvara in particular, will continue to make the difference and let us win, obviously. However, I am always careful not to single anyone out. All are important and therefore I try to value everyone equally, let’s say.
La Gazzetta dello Sport – Maurizio Nicita
Good evening, two things on the fly. The first if you can tell us what are some of the fundamental principles for you in training for the team, that is, those three or four things that maybe you can tell us how to work here in this sense? And then, earlier you said that Maxime Lopez is not included in the profile as characteristics, let’s say, so here, since in midfield perhaps something is missing even numerically today, we are not talking about individual players but about characteristics that you would like to have precisely for that plan B, Plan C flexibility that then help the team grow?
Garcia: There is a reality that Ndombele has gone away, he was on loan so he is no longer ours, so we have to replace him, to talk only about him. And I think that, to play with my teams obviously you need football players but you also need a a bit of physicality. Perhaps to help Frank Anguissa on this point and it could be a bit of the line we put on the fact of the profile to replace Ndombele. Then, on my way of working there is a lot of intensity in training. Above all, the preparation part is decisive. Who prepares well, in my opinion, has a good season, especially because when you play in Champions [League], you play in Europe, once you restart after the September break, you play every three days so it’s only at this moment that if you haven’t done everything before then to improve the squad on a physical or tactical level, so many things to do before and now. But yes, to work on ball possession, on the high press and above all the press immediately after losing the ball, and above all playing without fear, with the whole half of the pitch behind our defense, but this is being worked on and the players are also used to playing this way, from what I saw last year. So then, as I said, it’s not that there’s only one way of training and above all just a way of playing. There will be many things to work on because we have players who can do many things, not only play possession of the ball in the opponent’s half but we must also be deadly in counter-attacks. We worked on set pieces, I saw two three things that can improve the team, but obviously it was already going very well.
Corriere della Sera – Ciro Troise
Good evening coach, staying in the midfield, earlier you were talking about the football players you must have in midfield. Is Zielinski among those you want to keep? Have you talked about it with the club given the contractual situation?
Garcia: Yes, but they are all under contract, Zielinski and Lozano and others. But given the particularity of these two, who are expiring in 2024, it is logical that in the club we think about these players, to do something or to sell them or to keep them, because the team needs them. I want to keep everyone but let’s see, leave me the time to talk to each of them because there’s what I want and then there’s also what they would like. Perhaps a player who I’m fond of would like to leave or someone who can stay at all costs. And therefore, there is also the fact of knowing that they want to be individuals, but they will know it tomorrow or tonight, if they read some of you, that I want to keep them all.
Il Roma – Salvatore Caiazza
We talk about attack and we talk about Osimen but in this squad there are also Raspadori and Simeone, so there is still an extra strength given what they did last year when they were missing, especially Osimen in the first part of the championship
Garcia: Thanks to them because it gives grist to my mill when I say that it’s not just two players who make up the team. There’s Matteo Politano, I spoke of Lozano, there’s Elmas, we have so many possibilities in attack. Also, this offensive wealth gives the coach the possibility of influencing matches. So you spoke of two players who are really of a high level and therefore yes, I think I can take advantage of everything and everyone.
Canale 8
I’m keeping up with my colleague for a bit because I have a curiosity about Raspadori, because you said I need intelligent people and flexible players. I believe that Raspadori is one of the leaders in terms of flexibility for this team. Do you have a precise idea of his position or his role, as he has shown that he can play anywhere up front up to now?
Garcia: If I remember correctly, you talk about a 0 to 0. Answer: No, that’s how we say someone who doesn’t answer, it’s not a 0 to 0 answer, but it’s the truth when you see a team and see the players. Ok, you have your idea of the squad, of the players, but you don’t know a player if you don’t train him so let me train Raspadori because you talk about Raspadori and then I can answer this question. I have ideas but these ideas must be verified first.
TeleCapri – Paolo Del Genio
Earlier you spoke about football concepts that are very modern, so to speak, not to define them, the counterpress, the high pressure, a lot of field behind these concepts, obviously they are all in the non-possession phase. In possession, what is your vision of the build-up from the back, how much do you intend to use it?
Garcia: I want to be effective, and so as long as we know how to get the ball out starting from the goalkeeper or starting from behind we will do it, though if we are winning a very important match with a trophy on the line, if you are in the 90th minute that wins 1 to 0, I don’t know if we will start from the back, just to make you understand that there is also the concreteness of a team and I want the players, maybe some have it that they need to reflect, for the others on the pitch we talk about leadership, and this too leave me some time. Now, I don’t know, half of my wheel they haven’t arrived yet. So leave me some time to see who the leaders of this team are, who I can lean on to give messages in moments of the race. Yes, the observations that I think the coach can affect from his bench, but there are also players who have to guide the team on some things, let’s say live things. Winning makes you learn a lot but also sometimes in slightly less good results because a real squad, a good squad, you don’t see it when they win all games, you see it when they lose one or draw one that they should have won, the game afterwards, yes, you can see it there if you have a quality squad or not.
Canale 21 – Titti Improta
At this point how difficult is it for a coach to start the summer training session without a large part of the team. All national team [players] will arrive later. You spoke earlier of parameters, what would they be specifically the parameters on the grounds of this reasoning.
Garcia: The good thing is that the internationals will have only been missing a week so they are coming. They will not play the first friendly but they will already be on the field from the second. Obviously, time is running out and for this reason we have to focus on so many things. The first, you understand right now, is to put the players in good physical shape…I can only talk about the sporting thing, the economic part there are the president and all the important executives who think about this. And so, I am [concerned about] the technical parameters of the squad. For example, we should evaluate a player like Alessandro Zanoli who went on loan last year and the club had taken another player to be Lorenzo’s backup. So, I will evaluate and I hope, because I have seen some good things about Alessandro, for the moment he is the right player to stay with us to play some games, perhaps important [games]. And therefore he must show me these levels are, for example, the parameters and the profiles and the places that we talk to with managers, obviously.
Angelo Pompameo
There is a player who was used a lot by the previous coach last year and played in many positions, from right to center left in attack, his name is Elmas, what is your opinion of this player in terms of his technical position on the pitch? And then I also have to ask you something quickly but we have to take a few free-kicks and also the penalty kicks last year didn’t go super well. Do you have an idea in this sense?
Garcia: We’ll talk about it with one of my collaborators who was here last year. I said, not the same thing, what did I ask myself?. Also the question about the fact that I had the impression that some penalties were saved. Maybe by the opposing goalkeepers and then he said he said. my collaborator that perhaps now with the quality of the goalkeepers, they are taller, big, long, perhaps it is not just a problem characteristic of Napoli. Last year there were more penalties saved. But I agree with the fact that this one works because for me it’s a technical gesture. The only thing you can never reproduce is the context because it’s not that we train to take penalties in front of 50,000 people in training and with the real pressure of the match. So that’s just it but we have to work with all the set pieces, with the ball active…Elmas is truly a versatile player for a coach, truly a gift because in almost every squad there is one or two versatile players that the coach can use in different places. They are really important to me. I don’t know about Elmas, soon when he’s back, when we’ve spoken to him, when I’ll see him but for sure, what’s certain, I know he’s a high quality player.
Radio RTL – Max Viggiani
How heavy is the responsibility of taking over, let’s say, starting the season after Luciano Spalletti, after the Scudetto? And compared to Garcia in Rome, do you feel you have to change something, one more experience than in the past?
Garcia: But even on this I have already answered during the first press conference, but I’ll say it again. Look, I lived this thing because Napoli won the scudetto, their third Scudetto, 33 years after the year 1990 with the second title with Maradona. So, ok, Lille is not Naples because there is not the same passion, maybe even if in the north of France there is a beautiful passion all the same and then in 2011, I won the Scudetto and the French Cup, the double, 52 years after the [last] championship and 55 years [after] the [last] cup, so I know what it is to win in these conditions. It’s wonderful because no one expects it, but I also know why I stayed in Lille after the brace. The thing that happens after it already means the duties, you are Champions of Italy, so you have to show it on the field. And then, I also said it in the first press conference and first of all I experienced it firsthand because I remained as coach. Maybe even I, at the time, subconsciously did a little less, I don’t know, with a lack of experience, I didn’t get the best out of me, I don’t know, we did third which wasn’t bad because we qualified for the Champions League and at the time in France, it’s not like the top four go to the Champions League, it’s just the top two, the third qualifies via a play-off and we won the play-off, so we went to the Champions League. Therefore, I have to work right away on the players’ mentality to make sure that, like at the beginning of last year, even with more confidence because they proved by winning the Scudetto, that they are great players, that they are a great team. But my job will be to make sure that they keep the high level they had. As I will repeat, when the internationals return, I have already told this squad here and those who participated in the Scudetto last year, too bad for them because I know what performances they are capable of producing. They raised the bar there and I wait for them there again, and so if they are a little lower I will be there to say their level must go back to what they have already done.
Calcio Napoli 24 – Manuel Guardasole
Before you spoke of the Napoli defense, that will play very high with a lot of space behind and therefore I ask you, what characteristics because the name will not make it you must have the replacement for Kim Min-jae and quickly Maxime Lopez, no, among the exes is Tousart instead is a possibility?
Garcia: So many questions eh, I see if I remember everything then. Yes, high defense. Yes, because we want to have ball possession. If the teams who we play will [find the] field behind us, we must also be able to sometimes, during a short time in a game if needed because, I go back to the individual tactical intelligence of the players and the collective of the team, maybe there will be moments where [we need] to be [in a] low block and defend nails and beak, as they say in France…I enjoy reading some some news. Sometimes it can also provide market ideas, so thank you to all of you, or do those who write about the transfer market. And let’s talk about his profile, I don’t feel like talking about players’ names knowing that we talk to Maurizio Micheli every day and now let me remind you that the new director has arrived, Mauro Meluso, and therefore with him, obviously, we are even stronger because we have more brains to reflect.
Fuorigioco – Antonio Corrado
A credit here comes with a team that has won, that has dominated the championship with a president that has ambitions with an enthusiastic public that he got to see today. Do you feel a bit of pressure because it was a different situation at Lille? And then I wanted to ask you, does it take a team that was a clock, it played by heart, it was booming. How much of Garcia will there be in this Napoli and when will it change a Naploli that won the Scudetto last year?
Garcia: To make a clock work you have to put it back together. I don’t know if you say that in Italian. I would say more Formula 1 which are details to make sure that the fast car continues to go well in the country of Ferrari, of course. Maybe it’s better not this thing, however, it also depends on the players who are in the team. That’s why I was saying I’m fine if they stay. Pressure no, but enthusiasm yes. I’m here in front of you. It could have been Luciano, it could have been any coach and in the end the context was the same, as I explained, I stayed in Lille after the brace. it’s not that I had less pressure than today or more pressure. We are driven by the fact of experiencing great emotions with our players and to experience them means winning something. Obviously, I thought about it and said to myself, can we do better than win the Serie A championship? No, only repeating that would be possible, which is already very difficult because apart from Inter perhaps over the years 2005-2010 and of course, I saw it with my own eyes because I was in Rome, Juve for so many years, it’s not like there are many teams capable of repeating themselves in the big leagues and above all here in Italy. Napoli won it this year, Milan last year, Inter two years ago right? So I know it will be very difficult but I’m still here in front of you and it’s not a problem. The thing for Napoli is that they always have to play in the Champions League, that’s for sure, and I think that in the last ten years they’ve played six times like this so a little more than one year out of two. Instead, every year Napoli must be in the [top] four and qualify for the Champions [League]. Then, in the four there is fourth, third, second and first, and obviously first place is much better, but we will see. And then there is the Champions League where it seems to me that last year this great Napoli team also reached a record in the Champions League, Quarter-finals, it had never happened and therefore this too is difficult to perform or equal. Even if I made a semi-final with Lyon against Bayern Munich and I know what it is, it is very difficult. I think City, if I’m not mistaken, won the Champions League for the first time this year after 15 years, maybe owned with means, let’s say, and then they have maybe the best coaches for 6 or 7 years. Why do I say this? Because you are intelligent and it is very difficult to reach a goal like this, but I hope you do it at home too. When you start a family, when I start a championship, an Italian Cup, a Champions League, I always play to win and then if you succeed, great, otherwise, we will see.
Social Media Questions
Napoli Head of Communications, Nicola Lombardo – How happy are you to be the coach of Napoli?
Garcia: A lot, truly a lot. Look, I was a footballer and then I became a coach. What does this mean? That you travel, you change cities, you change clubs your whole life. It is complicated to leave friends, to leave quality people behind, leave a club, leave a city, etc., etc. But the beauty of my job is that you meet new people also with great quality and then you learn from these people so for me, the spice of life is these encounters and I stay close to many friends everywhere, both in Lille and in Rome, Marseille, in Dijon, everywhere, and then true friends, you see them when you talk to them, at least with a text message a few times a year, knowing that I receive so much that I sometimes find it hard to answer everyone. But I’m happy to be here because I’m discovering a wonderful city. I already know that in Italy you eat well. You have a beautiful country, similar to France in some points, the beauty of nature. Look where we are, obviously in Naples we have the beach and here we are in the mountains. It seems that it is very hot in Naples and that we are better off to travel here. So it is nice to travel and therefore also for this reason I’m happy to be here and as I already told you before, I can’t wait to start the championship and above all the first one at the Maradona. But I already have a bit of a taste of it with this Napoli village and the fans who are not only really good but enthusiastic, I see them happy and I like that.
Lombardo – When you had the offer from Napoli, who was the first person to know about it?
Garcia: My immediate family, yes, my agents, all happy. There wasn’t a moment of reflection, it was a ‘yes’ right away, knowing that the only thing that mattered was the sports project.
Lombardo – Finally, coach, what do you think of the Napoli Armani shirt?
Garcia: I have not seen the white [one], everyone says that the white is beautiful. I have seen the blue and I must say that the work of Valentina De Laurentis has been a beautiful work because I think that the most beautiful shirts are the simplest ones. Ours are of great beauty.
