Rudi Garcia is delighted taking charge of Napoli.
The Frenchman was presented to the local media yesterday hours after his appointment was confirmed.
“This is destiny winking at us. I was replaced by Spalletti at Roma and here I come after his great season at Napoli,” said Garcia.
“What the President and I share is ambition. I want to thank the fans for their welcome and congratulate the President and his squad, which will be mine soon, for all they did in this season.
“When I arrived in the city and saw all these banners and flags, I realised the entire city is very proud of its team and I hope that will continue in the future.”
He continued: “When I start a competition, I always play to win it. The President set a very high bar, as there are clubs who waited 15 years and spent a lot of money to win the Champions League, including one with the same coach for 15 years,” he added, referring to Pep Guardiola and Manchester City.
“For the club to win 33 years after Maradona is a wonderful achievement, but I feel Napoli need to be in the Champions League every season and have an important role in Italy.”
On living up to last season’s Scudetto triumph, Garcia was confident.
“I fear nothing except poor health. This victory must give the players a great deal of confidence, but when the new season begins, it all starts from scratch, because it is very difficult to say we can achieve anything without sweat, sacrifice and hard work. So on the other hand, the players must forget what they did, keeping confidence, humility and ambition all in the balance.
“What I liked was seeing a team, not just individual qualities, who defended as a unit. It’s a big squad, so there are players to come off the bench and change games.
“The President is ambitious, so he can give me a quality team and keep entertaining the fans. My teams tend to attack, try to control the initiative and score more than the opposition.
“I have gained more experience since I left Italy and it is wonderful to be back here. I might go in disguise with a moustache and hat to try and get to know the city!”
