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).

Massimo Moratti is notorious for placing high expectations on his manager. Walter Mazzari will have his hands full at Inter Milan.

The Stadio San Paolo stadium was where Mazzari proved his coaching pedigree as he brought the 3-5-2 back in a never before seen avatar to football in general. A strong three pronged centre defense marshalled by Paolo Cannavaro, the younger brother of a certain Fabio Cannavaro, and ably assisted by a combination of Campagnaro and Grava. The wing-backs, Christian Maggio and Andrea Dossena, provided defensive cover and attacking width added an extra dimension to the Napoli attack. His first season at Napoli saw them finish sixth and go through to the Uefa Cup group stages.

It was the second season at Napoli that truly gave the message that they were here to stay, as Mazzari cultivated an attacking style of play based on quick one touch passing and fast positional interchange, keeping the 3-5-2 intact. The presence of Marek Hamsik as the trequartista ensured that Mazzari’s vision of having a team that plays fast and furious worked well. That season saw Napoli finish third in the Serie A, as their forward tandem of Cavani and Lavezzi with assistance from Hamsik, made them one of the most feared attacks in Europe. This rapid rise in stature for the team was handled very calmly by Mazzari, who simply believed that his team could do much better, and never let them rest on their laurels.

The 2011-12 season was the one that actually transformed Napoli’s reputation, and made Mazzari one of the leading names in the management business, as they made it out of the proverbial group of death in the Champions League, eliminating Ajax and Manchester City in the process. Their progress in the competition was eventually halted by Chelsea in the round of 16, but they showed that they belonged at that level, and that losing to Napoli could no longer be considered an upset.

Due to their European distractions, they finished only fifth in the Serie A, but their pedigree was well established in the top echelons of European football. Mazzari also gave Napoli their first Coppa Italia crown in 25 years. That season also saw an evolution in terms of their team composition, as the signing of Gokhan Inler from Udinese brought a tough tackling midfielder with a wide passing range to the centre of the Napoli midfield, which added some much needed silk to an already steely midfield. He formed a very formidable midfield partnership with Walter Gargano, and gave Napoli extra attacking impetus.

Mazzari benefited from having continuity in his team, and when faced with departures, like the transfer of Lavezzi and Gargano, he made sure he adapted his team and so dealt with the situation adeptly. His Napoli team last season saw the emergence of Lorenzo Insigne, who now partnered Cavani up front, and filled the void left by Lavezzi perfectly. Napoli last season finished second, and in the process declared themselves officially to be challengers for the title.

The 3-5-2 is generally a defensive formation, but Mazzari has moulded his team into probably the most fluid attacking force using that formation. And over his four years in charge at Napoli, he has ensured that his teams never stagnate, and his constant rejigging of the team has seen them transform from a counter attacking defensively solid team to a team that dominates possession and builds their play slowly and so have become a more well rounded team.

His philosophy of playing the three-man defence has never wavered, and in a way indicates his rigidity. But the minor changes that he makes to his formation to facilitate easier passing, and quicker ball movement has made him one of the most shrewd and tactically sound coaches out there. His use of his wing backs Maggio and Zuniga has moved on from them being mere crossers of the ball to them being focal points of the build up play, as now they have the option of playing the ball to their midfield and looking to make runs behind the opposition’s defence.

If there is a manager who could transform Internazionale, it is Walter Mazzari. Stramaccioni tried his best to introduce tactical flexibility in the Inter team last year, but his constant team changes and formation changes confused his team more than anything else. Also, his reign saw Inter losing their most promising talent in Countinho, and yet he failed to do much with the resources at this disposal. The squad, that Mazzari has inherited, has players who could suit the 3-5-2 system quite well, and yet he might modify the formation to a slight extent that may bring out the best of the players.

His rigidity, coupled with his flexibility, both in relation to his playing formation and his man management are qualities that make him a top manager. Also, there can’t be a better manager in terms of handling expectations, both of the owner and the fans, as Napoli boasts of the most volatile owner in Italian football and the most passionate fans in Italian football, as the Napoli ultras are well known for causing more than fair share of troubles, both for their own team and their opponents.

So then, here’s hoping that Mazzari embraces the cauldron that is the San Siro with the same ease as he did at Napoli, because, after all, Massimo Moratti is a whiny owner who likes to win at all costs, and if anything, the burden of expectations at Inter will be a little more.