Rafa Benitez the new manager of Napoli

Balague vs. Gil . Who to believe

how do you say FACHTS in Italian??

Finally Liverpool fans off Chelsea... get some Napoli fans in here..

Napoli to win _____ trophy next season

iNFINITY9910 wrote:Finally Liverpool fans off Chelsea... get some Napoli fans in here..

I can finally go back to hating Chelsea 120% and end my fake relationship with Gil

Anyone wants to bet??

Sepi?

My bet: Napoli will finish below next season.

It should really say something to the vociferous critics of Rafa that the supporters of the two clubs he has "ruined" are some of the first to step to his defense against such claims.

highburied wrote:Anyone wants to bet??

Sepi?

My bet: Napoli will finish below next season.

Below what ?

And Highburied, weren't you supposed to leave the forum if Rafa got Chelsea to CL, or won them a trophy? I certainly remember you making a thread about that when Chelsea hit a rough patch of form in end of January.

highburied wrote:Anyone wants to bet??

Sepi?

My bet: Napoli will finish below next season.

If you mean below this season, it would be very convenient for you wouldn't it? The only way to improve it is to win the league, which seems a tough task especially with Juve strengthening their attack.

I can already see the haters coming out when Rafa finishes 2nd or 3rd with them claiming Mazzarri had already accomplished this or that.

McAgger wrote:

highburied wrote:Anyone wants to bet??

Sepi?

My bet: Napoli will finish below next season.

If you mean below this season, it would be very convenient for you wouldn't it? The only way to improve it is to win the league, which seems a tough task especially with Juve strengthening their attack.

I can already see the haters coming out when Rafa finishes 2nd or 3rd with them claiming Mazzarri had already accomplished this or that.

Rafa's main task will be in the CL. Napoli choked big time last time against Chelsea despite being up 3-1.....if Rafa can make Napoli go deep in CL like Dortmund has this season, and maintain 1-3 status in Serie A, then it'll be a success. A lot will depend on what happens to Cavani and how they'll strengthen.

Napoli will not make it to CL next season.

Bring it on!

P.s. Dont remember such claims.

I don't know why there is such hate-by default- for Rafa here. He already shut mouths of doubters by his Europa League win and even that doesn't seem to be enough. Despite the common conception, he did NOT ruin Inter as it was quite the opposite. In fact he had the balls to change the approach of Mourinho with an attractive possession style play which was marred by injuries and unfair circumstances to which has been testament to Rafa's poor choice in choosing clubs e.g Chelsea.

He was fired because Massimo Morrati is just like Berlusconi, he will fire anyone who will take him on. Hence Rafa's famous post CWC outburst (nail in coffin) or Leonardo and Allegri being fired by Berlu cause they have cajones as well.

I don't know what the english media has against him and aside from Liverpool and the exceptions, EPL doesn't deserve him. Espana love him, Italian media (bar some) highly appreciate his tactical approach which always has been said to resemble modern Italian methods as the Italian masses appreciate him even more.

Its probably why he sought Sampdoria before talks broke down last year and why he is taken 2nd haven in Italia with Napoli, who will most likely adore him. He will have a relaxed atmosphere through the media who respect the gentleman he is and won't be irritated by the understandably infuriating tactical questions that irked Mourinho.

I truly hope his contract goes through as I would like to dote upon Napoli now that Alec Baldwin has left.

For Serie A fans here, he will actually respect Europe unlike Mazzari who believes in throwing all eggs in one basket, only to be stomped by the boot by the man himself.

Forza Rafa.

with talented bunch of players that Chelsea has , winning EL is barely a success . i said it before if they they are trying to add any importance to EL they should do something about the prize , the prize for progressing in CL from group stage is higher than EL ffs .

Epoto wrote: with talented bunch of players that Chelsea has , winning EL is barely a success . i said it before if they they are trying to add any importance to EL they should do something about the prize , the prize for progressing in CL from group stage is higher than EL ffs .

Except when Rafa came Chelsea were already knocked out of CL

He wasn't at fault for Chelsea getting knocked out from the group stages.

At least Rafa will take Europe seriously unlike that clown Mazzari.

Rafa's record in UEFA Cup/Europa League

Valencia 2001-02 - Quarter Finals (lost to Inter)
Valencia 2003-04 - WINNER
Liverpool 2009-10 - Semi-Finals (lost to Atleti because of a stupid volcanic ash cloud )
Chelsea 2012-13 - WINNER

It would have been good for Serie A if Napoli were in EL next season.

Now he can sell Cavani to LFC for cheap, Agent rafa working at it again.

mr-r34 wrote:Now he can sell Cavani to LFC for cheap, Agent rafa working at it again.

Wouldn't that be something.

But I hope he keeps him there and builds a dynasty in Serie A. At least it's away from the PL and we can actually enjoy his work. Stay away from Lucas though

how much do you want to bet napoli will win the league next season? watch

Good luck to Rafa. I think he'll do well.

If Cavani stays, Napoli are my dark horses for next years UCL.

Rafa's teams are by default defensively stable, and his european experience will definetly help Napoli avoid a repeat of the Chelski tie.

Also, i no longer have to defend Chelski to my friends and Rafa Haters I Can go back to hating them now

Casciavit wrote:

Epoto wrote: with talented bunch of players that Chelsea has , winning EL is barely a success . i said it before if they they are trying to add any importance to EL they should do something about the prize , the prize for progressing in CL from group stage is higher than EL ffs .

Except when Rafa came Chelsea were already knocked out of CL

He wasn't at fault for Chelsea getting knocked out from the group stages.

At least Rafa will take Europe seriously unlike that clown Mazzari.

Exactly

Epoto wrote: with talented bunch of players that Chelsea has , winning EL is barely a success . i said it before if they they are trying to add any importance to EL they should do something about the prize , the prize for progressing in CL from group stage is higher than EL ffs .

Good move from Rafa.

ADL wont let Cavani leave for anything less than 60m and that amount will be a very good budget to start with for a new manager to be able to build your own team.Napoli have always been active spenders on the market so wouldnt be surprised if their transfer budget is something close to that figure assuming Cavani is sold ofcourse.

Also i guess Napoli might move away from the 3 CB system to a back 4 perhaps.They would be an interesting team to watch next year.

Napoli will do well in the CL.


PS: good to see you back Surag!

Fantastic move from Napoli to build upon their good work in previous years and begin to solidify themselves as a consistent feature in the highest echelons of Italian football. The last time Napoli qualified for the Champions League, their lack of depth and inexperience in managing three competitions cost them qualification for the previous year. With the funds from Cavani's eventual sale and the capture of a highly experienced and talented European manager, I feel that we shall see Napoli continue to take great strides as a club.

Much will of course be reliant upon Napoli's transfer dealings. I personally feel that a shift away from Mazzari's three man backline will help them, however it is a move that will require significant investment in the backline, whilst they should be on the look out for a replacement for Pandev in the line-up and greater depth in attacking midfield. I could easily see Napoli picking up a player such as Ilicic in the summer, capturing the Cagliari duo of Astori and Naingollan and bringing in Dzeko. Expect Napoli to have the most interesting summer of all Italian teams.

One final observation, it will be interesting to see how the squad deals with the shift from a manager who rotates only under pain of death to a rotation freak.

REWB wrote:how much do you want to bet napoli will win the league next season? watch

I doubt that quite a bit. Juve are fixing their occasionally impotent attack, making them even more of a force, and Milan look to be strengthening after a much better second half to the 2012-13 season. Inter... well... they're finiding new ways to implode all on their own, aren't they?

Rafa is probably too cynical to win the league in his first season. He will likely draw too many matches due to rotation and negative set-ups away from home, ala Liverpool 2008-09. The other side of that is the benefit to the cup runs. Rafa is a very good manager for cup runs and juggling multiple competitions, as evidenced by Chelsea's run-in this season.

Chelsea had some unbelievable fixture congestion at the end of the season, challenging in 2 extra competitions and still trying to ensure a top-four finish. They may not have looked particularly dominant in any one competition (even the EL final), but they got the job done in the end. They won a cup, and they made CL next season. Napoli can probably expect similar results: challenging on multiple fronts, a top three finish, and a good chance at silverware. He may win them a trophy next season, but due to his tactics, I doubt it will be the Scudetto.