Garcia was, therefore, under intense pressure to prove his worth over the past month. He failed dismally in that regard. Even in victory, the coach was losing support, so poor were the performances.
The Partenopei should still reach the knockout stages of the Champions League, but the midweek draw with Union Berlin – a team that had lost their 12 previous games – represented another significant setback in Garcia’s fight for survival. Napoli had dominated possession but had looked vulnerable to counter-attacks throughout, meaning the concession of a breakaway goal from their own corner was viewed as yet further evidence of just how disjointed and disorganised the team had become on his watch.
It was, therefore, imperative that Garcia got back to winning ways against relegation-threated Empoli, who are coached by Aurelio Andreazzoli – arguably the most Spalletti-like coach in Serie A. Yet he inexplicably to decided to change to a 4-2-3-1 formation, drop two of his best players and play without a left-footed centre-back despite having two on the bench.
Again, one could argue that Napoli were unfortunate to be hit with a sucker-punch right at the death, but they’ve had their guard down nearly all season long, resulting in just five clean sheets in all competitions and only two wins from eight matches at the Maradona.
Despite managing to hold onto the majority of last season’s league winners, Garcia’s Napoli bear only a passing resemblance to the Spalletti-led side that wowed the world with their thrilling brand of attacking football. A winning machine has undeniably broken down. They appear both physically and mentally drained. Consequently, a team that was as united as it was effective has been relying on moments of magic from individuals trying desperately to remember what made them so successful in the first place.
As Marco Ciriello wrote in the Gazzetta dello Sport, “The fact is that Napoli had lost their joy even before the [Empoli] game. The Scudetto is further away than the last eruption of Vesuvius.”
Garcia is certainly culpable for such a rapid and dramatic decline, but the real fault lies with the man who hired him. His appointment looked like a massive mistake to everyone bar De Laurentiis and Verdone – but an even bigger error preceded that calamitous call.
Spalletti may be a demanding and peculiar character, and thus a difficult man to deal with, but De Laurentiis should never have allowed their relationship to deteriorate to such a point that the Tuscan would have even considered quitting a club that he clearly loved.
The net result is that De Laurentiis is now looking to salvage Napoli’s season by turning to Igor Tudor, a promising young coach who was also under consideration during the summer. The Croatian, though, is very much unproven at the very highest level, and it’s not an appointment that will restore much confidence in De Laurentiis among the club’s frustrated fans.
The president promised them a new era of sustained success with Spalletti, but he has instead precipitated a period of great uncertainty with one dreadful decision after another. The project never stops, of course, but Napoli’s hopes of making the most of a truly remarkable achievement are already over.
