After a valiant performance at Anfield where Ancelotti’s men held on for a hard earned point, Napoli secured their place in the knockout stages of the Champions League in emphatic style at home to Genk. Hours later Carlo Ancelotti was out of a job.
It would be misleading to say that this turn of events had not been anticipated but after their first win in nine games the positivity was quickly soured by Ancelotti’s exit. As rumours rapidly emerged of Gennaro Gattuso’s imminent arrival it became apparent that the powers that be had put this deal in motion much earlier than first thought.
Much had been made of the stand-off between club president Aurelio De Laurentiis and Ancelotti and his players. After slipping 11 points behind Juventus the club president had ordered a week-long training camp, this order was refused in a show of defiance by Carlo Ancelotti who took his players home after a draw against Red Bull Salzburg. This refusal drew a response from Napoli. Although the club did not reveal any details of the sanctions it would impose, it did come out with a public statement:
“The club announces that, with reference to the behavior of the players on Tuesday, it will proceed to protect its rights on an economic, capital, image and disciplinary levels in every competent jurisdiction (…) It is also made clear that the responsibility to decide on ordering days in a training retreat lies with coach Carlo Ancelotti (…) A press silence has been ordered from now until a date yet to be decided.”
It will not have gone unnoticed that the club had cited the manager as a stalwart in the apparent decisions taken. Napoli are currently at a disappointing seventh place on the domestic front despite having secured European progression. You will however be forgiven for thinking that the domestic performance is not the primary reason for Ancelotti’s dismissal.
Carlo Ancelotti’s own summation of his players came to a head as his side forfeited a lead to lose 2-1 at home to Bologna. The result meant his side were winless in six and showed no signs of improving having deservedly succumbed to another loss. His sides’ performance prompted Ancelotti to order a training camp of his own in a strange turn of events.
The move by Ancelotti seemed to signal that he was determined to change things. It seemed to change little other than their formation as Napoli managed only a point away at Udinese in the following week. This formation tinkering by Ancelotti, often switching from front three to a traditional 4-4-2, that has afflicted the tactical stability of his players has no doubt contributed to his downfall but there were bad signs even at the beginning of this campaign.
Signs of trouble had already begun appearing in September, as Carletto’s men prepared to host Liverpool. Five days before the game Ancelotti’s released a statement relating to work being carried out at the San Paolo stadium:
“I have seen the state of the dressing rooms at the San Paolo. There are no words,” he said. “I accepted the club’s request to play the first two games away from home to allow the work to be finished, as was promised (…) You can build a house in two months, but they weren’t capable of renovating the dressing rooms! Where are we supposed to get changed for the games against Sampdoria and Liverpool?”
The words were strong and set a precedent for what was to become a very public exchange between Napoli and Ancelotti. An important reason for the coach having retained his position for as long as he did is perhaps due to the respect he demanded from his squad. This was exemplified by Napoli’s performance as they delivered the only defeat that Liverpool have suffered this season. Carlo Ancelotti’s managerial prowess remains unquestioned, he remains one of only three coaches to have won the Champions League three times, as underlined by the immediate interest in talks that both Everton and Arsenal have reportedly shown.
Ancelotti’s initial appointment at Napoli was a testament to the new levels the club had reached. Maurizio Sarri’s work had ensured that the Partenopei were Juventus’ main threat on the domestic front and had done so with some fine football. In Ancelotti, Napoli had attracted a manager who boasts the biggest sides in world football on his CV, a man who was and will continue to be universally coveted as a masterful tactician with guile when it comes to dealing with star players.
After his first season in charge the side had once more finished runners up in the Serie A, while crashing out of the Champions League in the group stages in an exceptionally difficult group. The first year provided something to build on, a decent showing that with the correct tweaks could once more result in glory. This season’s dramatic developments will likely deal some harm to Napoli’s endeavors on the domestic front, at least in the immediate future.
A difficult twist in Ancelotti’s departure comes through the fact that it seems the Italian was unaware of his imminent dismissal even hours before it came. In a post-match interview after the game against Genk his comments seem to underline this:
“As far as I’m concerned, with certain players coming back and the right conditions in place, this team can still target fourth place (…) The win tonight is a weight off our shoulders and can give the players a big boost for the future.”
These words seem to show an individual that is very much focusing on a future where he remains at the helm. Only hours later Aurelio De Laurentiis’ confirms Ancelotti’s dismissal and reaffirms, tellingly, that their friendship remains intact. This revelation has been immediately overshadowed by Napoli’s swift appointment of Gennaro Gattuso.
In Gattuso, the side have appointed someone who is still honing his managerial craft. The Italian was quick to underline his very close relationship to Carlo Ancelotti but the jury is out on the relatively inexperienced manager. Many will point to Ringhio’s inexperience as something the board at Napoli can leverage in any future disputes but he did show signs of leadership in his time leading Milan. Gattuso has a track record of indulging the youth set-up and giving opportunities to those that deserve it but his fiery temperament may mean that the dramatics at Napoli are not quite finished.
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