Napoli SACKS Head-Coach Rudi Garcia, And Re-Appionts Former Boss Walter Mazzarri.

Napoli have sacked head coach Rudi Garcia and replaced him with former manager Walter Mazzarri until the end of the season

Garcia was appointed by Napoli in June, to succeed Luciano Spalletti who left the club to take time out of the game last season after delivering the club their first league title in 33 years (since the 1989-90 season).

The reigning Serie A champions are currently fourth in the league standings after winning six of 12 games to start the new season making their title defence already looking unlikely as they trail league leaders Inter Milan by 10 points.

Despite Garcia making a strong start at Napoli who kicked off their title defence with back-to-back wins over Frosinone and Sassuolo, they were beaten by 17th-placed Empoli on Sunday to leave 59-year-old Frenchman with a record of eight wins, four draws and four defeats in all competitions.

Garcia's struggles came as little surprise, as the loss of South Korean centre-back Kim Min-jae to German gaints Bayern Munich gave a huge blow to the backline, while an injury to talisman Victor Osimhen has slowed down their attack and goalscoring opportunities.

However, even before the Nigerian was sidelined with a hamstring problem, it was clear that Osimhen, who still hasn't signed a new contract, wasn't entirely happy with some of Garcia's decisions.

In a bid to turn the team’s fortunes around, Walter Mazzarri has been brought back to the club for the remainder of the Serie A season.

Improving their poor form at home will be a key issue to address for Mazzarri, with Napoli on a five-game winless run at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona in all competitions.

The 62-year-old Italian previously managed Napoli from 2009 to 2013, and he delivered the club its first trophy in 20 years when the Partenopei won the 2012 Copa Italia by beating undefeated league champions Juventus in the final.

A year later 2012-13, Mazzarri led them to second-placed finish in Serie A, finishing nine points behind Juventus, which is the club's highest league position in over two decades, and secured a Champions League place.

Announcing his return, chairman Aurelio De Laurentiis said on X, formerly known as Twitter: "Welcome back Walter!"

Mazzarri has been out work since leaving Cagliari in 2022, but was hired by Inter that summer.

He also spent one season in the Premier League with Watford, keeping the club up at the end of the 2016-17 season before having his contract terminated.

Mazzarri then returned to Serie A with Torino and then Cagliari and is now back for a second stint with the Naples.

His first game in charge will be after the international break, which is a trip to fifth-place Atalanta on Saturday, November 25, before taking on Real Madrid on Nov. 29 at the Santiago Bernabeu in the Champions League followed by a home game against leaders Inter on December 3, and a visit to Juventus on December 8.