Former Chelsea manager, Rafael Benitez has been appointed the coach of Italian side SSC Napoli. He replaces former coach Walter Mazzari who lead Napoli to a second place finish, qualifying for next years Champions League. Benitez joined Chelsea replacing the popular Roberto Di Matteo. He was named interim manager. Benitez came to fame when he won the La Liga twice with Valencia CF. He then joined Liverpool where he won the Champions League and League Cups etc. He then moved to an unsuccessful spell at Inter Milan where he only won the Club World Cup. He was unemployed for 2 years. And then Chelsea's owner, Roman Abramovich, contacted him about the Chelsea job. He won the Europa League with Chelsea by beating Benfica in the final. He missed out on the F.A Cup and Capital One Cup being defeated in the semi-finals. He then missed out on the Club World Cup being defeated by Brazilian Champions, Corinthians, in the final.
He is now the coach of Napoli. "I am very happy and very satisfied for having committed to a great club with an illustrious heritage like Napoli," said Benitez.
"I understand the history of the city and how the club forms a fundamental part of the culture and traditions of Naples.
"I must confess that I am extremely excited because I can share my passion for football with the fans of Napoli; it is proven that they are very, very special.
"I look forward to experiencing each and every one of the fans of Napoli and their strong support for this project that we will begin."
Benitez faces the tough job of keeping Edison Cavani who is being courted by Monaco, Manchester City and Chelsea. He also has to try to keep Hamsik. Both these players are the star player of Napoli and are interested in playing for bigger clubs. There also might be the possibility of Napoli and Chelsea meeting in the Champions League. It was rumored that Benitez was interested in bringing Chelsea striker, Fernando Torres, with whom he worked with at Liverpool, to Napoli. This might be hard considering the fact that the club would have to play his hefty wages and he has recently admitted the he will stay at Chelsea until his contract expires and fight for his place at the club.
Reunion?
Anyway, Good Luck to Rafa Benitez!
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