Italy: Gattuso Naples coach, Top 4 mission for "Ringhio Star"

Rome (AFP)

Gennaro Gattuso was named coach of Naples Wednesday, the day after the announcement of the sidelining of Carlo Ancelotti, the club said with a tweet.

"Welcome Gattuso", can we read on the official Twitter account of Naples. "Welcome Rino," tweeted Aurelio De Laurentiis, the club's president.

The 2006 world champion has just replaced Ancelotti, whom he is a close friend and who has been his coach at AC Milan. "Carletto" was dismissed Tuesday night after a win over Genk in the Champions League (4-0).

If he managed to qualify his team for the knockout stages of the Champions League, Ancelotti instead pays a start of the championship missed in Serie A, culminating in a poor 7th place, eight points in the Top 4.

"I spoke with Ancelotti this (Wednesday) morning, Carlo is like a father to me, I would be happy to get 10% of what he has done in his career," Gattuso told a press conference organized a few minutes after the announcement of his recruitment.

"He has been close to me for all these years and he has helped me in everything.He won everything, I still have to prove everything," added Gattuso, 41, who remains on a mixed experience on the bench. Milan. The Calabrian left the Lombard club at the end of last season after having spent almost two seasons as a coach.

In Naples, "I found a team aware of being in a difficult situation and who wants to do well.I have good feelings.Now we have to lower our head and pedal," said Gattuso, who announced that his Napoli would play in 4-3-3.

"This team has the potential to reach the top four places, and it's embarrassing to see Napoli in this place," he said.

Present at his side, the president De Laurentiis thanked Ancelotti and assured that he remained "his friend". "I regret that things have happened like this but often, there are divorces in which husband and wife maintain good relations," he said.

De Laurentiis has also proposed the nickname "Ringhio Star" for his new coach. Gattuso is indeed often called Ringhio, grunting in Italian, in reference to his character.

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Gennaro Gattuso was named Wednesday coach of Naples instead of Carlo Ancelotti and "Ringhio Star", as nicknamed the club's president Aurelio De Laurentiis, has set the goal for the Top 4 qualifier for the Champions League.

In addition to the Beatles, the De Laurentiis word game refers to Gattuso's nickname, Ringhio, which means grunt in Italian. The 2006 world champion and figure of AC Milan has indeed marked the spirits, during his playing career, by his warrior temperament that compensated for some technical limitations.

On the sideline, coach Gattuso often seemed more placated and less angry than Gattuso midfielder. As a technician, the Calabrian remains on a mixed experience at AC Milan, which must however be reviewed in the light of what followed and was worse, Marco Giampaolo having been thanked after seven days this season.

But this is a fighter that Napoli needs today, while Ancelotti part of a qualification for the 8th finals of the Champions League thanks to a victory 4-0 on Genk Tuesday, but also on a poor start to the championship in Serie A, culminating in a poor seventh place, eight points of the Top 4.

The proximity between Ancelotti and Gattuso is well known, since their common years in Milan (from 2001 to 2009), and "Carletto" was the main subject of the press conference organized Wednesday evening at the training center of Castel Volturno, where Gattuso led his first session in the afternoon.

"I spoke with Ancelotti this morning, Carlo is like a father to me, I would be happy to get 10% of what he did in his career, I still got the confirmation today from the man that he is, "said Gattuso, 41.

- Never scared -

"He has been close to me for all these years and he helped me in everything, he won everything, I still have to prove everything," he added.

In Naples, "I found a team aware of being in a difficult situation and who wants to do well.I have good feelings.Now we have to lower our head and pedal," said Gattuso, who announced that his Napoli would play in 4-3-3.

"This is a great opportunity and a team that is made for me, I see 99% of players who are suitable for my game project," he said, refusing to talk about a possible arrival of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, announced by the Italian sports media between Naples and Milan.

While his new team remained before Tuesday on nine games without a win (seven in the league and two in the Champions League), Gattuso also said he was confident about the possibilities of recovery.

"This team has the potential to reach the top four places, it's embarrassing to see Napoli at this place in the standings, we need to recover points and aim for the Champions League, we can not stay out of Europe" , he said.

But Gattuso will have to find the solutions that Ancelotti, his master, sought in vain to remobilize players, many of whom, including the leaders, let go after the episode of the "mutiny", when they refused a bet. in green decreed early November by President De Laurentiis.

"I am a man who loves the sea," said Gattuso, questioned about his feeling about life in Naples. "Here the sea is big and there is always the risk of drowning, but I am not afraid, I have never been afraid," he said.

© 2019 AFP