Walter Mazzarri made a shock return as Napoli manager on Tuesday (Nov 14) after Rudi Garcia fell victim to a dismal start to the Italian champions' Serie A title defence.

Walter Mazzarri made a shock return as Napoli manager on Tuesday (Nov 14) after Rudi Garcia fell victim to a dismal start to the Italian champions' Serie A title defence. Garcia lasted just five months at Napoli after replacing Italy coach Luciano Spalletti, failing to inspire a team which had kept almost all the stars of last season's first Scudetto since 1990. Napoli are 10 points behind league leaders Inter Milan in fourth and have been in turmoil for weeks as May's historic title triumph began to increasingly look like a one-off. Garcia, 59, was fired after Sunday's 1-0 home loss to Empoli was greeted by a deluge of boos and whistles from supporters, whose joy at being reigning Italian champions has vanished. Reports of his dismissal emerged almost immediately after that defeat, Napoli's fourth at home in all competitions this season. The announcement of Mazzarri's Napoli return after a decade away, reportedly on a deal until the end of the current campaign, initially came via owner Aurelio De Laurentiis. The movie mogul simply wrote "Welcome back Walter!" on X, formerly known as Twitter, after the club confirmed Garcia's sacking. De Laurentiis was visibly irked by that display in the pouring rain in Naples, as was injured star striker Victor Osimhen. But fans are also pointing the finger at De Laurentiis, whose decision it was to replace Spalletti with a man whose stock has fallen dramatically since being sacked by Roma in early 2016. Garcia, who won Ligue 1 with Lille in 2011, was fired from his previous job at Al Nassr in April not long after the Saudi Arabian club signed Cristiano Ronaldo in a deal worth tens of millions of dollars. He was previously a losing Europa League finalist with Marseille in 2018 and took Lyon to the semi-finals of the Champions League two years later. Also read | Football: Eleven Germans arrested on eve of Napoli vs Union Berlin Champions League clash Fan anger De Laurentiis has long had a difficult relationship with Napoli supporters, in particular with the hardcore fans who were in open revolt for much of last season over high ticket prices and bans on drums, flags and banners. The 74-year-old also owns Bari and before the start of that historic campaign fans were imploring him to sell up and go full-time at the second-tier club. Dissatisfaction with team displays and the ownership will bring added pressure to Mazzarri, who helped return southern Italy's biggest club to the upper echelons of Italian football in his first four-year spell. The 62-year-old guided Napoli to the 2012 Italian Cup, beating undefeated league champions Juventus in the final to win the club's first trophy in over two decades. He left in May 2013 after finishing second in Italy's top flight with a thrilling team which boasted Ezequiel Lavezzi, Marek Hamsík and Edinson Cavani in attack. Mazzarri took over at Inter Milan shortly afterwards but was sacked in November that year and his career has since taken a downward turn, with uninspiring spells at Watford, Torino and Cagliari leaving him a surprising choice ahead of Igor Tudor. Former Croatia defender Tudor, who won two Serie A titles with Juventus as a player, took Marseille to third in Ligue 1 last season but left the long-troubled club "for professional and private reasons". Tudor also did an excellent job the previous season at Verona, who finished ninth after he took over from sacked Eusebio Di Francesco early in that campaign.

Serie A: Manager Rudi Garcia fired by Napoli as Walter Mazzarri makes shock return

Cristiano Ronaldo’s Saudi club&nbsp;Al-Nassr&nbsp;fired coach Rudi Garcia on Thursday after less than a year in charge following media reports of dressing room tensions and just days before a crucial&nbsp;game against champions&nbsp;Al-Hilal.

Garcia, the former AS Roma and Olympique de Marseille coach, criticised the players after they drew 0-0 with lowly&nbsp;Al&nbsp;Feiha last Sunday in another blow to their hopes of a first league title since 2019, saying: "The result is bad. I don't feel satisfied with the players".

Local&nbsp;media reported that Garcia's relationship with the players prompted the club to dismiss him, as well as dissatisfaction with his style of play.

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Al-Nassr, who signed Ronaldo in a deal&nbsp;worth more than $200 million, have collected seven points from their last four league games, dropping to second place in the table, three points behind leaders&nbsp;Al-Ittihad with seven games left in the season.

Al-Nassr&nbsp;lost the Saudi Super Cup final&nbsp;to&nbsp;Al-Ittihad in January and have not beaten any of their closest rivals,&nbsp;Al-Ittihad,&nbsp;Al-Hilal, or&nbsp;Al-Shabab, in the league this season.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s Saudi club Al-Nassr fired coach Rudi Garcia on Thursday after less than a year in charge following media reports of dressing room tensions and just days before a crucial game against champions Al-Hilal.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s Saudi club Al-Nassr fired coach Rudi Garcia on Thursday after less than a year in charge following media reports of dressing room tensions and just days before a crucial game against champions Al-Hilal. Garcia, the former AS Roma and Olympique de Marseille coach, criticised the players after they drew 0-0 with lowly Al Feiha last Sunday in another blow to their hopes of a first league title since 2019, saying: "The result is bad. I don't feel satisfied with the players". Local media reported that Garcia's relationship with the players prompted the club to dismiss him, as well as dissatisfaction with his style of play. Also Read: Bayern Munich suspend Sadio Mane for one match for punching teammate Leroy Sane following UCL loss Al-Nassr, who signed Ronaldo in a deal worth more than $200 million, have collected seven points from their last four league games, dropping to second place in the table, three points behind leaders Al-Ittihad with seven games left in the season. Al-Nassr lost the Saudi Super Cup final to Al-Ittihad in January and have not beaten any of their closest rivals, Al-Ittihad, Al-Hilal, or Al-Shabab, in the league this season.

Cristiano Ronaldo's Saudi club Al-Nassr sack coach Rudi Garcia after less than a year in-charge

Following his headline-making performance against Paris-Saint German in an exhibition match recently, Al-Nassr’s newest signing Cristiano Ronaldo finally made his Saudi Pro League debut on Sunday night against Al Ettifaq at the King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh. Although he didn’t score on his debut for his new team, Al-Nassr’s coach Rudi Garcia heaped praises on the veteran for his impact on the field. Adding that Ronaldo’s presence is a big plus for the team, Rudi said Cristiano distracted the defenders that eventually helped them score a goal and win the match. With this victory, Al-Nassr&nbsp;has returned to the top of points table with 33 points.

Despite not getting enough rest after the PSG game where he scored twice, Ronaldo was instrumental in guiding Al-Nassr to a win against mid-table side Al Ettifaq. While Al-Nassr came close to scoring on a few occasions, it was their attacking mid-fielder Talisca who converted his chance into a goal in the 31st minute. Post win, club’s head coach Rudi Garcia shared encouraging words for Ronaldo saying,&nbsp;"It's a positive addition when you have a player like Ronaldo as he helps to distract the defenders, which is what happened with our goal."

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"Today we created opportunities for him and asked the players to diversify the game between him and Talisca, and we must not forget that he participated in the (exhibition match against) Paris-St German and did not get enough rest," he added.

Banking on the star striker‘s ability to deliver for Al-Nassr in the remainder of season, Garcia&nbsp;feels Ronaldo’s presence still doesn’t guarantee winning the league as the competition is very high.

"Even with the presence of Ronaldo, it is not easy to win the Saudi League because of ... the strength of the competitors," Garcia said.

Following fallout with his former club Manchester United, Cristiano Ronaldo decided to join Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League in a record-breaking transfer that made him the most-expensive footballer in the world.

Following his headline-making performance against Paris-Saint German in an exhibition match recently, Al-Nassr’s newest signing Cristiano Ronaldo finally made his Saudi Pro League debut on Sunday night against Al Ettifaq at the King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh.

Following his headline-making performance against Paris-Saint German in an exhibition match recently, Al-Nassr’s newest signing Cristiano Ronaldo finally made his Saudi Pro League debut on Sunday night against Al Ettifaq at the King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh. Although he didn’t score on his debut for his new team, Al-Nassr’s coach Rudi Garcia heaped praises on the veteran for his impact on the field. Adding that Ronaldo’s presence is a big plus for the team, Rudi said Cristiano distracted the defenders that eventually helped them score a goal and win the match. With this victory, Al-Nassr has returned to the top of points table with 33 points. Despite not getting enough rest after the PSG game where he scored twice, Ronaldo was instrumental in guiding Al-Nassr to a win against mid-table side Al Ettifaq. While Al-Nassr came close to scoring on a few occasions, it was their attacking mid-fielder Talisca who converted his chance into a goal in the 31st minute. Post win, club’s head coach Rudi Garcia shared encouraging words for Ronaldo saying, "It's a positive addition when you have a player like Ronaldo as he helps to distract the defenders, which is what happened with our goal." ALSO READ: Chelsea vs Liverpool match abandoned only after six minutes. Know why "Today we created opportunities for him and asked the players to diversify the game between him and Talisca, and we must not forget that he participated in the (exhibition match against) Paris-St German and did not get enough rest," he added. Banking on the star striker‘s ability to deliver for Al-Nassr in the remainder of season, Garcia feels Ronaldo’s presence still doesn’t guarantee winning the league as the competition is very high. "Even with the presence of Ronaldo, it is not easy to win the Saudi League because of ... the strength of the competitors," Garcia said. Following fallout with his former club Manchester United, Cristiano Ronaldo decided to join Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League in a record-breaking transfer that made him the most-expensive footballer in the world.

Cristiano Ronaldo remains goalless in league debut, Al-Nassr coach Rudi Garcia praises veteran post win

Cristiano Ronaldo will serve his suspension before making his league debut for his new Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr but he could play against Paris St Germain in a friendly this month, coach Rudi Garcia has said. Ronaldo missed the first of two domestic games for Al Nassr on Friday after being suspended by England's Football Association (FA) for knocking a phone out of a fan's hand following Manchester United's defeat at Everton in April. Garcia confirmed the 37-year-old forward would also miss the league game against Al Shabab and make his debut against Ettifaq on Jan. 22 - unless he plays against Lionel Messi's PSG in a team made up of players from Al Nassr and Al Hilal in Riyadh on Jan. 19.

"It (his debut) won't be with the Al Nassr jersey. It will be a mix between Al Hilal and Al Nassr," Garcia was quoted as saying by L'Equipe. "As the coach of Al Nassr, I cannot be happy with this match. For development, to see PSG, to see the great Parisian players, indeed it is a good thing. But we have a championship game three days later.

"In terms of scheduling, it could have been better thought out. But it's not a big deal... We are in the lead, we are happy. It is a difficult championship to win, but we intend to do it."

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Garcia said Ronaldo's arrival in Saudi Arabia was similar to Pele's move to New York Cosmos, shining the spotlight on the little-known Saudi club who have amassed more than 10 million new Instagram followers since his signing last month.

The former Lille and Olympique Lyonnais coach said he hopes Ronaldo rediscovers the enjoyment of playing football after a tumultuous two-month period during which his United contract was terminated and Portugal lost in the World Cup quarter-finals.

"In recent months, between Manchester United, the national team and also at a private level, he has not had easy moments," Garcia said.

"If he finds the pleasure of playing again, it will be a good goal to achieve."

Cristiano Ronaldo will serve his suspension before making his league debut for his new Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr but he could play against Paris St Germain in a friendly this month, coach Rudi Garcia has said.

Cristiano Ronaldo will serve his suspension before making his league debut for his new Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr but he could play against Paris St Germain in a friendly this month, coach Rudi Garcia has said. Ronaldo missed the first of two domestic games for Al Nassr on Friday after being suspended by England's Football Association (FA) for knocking a phone out of a fan's hand following Manchester United's defeat at Everton in April. Garcia confirmed the 37-year-old forward would also miss the league game against Al Shabab and make his debut against Ettifaq on Jan. 22 - unless he plays against Lionel Messi's PSG in a team made up of players from Al Nassr and Al Hilal in Riyadh on Jan. 19. "It (his debut) won't be with the Al Nassr jersey. It will be a mix between Al Hilal and Al Nassr," Garcia was quoted as saying by L'Equipe. "As the coach of Al Nassr, I cannot be happy with this match. For development, to see PSG, to see the great Parisian players, indeed it is a good thing. But we have a championship game three days later. "In terms of scheduling, it could have been better thought out. But it's not a big deal... We are in the lead, we are happy. It is a difficult championship to win, but we intend to do it." ALSO READ: Ex-Belgium boss Roberto Martinez named Portugal's new head coach Garcia said Ronaldo's arrival in Saudi Arabia was similar to Pele's move to New York Cosmos, shining the spotlight on the little-known Saudi club who have amassed more than 10 million new Instagram followers since his signing last month. The former Lille and Olympique Lyonnais coach said he hopes Ronaldo rediscovers the enjoyment of playing football after a tumultuous two-month period during which his United contract was terminated and Portugal lost in the World Cup quarter-finals. "In recent months, between Manchester United, the national team and also at a private level, he has not had easy moments," Garcia said. "If he finds the pleasure of playing again, it will be a good goal to achieve."

Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr debut could be against Lionel Messi's PSG, says coach Rudi Garcia

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Serie A: Manager Rudi Garcia fired by Napoli as Walter Mazzarri makes shock return

Cristiano Ronaldo's Saudi club Al-Nassr sack coach Rudi Garcia after less than a year in-charge

Cristiano Ronaldo remains goalless in league debut, Al-Nassr coach Rudi Garcia praises veteran post win

Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr debut could be against Lionel Messi's PSG, says coach Rudi Garcia