Napoli hire former Watford boss Walter Mazzarri until end of the season after sacking Rudi Garcia

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

The reigning Serie A champions are fourth in the league after winning six of 12 games to start the new campaign and trail leaders Inter Milan by 10 points.

Garcia was hired in June to take over from Luciano Spalletti, who said he needed a break from football after guiding Napoli to a first domestic crown since the 1989-90 season.

The 59-year-old made a strong start at Napoli as the club kicked off their title defence with back-to-back wins over Frosinone and Sassuolo.

However, a run of just four wins from their next 10, which culminated in a stoppage-time defeat last time out at home to strugglers Empoli, cost him his job.

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

Mazzarri was previously in charge at Napoli from 2009 to 2013 and won a first trophy for the club in 20 years, beating Juventus in the final of the 2012 Copa Italia.

He then managed Napoli to a second-placed finish in the league in the 2012-13 season, finishing nine points behind Juventus.

The 62-year-old was hired by Inter that summer and also enjoyed a spell in the Premier League with Watford, keeping the club up at the end of the 2016-17 season before having his contract terminated.

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

His first game in charge will be a trip to fifth-place Atalanta before taking on Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League.

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