The joke going around southern Italy about Rafa Benitez, the soon-to-depart coach of Napoli, is that he has excelled lately at premature farewells. On Thursday, he announced what had been widely foreseen: that he is leaving Napoli at the end of the Serie A season. That is, immediately after tomorrow night’s charged meeting with Lazio.
For some, that counts as the third farewell he has made this season. The first came in the Coppa Italia campaign, where he bid adieu in the semi-final stage; then came the Europa League campaign, where Napoli again went out in the last four. Those hurt, as did Napoli’s elimination in the play-offs round of the Champions League last August.
But there is a chance Benitez can make significant amends and leave a positive legacy before he moves on, probably to Real Madrid.
RELATED:
Diego Forlan: Real Madrid's sacking of Carlo Ancelotti lacks logic, I prefer the Barcelona model
Transfer news: Real Madrid deny 'false' reports of a move for Paul Pogba as Barcelona and Man City head queue
Game 38 of Napoli’s up-and-down league campaign carries a potentially huge prize. Beat Lazio and the club will squeeze into third place in the table, equalling their standing of 12 months ago, and taking them again into an August play-off for a slot in the lucrative Champions League group phase.
Napoli need a victory to jump over a Lazio side who have lately stumbled after what had been an impressive spring. Their lead over fourth-place Napoli stands at three points, but a Napoli win would assure the Neapolitans finish ahead of their direct rivals because of the head-to-head tie-breaker: Benitez’s team beat Stefano Pioli’s side 1-0 in Rome.
Napoli probably need to be aggressive and proactive, qualities not always associated with Benitez the tactician. In his time in Spain, where he won two Liga titles with Valencia; and England, where he led Liverpool to a Champions League victory and Chelsea to a Europa League success, he was sometimes caricatured as cagey and conservative.
He bristled at that suggestion as he gave the press conference to confirm he would not be staying in Italy. “I believe I adapt well to the qualities of the team I have in front of me,” he said. “If you have attacking strength you attack. Here, they would say I am an offensive coach.”
He has a point. Only Juventus, the runaway champions, have scored more Serie A goals than Napoli this season. Where Lazio have trumped Napoli is in picking up points against opponents lower down in the table.
Benitez’s explanation: “It is hard to maintain consistency when you are competing in three distinct competitions.” His legacy? “Napoli can go on stronger from here,” he said, “and I think I can say my final goodbye with a place in the Champions League achieved.”
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @NatSportUAE
Biography
Favourite book: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
Holiday choice: Anything Disney-related
Proudest achievement: Receiving a presidential award for foreign services.
Family: Wife and three children.
Like motto: You always get what you ask for, the universe listens.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kinetic 7
Started: 2018
Founder: Rick Parish
Based: Abu Dhabi, UAE
Industry: Clean cooking
Funding: $10 million
Investors: Self-funded
The specs
Engine: 2.3-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 299hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 420Nm at 2,750rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 12.4L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh157,395 (XLS); Dh199,395 (Limited)
TWISTERS
Director:+Lee+Isaac+Chung
Starring:+Glen+Powell,+Daisy+Edgar-Jones,+Anthony+Ramos
Rating:+2.5/5
The National in Davos
We are bringing you the inside story from the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting in Davos, a gathering of hundreds of world leaders, top executives and billionaires.
Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
Company Profile
Company name: Namara
Started: June 2022
Founder: Mohammed Alnamara
Based: Dubai
Sector: Microfinance
Current number of staff: 16
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Family offices
Company Profile
Name: HyveGeo
Started: 2023
Founders: Abdulaziz bin Redha, Dr Samsurin Welch, Eva Morales and Dr Harjit Singh
Based: Cambridge and Dubai
Number of employees: 8
Industry: Sustainability & Environment
Funding: $200,000 plus undisclosed grant
Investors: Venture capital and government
Another way to earn air miles
In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.
An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.
“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.
The years Ramadan fell in May
Biog
Age: 50
Known as the UAE’s strongest man
Favourite dish: “Everything and sea food”
Hobbies: Drawing, basketball and poetry
Favourite car: Any classic car
Favourite superhero: The Hulk original
Major honours
ARSENAL
BARCELONA
- La Liga - 2013
- Copa del Rey - 2012
- Fifa Club World Cup - 2011
CHELSEA
- Premier League - 2015, 2017
- FA Cup - 2018
- League Cup - 2015
SPAIN
- World Cup - 2010
- European Championship - 2008, 2012
A QUIET PLACE
Starring: Lupita Nyong'o, Joseph Quinn, Djimon Hounsou
Director: Michael Sarnoski
Rating: 4/5
MATCH INFO
Rugby World Cup (all times UAE)
Third-place play-off: New Zealand v Wales, Friday, 1pm
Final: England v South Africa, Saturday, 1pm
The Afghan connection
The influx of talented young Afghan players to UAE cricket could have a big impact on the fortunes of both countries. Here are three Emirates-based players to watch out for.
Hassan Khan Eisakhil
Mohammed Nabi is still proving his worth at the top level but there is another reason he is raging against the idea of retirement. If the allrounder hangs on a little bit longer, he might be able to play in the same team as his son, Hassan Khan. The family live in Ajman and train in Sharjah.
Masood Gurbaz
The opening batter, who trains at Sharjah Cricket Academy, is another player who is a part of a famous family. His brother, Rahmanullah, was an IPL winner with Kolkata Knight Riders, and opens the batting with distinction for Afghanistan.
Omid Rahman
The fast bowler became a pioneer earlier this year when he became the first Afghan to represent the UAE. He showed great promise in doing so, too, playing a key role in the senior team’s qualification for the Asia Cup in Muscat recently.
Results
2.15pm: Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 1,700m; Winner: AF Arrab, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer).
2.45pm: Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 1,700m; Winner: AF Mahaleel, Antonio Fresu, Ernst Oertel.
3.15pm: Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum handicap (TB) Dh200,000 2,000m; Winner: Dolmen, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
3.45pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 1,200m; Winner: Amang Alawda, Sandro Paiva, Bakhit Al Ketbi.
4.15pm: The Crown Prince of Sharjah Cup Prestige (PA) Dh200,000 1,200m; Winner: AF Alwajel, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel.
4.45pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 2,000m; Winner: Al Jazi, Jesus Rosales, Eric Lemartinel.
Kill
Director: Nikhil Nagesh Bhat
Starring: Lakshya, Tanya Maniktala, Ashish Vidyarthi, Harsh Chhaya, Raghav Juyal
Rating: 4.5/5
