Former Napoli midfielder Valon Behrami has criticised the way new Real Madrid boss Rafael Benitez managed the Italian club.
Benitez has now switched his allegiance to the Bernabeu and the land of his birth after two seasons in Serie A with the Partenopei.
The former Liverpool chief managed to win the Coppa Italia with Napoli and guided them into the Champions League in his first season, but they only finished fifth in the campaign just ended to miss out on Europe’s elite club competition.
However, the 55-year-old tactician will still manage in the Champions League next term with Real after accepting one of the toughest assignments in world football.
Benitez is generally thought of as one of the top managers in the European game at present and it seemed inevitable that he would land one of the biggest jobs in the sport at some stage of his career.
But the former Inter coach will not arrive in Madrid with a ringing endorsement from Behrami, who played under him in Naples.
The Switzerland international schemer also played for Walter Mazzarri at Napoli and he is in no doubt who got the best out of him.
“Benitez introduced another mentality, with less emphasis on character,” he told Tuttomercatoweb.
“He wanted a more integrated approach to football, in which everyone did what he wanted them to.
“I felt that my development was going backwards and I was no longer as central to the team.
“For me, there was a huge difference between the two. Mazzarri was the better coach for me and for Napoli.”
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