Napoli President Claims Carlo Ancelotti Has Helped 'Change' I Partenopei for the Better

Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has praised the impact of manager Carlo Ancelotti in his first season at the club.

After taking over from now-Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri, Ancelotti has implemented his own preferred style of play and kept the Partenopei second in the Serie A standings, albeit 15 points behind runaway leaders Juventus.

Speaking to local reporters, De Laurentiis revealed he was delighted with how Ancelotti has helped alter the club's vision. He is quoted by La Repubblica as saying: "The balance of this season has been very positive because, with a new coach, we have changed our mentality and approach to the game.

"It has been a year where we, thanks to Ancelotti, have experienced all the potential of the various players available and therefore we have also made the most of those who are more correct for an 'ancelottiano' game and those who, despite being a great champion or great prospects, perhaps are better suited to play somewhere else".

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Using a 4-4-2 formation, Ancelotti has been forced to deal with the departures of influential midfielders Jorginho and Marek Hamsik, who both left to join Chelsea and Dalian Yifang respectively.

Brazilian midfielder Allan has regularly lined up alongside new signing Fabian Ruiz, whilst Amadou Diawara and Piotr Zielinski have also been given plenty of chances to impress.

Further forward, young striker Arkadiusz Milik leads the team in scoring, and former leading scorer Dries Mertens has instead been tasked with creating goals for his strike partner, racking up 12 goals and 11 assists in all competitions under Ancelotti.

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However, the Italian tactician could soon be facing a new dilemma as star centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly continues to be linked with a blockbuster departure from the club. The likes of Manchester United and Real Madrid are thought to be plotting mammoth bids for the towering Senegalese defender, meaning Ancelotti may need to find a replacement.

Both Sebastiano Luperto and Nikola Maksimovic have been regular features in Napoli's defence, but Ancelotti may look to the transfer market to identity a replacement for Koulibaly if the 27-year-old leaves the club.