What an upheaval the summer brought to our beloved football club. We waived goodbye to Mister Mazzarri, as he moved on to pastures new in Milan. Walter Mazzarri will be forever remembered for taking Napoli back into the upper echelons of Serie A, albeit sometimes choosing to do it the hard way. However last season it became clear we required new blood, a coach to take us to the next level to be competing asboth serious title contenders and on the European front. Although his time at Napoli was an undoubted success, the last few months proved things had gone a little stale and perhaps fresh impetus was required to get the best from a talented squad.

The gossip surrounding a new coach made the summer even more interesting, while a little frustrating. I admit that initially I found myself a little disappointed with the appointment of Rafa Benitez. But given time to reflect and a few days to mull over De Laurentiis' decision it became clear that Rafa and Napoli could potentially become the perfect match. Very much so the coach to take us places, places where Walter could never!

We also saw the the much rumoured departure of El Matador, the golden boy Edinson Cavani. One of the greatest players to wear the shirt in modern times and more than capable of carrying the rest of the team with his tireless displays, selfless teamwork and goalscoring prowess. After a few years of rumours Edi finally had his head turn by the big bucks on offer in Paris and a deal was finally brokered. The bitter pill was made easier to swallow with the acquisition of the Spanish trio of Reina, Albiol and Callejon. Rapid winger Dries Mertens joined the incoming crowd and a new golden boy was crowned with the marque signing of Gonzalo Higuain. Rafael will provide decent, ever ready backup for Reina and it must be noted that the duo look so much stronger than last years offering of De Sanctis and Rosati. In Duvan Zapata we have signed something of a unknown quantity, but with Rafa's tutelage he may well shine. He does however find himself with plenty of competition for a place in Rafa's 4-2-3-1 formation.

So with a new coach, half a new team and a new formation we appear to have hit the ground running with two straight victories, admittedly against lesser opposition. However it is in these sorts of fixtures that a Mazzarri side would become more than likely unstuck and drop key points in the title race. The new signings seemed to have gelled together early with the rest of the squad and we hope for another bright year for the young and abundantly talented Lorenzo Insigne. From this early stage it is clear Rafa is happy to place a lot of faith in him and the kid seems intent on proving his worth.

This all brings us in nicely to the first international break of the season. And as our lads fly home to represent the countries of their birth we can but hope that they come through those game unscathed as the fixtures come think and fast from now on in.

My only gripe so far is the exclusion of captain Paolo Cannavaro from the starting eleven. The defence looks a little unsettle so far in but perhaps the centre-halves will need time to settle into a more traditional flat back four and patience must be shown with Rafa's choice of Britos and Albiol. Saying that, I'm sure Rafa knowns exactly what he is doing, just ask any Chelsea fan. In Rafa we trust!