Napoli's invite to party with Serie A-list puts spotlight on Roberto Donadoni

Believe it or not, there might just be a manager out there under even more insufferable pressure to deliver than Manuel Pellegrini or Mark Hughes. Napoli might not have been quite so lavish in their squad refurbishments this summer as Real Madrid or Manchester City, but Roberto Donadoni is working for a man who is putting his money and equally substantial mouth towards turning his boyhood club into a fairy story.

Napoli are owned by the flamboyant movie mogul Aurelio De Laurentiis, the local hero who rescued his club from bankruptcy in 2004, relaunched them in Serie C, pushed them up and up, and now appears to expect nothing less than a serious tilt at the Scudetto.

Napoli and Genoa, two of the faded old names of calcio who are undergoing a renaissance, both spent heavily this summer in an attempt to catch up with the big boys. De Laurentiis outlined his intentions by throwing a glitzy ceremony on board the Costa Concordia, a cruise ship moored in the dock of Naples, to unveil this season's reinforced team. It was a party worthy of Hollywood, with nine new signings topping the bill.

Fabio Quagliarella, the predatory striker signed from Udinese on the opening day of the transfer window, was particularly excited. A prodigal son returning to the city of his birth, he is the man Napoli expect to lead the charge. He turned down more lucrative offers, explaining, "I had always longed to come and play in Napoli."

But the real Oscar moment came when De Laurentiis planted a kiss on the cheek of Ezequiel Lavezzi, the darling of the curva who had dangerously crossed swords with the owner. De Laurentiis was incensed when the maverick Argentinian front man asked for a pay rise, and accused him of being overly dedicated to the art of parties, rather than doing his scoring on the pitch.

"Tonight starts my new five-year era at the club," announced De Laurentiis from the Costa Concordia. "This is a key time for Napoli and we can't afford any more errors." By his standards, this rallying call was uncharacteristically polite. Sometimes De Laurentiis can come across as his club's biggest fan and worst critic in the same sentence.

Donadoni did the right thing by publicly thanking De Laurentiis for the "great party" but it is hard to escape the feeling that the former Italy coach would prefer to get on with the job at hand more quietly.

Donadoni is, however, absolutely correct to appeal for caution about the season ahead. "I would leave expectations aside for now," he said. "I understand the euphoria surrounding this side, but we must be calm. The squad has certainly been reinforced with interesting players, but aside from Quagliarella, they don't have much experience. The overall quality of the team has been increased, but I don't like to make proclamations. We need to be solid."

The coach also mentioned recently that he could still do with somebody on the left, which merely provoked De Laurentiis to snarl, "If he wants one, he can buy it himself." If success can grow from this potent Neapolitan cocktail of tension and anticipation, then Donadoni will have earned his wages big time.

Napoli's progress should be worth keeping an eye on, and luckily for English viewers, live Serie A is back on our screens this season. ESPN has struck a deal to add the Italian league to its stable, and will open the season on 22 August with Siena v Milan, who have lost a worrying six pre-season matches. Yes, that's right. Six defeats in one summer.

Donadoni might think the title is a long shot, as Inter and an upgraded Juventus squad both look powerful, but a top three finish is not beyond the realms of possibility. His old team Milan could be there for the taking.

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