New Napoli coach Roberto Donadoni has warned fans not to expect too much during his first few months in charge.
The 45-year-old, sacked as Italy coach in June when the world champions were knocked out of Euro 2008 in the quarter-finals, has replaced the sacked Edy Reja at the Serie A side.
“The team is not going through an easy moment, it doesn’t make sense to talk about Europe,” Donadoni told a news conference.
“First I have to understand what players I have at my disposal. I will talk with Reja and with the players, then I will start work. I have ideas but first I must confront my new reality.”
The former Milan midfielder became national coach in 2006 despite a relatively short stint as a domestic manager where he succeeded in helping Livorno reach the UEFA Cup.
Reja masterminded Napoli’s rise from the third tier to Serie A in five years but Sunday’s 2-0 home defeat by Lazio was the final straw.
“I told Reja that the dressing room was no longer with him and that a change was needed for the team to return to how it was before,” film producer and backer Aurelio De Laurentiis said.
“I had already thought of Donadoni… and spoken to him in previous times of crisis.”
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