Starting With Real Madrid

July 10, Castel Volturno.

Today is the first day of the summer training camp for Napoli.

A lot of media reporters have gathered outside the training base, and some of them have come from far away.

From the verbal battle between De Laurentiis and Secco, to Secco and Martín's accusations, and now to the start of the training camp, countless media outlets and fans around the world are paying attention to the latest developments in Napoli.

When the players joined the team, Gao Shen personally took Buenaventura with him to oversee the physical examinations.

Buenaventura was mainly responsible for understanding the players' physical conditions and any injuries, while Gao Shen communicated with the players to understand their situations and needs, and to explain his ideas for team management.

Gao Shen also specially asked the club to hire two professional-level translators to facilitate better communication with the players.

Of course, he was also learning Italian himself, but it would take some time to become fluent.

Since preparations were made in advance, the players already knew the team's requirements before arriving at Castel Volturno.

Gao Shen had clearly explained the team's discipline, rules, and regulations to each player, and Captain Montervino was also responsible for communicating and explaining these to the players.

Speaking of the captain, Montervino's level makes it difficult for him to play a key role in a high-level team. His ability is fine for Serie B, but Gao Shen now demands more.

Fortunately, Montervino is a versatile player who is familiar with Napoli's situation. He may not be able to play a more significant role on the pitch, but he can have a great impact in the locker room.

After returning from South America, Gao Shen met with Montervino twice, mainly to discuss his continued role as captain.

The other captain is the veteran goalkeeper Iezzo, who is unlikely to be the main goalkeeper this season, but both players have remained with the team.

This is a lesson learned from Villas-Boas at Chelsea and Moyes at Manchester United.

For the first time, the most important thing now is cohesion and integration.

The salaries of these two veterans are not high, and they have been with the club from the beginning. It can be said that they have been loyal and have contributed a lot. Gao Shen also hopes they can play an active role in helping the new players integrate into the team.

They also promised Gao Shen that they would do their best to support him.

Another person whom Gao Shen entrusted with important locker room responsibilities is the former Parma main defender Paolo Cannavaro. He is a product of the Napoli youth system and is arguably the biggest star in the Napoli team.

God knows how De Laurentiis managed to persuade him!

Gao Shen also spoke with him and expressed his hope that Cannavaro could help bring the new players together and play an active role in the locker room.

Cannavaro had heard about Gao Shen and even revealed that one of the reasons he finally agreed to join Napoli was because of Gao Shen's coaching reputation.

This is undoubtedly a positive sign.

Gao Shen clearly felt the advantages of fame and influence.

For example, when he first started coaching at Real Madrid, let alone the top superstars, even other first-team players weren't particularly interested in him or trusted him, let alone supported him.

But now, with the halo of a double champion at Real Madrid, he had become the most authoritative figure in Castel Volturno. Everyone had to listen to him, and he communicated smoothly with the players.

To put it bluntly, he was the manager of this team!

...

On the morning of the first day of camp, there was a detail that reflected Gao Shen's authority: all the players arrived at Castel Volturno an hour early.

This was because, on the first day of training camp, they needed to undergo a comprehensive physical examination and then warm up.

When Gao Shen communicated with them, the most important topic was discipline. One of the points was that training would start on time, so the players had to arrive on the pitch early to warm up. Each of his training sessions would last 90 minutes.

The training time for many teams is very long, sometimes even 120 minutes, usually due to a lack of discipline.

From the first day of the camp, Gao Shen established rules immediately.

With rules, efficiency naturally rises.

In addition, Gao Shen emphasized that during the summer training camp, there would be a daily tactical class, lasting 30 minutes, before the afternoon training session. This is to help the players better understand the coaching staff's intentions, including training and tactics.

The instructors for the tactical class would be members of the core coaching staff, including Gao Shen himself, who would personally explain his tactical ideas to the players and the importance of tactical discipline.

He needed to make sure all the players understood his tactics and implemented them within a month of training.

The coaching staff also specially designed some fun training sessions to motivate the players and increase their familiarity and understanding of each other. For example, Gao Shen found a training method from Van Gaal's book: all the players hold hands in a circle and use their heads to keep a ball in the air. If the ball touches the ground, there would be a penalty.

This training is fun.

At first, the players were a bit cautious, but after getting to know each other better, they began to have fun, playing around, and even playing tricks on one another.

The forms of punishment were also varied, with all sorts of chaotic penalties being invented.

Gao Shen and the coaching staff generally didn't get involved and let the players decide for themselves.

The training ground was filled with laughter.

Not only Gao Shen, but the entire coaching team was satisfied with the atmosphere of the first training session of the camp.

Although there were still some gaps in language and mutual understanding wasn't sufficient yet, the team showed great energy.

...

"How are you feeling?"

After the first training session, Gao Shen appeared in the press conference room, facing all the media reporters who had come specifically for the event.

This was a necessary gesture of goodwill as the host.

But he didn't wait for the reporters to ask questions. As soon as he sat down, he was the first to ask the media their views on the first training session.

In fact, the training content was very basic, mainly adjustments and recovery. The more interesting parts were some warm-up exercises carefully designed by Buenaventura before training, and some recovery activities after training, such as the overhead ball game.

"The atmosphere on the field was very lively, and everyone seemed to have a good time," a reporter stood up and laughed.

"Any other thoughts?"

"I think it's good, but could it be too relaxed?" another reporter asked.

This is indeed a concern, as Italy has always been conservative.

This conservatism exists not only at the tactical level but also in the overall mentality of teams.

So in Italy, it's rare to see a team that plays very freely and energetically.

"On the first day of the training camp, our training intensity was relatively low. We will increase the intensity in subsequent sessions. These game-like exercises are for the combination of work and rest, and also because our players are quite young," Gao Shen explained with a smile.

"Mr. Gao." A reporter raised his hand, and after getting approval, stood up. "Mr. Gao, your team is young. According to our data, you have the youngest team out of all 20 teams in Serie B. What do you think about this?"

Gao Shen smiled and gestured for him to sit down. "I personally think that when Van Gaal led Ajax to win the UEFA Cup, the average age of the team was only 23. When they won the Champions League, it was also 23 years old, similar to our current team."

"Of course, I don't deny that age brings issues of experience, but I don't think it will cause too many problems for the team. The key is the execution of techniques and tactics. For me, young players are like a blank canvas, and I hope to paint the most beautiful football on this canvas."

This profound statement was met with rounds of applause.

Italy's ethos might be conservative, but that doesn't mean they can't appreciate passion and energy.

"Mr. Gao, you must have noticed the recent remarks by Juventus' Sporting Director Secco and former Real Madrid President Martín. Do you have any response to their comments?"

Gao Shen smiled and did not hide his displeasure. After motioning for the reporter to sit down, he said seriously, "This is the last time I will answer such questions, so please don't ask them anymore."

"I can understand Secco's amateurish comments. As for why he's so amateur, you all know the reason by now, don't you?"

The media reporters burst into laughter.

In the end, De Laurentiis was too clever. He deliberately spoke half-truths, leading the reporters to dig deeper, which led to how Secco got his position at Juventus through connections. This was fully exposed by the media.

This is why Secco is constantly attacking Gao Shen.

"As for Martín, I will repeat what I've said before. I am very grateful to him for appointing me as head coach of Real Madrid. That was the start of everything I have now. At the same time, I can understand his anger at this moment because he is now the former president of Real Madrid."

Gao Shen emphasized the word "former."

"I don't spend much time or energy responding to these issues because I'm too busy. I'm very busy every day, and trivial things like this aren't worth my time."

"If I had to say something, I would say, it's all about performance on the pitch!"

"I trust my players. Secco doesn't think the same. Well, let's settle it on the pitch. "I'm even hoping to face Juventus before the season starts. As you all know, revenge is something that can't wait too long."

"As for Martin's comments, he can say whatever he likes; after all, he has plenty of time now."

As soon as Gao Shen finished speaking, some media reporters quickly raised their hands.

"Mr. Gao, is this your challenge to Juventus?"

"You could see it that way. I respect Juventus, I respect Blanc, and I respect Deschamps, but I don't have much patience for amateurs like Secco, buzzing around my ear like a fly."

The reporters burst into laughter.

It sounded polite, but the message was sharp.

Calling someone an amateur and comparing them to a fly if Secco heard this, he'd be furious.

Ever since De Laurentiis exposed him, Secco has been facing trouble. And now, with Gao Shen's remarks, it's likely that the Juventus sporting director will be livid.