Starting With Real Madrid

Dino Manuzzi Stadium, Cesena, Italy.

When referee Bertini blew the final whistle, Juventus coach Didier Deschamps turned around in frustration, clearly unsatisfied with the match outcome.

Juventus narrowly defeated Cesena 2-1 thanks to goals from Bojinov and Del Piero.

Yes, it was a comeback, and a fairly nerve-wracking one at that, with both goals coming in the second half.

Del Piero, who replaced Marchionne in the 74th minute, scored the crucial goal just a minute later, becoming the hero of the match and ensuring Juventus' advancement.

However, this still did not satisfy Deschamps.

This wasn't the type of football he wanted.

Or rather, Juventus couldn't play the type of football he wanted.

"Our offense has serious issues, and our ability to create chances in the final third is too poor. At this rate, we will have a tough time in Serie B this season, especially against teams that are defensively solid, like Napoli," Deschamps said, shaking his head in disappointment.

Napoli's coach, Gao Shen, has a reputation worldwide for his defensive strategies.

He won the double at Real Madrid by relying on a solid defense.

"Cesena has never been known for its defensive abilities in Serie B. Their high ranking last season was due to their excellent offense. Their defense was among the weakest in Serie B. You can see it in this game; it's not very good," said assistant coach Pezzotti.

Pezzotti, a close aide of Italian national team coach Lippi, came to Juventus after the World Cup to assist Deschamps, hoping to help the team return to Serie A.

Ideally, they also wanted to win the title and take down that "arrogant kid" in Naples.

"Yes, but even against a defensively weak team like Cesena, our attack looked far from convincing. This can't continue," Deschamps muttered, visibly annoyed, as this problem had been persistent.

In fact, Juventus' attacking woes have existed since Capello's tenure, especially a lack of creativity.

Apart from Del Piero, the rest of the forwards cannot create opportunities when closely marked.

And without creating chances, how can you expect to win games?

Juventus' relegation to Serie B has put them in a position similar to a tiger descending from the mountains. They have a clear advantage, which means most teams will play defensively against them. At this point, the key to Juventus' victory becomes their ability to attack.

But that is precisely where Juventus is weakest.

This was the case when Capello was in charge, and Deschamps raised the same concern upon taking over. However, it has yet to be resolved.

They sold players for more than 80 million euros, yet they are reluctant to spend money to strengthen the squad?

"We need a quick forward and an attacking midfielder. We absolutely have to bring in players for these two positions," Deschamps insisted.

It's still not too late.

Deschamps knew exactly what he needed and had communicated it to the management.

Deschamps' tactic relies on solid defense paired with sharp counterattacks, where speed is critical.

But in the current Juventus squad, there isn't a playmaker to launch counterattacks or a pacey forward to lead them. How is Deschamps supposed to execute his tactics?

When he first took over Juventus, Deschamps specifically asked for two players: Saviola, who was out of favor at Barcelona and had only one year left on his contract. Barcelona would likely sell him for a reasonable price. Deschamps had worked with the Argentine striker at Monaco and knew how to utilize him effectively.

The other was Hamburg's Dutch midfielder, Rafael van der Vaart.

Van der Vaart, a talented product of Ajax, had been performing well at Hamburg. His addition could compensate for Juventus' weak midfield creativity, and his transfer fee wouldn't break the bank.

Deschamps employed a 4-4-2 in the first round, and in this game, he went with a 4-2-3-1. No matter which formation he chose, a player like Van der Vaart at the No. 10 position would be essential.

But what did Secco bring in instead? Zanetti and Marchionne.

Just look at this game Marchionne went off, Del Piero came on, and Juventus immediately scored.

It may seem like a coincidence, but it's actually quite telling.

"I need to have another talk with Secco!" Deschamps said with a sigh.

As a head coach, he also wants to achieve results.

"He won't agree," Pezzotti said, shaking his head.

Deschamps' expression froze. He let out a long sigh; he knew.

If Secco was going to make those signings, he would have done so already. It's late August, and the transfer window is about to close.

"I now understand why the Napoli's coach refused to take over Juventus," Deschamps said sarcastically.

This remark caused Pintus, the fitness coach nearby, to cough heavily, reminding Deschamps to be careful with his words, as there were people around.

Deschamps glanced at Pintus, who had a kind expression on his face, smiled bitterly, and said nothing more.

Everyone knows that at Juventus, the name Gao Shen is a taboo.

However, only Deschamps knows in his heart that he must defeat this name.

This was Secco's requirement when he was hired to coach Juventus.

Promotion and defeating Gao Shen these are Deschamps' two major objectives this season. Achieving them is key to his contract renewal.

...

Napoli defeated Serie A team Ascoli 2-0.

Juventus defeated Serie B team Cesena 2-1 away.

Both teams advanced to the third round of the Coppa Italia over the weekend.

And this round was practically a bloodbath for Serie B teams.

Pescara, led by Ballardini, who had impressed in the previous round, lost 0-3 at home to Serie A's Atalanta in this round, completely outplayed in every aspect.

Another Serie B favorite for promotion, Piacenza, faced Serie A's relegated team Messina away, and the result was predictable: they lost 0-2 and were eliminated.

Rimini, another promising side at home, faced Sampdoria and, despite drawing 1-1, conceded a late goal to lose 1-2 and exit the Coppa Italia.

Verona's game against Cagliari followed a similar script to Rimini's: down by one goal, they equalized, only to concede another and lose.

In the second knockout round of the Coppa Italia, almost every Serie B team that faced a Serie A team was eliminated.

The only exception was Napoli.

Gao Shen's Southern team defeated Serie A's Ascoli 2-0 at home, making them the only victorious side in a full-blown Serie A vs. Serie B battle.

While many Serie B teams made it to the Coppa Italia round of 16, most came from lower divisions. Only Napoli advanced by beating a Serie A team, which made their achievement all the more significant.

This was also the first truly convincing performance of Gao Shen's Napoli.

Especially in contrast to the failures of other Serie B teams.

In the round of 16, there were nine Serie B teams and seven Serie A teams. All the teams from the lower divisions were eliminated in the first two rounds.

This made the draw for the third round all the more compelling.

Anyone could see that this would be a clash full of suspense.

Particularly strong teams like Lazio and Juventus no one wanted to face them.

...

For the Coppa Italia draw, representatives of each club were present to witness the process.

Napoli sent general manager Marino to the Football Association headquarters in Rome to participate in the draw ceremony.

However, since it was only the third round of the cup, strong teams like AC Milan and Inter Milan were not yet involved, so the event did not attract much attention and wasn't broadcast on TV.

The real attention would come in the fourth round.

That's when the top eight Serie A teams from last season would join the competition, making the matches truly intense.

As usual, Gao Shen watched his team conduct recovery training the morning after the game.

Buenaventura's training plans were working well, and the players were recovering faster.

Most of Napoli's players are young, so the effects aren't as noticeable yet. But when Gao Shen was at Real Madrid, where there were many older players, the recovery effects were evident, so he brought the same regimen to Napoli.

After training, Gao Shen continued his routine of speaking with some players.

The club had contacted Sanchez's parents about work in Naples, and Gao Shen checked in on how that was going.

Additionally, for the new season, Sanchez had to be registered with the second team because, technically, he is only seventeen years old.

But age isn't the issue; the problem lies with Italy's quota for foreign players.

Each team is allowed a maximum of three non-EU players, but Napoli currently has four: Sanchez, Vidal, Gervinho, and Vargas.

Players like Biglia, Di Maria, David Luiz, and Cavani all have dual nationalities.

This is a common feature of South American foreign players many have dual nationalities.

As for how they managed to get dual citizenship, that's beyond Gao Shen's scope.

From the 1990s to the early 2000s, when Italy was still experiencing its "small World Cup" era, foreign players weren't strictly regulated, resulting in nearly half of Serie A being made up of foreigners, severely limiting opportunities for local Italian players.

In response, the Italian Football Association began limiting the number of foreign players at the start of the century. But by then, most Italian teams had exceeded their foreign aid limit, meaning they had to sell an international player before bringing in another. 

This was a challenge he had to navigate carefully.

The notorious fake passport scandal involving players like Verón still echoed throughout Italian football. It was a reminder of how many South American players, like Verón, tried to claim Italian citizenship through distant ancestral ties to circumvent restrictions. 

However, Verón's case took a darker turn when his dual nationality was deemed illegal, leading to a two-year ban before he moved to Manchester United.

In recent years, South American players had become more strategic, often applying for dual citizenship well before their European moves. The advantage was obvious, as it eased their transition into European leagues that had strict foreign player limits.

Gao Shen, however, found himself in a predicament after bringing in Vidal on a whim, which pushed Napoli over the foreign player quota. Fortunately, the Italian Football Association allowed one foreign player on the youth team, so he was able to assign that spot to Alexis Sánchez, who was still under 21. Sánchez, understanding the situation, was grateful just to have a chance to play in Italy and to bring his family along.

"Thank you, boss!" Sánchez said earnestly.

Gao Shen smiled, patted his shoulder, and encouraged him, "Come on."

As he walked away, his phone rang it was Marino calling.