Starting With Real Madrid

There's a saying that's quite true: Plans often fail to keep up with changes.

Does that mean planning is useless?

No, this fact tells us that when planning, we must fully consider various variables and leave room for adjustments.

Drawing Juventus was indeed unexpected, but Gao Shen had already made preparations for this scenario. He had considered how Napoli should play if they drew a strong team like Lazio. 

Moreover, he even studied the possibilities of how the team should react if they lost in the Coppa Italia.

All these contingencies were thoroughly planned by Gao Shen and his coaching staff.

But having a plan is one thing; taking the game seriously is another.

After the draw result came out, the coaching staff immediately dedicated themselves to preparing for the game against Juventus.

It was going to be a tough battle!

A battle that would determine the morale for the start of the new Serie B season!

What's more, there was a personal feud between Napoli and Secco, Juventus' sporting director.

After receiving the results, Gao Shen immediately called a coaching staff meeting. Everyone had their own opinions about the game.

...

As an intelligence and data analyst, Lucas was always the first to present.

He introduced Juventus' two games so far. Napoli had scouts follow the games and collect first-hand information, but because there were no game videos, the specific situations weren't entirely clear.

After all, scouts cannot see everything Gao Shen wants to know.

"In the past two games, Deschamps used two different tactical setups. The first was a 4-4-2, and the second was a 4-2-3-1."

Lucas showed Juventus' starting lineups for these two games on the big screen.

Juventus' average age is on the older side, with players like Nedved, Del Piero, and Camoranesi not being young anymore. Thus, it made sense that Deschamps rotated the squad significantly between games.

Using a 4-4-2 formation against Martina, a team from the lower leagues, was not hard to understand. Deschamps wanted to attack.

And indeed, Juventus scored seven minutes after the start with Marchionne netting the first official goal of their season, followed by Bojinov's second in the 35th minute.

Against Cesena, Deschamps opted for a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Trezeguet as the central striker and Marchionne, Nedved, and Bojinov forming the attacking trio from left to right.

It was clear Deschamps still wanted to play offensively, so he placed Nedved in the attacking midfield position.

Last season, Capello had used Nedved as an attacking midfielder, and he even scored a goal against Real Madrid from this position when the Spaniards underestimated him as a left midfielder and left him space in the middle to exploit.

But this time, the strategy didn't work as planned.

They conceded an own goal in the first half, scored by Juventus' left-back Barzagli.

It wasn't until the second half that Bojinov and Del Piero, who came off the bench, reversed the score for Juventus, narrowly avoiding an upset.

"From the perspective of the two games, Juventus' tactics lean towards attack, even in the second game. That's why Deschamps used Trezeguet as the central striker and moved Bojinov to the wing," Lucas analyzed.

This is actually not hard to understand.

Juventus, having been relegated as Serie A champions, still have a strong foundation despite losing several key players. They wouldn't have paid much attention to a mid-to-lower Serie B team like Cesena.

But who would have thought they almost suffered a shocking defeat?

"It's clear that Juventus have had problems with their attack, starting from last season all the way until now."

Lucas showed several pieces of information on the big screen that he had collected from various news outlets.

"After Deschamps took over Juventus, he always wanted to bring in a forward and an attacking midfielder, but instead, Zanetti and Marchionne were brought in."

These two players are not bad, but neither of them are what Deschamps was looking for.

"During the game against Cesena, Deschamps even played Marchionne as an inverted left winger on the right side, and the effect was not ideal. So he subbed him off for Del Piero, and in less than a minute, Del Piero scored."

There's always a bit of luck involved in football, but more often, goals happen due to consistent factors.

"So, I think Juventus' offense still has a lot of problems, and we have a chance," Lucas concluded.

Gao Shen was sitting in the backmost position, resting his chin on one hand, while fiddling with a pen in the other, his eyes never leaving Lucas and the screen. It was clear he was listening intently.

This was Gao Shen's habit when deep in thought. Those who had worked with him for a long time knew this well.

After Lucas finished speaking, Carlo, the chief assistant coach, stood up to share his thoughts.

"Deschamps is still a very strong coach. It's not hard to see his characteristics from his coaching career. He was born a defensive midfielder. He tends to prefer solid defense, controlling the game, and then playing quick counterattacks."

"Back in Monaco, he relied on this style of play to reach the Champions League final. Unfortunately, he ran into a Porto team with an even better defense, and in that Monaco team, there was a striker like Morientes but primarily speedsters like Giuly."

Carlo had worked in Real Madrid and was particularly impressed by Deschamps' Monaco team back then because Morientes shined that season, making many in Real Madrid sigh in regret.

"Looking at Juventus now, although they have high forwards like Morientes, they don't have speedsters like Giuly, nor do they have playmakers like Rothen."

Many praised Porto for what Mourinho had built, thinking he developed a group of outstanding players. However, Deschamps' Monaco team was equally commendable.

They had forwards like Morientes, Adebayor, and Pršo, and wingers like Giuly and Rothen. They also had top defenders like Squillaci and Evra.

By success rate, that Monaco was not bad at all.

The only difference was that Monaco were runners-up.

It's a harsh world where everyone only remembers the champions, not the second place.

In fact, Deschamps' coaching style hasn't changed much. Even when he coached the French national team, it focused on solid defense with rapid, sharp counterattacks. Mbappé shined in his system, thriving perfectly.

Against Cesena, Deschamps clearly wanted to push forward and attack, utilizing Trezeguet's advantage in the penalty box.

But the effect was, as we saw, not ideal.

So, what tactics would Juventus use when facing Napoli?

The pen in Gao Shen's hand suddenly dropped onto the table.

The sudden noise caused everyone in the meeting room to turn and look.

"Deschamps will opt for a counter-attack!" Gao Shen said confidently.

"If he doesn't want to play defensively, we'll force him into defense!"

...

Once the decision was made by Gao Shen, a lot of work began immediately.

With only two days, Napoli could conduct a targeted exercise, including the six-on-seven training that Gao Shen had previously arranged, which was also a long-term goal.

Napoli's defense is built around high pressing. If they can't do that effectively, and the opponent breaks through with counterattacks one after another, then there's no point in playing.

As for the targeted tactics against Juventus, it boiled down to practicing offense.

But adjustments were needed in attack.

"We should use Pelle!" Gao Shen suggested.

"Cavani has been performing very well, but he needs space to move. When there's space, he's quite useful, and he works really hard. But as a pivot and support player, we need Pelle."

Carlo nodded in agreement. "But that kid Pelle still hasn't figured things out."

That was a major problem.

Originally, Pelle came in as a tall center-forward.

Anyone who understands football knows that a tall and strong center-forward is always a killer in youth teams. Moreover, Pelle has good footwork and technique.

However, as he grew older, his physical advantage diminished. Especially when facing more defensively strong opponents, Pelle found that his usual style of play no longer worked.

What should he do?

This confusion led to his stagnation in development over the years.

Italian coaches are not very good at coaching this type of player, mainly because Italy itself doesn't use this kind of player effectively. Most players like Pelle have to adapt and transform themselves.

But his height and strength were too good to ignore, leading him to waste his potential.

After arriving in Naples, Gao Shen spoke with him several times. He even told Pelle to learn from Kluivert and see how he played at Ajax. Cass made a compilation of Kluivert's Ajax performances for Pelle to study, but the kid still hadn't fully adapted.

Some habits cultivated from a young age are indeed hard to change.

"I'll talk to him personally," Gao Shen said, frowning.

At Real Madrid, he didn't need to train players from scratch.

Those were the best stars. Even young players were among the elite.

Often, just a word from Gao Shen was enough for them to understand.

Even young talents like Arbeloa and De la Red had received the best youth training, and they knew their strengths and weaknesses well.

In such an environment, Gao Shen only needed to use them according to their characteristics.

But Italy's youth training in recent years has indeed been poor, and Pelle is an absolute anomaly among Italian center-forwards.

At this point, Gao Shen found himself somewhat helpless, not knowing where to start.

After the meeting, the coaches dispersed to begin their preparations.

Time was limited, and everyone had to work against the clock.

Gao Shen, however, stayed in the conference room, deep in thought. After much deliberation, he decided to immerse himself in the tactical library. His focus? He wanted to see how Van Gaal trained Kluivert.