Starting With Real Madrid

The starting lineup was unexpected!  

Deschamps sensed something was off when he received the starting lineups for both teams.  

Cavani, who had scored in consecutive games in the first two rounds, was benched, and instead, Pellet started.  

Pelle wasn't an unfamiliar name in Italian football. He was once the standout star of the Italian National Youth Team. However, as he aged, he lost his former shine and gradually faded from public memory.  

But just this past summer, Pelle transferred to Napoli.  

Italian media had reported that it was Gao Shen who personally picked Pelle.  

Now, Gao Shen had benched Cavani and chosen Pelle to start. This was definitely not without reason.  

What is he planning?  

...  

With this doubt in mind, Deschamps saw Gao Shen smiling at him from the entrance of the players' tunnel.  

Deschamps wasn't unfamiliar with Gao Shen; he had heard many stories about him from Zidane.  

Yet even with all that he had heard, seeing Gao Shen in person was still quite shocking.  

How to put it?  

Too young ridiculously young!  

Twenty-five years old. If he were on AC Milan's roster, he'd be considered a rookie just starting out.  

Who would have thought that he is already a double champion of La Liga and the Champions League?  

What's more, in coaching Napoli this season, he's employing completely different tactics from when he coached Real Madrid.  

It's quite surprising, to say the least.  

Gao Shen's impression of Deschamps was also quite favorable. His first introduction to football was during the France World Cup, where Deschamps was the captain of the French national team. Interestingly, he played for Juventus back then.  

In fact, Gao Shen had been linked with Deschamps as early as his time coaching Real Madrid.  

When Real Madrid reached the Champions League final, Gao Shen became the youngest coach in Champions League final history, breaking Deschamps' record. Back in 2004, when Deschamps led Monaco to the Champions League final, he was 35 years old.  

Gao Shen had broken that record by ten years a record almost impossible to break again.  

Deschamps had praised Gao Shen in a media interview back then.  

Who would have thought that in such a short time, the two would become opponents on the pitch, in a match of life and death?  

...  

Although the decisive match was imminent, both of them smiled and shook hands amicably.  

Secco and Napoli's De Laurentiis and Gao Shen had all exchanged harsh words, but this had nothing to do with Deschamps.  

Additionally, the two shared a mutual friend in Zidane.  

"Before the World Cup final, he told me you would come to see him play, but in the end, you disappointed him," Deschamps said slowly with a smile. "Later, I asked him if it was because you didn't come that he got annoyed and headbutted Materazzi?"  

After saying this, Deschamps couldn't help but laugh out loud.  

Gao Shen chuckled as well. "No way?"  

"The point is, he didn't deny it."  

Gao Shen felt a little panicked inside was this going to solve the mystery?  

Everyone knew it was just a joke, but it did a lot to bridge the gap between them.  

This sort of thing was quite common in European football.  

At work, people would often quarrel or even attack each other. But in private, it could be a different story altogether. Some people might publicly insult each other but be best friends in private.  

This is called distinguishing between public and private matters.  

Before a game, when two coaches chat alone, they could still talk about their friendship.  

But this time was short-lived.  

"Anyway, I'm looking forward to our showdown tonight!" Deschamps said as he reached out his hand again.  

Gao Shen shook it firmly, "I hope it will be a wonderful game!"  

Then, the two returned to their respective coaching benches.  

...  

Deschamps was surprised by Pelle's starting, and Gao Shen was equally caught off guard by Deschamps' formation.  

He had predicted that Deschamps would adopt a defensive counterattack strategy, but he didn't expect him to be so determined.  

He went straight for a five-man midfield setup.  

The question now was, would they line up as 4-5-1? Or 4-1-4-1? Or 4-2-3-1? Or even 4-3-2-1?  

There was indeed a difference.  

But one thing was clear: Juventus' defense was solidly set.  

Sure enough, when the referee blew the whistle, Juventus immediately chose to retract and defend.  

Looking at their formation, they left only Bojinov up front for counterattacks, while the rest of the players formed two defensive lines.  

Yes, two lines.  

The defensive line was as expected.  

In midfield, Nedved was positioned on the left, Marchionne on the right, with Zanetti, Giannichedda, and Paro forming a line in the middle.  

The entire midfield line was shallow, with Giannichedda positioned deeper, which could also be described as a 4-1-4-1 formation.  

Napoli, on the other hand, took the initiative right from the start. They stuck to the high pressing style they had employed in the first two rounds, pushing deep into Juventus' territory, attempting to control the game and quicken the tempo.  

From Juventus' 30-meter line to the midfield, the two sides fought for every inch of ground, and the ball changed hands frequently. Neither team could create a clear threat easily.  

However, what surprised many was that Juventus didn't show the strength people had anticipated before the game. Instead, Napoli seized the upper hand with their aggressive attack from the outset, pushing into Juventus' defensive zone.  

Juventus, tightening their defense, blocked wave after wave of Napoli's advances.  

Several sequences saw players tumbling and the referee blowing his whistle repeatedly.  

Overall, however, Napoli controlled the tempo.  

...  

From the first whistle, Deschamps' brow furrowed and didn't relax.  

He began to sense a problem.  

Texel was right Napoli's pace was incredibly fast. Such a high-speed game of attack and defense is rare, even in Serie A.  

To match the pace, the Napoli players moved a lot, creating multiple passing lanes and exchanging quick passes to penetrate Juventus' defense. Their success rate was high as well.  

In terms of individual talent, they hadn't yet shown much.  

Napoli focused more on passing and teamwork, with fewer individual efforts.  

But Juventus struggled to launch an effective counterattack. When they regained possession, the nearest Napoli player regardless of who it was, including Pelle immediately executed a high-intensity press.  

Deschamps had a feeling: Juventus' players, already less skilled than their opponents, couldn't even maintain their own rhythm under such intense pressure. They could only weather Napoli's attacks like a ship caught in a storm, helplessly bobbing up and down.  

"It's almost ten minutes," Pezzotti reminded him.  

Juventus hadn't managed a single attack yet.  

Deschamps nodded.  

At that moment, a sudden change unfolded on the pitch.  

Bojinov, dropping back to receive the ball, was just about to turn when David Luiz suddenly rushed in and stole the ball. Not only did he dispossess Bojinov, but he also sent him tumbling to the ground. The referee did not blow the whistle.  

After intercepting the ball, David Luiz continued moving forward, raising his hand to signal his teammates to press up. He dribbled towards the right, seemingly looking to coordinate with his teammates on that side.  

Just when everyone thought Napoli was going to attack down the right, David Luiz suddenly executed a diagonal long pass, sending the ball perfectly to the left side of the front.  

Juventus' defense had shifted to their left, leaving their right side exposed.  

Gervinho sprinted down the flank and got to David Luiz's long pass, taking control of the ball just before the defender. However, Juventus' defense reacted quickly, and Birindelli was in position to block him on the left side of the penalty area.  

After receiving the ball, Gervinho slowed down, approaching Birindelli step by step with the ball at his feet.  

As he was about to enter Birindelli's defensive range, Gervinho suddenly accelerated, deftly bringing the ball towards the baseline and forcing Birindelli to turn and give chase.  

But Gervinho abruptly stopped, and Birindelli, in a quick reaction, also halted. Unexpectedly, Gervinho quickly stabbed the ball to the baseline, accelerated again, and gained half a step ahead of Birindelli. He then sent a low cross into the goal area.  

Pelle, charging through the middle, was about to connect with the ball before Kovac and Chiellini when Buffon decisively left the goal line. Before Pellet could take the shot, Buffon blocked the ball with both hands.  

The ball was punched away by Buffon into the small penalty area, but Napoli's second wave came in fast.  

Hamsik charged in towards the rebound and took a powerful shot.  

However, his shot deflected off Kovac and bounced back.  

Giannichedda, who had quickly returned in front of the goal, got there first and kicked the ball out of the penalty area directly to the sideline.

Although it resulted in a throw-in for Napoli, it also broke up their continuous attack.

A series of offensives left Juventus in turmoil in front of their goal, while the Napoli fans at the San Paolo Stadium were ecstatic, cheering passionately with excitement.

...

"Napoli's attack right from the start has been very sharp, and Juventus is struggling to deal with it."

"That series of shots almost resulted in a goal. The Bianconeri need to be on high alert, especially with Napoli's relentless pressure, which is making their defense very difficult to hold."

"Deschamps needs to find an effective solution quickly."

...

Gao Shen was on the sidelines, just as excited as the fans in the stands. He kept shouting instructions to the players on the field, especially to David Luiz. That clearance was beautiful, but it was really the diagonal pass after his dribble forward that stood out.

After hearing Gao Shen's enthusiastic shout, David Luiz turned around and grinned at his coach, clearly overjoyed.

This kid is just brimming with confidence!

"That's it, David! Stay focused and don't make any mistakes!" Gao Shen called out.

David Luiz responded with a reassuring gesture, showing that he was confident and in top form tonight.