Starting With Real Madrid

"You said you'll be able to hold out for hundred and twenty minutes!" 

In the stands, after witnessing Gervinho's goal, De Laurentiis laughed aloud, mocking Alessio Secco.

The Juventus sporting director, sitting nearby, was nearly purple with frustration. 

Secco had boasted about Juventus' defense being capable of lasting 120 minutes, only to be undone within the first 26 minutes. His words had quickly backfired, turning the scene into something resembling a social death on display. 

Surrounded by Napoli supporters and guests, Secco felt their grinning faces turning toward him, silently encouraging: Come on, say more! It's fine! We support you!

Secco fought the urge to flee, cursing Deschamps internally. 

How long had it been since Deschamps took over as coach, and the man already seemed to have forgotten Juventus' proud tradition of defense? Juventus had built its reputation on defense. Even if they couldn't score, they never lost their defensive sharpness! 

"That Pelle kid has good physicality. He's tall, strong, and mobile, but he's a bit raw," commented Marino with a grin. 

It was true. Despite Pelle's key assist, he still lacked polish in some areas.

"When he was in the National Youth Team, our Juventus scouts had followed him, but we decided that he was relying too much on his early physical advantage. So, we didn't pursue him too aggressively. Now, looking back, our judgment was right." Secco quickly steered the conversation away from the "120-minute" disaster.

He desperately wanted to avoid any more discussion about his embarrassing prediction.

"Honestly, selling your top scorer Calaio and bringing in Pellet seems like a bad deal," Secco said, trying to sound like the expert, subtly questioning Gao Shen's transfer decisions.

On the pitch, though Pelle had contributed to Gervinho's goal, his overall performance wasn't particularly dominant as a traditional center-forward.

By modern standards, centers are often evaluated by how many goals they score. And so far, Pelle was struggling to live up to that metric.

Both De Laurentiis and Marino knew exactly what Secco was insinuating. 

"Please, Alessio," Marino replied with a sly grin, "don't say any more. If Pelle keeps playing well, all it proves is one thing." 

"What's that?" someone nearby asked.

"That tomorrow, Alessio will get a new nickname Italy's own Little Pelé."

The comment drew roaring laughter from the crowd.

Everyone knew Pelé wasn't just famous as a footballer but also for his "cursed predictions." Calling Secco Little Pelé was implying that his predictions were as reliable as Pelé's infamous jinxes.

Secco's face darkened.

Pelé? *Little* Pelé?

Where am I small? he thought bitterly.

His "120-minute" declaration had barely left his lips before reality came crashing down in just 26 minutes. His face still stung from the metaphorical slap, but what could he do?

The people in the stands were all prominent figures, including De Laurentiis. No matter how upset Secco felt, he couldn't push back too hard. After all, they were technically his hosts.

Just six or seven minutes after the first goal, Napoli launched another attack.

Biglia managed to steal the ball from Paro at the edge of the 30-meter zone and quickly passed it wide to the left.

Vargas sprinted forward to collect the ball and advanced up the field.

Gervinho made a diagonal run, cutting inside and leaving the entire left flank for Vargas.

Seeing Marchionni attempting to close him down, Vargas wasted no time, whipping a diagonal cross with his left foot into the penalty area.

Once again, Pelle was there.

Holding off Kovac with his strength, Pelle cushioned the ball with his chest, setting it up perfectly into the open space.

Like a bolt of lightning, Gervinho darted forward, beating Birindelli and Kovac to the ball. Gervinho managed to stab the ball forward, driving into the penalty box.

Even with Buffon narrowing the angle and standing close to the left post, Gervinho sprinted down the baseline. Just as the ball seemed about to roll out of bounds, Gervinho miraculously cut it back across the goal.

The ball rolled towards the middle of the penalty area.

Hamsik sprinted forward to meet it, but he was a fraction too slow.

Chiellini, thinking the threat was neutralized, didn't realize that another Napoli player was still lurking.

"Sanchez!!!!"

"The ball's in again!!!!"

"2-0!"

"Seventeen-year-old international from Chile, Alexis Sanchez, puts Napoli further ahead!"

After the goal, Sanchez turned and sprinted in celebration.

Players rushed towards him, but Sanchez deftly dodged everyone, running straight to the coach's bench and leaping into Gao Shen's arms. The momentum nearly sent Gao Shen crashing to the ground.

Other players quickly followed, piling on top of Gao Shen.

Even David Luiz joined in, acting as a self-appointed "traffic director," shouting, "You, come here! And you, get down here too!"

Before long, Gao Shen was buried beneath a mountain of his ecstatic players.

The San Paolo stadium erupted in jubilation. Within ten minutes, Napoli had scored twice.

"We've seen that both goals were created in similar fashion."

"Pelle was the key!"

"This tall and powerful Italian center has progressively improved as the game has gone on, especially in the last ten minutes. He's settled in, finding his rhythm."

"Kovac, at just 1.8 meters, is struggling to handle the 1.9-meter-tall Pelle. Juventus's defensive setup is forcing Kovac to go one-on-one with Pelle, which must be incredibly frustrating."

"With the tight defensive structure Juventus is employing tonight, Pelle's strengths are perfectly suited. It's reminiscent of how Drogba was used at Chelsea."

...

In the stands, when Sanchez netted Napoli's second goal, De Laurentiis, Marino, and the nearby Napoli fans and guests leapt to their feet, celebrating wildly.

The game had been tough, but Juventus were now being pushed back relentlessly, and their offense seemed toothless.

This wasn't surprising though. From Deschamps' lineup, it was clear he hadn't committed to attacking.

If Deschamps had had any ambition, he wouldn't have left Bodinov isolated up front.

At the very least, he should have started with a 4-4-2.

"Alessio, you and Deschamps don't get along, do you? Is this his way of punishing you?" De Laurentiis quipped.

More laughter erupted around them.

What a jinx!

Secco had just criticized Pelle, and now Pelle had helped orchestrate another goal. Even though he hadn't assisted directly, his contribution to the play was undeniable.

"Yeah, based on this lineup, it seems like Deschamps doesn't even want to win. Why else would he leave Bodinov so isolated when he has world-class strikers like Trezeguet and Sarayeta available?" Marino added, stoking the flames.

In football, this kind of trash talk was a weapon on its own.

After all, Napoli's biggest competition in Serie B was Juventus. If they could knock Juventus down now, the rest of the season would become significantly easier.

Secco wasn't stupid. Even though he was humiliated, he wasn't going to fall for De Laurentiis and Marino's bait.

But he was thinking: Why did Deschamps choose to play with just Bodinov up front?

Before the game, Deschamps had emphasized his desire to sign Van der Vaart and Saviola. Now, instead of starting Trezeguet or Sarayeta, he had opted for Bodinov. What was going on? Was Deschamps trying to send a message by underperforming on purpose, pushing Secco to support his transfer requests?

That thought lingered in Secco's mind like a poison.

...

Eventually, Gao Shen emerged from beneath the pile of players, his clothes stained and covered with grass.

The players returned to their positions as the game was about to restart.

Carlo, Buenaventura, and the rest of the coaching staff chuckled as they helped clean up Gao Shen's outfit. There was something endearing about the way the players celebrated with their coach.

After all, who wouldn't laugh a little when the boss got flattened in such a lighthearted way?

But this also showed the high regard the players had for Gao Shen.

Every one of them had been personally recruited by him. These weren't household names, but under Gao Shen's leadership, they had become integral to Napoli's tactics. The camaraderie built during pre-season training had earned Gao Shen their full respect.

"Respect?" Gao Shen snorted. "How about you go out there and let them show you some 'love' too?"

Carlo and the others quickly shook their heads.

No thanks! They wanted none of that kind of "love."

Amid their laughter, the game resumed.

Realistically, there wasn't much more to say about this match. From the start, Juventus had opted for a defensive, counter-attacking strategy.

The problem was, they never managed to mount an effective counterattack, allowing Napoli to keep hammering them with wave after wave of offense.

It was up to Deschamps now to make adjustments.

If he didn't, the game would continue as it had from the start.

"Deschamps is in a bind. If he makes substitutions now, it's too early. If he doesn't, he risks another goal," Carlo remarked.

Gao Shen nodded in agreement. Making a substitution in the first half could cause massive issues.

"Sometimes the head coach faces challenges. There are numerous factors to consider. There's no issue with Deschamps' ability, but the fact that he can't fully utilize it right now is a major problem. 

"This is why Sacchi, Valdano, and Ancelotti have repeatedly reminded Gao Shen that whether or not a coach can perform well is closely tied to their ability to choose a team with the support of the management."