Starting With Real Madrid

At the moment when the final whistle blew, Diego Bortolucci's heart sank.

He had never imagined that his ambitious new season would begin with a humiliating 0-5 defeat.

What hurt even more wasn't just the blow to his team but the shattering of his own confidence.

Before the match, he had looked down on Gao Shen and his style of football. But it was precisely Gao Shen and his tactical approach that had completely dismantled Treviso.

Juventus had lost 0-5, but everyone saw that as an anomaly.

That was a single knockout game in the Coppa Italia, with Napoli playing their third match in a week, putting in a herculean effort.

But today?

Napoli seemed to coast through the game, effortlessly crushing Treviso.

Defeated!

Utterly destroyed!

Bortolucci and his football philosophy had been trampled under Gao Shen's tactics!

As Gao Shen walked toward the away team's dugout, Bortolucci came over, shook his hand with a forced smile, congratulated him on the win, and then hurried into the tunnel.

He couldn't stand the humiliation any longer.

...

Gao Shen watched Bortolucci walk away, a broad smile spread across his face.

Long before the match, Gao Shen had sized up the arrogant Italian coach. Bortolucci wore his dissatisfaction and disdain plainly on his face, especially after Sacchi's speech at the coach summit in Rome. It was obvious Bortolucci deeply resented Gao Shen.

Italian coaches, after all, are known for their pride in football tactics.

But Naples had won!

When your opponent despises you, yet you defeat them so thoroughly, the satisfaction is immense. For Gao Shen, it was deeply gratifying.

He even started to look forward to their next meeting.

...

...

Napoli's 5-0 thrashing of Juventus in the Coppa Italia had already raised eyebrows.

And now, in the first round of Serie B, they crushed Treviso 5-0 again.

Two consecutive 5-0 victories against teams relegated from Serie A sent shockwaves through Italian football.

Were Gao Shen and his Napoli really that strong?

While Napoli was on the rise, Juventus continued to struggle.

In their Serie B opener, Juventus traveled to Rimini and could only manage a 1-1 draw.

What frustrated Juventus fans even more was that their team had dominated the match, yet didn't score until the 60th minute when Paro found the net.

Nine minutes later, Rimini's Cristiano received his second yellow card and was sent off.

Despite the numerical advantage, Juventus couldn't extend their lead and conceded an equalizer in the 84th minute. The match ended 1-1.

After this disappointing result, Deschamps once again found himself under heavy criticism.

...

...

A week later, in the second round of Serie B, Napoli traveled to Piacenza.

Piacenza, aware of Napoli's attacking prowess, focused on a defensive strategy to try and nullify their offense.

But Napoli had too many attacking options.

Although Piacenza managed to hold off Napoli's strikers, in the 25th minute, Rakitic unleashed a long-range shot that pierced Piacenza's defense, giving Napoli a 1-0 lead.

In the 79th minute, Hamsik added another goal, securing a 2-0 victory for Napoli.

Juventus, meanwhile, scraped by with a 2-1 home win against Vicenza, thanks to second-half goals from Trezeguet and Del Piero.

The narrow victory bought Deschamps some breathing room.

...

...

Three days later, in the third round of Serie B, Napoli faced Arezzo away.

Although Napoli's squad was filled with young players full of energy, Gao Shen rotated his lineup. With both Coppa Italia and Serie B matches to contend with, he didn't want to overuse his main players and risk injury.

In the end, Napoli won 1-0, with Bonucci heading in the game's only goal.

Juventus, on the other hand, defeated Crotone 3-0 away, with Bojinov scoring twice.

...

...

In the fourth round of Serie B, Juventus finally showed their strength with a 4-0 win at home against Modena, thanks to a brace from Trezeguet and goals from Del Piero and Nedved.

It was their first convincing victory of the season, reasserting Juventus' status as a footballing powerhouse.

Napoli, however, also remained steady, although their performance dipped slightly.

At home against Ternana, Cavani and Gervinho scored two first-half goals to give Napoli control of the match. But in the second half, Napoli's defense faltered, allowing their opponents to score in the 85th minute the first goal Napoli had conceded all season.

Gao Shen was somewhat disappointed with the defensive lapse but chose to encourage the players rather than criticize them.

After all, young players thrive on positive reinforcement. Sometimes, all they need is a little praise, and they'll bounce back stronger.

After four rounds, Napoli stood as the only team with four straight wins, topping the Serie B table.

Juventus, on the back of a three-game winning streak, sat second with 10 points. Brescia, also on 10 points, ranked third.

This aligned with pre-season predictions, which suggested that Serie B would be a fierce battle between Napoli and Juventus.

Both clubs had their eyes not just on promotion, but on the Serie B title itself.

...

...

In the fifth round of Serie B, Napoli once again delivered a dominant performance, beating Spezia 4-0 away.

Juventus, for their part, defeated Piacenza 2-0 away.

Both teams kept up their winning streaks.

...

In the sixth round of Serie B, Napoli triumphed 2-0 at home against Rimini, securing six straight wins.

Juventus also continued their winning ways with a 2-0 victory at home against third-place Brescia, remaining unbeaten after six matches.

...

In the seventh round, Juventus beat Treviso 1-0 away.

Napoli, however, faced a tougher challenge against Vicenza. In the first 10 minutes, both sides scored a goal, with Napoli's conceding coming from an own goal by David Luiz.

For the next hour, Napoli dominated but failed to find the breakthrough.

Finally, in the dying moments of the match, Gervinho made a mazy run down the left, delivering a perfect cross to Cavani, who slotted home the winner.

Napoli won 2-1.

...

In the eighth round, Gao Shen decided to drop David Luiz from the squad after his mistake in the previous game.

Napoli responded with a resounding 3-0 home win over Crotone, extending their winning streak to eight games.

Juventus, meanwhile, edged Ternana 1-0 away, with Trezeguet scoring the only goal.

...

In the ninth round, Napoli found themselves trailing in an away match but staged a 3-1 comeback win against Albinoleffe.

Juventus kept pace with a 1-0 home win against Frosinone.

...

After nine rounds, Napoli remained unbeaten with nine consecutive victories.

Juventus, aside from their opening draw, had won eight straight games and were second in the table (ignoring their nine-point penalty).

The closest team to these two juggernauts was Genoa, sitting third with 19 points six points behind Juventus and eight behind Napoli.

And the season was only nine rounds in.

After a dominant start to both the league and Coppa Italia, Napoli's rise had gone from shocking to impressive, and now, gradually, they were being accepted as a force in Italian football.

Of course, the young Napoli squad still had its flaws primarily inconsistency and lack of experience.

But even with these weaknesses, Napoli had shown that their "floor" was remarkably high. Their low points were still better than most teams' best performances.

As Italian football grew used to Napoli's rise, expectations also increased. Problems that were once overlooked were now under scrutiny.

For example, David Luiz had started growing his hair out but his form hadn't improved with it.

Still, fans were satisfied with Napoli's ability to hold off Juventus and stay atop the Serie B standings.

With other teams like Treviso faltering, Napoli had become the standout team of Serie B.

...

The day after the ninth round, during a coaching staff meeting and in his address to the players, Gao Shen demanded total focus as they prepared for their next big challenge.

In the tenth round, Napoli would host Juventus at home.

Three days after that, they would face Parma in the Coppa Italia Round of 16, first leg, also at home.

The second leg wouldn't be until December, so they could focus on the immediate task at hand.

But the next two games would be a massive test for Napoli.

Juventus, Napoli's fiercest rival this season, had already sent a warning through the media, vowing to avenge their 0-5 defeat in the Coppa Italia.

And Parma wouldn't be an easy opponent either.

In two-legged knockout ties, there's more at stake. It's not just 90 minutes of football it's 180. This requires even greater team depth and tactical discipline.

Napoli had been dominant in Serie B, but they had yet to face a top Serie A team.

Gao Shen was eager to see if his Napoli could measure up against Italy's best.

He needed these games to find out.