Starting With Real Madrid

Before he became a coach, back when Gao Shen was just a football fan, he used to wonder about something.

When a player transfers to a new club, do they bring along secret training methods or tactics from their old club? And if they do, could this lead to those secrets being leaked out?

He thought about this question for a long time, and when he started working in the business world, he realized that he had been overthinking it. A lot of the time, certain things can't be learned just by observing.

Take Huawei, for example. As a company, its success is undeniable. Every year, many employees leave Huawei and move to other companies, some even starting their own businesses while trying to emulate Huawei's management model. But even as of 2021 when Gao Shen crossed over to this world Huawei remained unique.

Why is that?

Because the things that are easy to copy are usually the least valuable aspects.

Take Huawei's "996" work culture, for example. Some companies copied the grueling work schedule (working from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week), but did they copy Huawei's generous salaries and benefits as well? Or its cutting-edge technology and deep investment in research and development? If a company only copies the long hours but doesn't offer the high pay, that's not following Huawei's model it's exploitation.

Similarly, Huawei invests heavily in research and development. Can other companies copy this approach? Yes, they can, but in most cases, such companies will fail miserably if they try because they lack Huawei's resources, scale, and culture.

In the end, Gao Shen realized that success cannot be replicated. That's why so many people who leave Huawei to start their own ventures often don't achieve the same level of success. The same goes for football: the success of a manager cannot be replicated by simply copying tactics.

Guardiola came to learn from Gao Shen today. Tomorrow, it could be someone else. And the day after, another coach. Gao Shen welcomed them all. They could come to observe and learn. They could even watch how Napoli arranged their training and tactics, as long as they didn't leak information to their opponents. 

But after they learned everything, what would it matter?

The same tactics, when applied by different players, yield different results. For example, could another player replicate the crosses Beckham delivered from the right wing? Or could other center-backs execute the long passes Bonucci and David Luiz made for Napoli?

As for training methods, they were often piecemeal and situation-dependent. Sometimes, Gao Shen would have the team focus on a specific drill because a certain player wasn't performing well and needed extra work. There was no secret formula.

In reality, what others couldn't copy or replicate were the thoughts and strategies in Gao Shen's mind.

Tactics and strategies are part of a broader system that includes players, coaches, and training sessions. Even if someone learned these systems, how much could they really implement them? In some cases, copying another team's style without understanding it deeply could lead to failure.

And if someone wanted to learn the inner workings of Gao Shen's mind and tactical brilliance? Well, they'd need a "golden finger" like the one Gao Shen had from the *Tactics Library*, which allowed him to unlock the strategies of the football world's greatest minds.

In short, while inspiration could be drawn from observing others, how much you truly learned and mastered depended on you.

This was why Gao Shen welcomed Guardiola's arrival and shared everything openly.

Guardiola's presence didn't interfere with Napoli's preparations for their upcoming matches.

...

In military strategy, it's said that "the armies don't move without first gathering intelligence."

Many people misunderstand intelligence gathering, thinking it's just a matter of sending scouts to spy on the other team or reading what the opposing coach says in the media, then analyzing the truthfulness of those statements.

In reality, proper intelligence gathering and analysis is far more complex.

Beyond tracking the opponent, it involves monitoring media reports, online discussions, and various sources of news to piece together useful information. For example, how did a player perform in recent games? How were they moving? What did the data say about their form?

And of course, injuries play a major role.

What has a player's agent said recently? What news about a player has surfaced, and what has been quietly suppressed through public relations efforts?

All of this information was gathered, condensed into a few pages of a report, and presented to Gao Shen and his coaching staff for discussion. The report might only be a few pages long, but it was backed by hours of meticulous research and analysis.

Fernando Lucas, the head of Gao Shen's intelligence operations, had to sift through all this data to extract only what was relevant and useful. He even offered strategic suggestions based on public sentiment, such as what Gao Shen should say or do before a match.

It was a new and evolving role, but one that had become increasingly vital.

For this reason, Gao Shen trusted no one but Fernando Lucas to manage it.

...

This time, as Napoli prepared for back-to-back matches against Juventus and Parma, one piece of news particularly caught Gao Shen's attention.

Juventus had just held a high-level meeting.

At first glance, this didn't seem like a big deal. The press release was filled with official statements and standard corporate jargon, but hidden beneath the surface were some telling details.

"I spoke to a reporter," Lucas began. "When Deschamps left the Juventus headquarters, his face was ashen. He looked extremely displeased, and it was obvious that he was very dissatisfied with how the meeting went."

"Afterward, at the regular press conference, Secco promised that the team would aim to be top of the table by the winter break and deliver its best performances."

"This implies that Juventus' management applied significant pressure on Deschamps during that meeting."

Lucas smirked and added, "I think you should accept an interview and throw some fuel on the fire."

Everyone in the room burst out laughing. It was a clever and slightly sinister suggestion.

But Gao Shen nodded in agreement. All it would take was a few carefully chosen words in an interview to push Juventus' internal tensions further, especially between Deschamps and the board.

After all, was it Gao Shen's fault that Juventus couldn't handle their internal conflicts?

In the end, the root of the problem lay with Juventus themselves they failed to see their true position and didn't have a clear understanding of their own strength.

Juventus today was a bit like Real Madrid last season: a club with big names and star power, but their true strength…

"Call the office and schedule a couple of interviews for me," Gao Shen said decisively.

There were plenty of media outlets clamoring to interview him, with appointments booked months in advance. But now that he needed to get a message out, he'd invite one or two journalists to interview him right away.

Lucas eagerly agreed, jotting down a note in his pad so he wouldn't forget.

In the corner, Guardiola listened quietly, occasionally taking notes. It was his first time witnessing the role of an intelligence analyst, and he was deeply impressed. He circled the title "Intelligence Analyst" in his notebook, feeling it was a position worth exploring further.

"For the match against Juventus, let's start Pellè. He knows how to handle this situation," Gao Shen instructed.

"Got it," Carlo said with a nod.

"Di María has been performing well lately. He'll start this weekend. Gervinho will play on the right. Next Wednesday, Gervinho and Sánchez will partner up, with Cavani replacing Pellè," Gao Shen continued, outlining his tactical adjustments.

Next Wednesday, Napoli would host Parma in the first leg of the Coppa Italia Round of 16.

"What about the right-back position?" Carlo asked.

Napoli's right-back situation was a problem.

Both Jerge Garrick and Grava could play on the right, but neither were particularly ideal, and they didn't quite meet Gao Shen's high standards.

For now, though, they would have to do.

Gao Shen had initially considered Dario Srna, but the player had already moved to Shakhtar Donetsk. Shakhtar, backed by wealthy owners, wasn't an easy club to poach players from, which explained why a talent like Srna had never transferred to a European giant.

"Deschamps won't take risks," Gao Shen predicted. "No matter how much I provoke him in the media, he'll stick to a defensive strategy. Let's start Grava this weekend and use Garrick next Wednesday. Vargas will play on the left."

Carlo looked at Gao Shen, hesitant for a moment before nodding. "Understood. I'll set up the training accordingly."

Lucas, looking confused, asked, "If Deschamps won't take any risks, what's the point of riling him up in the media?"

Gao Shen grinned mischievously. "The point is to add fuel to the fire. Who knows, maybe Deschamps will get sacked."

Everyone laughed at the playful cruelty of the tactic.

In the corner, Guardiola felt a chill. Isn't this too cunning? he thought. If I ever manage a team of my own, I'd better keep my distance from Gao Shen. I don't want to be on the receiving end of this.

...

As for the match against Parma, Gao Shen had a clear plan.

The second leg wouldn't be until December, so there was still plenty of time, but Napoli had to secure a strong win in the first leg at home.

"Parma's performance this season has been well below expectations," Lucas pointed out. "They're currently 18th in Serie A, just three points above Ascoli in 19th place."

It was almost funny. At the start of the season, Parma had been viewed as a dark horse, But who would have thought that after nine rounds, Parma would find themselves in the relegation zone?

"In the UEFA Cup, however, Parma has won all three games first beating Rubin Kazan 1-0 over two legs, and then defeating Denmark's Odense 2-1 away in the first round of Group D. This team is still very strong, so we need to stay alert."

Gao Shen nodded in agreement.

Many mid-tier teams face this issue: they can only sustain one strong lineup. Their squad depth is too shallow. They perform well when focusing on one competition, but once they enter multiple competitions, they start falling apart.

Parma seems to have made their choice, sacrificing a bit in the league to focus on European competitions.

This isn't surprising. Parma's head coach, Pioli, must be quite confident about avoiding relegation; otherwise, how could he afford to take this risk?

This means the Coppa Italia is also something to keep an eye on.

"Our advantage is that, since the league began in September, Parma has been juggling multiple competitions. On top of that, the national team matches in September and October have taken a toll on their players' fitness, which gives us an edge," Gao Shen explained.

"Before facing us in the first leg, they'll play Siena away, and after the Coppa Italia, they'll face Inter at home. So, I suspect they'll rotate their squad, considering there's still a second leg to come," Lucas analyzed.

That prediction made sense and was highly likely.

"Keep a close watch on Parma's situation, but for now, let's focus on Juventus," Gao Shen said with a smile.

Even though only nine rounds have been played, he already had a clear understanding of Serie B's overall competitiveness.

In fact, he could confidently say that he was no longer satisfied with just winning the Serie B title, as Napoli was now at the top of the table.

He wanted to take Napoli even further in the Coppa Italia.

Call it ambition, or call it insatiable hunger either way, that's what he thought, and that's what he planned to do.