Starting With Real Madrid

"Welcome, viewers, to the 2006-07 season's fourth round of the Coppa Italia."

"Tonight, we're live from the San Paolo Stadium in Naples."

"Napoli, the newly promoted Serie B team, is facing Parma from Serie A."

"The teams are lining up now, and the referee, Marelli, is about to blow his whistle."

"Let's quickly go over the starting lineups for both teams."

"For the home team, Napoli sticks to their tried-and-true 4-2-3-1 formation this season."

"In goal, we have Handanovic. The backline consists of Vargas, Bonucci, Paolo Cannavaro, and Jerge Garrick."

"The double pivot in midfield features Biglia and Rakitic, with Gervinho, Hamsik, and Sanchez ahead of them, while Cavani leads the line up top."

"It's worth noting that compared to last weekend's lineup, Napoli has made a few changes."

"Now let's take a look at Parma, who have opted for a 4-3-2-1 formation. Bucci is in goal, with Castellini, Fernando Couto, Marco Rossi, and Ferronetti forming the backline. In midfield…"

"The referee blows the whistle, and we're underway!"

"Parma gets the game started."

"Napoli immediately pushes up, pressing high, which has been their signature style this season. Look at this right from the start."

"Parma plays the ball back to their defense, and the veteran Portuguese defender Couto launches a long pass to the front."

"But Napoli intercepts it!"

"Parma doesn't hold back in their own half either. They're quickly moving up to press as well. It looks like they want to apply pressure all over the pitch."

…

Standing on the sidelines near the Napoli bench, Gao Shen watched as Parma played the ball deep into their own half, where Cannavaro Jr. intercepted it with ease and passed it on to a teammate.

Facing his old team, Cannavaro seemed especially fired up tonight.

Pioli had Parma pressing up high early, just as Gao Shen had expected. Parma didn't want to hand the initiative over to Napoli and were trying to disrupt their rhythm early.

Napoli, however, were well-prepared.

Gao Shen couldn't help but smile inwardly.

If he were in Pioli's position, he wouldn't surrender the initiative either. He'd want to try to make an early statement by pressing high and putting Napoli under pressure.

But Napoli's players, without needing any instructions from the bench, calmly passed the ball around in the midfield, as if it was second nature to them.

In reality, it didn't take incredible technical ability to do what Napoli was doing. Most players at this level Serie A or Serie B could execute quick, one-touch passing and movement. The key was creating enough passing lanes and ensuring the players were familiar with this style of play.

As long as the passing options were there, even a traditionally defensive player like Paolo Cannavaro could look comfortable moving the ball around the pitch.

Of course, this kind of calm was only possible because Parma wasn't applying intense pressure yet. If they had been pressing relentlessly, it would have been a different story.

After some tidy passing in the midfield between Rakitic and Biglia, they couldn't find a forward option and passed it back to Bonucci.

Parma had fielded many young players tonight, including Marco Rossi and Ferronetti in defense, and Paponi leading the line up front.

When the ball reached Bonucci, young Paponi immediately pressed him, and the rest of Parma's players pushed up too, trying to close down Napoli in their own half.

But Bonucci didn't panic.

He calmly controlled the ball, waiting for his forward teammates Gervinho, Cavani, and Sanchez to make their runs. He kept his eye on the movement up ahead, completely unbothered by the pressure closing in on him.

Just as Paponi was about to reach him, Bonucci stepped forward and launched a long pass.

The ball curved beautifully through the air from the edge of Napoli's penalty box, soaring over the heads of Parma's defense.

Pioli, on the sidelines, shouted, "Watch behind! Behind the right!"

A black blur darted past Ferronetti on Parma's right flank. It was Gervinho, sprinting at full speed to chase down Bonucci's perfect pass, streaking towards Parma's penalty area.

In the middle, Cavani was already charging forward, with Sanchez not far behind on the right. Hamsik was also making a late run into the box.

"Napoli's counterattack is lightning fast and incredibly well-coordinated!"

"This has been Napoli's hallmark this season: relentless defending followed by explosive, high-tempo attacking."

The most experienced defender on Parma, Fernando Couto, was the first to track back. Facing Gervinho, he had no choice but to retreat.

But Gervinho only got faster as he approached. By the time he entered the penalty area, he stabbed the ball towards the byline, knocking it past Couto before darting around him and accelerating even more.

Couto tried to turn and chase, but Gervinho was too fast. He reached the ball just before it went out of play, now on the left side of the six-yard box, and crossed it into the middle.

Cavani, looking like a charging tank, surged past Marco Rossi. He met Gervinho's cross and tapped the ball into the net from close range.

The crowd at San Paolo erupted.

"GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!"

"In just one minute, Napoli has scored against Parma!"

"One minute into the game, and Napoli's counterattack has torn Parma's defense apart."

"Bonucci's long pass was inch-perfect, and Gervinho's run and cross were executed to perfection."

"Despite lining up in a defensive 4-3-2-1 Christmas tree formation, Parma was unable to keep Napoli from scoring so early."

…

On the sidelines, Gao Shen jumped in celebration as soon as he saw Cavani score.

"Brilliant, Edinson!" Gao Shen shouted, full of energy.

He turned around, laughing and exchanging high-fives and hugs with his coaching staff.

When he reached Guardiola, the Barcelona legend looked completely stunned.

"That was… insanely fast!"

Gao Shen laughed heartily.

Guardiola seemed genuinely baffled by what he had just witnessed.

And Gao Shen couldn't help but feel a surge of pride.

This was exactly what he had planned for Parma. As soon as Parma pressed up, Napoli would immediately hit them with a long pass from Bonucci, taking advantage of the space left behind.

If fans had only seen the game through a live broadcast, they would have been shocked at how Napoli's counterattack unfolded. The moment Bonucci launched his long pass, three or four Napoli players were already sprinting forward in unison. It looked incredible.

It was a sight to behold.

Live viewers wouldn't have seen all this movement because the camera had been focused on Bonucci. But what they missed was that, as soon as Bonucci received the ball, Gervinho, Cavani, and Sanchez all took off, racing towards Parma's goal. Whoever got to the best position first would initiate the counterattack.

Bonucci's role was to pick out that player with a pinpoint long ball.

It was a simple tactic, but executed to devastating effect.

After all, Bonucci was a master of the long pass.

"You feeling okay?" Gao Shen asked, grinning as he put an arm around Guardiola's shoulder.

Guardiola was still processing what had just happened, shaking his head. "That was… too fast, too shocking."

"Speed is everything in football!" Gao Shen said, beaming with pride.

Speed had always been one of the most awe-inspiring elements of the game. Players like Kaka, Ronaldo, Owen, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Gareth Bale had left their mark on football with their blistering pace.

"You think that was fast?" Gao Shen teased. "When we face each other in the future, I'll show you something even crazier!"

Guardiola shook his head with a laugh, "If that day ever comes, I'd rather not be your opponent. It's terrifying!"

…

The television cameras had caught the moment between Gao Shen and Guardiola on the sidelines.

"Hey, who's that standing with Gao Shen?" one commentator asked. "It doesn't look like a member of Napoli's coaching staff."

As the camera zoomed in, the mystery figure was quickly identified.

"Wait a minute, isn't that Guardiola? The former Barcelona captain? What's he doing here in Naples? Is he working as an assistant for Gao Shen?"

"Guardiola's a well-known figure in Italian football, having played for both Brescia and Roma. If he's part of Gao Shen's coaching staff, that would make sense."

The broadcast quickly cut back to the game, but the surprise of seeing Guardiola on Napoli's bench had already stirred speculation.

As for Guardiola, he was still in deep thought, replaying Napoli's counterattack in his mind, trying to figure out how to stop something so quick and devastating.

…

"Parma has had a disastrous start to the match, conceding a goal within the first minute."

"Now Pioli faces a tough decision. Should he keep pressing high and try to equalize, or drop back and defend?"

"Whatever Pioli chooses, it's clear that Napoli has made a strong statement tonight."

"Gao Shen's imprint on this team is undeniable."