Starting With Real Madrid

The morning after the match against Roma, Gao Shen and Guardiola got into Lucas' car and noticed that Lucas had red, bloodshot eyes and kept yawning clearly, he hadn't slept all night.

When Gao Shen took the passenger seat, he pointed to a thick stack of documents under the windshield.

"Everything you need is there. Take a look."

Gao Shen felt a bit guilty; he wasn't the type of cold-blooded capitalist who exploited his subordinates.

"I'll call Marino and get you two assistants."

Hearing this, Lucas immediately perked up. "Really?"

Gao Shen, seeing his reaction, teased, "Of course not."

Seeing Lucas' immediate disappointment, Gao Shen couldn't help but laugh. "Go ahead and prepare recruitment materials."

"Understood!" Lucas regained his energy as if he could survive another two sleepless nights.

Guardiola, sitting in the back seat, chuckled at the exchange.

In fact, it was indeed time to get Lucas some help.

Now that Napoli was competing on two fronts, Lucas was receiving all kinds of data, information, scouting reports, and news. Everything passed through him, but there wasn't any software or system in place to process it efficiently. It all had to be done manually.

Lucas may not have stood out much, but he was arguably the most overworked member of the coaching staff.

Of course, under this kind of pressure, his skills and abilities had improved drastically.

The progress of Gao Shen and Napoli had forced Lucas to keep up.

...

As they drove from the Bay Area to Fort Volturno, Gao Shen went through the document that Lucas had compiled overnight.

He had gathered a lot of data earlier, and the results of the analysis were more or less what he expected.

"Problem with the data?" Lucas asked while driving.

Gao Shen shook his head. "No, it just confirms what I already suspected."

"When I saw you whispering with Vidal on the sideline, I knew you were up to something. You're full of tricks, but people can't tell because of that kind face," Lucas joked.

"Please, how can you call it trickery on a football pitch?" Gao Shen retorted with a smile.

"I bet you told Vidal to target Perrotta and De Rossi."

Guardiola, sitting in the back, was stunned.

In fact, he had been wondering the same thing.

Otherwise, how could it be a coincidence that Perrotta received a yellow card right after Vidal came on?

Gao Shen's truly devious, Guardiola thought. Better not get on his bad side.

The more Guardiola worked with Gao Shen, the more mysterious and unpredictable he seemed. Every day brought something new, making him a formidable opponent.

...

Ten minutes after the trio arrived at Fort Volturno, Carlo and the other coaches showed up.

There was still an hour and a half before the players were due to arrive for training.

Guardiola had already made several copies of Lucas' analysis for the coaches to review.

Gao Shen led the meeting, with Lucas sitting in for the start. Afterward, Lucas would be allowed to skip training and catch up on sleep a privilege that Gao Shen had granted him in the car.

"What you're holding is the analysis of our match against Roma last night. Along with your impressions of the game, you should all know by now that Roma is a strong team, but they are far from unbeatable."

Gao Shen's tone carried a sense of determination and confidence.

"Last night, at the post-match press conference, I said that we would score at least three goals in the return leg. Don't think I was joking. I'm very serious. I firmly believe we can do it!"

Even though Carlo and the others were accustomed to Gao Shen's bold statements, they were still surprised by his unwavering confidence.

He thrived on challenging situations, always seeking the thrill of taking risks and pushing limits.

Everyone who worked with Gao Shen could feel his drive to fight, to take risks, and, most importantly, his confidence.

Buenaventura, the fitness coach, had said multiple times that working with Gao Shen was the most challenging experience he'd ever had.

Back in their Real Madrid days, and now in Napoli, Gao Shen always raised the bar. When they first arrived in Naples, Gao Shen had set a target of making the players run over 10,000 meters per game every single player, except the goalkeeper.

Buenaventura had been driven nearly mad by the challenge, thinking it was impossible.

But looking back now, while not every match met that standard, most of Napoli's games had come close. And next season, Buenaventura was confident they would surpass the target.

He was already planning further improvements to the team's training schedule to optimize their fitness and performance.

It was undeniably stressful.

But the progress was also undeniable, and the sense of achievement was immense.

Napoli had become a target in Italian football. Gao Shen was constantly criticized.

But far from being a bad thing, this was a mark of success.

When no one takes you seriously, when no one cares about your team, that's when you know you're irrelevant.

Why were people criticizing Gao Shen and Napoli?

Because Napoli had become good enough to threaten the status quo.

The media wasn't criticizing them out of generosity. They wouldn't waste their time on someone who didn't matter.

Among the accomplishments Napoli had achieved, Buenaventura's fitness regimen had transformed the team into one of the hardest-working sides in Italy.

That was something to be proud of.

And Gao Shen? He was constantly creating problems, challenges, and pressure for everyone around him.

Working for someone like that, you had no choice but to keep up.

...

One of Gao Shen's defining characteristics was that every goal he set, every bold statement he made, wasn't just for show.

Take this match against Roma, for example.

"You all can take a look at this PPT it's Roma's formation."

On the screen, the coaches saw Roma's tactical layout.

"They don't appear to have a traditional striker, but they do. Totti is their striker, but he's so versatile that he can press forward, drift wide, drop deep, score goals, assist, and make key passes. He can do everything."

Gao Shen gestured toward the tactical board with a sense of authority.

"There's a saying I'm sure you've all heard: 'The comprehensiveness of a player determines the diversity of tactics.'"

"What does that mean?"

"A player as versatile as Totti provides Roma with endless options in attack. Their front line becomes more dynamic, more fluid, thanks to his presence. But…"

Gao Shen paused for effect.

Everyone could already guess what he was going to say.

"Totti is the core of Roma's attack. Everyone plays off of him. When he drifts wide, they adjust. When he drops deep, they react. He is their focal point."

"Shut down Totti, and you cripple Roma's attack."

Napoli had not done a good enough job containing Totti in the first leg, especially when he dropped into the space between Napoli's midfield and back line.

The problem, as always, was the positioning of Napoli's two central midfielders.

Gao Shen had a solution: "We're going to place another defensive player behind the two central midfielders to make sure we can effectively contain Totti when he drops deep."

But to add another defender meant sacrificing an attacker.

The backline wouldn't be touched. At this stage, the four-man defense was a standard. Biglia and Rakitic were untouchable in midfield, meaning one of the attacking players would have to be sacrificed.

The other coaches held back their questions, waiting for Gao Shen to explain further.

"Roma's attack revolves around Totti. But their midfield has two key players: De Rossi and Perrotta. De Rossi is more obvious he protects the backline. But Perrotta is more subtle."

Gao Shen switched to another slide, displaying Perrotta's activity zones.

It was clear that Perrotta covered a massive amount of ground, from his own penalty area to the opposition's.

"De Rossi is crucial, but Perrotta is the unsung hero. He does the work of one and a half players sometimes even two. He's everywhere, and he makes Roma's midfield tick."

If De Rossi was the visible protector, then Perrotta was the invisible king.

Just like Makelele had been in the star-studded Real Madrid team.

Every team has someone like that—someone whose contribution goes unnoticed until they're gone.

Perrotta was that player for Roma.

Whether or not Spalletti was fully aware of his importance was debatable.

Sometimes, coaches choose their lineups out of habit, unaware of the subtle dynamics at play.

Gao Shen's initial plan had been to target either De Rossi or Perrotta through Vidal, and ideally, he had hoped to neutralize both.

Now that Perrotta was suspended, Gao Shen was preparing for how Roma might cope without him.

If De Rossi had been the one suspended, things would have been easier for Napoli, as Hamsik had been effectively marked out of the first leg by De Rossi.

For the second leg, Gao Shen wasn't planning on starting Hamsik.

He was switching to a 4-3-3 formation, with Vidal in the defensive midfield role, and Biglia and Rakitic further ahead. The forward trio would press Roma's backline and exploit their pace advantage.

Vidal's presence would not only help neutralize Totti but also provide additional support to defend the flanks, particularly against the dangerous Mancini.

This was Gao Shen's plan for scoring three goals against Roma.

This was the source of his confidence.