Starting With Real Madrid

In the afternoon, near the San Paolo Stadium in the Bay Area of Naples, fans were steadily gathering. The atmosphere was tense but charged with excitement.

A week ago, Naples had lost 1-2 away to Roma, leaving the fans in a gloomy mood. In the following Serie B match, the team could only manage a draw with Genoa, which had stirred up even more controversy.

Many media outlets were beginning to say that Naples' luck had run out and that their dominance in Serie B was coming to an end.

Naturally, this didn't sit well with the Naples fans.

This afternoon, the decisive match at the San Paolo Stadium would determine if Napoli could continue their Coppa Italia journey or be eliminated.

All along the way, Napoli fans were heading toward the stadium in groups, their voices echoing through the streets with bursts of cheering and chanting.

"Naples must win!"

"Smash Roma!"

"Send the Romans packing!"

Among the various slogans, a bus painted in Roma's colors and emblazoned with the club's emblem slowly made its way through the crowd.

Immediately, the bus was met with loud boos and insults. Some fans, realizing what was happening, hurled their drink bottles at the bus.

Bang!

A bottle hit the bus window but didn't break it.

Damn it, thought one fan. Reinforced windows!

If only they had grabbed some stones...

"I haven't felt this kind of madness from Napoli fans in years," Totti said, smiling as he sat comfortably in the bus with his Roma teammates. He was unbothered by the chaos outside.

In Italy, Napoli fans had always been known for their wild devotion. They were fiercely loyal to their club, a loyalty that hadn't waned even when Napoli was relegated to the third division.

"Good thing our windows are reinforced, or they'd have been smashed by now," De Rossi chuckled.

Totti nodded, clearly amused. "In Italy, it's pretty much a necessity at this point."

Italian fans were notorious for their intensity, especially Napoli's.

When it came to fan behavior in European football, England and Italy were known to be the most unruly. If a Premier League team happened to face an Italian team in a European match, it wasn't just a football match—it was a test of the city's public management and security.

The rivalry extended beyond the pitch.

Gangs? Street fights? That was standard fare for matches between English and Italian clubs. Deaths had even occurred in the worst cases.

So, the players weren't exactly surprised by the bottle-throwing incident. The windows of Serie A team buses were often broken, but everyone was used to it.

"Just remember," Totti warned, "if you score tonight, don't go too close to the stands to celebrate. The fans won't be polite about it."

It was clear that Totti had been through this before.

"Maybe we should just stay out of throwing range altogether," Vučinić joked, prompting laughs from the rest of the team.

The young forward, on loan from Lecce to Roma, had been performing well this season. He was versatile and had a high work rate, and tonight, Spalletti would use him to fill the void left by Perrotta, who was suspended.

This meant that Roma would likely take a more aggressive approach at the San Paolo Stadium.

"Yeah, let's keep our distance," Totti laughed. "God knows what they'll throw down at us."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

It was an away game, and against a club like Napoli, you had to be extra cautious.

After their performance in the first leg, Roma's players were confident going into the second leg.

Napoli was a Serie B team. Sure, they had been dominant in their league, but no matter how strong they were, they were still Serie B.

Spalletti, seated in the front of the bus, glanced back at the players, listening to their banter. He smiled in satisfaction. The team was in high spirits, and everyone seemed to be in good form.

With Perrotta suspended, Spalletti had limited options. He didn't have many players at his disposal, so Vučinić was a logical choice. Vučinić was active, mobile, and could help cover the space in midfield that Perrotta usually filled.

More importantly, Spalletti had designed his strategy to exploit a clear weakness in Napoli's defense: the space between their two central midfielders and their backline.

Napoli's double-pivot midfield wasn't composed of natural holding players, and it showed. In the first leg, Napoli's midfielders frequently lost their positions, creating gaps that Roma had exploited for both of their goals.

Spalletti had no intention of giving Napoli a chance to recover. He was confident that with Vučinić, Totti, Mancini, and Taddei, Roma could take advantage of Napoli's defensive vulnerabilities again and finish the tie early.

But Spalletti's tactical flexibility meant that while he was confident, he wasn't complacent. Unlike Gao Shen, who rigidly stuck to his 4-2-3-1 formation, Spalletti could adapt Roma's system as needed. He had options, and tonight, he intended to use them.

Roma's objective was simple: destroy Napoli.

Let Gao Shen and his believers see the truth.

…

Meanwhile, in the chairman's box at the San Paolo Stadium, Zidane sat alongside De Laurentiis and Marino in the best seats available. They were soon joined by Arrigo Sacchi, the legendary Italian coach.

"Hey, Zinedine," Sacchi greeted Zidane with a smile as he walked over.

"Hi, Arrigo," Zidane replied warmly, standing to greet the older man.

After shaking hands with Zidane, Sacchi also greeted De Laurentiis and Marino.

While De Laurentiis and Marino were trying to stay calm, it was clear that they held great respect for Sacchi, given his stature in Italian football.

Sacchi, Zidane, De Laurentiis, and Marino soon got to talking about the match.

Sacchi glanced around the stadium, taking in the atmosphere and the sunlight. "It looks like the sun might be a factor in the first half," he commented.

Zidane nodded. "Yeah, the sun will be in the players' eyes for the first half, but by the second half, it won't be an issue anymore."

"It might not make a huge difference," Sacchi mused, "but it could give a slight advantage early on."

"I've heard rumors that Roma might adopt a more aggressive approach," Sacchi added, sounding a bit concerned.

"Really?" Marino asked, surprised.

"Yes, that's what I've heard," Sacchi confirmed.

Marino and De Laurentiis exchanged worried looks.

Roma was the most potent attacking team in Italy this season. With a powerful offense and a solid defense, they would be a formidable opponent for Napoli, a Serie B team, no matter how talented or promising the latter was.

"If Roma does come out aggressively, it could be a problem for us," Marino said, his anxiety growing.

Even Zidane, who usually exuded calmness, appeared concerned. "Napoli is young and full of potential, but they're not as mature or stable as Roma. This game is going to be tough."

"Doesn't Gao Shen have any other plans?" Sacchi asked, looking at Zidane expectantly.

Zidane was caught off guard. "How would I know?"

"I thought you've been with him since yesterday. Surely you've picked up on something."

Zidane chuckled. "I'm just here to visit. I'm not part of his coaching staff. I don't know what he's planning."

"Besides, you know Gao Shen he keeps everyone in the dark. Even when I was a player under him at Real Madrid, we'd only understand his tactics when they worked during the match. Then we'd all go, 'Ah, so that's what he was thinking!'"

Sacchi nodded, smiling. "Fair enough."

Reaching the quarterfinals of the Coppa Italia was already an achievement for a Serie B team. Sacchi's final remark was almost like a reminder to De Laurentiis and Marino to temper their expectations and not be too harsh on Gao Shen, regardless of the result tonight.

After all, Napoli's run in the cup had been nothing short of extraordinary. But against a top-tier Serie A team like Roma, they were clearly the underdogs.

This match would ultimately come down to tactics. Could Gao Shen outwit Spalletti and find a way to nullify Roma's strengths while maximizing Napoli's own?

That was the question everyone was waiting to see answered.

…

Back in the dugout, Gao Shen reviewed Roma's starting lineup. Just as he had anticipated, Vučinić was starting in place of Perrotta.

Roma's options were limited, especially with Perrotta suspended, but Spalletti's decision to go with Vučinić was telling.

Spalletti was aiming to hit Napoli hard and fast. He wanted to neutralize Napoli's away goal by scoring early and putting the game beyond doubt.

Spalletti didn't just want to win he wanted to destroy Napoli.

But Gao Shen was ready. He had expected this.

Roma might be Serie A's second-ranked team after 19 rounds, but they had weaknesses too.

And if Gao Shen could exploit those weaknesses, he would give Napoli a fighting chance to pull off a remarkable upset.

It was time to show Spalletti that Napoli wasn't just some overachieving Serie B team.

*****

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