Gao Shen was genuinely looking forward to this match against Mourinho.

  Siaking charge of Real Madrid more than two years ago, peting with the world's top coaches had been the most exhirating and fulfilling part of his journey. It gave him a deep sense of aplishment.

  As a transmigrator, he believed this was exactly what he should be doing. Otherwise, wouldn't he be letting himself down?

  He had once admired Mourinho immensely. From his time at Chelsea to his triumphs with Inter Min, especially when the Nerazzurri lifted the Champions League trophy, Mourinho had, in Gao Shen's eyes, stood at the pinnacle of world football ma.

  But after that victory, some of Mourinho's methods during his te Real Madrid revealed clear limitations and fws.

  From then on, his coag performance had steadily deed.

  Meanwhile, European football was experieng a renaissance.

  Atletiadrid's Simeone, Dortmund's Klopp, Bayern Munich's Heynckes, and a host of exceptional coaches like Tuchel, te, and Pochettinht fresh ideas and fierpetition to the sport.

  Not to mention the legendary figures who had always loomed rge, like Benitez, Bielsa, Ai, and Wenger, as well as Ferguson, who held aernal pce of reveren Gao Shen's heart.

  This flood of talent and tactical innovation reshaped Gao Shen's perspective. Over the years, he had e to a clear realization: Guardio's style of football represehe future.

  Initially, Gao Shen had been dismissive of the "La Masia philosophy," but he gradually came to admire it.

  As for Mourinho, Gao Shen's feelings had turned into a mixture ret and disappoi.

  In the end, the Puese tacti had failed to create the epic rivalry with Guardio that Gao Shen had envisioned ba 2010.

  Still, this didn't diminish his respeourinho.

  The Dunning-Kruger effe psychology states: individuals with lower levels of peteend to overestimate their abilities, while those with higher levels of self-awareness are better equipped their limitations and grow.

  "If you don't have the ability, you don't even realize you ck it!"

  Dunning's words were painfully accurate.

  Looking back, Gao Shen realized that before his transmigration, he had been standing at the peak of "ignorant arrogance." When he crossed over, he plunged into the valley of despair as his fidence crumbled. Only through relentless effort and accumuting experience did he begin to climb the slope of enlighte.

  This journey was lifelong. It had no end.

  And it was this endless pursuit that defined Ferguson's greatness.

  It was also the path Gao Shen aspired to follow.

  On this journey, his greatest hope was to fad pete with more top-tier managers—Mourinho, Ai, Benitez, Guardio, Ferguson, Wenger, and even Zidane.

  Victory a mattered, but the progress and hard work along the way mattered just as much.

  These were the thoughts running through Gao Shen's mind as he stood in front of the away team's dugout at the San Siro Stadium.

  …

  When referee Sakani blew the whistle to start the game, Ibrahimovic, positioned in the ter circle, immediately passed the ball back to Balotelli and charged forward.

  The San Siro erupted into thunderous cheers.

  The muticipated opening match of the season's marquee fixture was underway.

  After stopping the ball, Balotelli passed it back to Stankovid darted forward toward the right side of Napoli's defensive line. His movement suggested he'd be operating primarily on the right wing.

  Stankovic, upon receiving the ball, wasted no time. Instead of pying a safe back pass, he u to the left before i could close him down.

  Maxwell, charging up the left fnk, received the ball and stopped it momentarily, but Valencia quickly closed in. The Brazilian full-back, wary of losing possession, passed it back to Stankovic.

  i pressed high, staying close to Stankovic, cutting off his passihis forced Inter Min to circute the ball between Cambiasso and Burdisso, their two deep-lying defenders.

  Napoli's front line, led by i, Valencia, and Sanchez, shifted with Inter's passing, ensuring they maintaiheir defensive shape aricted options for a peing ball.

  After about 20 seds of this cautious buildup, Inter Min spotted an opening and switched the py to the left fnk.

  Maxwell, advang down the wing, delivered a quick pass to Mani, who had dropped deep he halfway lio receive it.

  This was Inter Min's first real foray into Napoli's half, drawing cheers from the home crowd.

  But Mani found himself in trouble immediately. Lichtsteiner and Valencia closed in from behind and in front, f the Brazilian wio hurriedly pass baaxwell.

  Napoli's aggressive pressing suffocated Inter Min's attack, leaving them without clear options. Mani retreated further, trying to shake off his markers and reposition himself.

  Maxwell, notig the ck of space, passed the ball baani, who was now in a slightly deeper position.

  However, just as Mani attempted to trol the ball, Valencia turned sharply and closed the gap, while Thiago Motta and Vidal closed in as well.

  Faced with overwhelming pressure, Mani tried to pass the ball back to Stankovi midfield, but Vidal's interference disrupted him. The pass was weak and ended up rolling loose.

  Hamsik pouhe Slovak midfielder surged forward with the ball and threaded a precise through pass to i, who ositio the edge of the penalty area.

  i, under pressure from two Inter Min defenders, trolled the ball before ying it off to Sanchez on the left.

  The Chilean winger wasted no time, pulling the ball to his right foot and firing a low shot.

  But before the ball could reach the goal, Burdisso lunged in with a block, defleg the shot.

  The ball ricocheted to the edge of the penalty area, where Cambiasso attempted a clearance. However, i mao block the clearance, causing the ball to loop into the air and nd on the right side of the box.

  Valencia, arrivio the penalty area, trolled the ball. He paused briefly to assess the situation before bursting past Maxwell with a quick acceleration. Reag the byline, he delivered a low cross into the six-yard box.

  In the ter, i muscled past Cambiasso and Burdisso, ready to meet the ball. Goalkeeper Julio Cesar reacted swiftly, diving to intercept the cross and preventing i from sg.

  However, Cesar's save didn't clear the dahe ball bouo the top of the penalty area, where Vidal was lurking. The midfielder struck a fierce volley, only for the shot to deflect off Burdisso and fall to the left side of the box.

  Hamsik erfectly positioned. Without hesitation, he lunged forward and stabbed the ball into the bottom-left er of the .

  "GOALLLLLLLL!"

  "Hamsik! It's Hamsik again!"

  "He scores Napoli's first goal of the season!"

  Gao Shen, standing on the sidelines, was momentarily stunned. He hadn't expected his team to capitalize on their first terattack so decisively.

  When the ball hit the back of the , he couldn't tain his excitement.

  "Yes!" he shouted, pung the air with his fist.

  "Well done, Hamsik!"

  It had been a relentless sequence. First, Sanchez's incisive cut inside and shot; then, Valencia's precise cross and Cesar's desperate save; and finally, Vidal's deflected shot nding at Hamsik's feet.

  Inter Min, caught off guard by Napoli's rapid transitions, had been pletely overwhelmed.

  "In just one minute, Napoli takes the lead!"

  "This was a textbook terattack: quick, precise, aating."

  "Napoli pressed high, f Inter into a mistake, and immediately unched a fast and furious attack."

  "Mourinho's defensive lioo much space, and Napoli puhem for it."

  "This is Gao Shen's hallmark—razor-sharp terattacks."

  "Mourinho may have uimated Napoli's explosiveness, but now the pressure is on him to respond."

  On the sidelines, Mourinho's expression darkened.

  g a goal so early in the game was not part of the pn.

  Now, all his hopes rested on Ibrahimovi?.