Death group!

  This was the phrase used most frequently by media outlets worldwide after the UEFA Champions League group stage draw.

  Almost every pundit predicted that it would be extremely difficult for Napoli to advance from the group stage.

  Napoli, making its Champions League debut sihe petition's reformation, cked European experience. Against seasoned heavyweights like Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, and Europa League winners Zenit St. Petersburg, the Serie A champions appeared to have no edge whatsoever.

  The sensus, even among Italian media such as Gazzetta dello Sport, was bleak. Many believed that Group H was the most terrifyih group sihe Champions League's reformation, even surpassing the infamous group of 2002–2003.

  Arrigo Sacchi, in his post-draw analysis, echoed the sehat Napoli's draw was far from ideal.

  However, Sacchi didn't t Napoli out entirely.

  While Real Madrid and Bayern were undeniably big names, Sacchi argued they were no lo their peak and were slightly weaker than the Premier League giants like Maer United and Chelsea. This, he cimed, could provide Napoli with a sliver of opportunity.

  "From his time as Real Madrid's head coach, Gao Shen has proven his ability to haough battles. In fact, every time he faces strong oppos, he seems to thrive on the challenge, pushing himself and his team to greater heights," Sacchi wrote.

  He outlined a potential roadmap for Napoli's success. Sacchi emphasized that Napoli's home form would be the key.

  Acc to Sacchi, Napoli's group stage schedule presented a potential opening:

  1. Match 1: Away at the Bernabéu against Real Madrid.

  2. Match 2: Home against Bayern Munich.

  3. Match 3: Away in Russia against Zenit St. Petersburg.

  4. Match 4: Home against Zenit.

  "If Napoli win all of their home matches, seg nine points, and scrape out results in one or two away matches—perhaps a draw or two—that should be enough to qualify," Sacchi theorized.

  However, other analysts deemed Sacchi's outlook overly optimistic.

  Napoli's youth and inexperien Europe's elite petition were seen as major liabilities. Away games, already a daunting challenge, would be even tougher for such a young squad. Even at home, seasoned oppos like Real Madrid and Bayern might prove to.

  "The Champions League is not Serie A," one entator stated. "Gao Shen and his Napoli o temper their ambitions and focus on gaining experieep by step."

  The implication was clear: Napoli wasn't ready to pete with Europe's best. They were expected to be little more than stepping stones for the likes of Real Madrid and Bayern, supp pyers in a petition dominated by stars.

  Some entators even argued that third- and fourth-pot teams existed in the Champions League merely to fill the tour's coffers, ag as on fodder for Europe's elite while eaining global fans.

  Many fans and pundits around the world held simir views.

  After all, most football fans admired the strong. Weak teams, it seemed, were destio fade into the background.

  But Gao Shen wasn't willing to let Napoli py that role.

  …

  The m before Napoli's trip to Rome, Gao Shen made an ued decision.

  He celed the scheduled tactical meeting and instead gathered all the pyers and staff in a feren at Castel Volturno.

  What followed surprised everyone. Gao Shen pyed a film for the group to watch together.

  The film? Ridley Scott's epic Hollywood masterpiece, Gdiator.

  The cssic story followed Russell Crowe's character, a Roman general who was betrayed and reduced to a mere gdiathting for survival. Despite his hardships, he refused to surreo fate and ultimately achieved revehrough sheer will aermination.

  Under Scott's masterful dire, the movie captured the grandeur of a Rome, blending sweeping battle sequences with raw, brutal emotion. The themes of perseverand resilience resonated deeply, leaving everyone in the room captivated from start to finish.

  Regardless of whether they had seen the movie before, the pyers and staff were enthralled. The story, the a, the setting—all of it hit close to home, especially given the movie's ties to Rome and its symbolism fhting against the odds.

  …

  As the credits rolled, the room remained quiet. Everyone was still immersed in the epic tale, processing the story and its message.

  But Gao Shen had already moved oepped to the front of the room, carrying a stack of books.

  One by one, he handed out copies of Whears Shine by Stefan Zweig.

  "This book gave me great strength and tless insights," Gao Shen began, addressing the room.

  He expihe significe of the book and shared some of its inspiring stories.

  "Take Handel, for insta the lowest point of his life, when he was impoverished and out of ideas, he suddenly found inspiration and posed the immortal Messiah. Or sider Napoleon, whose indecisiveness and ck of adaptatioo his defeat at Waterloo."

  Gao Shen held up his own copy of the book aured passionately as he spoke.

  "Then there's the Ameri entrepreneur Field. After sufferied setbacks, he finally succeeded in ying the first transatntic cable, eg Europe and America. These are stories of resilience, determination, and overing impossible odds."

  The room listened ily, hanging on every word.

  "There are two quotes from this book that resonate deeply with me," Gao Shen tinued.

  "'There is only ohing that makes people truly tired: indecision aation. Taking a, even if you fail, is better than standing still.'

  "'The greatest happiness is to discover your purpose in life during your prime, in your most creative years.'"

  He paused, allowing his words to sink in.

  From the film to the book to these carefully chosen quotes, Gao Shen had one clear message for his team:

  Don't be afraid.

  …

  Napoli might be small. They might be underdogs. But that didn't mean they were insignifit.

  The media, fans, and even rival coaches might dismiss Napoli as an afterthought, but Gao Shen refused to let his team adopt that mi.

  What mattered most wasn't how others saw them. It was hooli saw themselves.

  Being pced in the group of death, did that make them lose fidence? Did it make them despair? Did it fill them with fear?

  Gao Shen showed them Gdiator and gave them Zweig's book for one reason: to instill in them a belief in stant self-improvement.

  "A bcksmith must be strong before f steel," he said firmly.

  "If we aren't strong enough ourselves, how we hope to ge anything?"

  …

  "I know that when you saw the Champions League draw, many of you felt worried or even scared," Gao Shen admitted, his voice calm but anding.

  "That's normal. Holy, I felt the same way. I've coached Real Madrid in this tour, and I know how tough it is. Even in the group stage, every game feels like a final."

  Every team in the Champions League was elite. Every match was grueling. Any mistake could lead to elimination. Gao Shen wasn't sugarcoating the challenge ahead.

  "But," Gao Shen raised his voice, "I promise you this: if you follow my pn, if you stick to the tactics I give you, and if you execute them with everything you've got, I guarantee you'll be ready for every sich."

  "And I guarantee," he tinued, log eyes with his pyers, "that we will make it to the knockout stage!"

  The room fell silent.

  It was a bold statement, almost unbelievable. This was the so-called "super death group," featuring Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, a. It was a group desigo crush underdogs like Napoli.

  But Gao Shen wasn't just anyone.

  Two years ago, perhaps no one would have believed such words. But two years under Gao Shen had turned Napoli into Serie A champions. He had delivered on every promise he made, and now, his pyers trusted him implicitly.

  Gao Shen sed the room, reading the determination in their faces.

  "Believe me," he urged. "The so-called group of death? It's not just about how strong the others are. It's about how strong we are."

  "If we weren't strong, would this group still be a group of death?"

  Many nodded in agreement. It was true: Napoli's strength art of what made the group so difficult.

  "So, instead of being afraid, let's prove our strength. Let's make our oppos fear us."

  "If we quer this group, what stop us? Why stop at the round of 16?" Gao Shen's voice rose with vi.

  "No! We're going for more. We're going for the championship!"

  By the end, Gao Shen ractically shouting, his passion tagious.

  The pyers and staff could feel the fire in his words. It ignited something within them.

  Napoli wasn't here to survive. They were here to fight.