Amid warm appuse, Gao Shen stepped into the auditorium.
The stairs leading to the stage were surprisingly steep, and the crowd was overwhelming.
Not only were the seats packed, but even the aisles on both sides and the spaces between the rows were filled with people. It was a full house.
The first thing Gao Shen said upon stepping onto the stage was, " the friends in the back row see me?"
This lighthearted remark triggered ughter throughout the room, with people shouting back that they could see and hear him clearly.
At that moment, Gao She like he was hosting a cert.
Before his time travel, Gao Shen had ducted training sessions for new employees and subordinates during his corporate job. But those sessions only involved a few dozen partits. Speaking in front of an audience of at least 300 people? This was airely different experience.
For those who knew Gao Shen, however, they were aware of his true talent, coag might be his primary skill, but his ability to speak and captivate an audience was unmatched. Some even joked that his words could revive the dead.
If his motivational talks in locker rooms were impressive, this was them amplified tenfold, aimed at a much rger crowd.
Gao Shen had prepared meticulously for this moment.
Before his time travel, he had been an avid follower of tech events and produches. He frequently watched press ferences from panies like Apple and Huawei, and he admired the charisma and showmanship of their speakers.
Oable figure he liked to watch was a certain maveritrepreneur who famously decred during o, "I'm not targeting anyone, but everyone else here is mediocre." That man, Gao Shen thought, ublic speaker who just happeo run a business.
Gao Shen also enjoyed shows like Tucao ference, and Talk Show ference. bihat with his years of workpce experience, and he had developed a knack for speaking in a way that was both engaging and persuasive.
Just like his opening line moments ago, Gao Shen had the ability to energize an audienstantly.
With the atmosphere warmed up, Gao Shen smoothly transitioned into the main theme of his speech, following the rhythm he had carefully pnned.
---
The theme of Gao Shen's speech was bold and ambitious: Ten Years.
His goal was to use 2008 as the midpoint and look back ten years to the 1998 World Cup in France, while projeg forward aen years to 2018.
He wao analyze the teical and tactical evolution of global football, especially European football over these two decades.
It was a moal topic, vast in scope, and incredibly plex.
When the audience first heard the theme, they were stunned, including Ulivieri, who had invited Gao Shen to speak.
No o the event would have dared cim they could prehensively summarize football's tactical evolutiohe past decade, let alorapote what would happen in the en years.
The rapid pace of tactical innovation in European football meant that many struggled to predict trends even five years ahead, let aloen.
But Gao Shen was uerred.
This was his first major speech, and he wao leave an indelible impression. He needed a theme that would surprise and captivate everyone.
As he delved into the topic, Gao Shen begaing his observations, analysis, and clusions.
The audience was increasingly astonished.
Veteran figures like Lippi and Ulivieri, initially skeptical of Gao Shen's ability to tackle such a grand topic, quickly found themselves captivated. As Gao Shen fidently ahodically detailed the tactical shifts of the past ten years, they were left in awe.
Sure, there were minor fws and areas that could be refined. But overall, Gao Shen's analysis was nothing short of extraordinary.
By the halfoint, even Lippi and others were questioning themselves:
"How many matches has he studied?"
"How many tactical philosophies has he dissected?"
How else could someone produce such a systematid prehensive summary of aire decade of football tactics?
Adding to the intrigue, Gao Shen shared aes and behind-the-ses stories that were entirely o the audience, further solidifying his credibility.
When he shifted to the en years, Gao Sheed an era defined by passing, movement, and pressing. He foresaeriod of relentless emphasis on offensive and deferansitions and teological innovation in football.
Using various trends and signals, Gao Shen articuted his vision, delivering his thoughts in a humorous yet insightful manner.
For instance, he mentiohat Pep Guardio's Bara would sooe possession-based football to an unpreted level. However, as this style reached its zenith, deferategies would also evolve, leading to the extreme implementation of high-press systems.
Because football, Gao Shen argued, is always cyclical.
"Band terbance are eternal themes in football," he said.
"When the tral corridor bees overcrowded, teams shift their focus to the wings. And when the wings domitention swings back to the ter."
Gao Shen eveed the eventual resurgence of the No. 10 role in football tactics.
"But when the No. 10 returns, it won't be the same as before. It will take on a new role, fun, and mission, adapting to the demands of modern football."
---
The sheer depth of Gao Shen's speech was daunting for most, but for him, it portunity to showcase his urengths.
Summarizing the past decade and forecasting the was no small feat. But with access to tless resources and a mind traio process them, Gao Shen made it seem effortless.
He pyed to his strengths, using his extensive knowledge to mask any gaps in his experience.
By the time he fihe room erupted into a standing ovation.
Gao She deeply satisfied with his performance. He had mao maintain trol over the pag and tone, keeping the audiengaged from start to finish. Their appuse was all the validation he needed.
---
The Q&A session that followed was just as lively.
The first question came from Antonio te, now the head coach of Bari, who was using a 4-2-4 formation.
This setup was essentially a variation of the 4-4-2, with the wingers pushed higher up, creating a front four. However, Bari's results so far were underwhelming: three wins and four draws in seven Serie B matches. The team's attack seemed to ck bite.
te expined his struggles, mentioning that while Bari had plenty of attag pyers, their finishi much to be desired.
Gao Shen smiled and shook his head. "I'm not familiar with Bari's situation, so I 't offer specific solutions. But perhaps try approag the issue from a different perspective. Instead of fog on who score, think about building a tactical framework that maximizes your pyers' potential."
He shared an example from his time at Real Madrid, where he focused on tactics rather than individuals to solve their goal-sg problem.
"In the end, wheactics clicked, the team performed better, and the goals came naturally."
In other words, it was about f team cohesion and creating opportuhrough collective effort.
---
The question came from Klopp, who expressed frustration over his team's inability to sustain high-pressure tactics for aire match.
Gao Shen ughed. "That's a universal problem. Even Rafa Benítez joked that if he had eleven robots, he'd be unstoppable."
The room burst into ughter.
"Iy, though, we're expl innovations in fitraining at Napoli. While it looks promising, it's still early. I'll share more when we have crete results. In the meantime, pyer rotation and advanced equipment might help manage energy levels more effectively."
Gao Shen hat even during Dortmund's ter successes, Klopp's team could only maintain peak iy for about 60 minutes, a limitation that would eventually take its toll.
Bance, Gao Shen stressed, was key.
---
Sarri, now coag Perugia in Serie C, asked if he could visit Napoli for a study tour.
Gao Shen readily agreed, Sarri his taformation.
Napoli, he assured, would always wele someone as passionate as Sarri.
---
When asked about Napoli's ret draw with Genoa, Gao Shen grinned. "I knew someone would bring this up."
The crowd burst into ughter again.
"It was just a rotation game, and we ran into some problems, nothing major. I have plete faith in my pyers. We'll prove soon enough that what we've lost, we'll take back with our own hands!"
The room erupted in appuse, filled with admiration fao Shen's unwavering fidence.
***
Bonus chp
