Castel Volturno Training Base.

  Oraining grounds, every Napoli pyer was hard at wiving it their all and dripping with sweat.

  This was especially true for the pyers who sehey might start in the uping Champions League match.

  Whether it was goalkeeper Handanovic, striker i, or others who had pyed in St. Petersburg, they all carried a fierce determination. They were eager to redeem themselves and take revenge for that humiliating experien home soil.

  The away mat St. Petersburg had been an embarrassment for Napoli.

  The game ended in a draw, and while it may have satisfied others, it was far from satisfying for Napoli.

  The word "satisfa" implies meeting expectations. But Napoli felt they had fallen short.

  After pying against Zenit, the team khat their Russian oppos were irong. Yet, Napoli also khey had the ability to defeat them. Their failure in the away game was due to external factors, chiefly the weather.

  The temperature difference of nearly 20 degrees between Italy and Russia posed an immense challenge for any team.

  Now, however, it was Zenit's turn to face those same challenges.

  Napoli was determio win at home, secure their spot in the Champions League knockout stage, and achieve their season's goal.

  Head coach Gao Shen had already made it clear: Napoli was no longer tent with simply advang from the group.

  This team had greater ambitions.

  ---

  Zidaood on the sidelines, as Carlo, Bueura, Pintus, Borrell, and Lopis led the pyers through their drills. Though scattered across different areas, the focused atmosphere was unmistakable.

  o Zidaood a man wearing Napoli's wiraining gear. With round gsses on his face, he had a schorly, refined appearance.

  Before training began, Carlo had specifically introduced this man to the pyers.

  Maurizio Sarri, from Naples, Italy.

  Though not a famous name in Italian football circles, Sarri's career path was nothing short of legendary.

  A lifelong Napoli supporter, Sarri cked the talent to bee a professional pyer. Born into a w-css family with ties to Italy's steel industry, he started w at the Tus Bank in the 1980s, handling numbers on a daily basis.

  His two great passions were football and smoking.

  Since 1990, Sarri had been coag Stia, a team in Italy's eighth-tier league. It was an amateur team, but for the young Sarri, who dreamed of a career in football, it was a valuable opportunity to build experience.

  Starting from such humble beginnings, Sarri went on to coaumerous lower-league teams.

  In 2000, he got the anage Sansovino, a sixth-tier team with ambitious goals. Sarri vowed that if he couldn't succeed there, he would give up his coag dream food.

  No one expected that under Sarri's guidance, Sansovino would win the league and achieve promotion to the fifth tier.

  Two years ter, in 2002, Sarri made a life-ging decision. Feeling that his dual roles as a bank employee and a coach were splitting his focus, he chose to leave his banking career to fully it to football.

  In 2003, Sarri's success at Sansovino earned him a position managing Sangiovannese in the fourth tier. In just one season, he led the team to Serie C, Italy's third tier, and achieved an impressive eighth-pce finish during their promotion season.

  This success with Sangiovannese caught the attention of Serie B side Pescara. In the 2005–2006 season, Sarri helped the team avation, seg a respectable 12th pce. However, for various reasons, he left after just one season.

  When Gao Shen managed Napoli in Serie B, Sarri was hired mid-season by Arezzo, repg her than Antonio te. However, his stint sted only a few months before he was dismissed.

  This fact had deeply amused Gao Shen at the time.

  Who could have predicted that in a single season, Arezzo would fire two future world-css coaches?

  Following his departure from Arezzo, Sarri's coag career hit turbulent waters.

  At Avellino, he was sacked after managing just och. A mid-season move to help Verona yielded just one point from five games, leading to another dismissal. Most retly, he had a brief and unsuccessful spell at Perugia.

  Gao Shen had first met Sarri at Covero, where they had a long, insightful versation. Shortly afterward, Sarri resigned from Perugia auro Naples, heading to Castel Volturno two days earlier.

  In Sarri's own words: "I'm here to learn from the best football in the world today."

  ---

  Sarri's first day with the team cided with Napoli's intensive preparations for the Champions League.

  Apanied by Zidane, he stood on the sidelines, the training session. He was struck by how different Napoli was—not just in terms of urainihods, but also the pyers' attitudes.

  "Every one of your pyers is brimming with energy and petitiveness," Sarri remarked. "They shout and push each other during training. I only imagine how fierce they must be during matches if they're like this in practice."

  Zidane nodded. "Gao pces great importan the team's mi. He spends most of his time talking with the pyers, keeping them motivated."

  Sarri had heard about this.

  "Gao once said a team is like an army. The coach's mentality is reflected in the pyers. He's incredibly petitive and never hides his desire to win. That kind of iy naturally rubs off oeam. As for their fighting spirit and refusal to give up…"

  Zidane's expression turned serious, filled with admiration.

  "That es from tless tough battles. It's not something that be instilled with words, it has to be fed through challenges and the coach's as, day in and day out."

  Sarri houghtfully. "I remember when Napoli was still a Serie B team. They had the audacity to challenge Roma and Inter Min ialian Cup, even demolishing Roma. That was one of the most memorable Italian Cup matches in years."

  Although nearly 50 years old, Sarri was far older than Gao Shen or even Zidane. Yet he felt no embarrassment in learning from them.

  He wasn't as skilled in tactics or experienced in coag, but his passion for football and his desire to succeed were unmatched.

  "I have to say," Sarri fessed with admiration, "coag a team like Napoli would be a dream e true for any head coach."

  Zidane remained quiet, lost in thought. Though his coag philosophy differed from Gao Shen's, he couldn't help but admire him.

  ---

  Meanwhile, Gao Shen was in the analysis room, reviewing strategies for the upi match with Lucas. After finalizing his instrus, he left Lucas to hahe details.

  When Gao Shen stepped out, he saw Sarri and Zidane engaged in deep discussion. A sense of pride welled up inside him.

  After Guardio and Zidane, another future world-css coach was now learning under his wing.

  When Sarri first arrived, Gao Shen had taken a photo with him and posted it on Twitter, officially weling him. The post quickly gaitention from fans and media alike.

  Sarri wasn't a household , but that didn't matter. Gao Shen was fident his reputation would grow in time.

  More importantly, Sarri had offered to work without pay, calling it an opportunity to learn. Gao Shen happily obliged, putting him to work as needed.

  Unfortunately, the coag bench was already full, with strict regutions on the number of staff and substitutes allowed during matches. This meant Sarri would have to watch games from the stands but he didn't mind.

  What a humble, dedicated man!

  The mao Shen thought about it, the more he appreciated Sarri, imagining the glory Sarri might bring to his lega the future.

  Someday, Gao Shen mused, he might retire a his protégés—Guardio, Zidane, and Sarri—carry on his legacy.

  Wouldn't that be something?

  For now, though, that day was far off. Among his "disciples," only Guardio was thriving, while Zidane and Sarri still had a ways to go.

  Are there more people like Sarri out there? Gao Shen thought with a grin.

  If so, give me a dozen of them!

  I o grow my sect!