Advocaat finally uood what it felt like to face a relentless storm.

  Before the European Super Cup match against Maer United, he had been deeply worried.

  In that game, he hadn't even dared to use his preferred 4-3-3 formation, instead opting for a 4-4-2 setup, pnning to rely on defensive terattacks. Arshavin, who had just shone in the European Championship, started the mat the bench.

  After all, Maer Uhrived on intense, high-paced attacks.

  But the Red Devils had ehe match without two of their most crucial pyers.

  Cristiano Ronaldo, their top scorer and offensive spearhead, was absent, as was Carrick, the midfield anizer responsible for dictating the tempo and orchestrating attacks.

  Without those two key pyers, Maer United relied heavily on long shots. Although they appeared aggressive, their attack cked gehreat. Oher hand, Zenit capitalized on a er kick to take the lead and ter doubled their advantage on the ter.

  In the end, Zenit triumphed 2-1.

  However, that victory didn't feel like a definitive showcase of Zenit's superiority. Advocaat remained skeptical. Was this really the standard of a Champions League-winning team?

  He didn't let his emotions cloud his judgment.

  In the Champions League group stage, Zenit found themselves in the infamous "group of death." After three rounds, they had only mao earn one point, leaving them bottom of the table.

  Despite this poor standing, Zenit's performances had not been bad.

  They suffered a narrow 0-1 defeat to Bayern away, a 1-2 loss to Real Madrid at home, and managed a 1-1 draw with Napoli. In each of these matches, they created opportuo win but failed to capitalize.

  Now, the team was fag a dire situation.

  To have any hope of advang, they o win all three of their remaining games.

  This task seemed nearly impossible, but Advocaat had no alternative.

  Unless he was ready to cede defeat, there was no other option.

  ---

  From the snowy, freezing ditions of St. Petersburg to the warm climate of Naples, Zenit finally uood what Napoli had endured in Russia.

  Despite their preparation and prior experien simir away matches, Zenit still struggled to adapt.

  What made it even worse was that Napoli had anticipated Zenit's approach. From the very first minute, Napoli unched an uing assault.

  Less than two minutes into the match, Rakitic struck a brilliant le goal to give Napoli the lead.

  Shortly after, i followed up with a sed goal to double the advantage.

  Despite trailing by two goals, Zenit fought valiantly.

  This was a team fed in the iorth of Russia—a squad that had repeatedly overe formidable oppos in the Europa League. They unched terattacks and engaged in an intetle with Napoli.

  But ih minute, after Napoli created several ces without verting, they struck again.

  Di Maria broke through on the right side of the penalty area and delivered a precise low cross. i charged forward to meet the ball but saw his shot saved by the Zenit goalkeeper. The rebouo Sanchez on the left side of the goal. With posure, Sanchez trolled the ball, dribbled past the defender, and fired a shot into the with his right foot.

  Three-nil!

  Even with a three-goal lead, Napoli didn't let up.

  In first-half stoppage time, Napoli tio create ces. Vargas delivered a pinpoint cross from the left, and i unleashed a powerful strike from just outside the penalty area. The shot smashed against the crossbar and ricocheted bato py.

  Di Maria, arriving quickly for the rebound, struck again, but the Zenit goalkeeper reacted brilliantly to parry it out for a er.

  Napoli's attack was relentless, like a storm that Zenit simply couldn't weather.

  Standing on the sidelines, Advocaat watched in silence as Napoli prepared to take the er kick. A deep sense of helplessness washed over him.

  He k.

  Zenit's dream was over.

  ---

  The Russian Premier League's schedule differs from that of Europe's top five leagues, with their season already cluded. Zenit had failed to replicate their earlier successes, finishing fifth—far from the heights they had reached the previous year.

  Advocaat uood that his team had reached its limit.

  Oeam hits its peak, dee is iable. No one escape this truth.

  If Zenit had started the group stage with stronger performahey might have maintaiheir momentum. After all, hope drive a team forward. But with just one point from their first three matches, their fidence had crumbled.

  When morale is low, leading a team bees an impossible task.

  ---

  While Advocaat stood by the visitors' bench, lost in despair, Sarri sat iands behind him, gripping the railings with excitement, his entire demeanor animated as if he'd beerified.

  This was the football of his dreams!

  The way Napoli pyed in the first half was everything Sarri had ever aspired to achieve as a coach.

  Over the past two years, Gao Shen's rise—alongside Guardio's success at Bara—had made high-pressing, possession-based football the hottest trend in the sport.

  But how exactly does one execute high pressing effectively?

  Sarri agreed wholeheartedly with something Gao Shen had once said at Covero: pressing should never be about stealing the ball for the sake of it. Pressing without purpose, aimed only at regaining possession, is fually fwed.

  In Italy, some teams had tried to adopt high-pressing systems, like Spalletti's Roma, but they had fallen short.

  Roma's so-called high pressing was rgely superficial—pyers marked their oppos man-to-man but failed to cut off passing nes effectively. Their ck anization and deing fithis season made their pressing efforts iive. Oppos with suffit skill to bypass their midfield could easily exploit them with long balls over the top.

  Other teams had the stamina to press but cked structure. Their pyers seemed to run aimlessly, with no uactical objective.

  How long could such disanized pressing st? Thirty minutes? Maybe sixty?

  Eventually, fatigue would set in, and the oppo would simply wait for the team to tire before taking trol.

  But Napoli was different.

  i, standing at 1.84 meters and weighing 72 kilograms, tirelessly ran from the moment the match began, pressi's tral defenders relentlessly. If they attempted to py through Tymoshchuk in midfield, i would track back to shut him down as well.

  By halftime, i had already run nearly eight kilometers, an astonishi. For some strikers, that distance represents their total effort across aire match.

  Meanwhile, Sanchez and Di Maria actively dropped back to cover and pressed the fnks, cutting off passing optiowee's defenders, full-backs, and goalkeeper.

  This was real pressing.

  And then there was Rakitic.

  Sarri didn't have access to precise data, but he could tell that Rakitid Biglia were the hardest-w pyers och. Especially Rakitic, whose stant bad-forth sprints mirrored i's efforts.

  This relentless running ehat Rakitic could tribute offensively by pressing high and attag spaces, while also providing defensive support whereating, helping to solidify Napoli's midfield.

  Many fans imagine football as a series of highlight-reel moments—like Napoli's opening goal tonight, where they pressed high, stole possession, and scored within seds.

  But the reality is much more plex. Football is often a battle of attrition, with pyers gradually wearing down their oppos through stant running, pressing, passing, and c.

  When every pyer oeam tributes to this pressure, it accumutes over time. Eventually, the opposition cracks, leading to errors or even a total colpse.

  And Napoli? They didn't just run—they were tactically cohesive.

  The midfield trio of Thiago Motta, Biglia, and Rakitic provided a perfect bance of offense, defense, and ball distribution.

  On the back line, Bonucd David Luiz both excelled in long passing, with Luiz's dribbling ability allowing him to step into midfield and link py.

  For Sarri, this Napoli team was a dream e to life.

  Every pyer seemed tailor-made for the system, and the eeam operated as a single, seamless unit.

  Sarri couldn't help but wonder: did this team even have weaknesses? What kind of oppo could possibly defeat them?

  He was thrilled.

  Watg Napoli on video or hearing about their tacti lectures was ohing. But witnessing their brilliance firsthand at the San Paolo Stadium was something else entirely.

  Even after just one half, Sarri couldn't stop himself from appuding.

  This was his dream team.

  ---

  Just as Sarri was lost in his excitement, the halftime whistle blew.

  Napoli led Zenit 3-0 at the break.

  And based on how the match had gone, no one doubted Napoli's ability to sore.

  The team ying like a force of nature, just as they had at the Bernabeu when they humiliated Real Madrid.

  As usual, Gao Sheed his pyers with a smile as they walked off the field, sending them into the tunnel before turning to leave himself.

  "Hey, Maurizio!"

  Standing at the entrao the tunnel, Gao Shen raised his head and called out to Sarri.

  Still immersed in his excitement, Sarri didn't hear him at first. It wasn't until Gao Shen called out again that he snapped back to reality.

  "Let's go!" Gao Shen waved and walked into the pyer tunnel.

  Realizing what was happening, Sarri hurriedly left his seat iands.

  Around him, several Napoli fans looked puzzled.

  Who was this middle-aged man with the round fad gsses, and how had he ended up as part of Napoli's coag team?