Ba the locker room, Gao Shen made sure to shower his pyers with praise.

  Winning the match was exhirating, but the joy of being reized and appreciated by their mahat made them even happier.

  Afterward, Gao Shen headed to the press feren at Old Trafford.

  In front of the media, he spoke highly of Maer United and Ferguson, calling them one of the toughest oppos he had ever faced. He expressed his pride in Napoli's achievement, making it clear that their success was down to the hard work of his pyers.

  Of course, he also took the opportunity to reiterate his deep respect for Sir Alex Ferguson.

  But before that, Ferguson himself had already praised Gao Shen and his Napoli side during his own post-match press ference.

  And whether it was because of those two cases of fine red wine, or simply out of genuine admiration, Ferguson didn't hold ba his praise.

  He eve so far as to decre that, among the new geion of managers, the two he rated most highly were Gao Shen and Guardio.

  "The future of European football will belong to them!"

  ing from Ferguson, this was no small pliment.

  Few managers in world football had the authority and credibility to make such a statement.

  But Ferguson?

  He was the one person whose words carried weight everywhere.

  A Final Worth Watg

  Ferguson also revealed something iing to the press.

  "I've already asked Gao for a ticket to the final."

  He smiled as he said it.

  "I think this will be a cssic. A match that will shape the tactical evolution of European football for years to e!"

  It was a massive endorsement, not just fao Shen, but alsuardio.

  It only made sense fao Shen to return the favor with more pliments.

  Respect is a two-way street.

  And besides, Gao Shen genuinely admired Ferguson.

  Ba the locker room, Gao Shen finally turned his phone ba.

  It immediately lit up with missed calls and messages.

  He had two phones, both Apple devices. One was strictly for business, while the other was for personal use, known only to close friends.

  For example, when Ai wao invite him for a pame, he would always call the private number.

  In Real Madrid, only a handful of people, Florentino Pérez, Butrague?o, Valdano had that private number.

  Everyone else had to gh official els.

  Looking at the two phones, Gao Shen couldn't help but miss his old phone.

  The dual SIM, dual standby fun had been ridiculously ve.

  Now? He had to carry around two separate phones just to manage everything.

  He skimmed through the missed calls, most were work-reted. Nothing urgent.

  The messages, however, were different.

  His family, friends, and Su Qing had all sent their gratutions.

  Even though it was the middle of the night in a, they had all stayed up to watch the match.

  Gao Shen checked the time. He still had a bit of free time, so he called his parents first.

  It was already 3 AM in a, yet they were still awake.

  Or rather, they had set an arm just to wake up and watch his match.

  That warmed his heart.

  After a short call with his parents, he immediately dialed Su Qing.

  She hadn't slept yet either.

  Her mind was still buzzing from the match, making it impossible to rest.

  When Gao Shen brought up the visa situation, she reassured him.

  "Don't worry. I already reported it to my boss and will go collect it in the couple of days. I've also applied for leave."

  Hearing that, Gao Shen finally rexed.

  But then, something caught his attention.

  "Wait… report it to your boss?"

  He frowned.

  "Why would you need approval just to get a visa?"

  Su Qiated for a sed, the out a soft ugh.

  "Because of my job. Once you reach a certain level as a civil servant, you have to report any overseas travel in advance. Only after approval you leave the try."

  Gao Shen was intrigued.

  "And what reason did you give?"

  "Visitiives."

  He was stunned.

  Su Qing, oher end, seemed to realize hoard that sounded and chuckled.

  "I couldly lie about it, could I?"

  Gao Shen was still processing it when she added:

  "Oh, by the way… our department head is a huge fan of yours."

  "Huh?"

  Su Qing burst into ughter, as if recalling a funny memory.

  "When I submitted my request, my boss was so surprised. You know, he's always so serious and posed never showing much emotion. But when he found out I was going to Italy to watch you coa the Champions League final… he was so excited!"

  "No way!" Gao Shen ughed in disbelief.

  "I swear!" Su Qing insisted. "He even told me to pass along his regards. Said that he o some European leaders, and they actually discussed you in casual versatioold me to tell you to keep w hard"

  Gao Shen eechless.

  "Seriously? They talked about me?"

  He felt a little overwhelmed.

  Then, a thought popped into his head.

  "Wait a sed… your colleagues don't know, do they?"

  Su Qing had mentioned before that some of her female colleagues used to daydream about him.

  If they found out she was dating him, wouldn't they die of embarrassment?

  Su Qing smirked.

  "Of course not. This is personal information. My boss wouldn't just go around telling people."

  Gao Shen exhaled.

  "Right, makes sense."

  Su Qing had always said that in gover work, you do more and talk less.

  She suddenly ged the subject.

  "By the way, you should get the guest rooms ready. Zidane and Sarri already told me they'll move in with Lucas when my family arrives."

  Gao Shen chuckled.

  Those two had been living in his house for a while now.

  It wasn't a big deal—his house was massive, and he lived alone.

  But with his family ing, it made sense for them to move out temporarily.

  After hanging up with Su Qing, Gao Shen noticed a text message from Pep Guardio.

  "gratutions! See you in the finals!"

  Short and to the point.

  But the fact that Guardio had sent it at this moment spoke volumes about their friendship.

  Gao Shen thought for a sed before replying.

  "e on! See you in the finals!"

  Of course, Bara still had to py their sed leg against Liverpool the day.

  Teically, they weren't in the final yet.

  But let's be ho, no one expected Benítez's team to pull off a miracle at the Camp Nou.

  The gap betweewo sides was simply too big.

  British Media Reacts tuson's Defeat

  The battle of old versus new had ended in total victory for the young coach.

  Napoli's 2-0 triumph at Old Trafford had sealed a 3-1 aggregate win over Maer United, and the British media wasted no time in disseg what had happened.

  Leading the charge was The Guardian, which ran a post-matentary uhe headline:

  "Ferguson Outcssed: The Veteran Manager Falls to a Young Mastermind!"

  In their analysis, The Guardian hat this highly anticipated showdown had not been as evenly matched as many expected.

  Instead, Napoli had dominated.

  Apart from a bright opening spell, Maer United barely put up a fight.

  The article highlighted Ferguson's tactical missteps, particurly his decision to py Cristiano Ronaldo as a tral striker.

  "He looked like a caged beast, pletely out of pce."

  The Guardian even quoted Ronaldo's post-matterview, where he didn't hold back his frustrations.

  "Everything was wrong. We shouldn't have pyed like this."

  The paper interpreted this as a direct criticism of Ferguson, especially his insisten pying Ronaldo out of position.

  Beyond that, The Guardian brutally exposed Maer United's midfield weaknesses.

  With Michael Carrick tightly marked, United's midfield had pletely colpsed.

  As for Anderson, once hailed as the "new Ronaldinho", the report hat he now looked more like a defensive midfielder, a pyer who had lost all his creativity and spark.

  The Times: "Ferguson Got It Wrong!"

  The Times also pced the bme squarely on Ferguson.

  Their headli no room for doubt.

  "Napoli Deserved It, Ferguson Got It Wrong!"

  The article criticized Ferguson's tactical choices and team sele, calling them fwed from the start.

  Wayne Rooney cked his usual fire.

  Park Ji-sung was overwhelmed by nerves.

  Cristiano Ronaldo? pletely out of sorts.

  "United uimated this game. They overestimated themselves, especially their midfield."

  Acc to The Times, Ferguson's pn had been to un early offensive, disrupting Napoli's rhythm before they could settle.

  But with three defensive-minded midfielders och, United simply didn't have the creativity to sustain that approach.

  "Ferguson was torn," the report expined.

  "On one hand, he was scared of Napoli's midfield, so he pyed it safe. That's why Giggs and Scholes arted."

  "But oher hand, he still wanted Uo press high and attack. The result? A plete tactical disaster."

  The two first-half goals had effectively ehe test.

  In faapoli could have scored more in the sed half.

  "Maer United were lucky to escape with just a 2-0 loss."

  The Times also shao Shen with praise, highlighting his tactical superiority.

  "Uhe first leg, this time he got everything right."

  "Napoli were dominant in every aspect, teically, tactically, and in terms anization."

  "This is the mark of a truly elite young coach."

  As for the uping Champions League final, The Times remained cautious.

  They aowledged that Bara had the stronger squad.

  With Messi, Ia, Xavi, ao'o, Guardio's team boasted some of the best pyers in the world.

  Their passing and positional py were also unmatched.

  Napoli, meanwhile, had reached their absolute peak after three years under Gao Shen.

  But pared to Bara's all-star lineup, they were still underdogs.

  However, there was one crucial advantage in Napoli's favor.

  Their manager.

  "In terms of squad strength, Bara has the edge."

  "But in terms of coag ability? Gao Shen is miles ahead of Guardio."

  The Times believed Gao Shen's tactical mind would be the decisive factor in the final.

  "If Napoli are to make history, it will be because of Gao Shen."

  "He is their greatest on."

  ***

  For every 200 PS = 1 extra chapter. Support me on patreon to read 50+ advanced chapters: patreon./Blownleaves.