Napoli returo Naples from Maer on an ht flight.

  This has been their usual schedule for away matches in the Champions League.

  After the sed leg of the Champions League semi-finals, the team will face Lecce away ih round of Serie A over the weekend.

  Although Napoli has essentially secured the league title ahead of time, there are still four matches left, and they ot afford to be careless.

  After pleting matchday 35, they will head to the Stadio Olimpi Rome for the Coppa Italia final in midweek, where they will face Sampdoria. This match is just as crucial for Napoli.

  Right now, the team is in excellent form, but at the same time, every match is of utmost importance.

  No one uands better than Gao Shen that "a journey of a thousand miles begins with a siep." The more decisive the moment, the more stability is required.

  So, at the regur coaches' meeting the m, Gao Shen instructed all members of the coag staff to stay sharp, remain more focused and itted than ever, and to pay close attention to the pyers' emotions, guarding against arrogand pcy.

  He emphasized that team discipline must be enforced more strictly than ever and that everyone must take it seriously.

  The night before, after the match against Maer United, Gao Shen spoke with Marino on the way back to he club would do everything possible to support the team's preparations over the hree weeks.

  Gao Shen also decred that, starting today, the team would begin implementing its preparation pn for the Champions League final.

  Bueura and Pintus o devise a physical training regimen as soon as possible. Borrell was tasked with arranging targeted tactical drills to ter Bara's possession-based style of py. Everyone else had their own specific responsibilities.

  Gao Shen then outlined his requirements for daily training.

  "Ball-possession drills and shadow py are extremely important and must be incorporated into training every day," Gao Shen stated firmly.

  The purpose of possession drills is to ehat the team maintain quick passing and movement under Bara's intense pressing, preventing unforced errors or asses caused by oppo pressure.

  Maer United and Chelsea had both suffered from this issue before.

  Sometimes, Napoli didn't eveo press their oppos; they simply lost possession on their own.

  At the core, it came down to teical deficies in passing and receiving, along with a ck of synergy and uandiween teammates.

  Meanwhile, shadow py focused on collective pressing, an integral part of the tactics Gao Shen po use against Bara.

  Every team has its own DNA, its own unique pying style.

  Napoli has never been a team that sits bad defends passively. Whether sidering their squad's age or experience, Gao Shehat an ultra-defensive approa the final against Bara was not a viable option.

  Beyond the risk of mistakes under pressure, the real was whether the pyers could even adapt to such a passive game pn.

  On the trary, Napoli's strengths lie in physicality, movement, and sharp passing. Gao Shen firmly believed they could take the fight to Bara in a direct battle.

  Yes, Bara is a dominant force, stacked with world-css stars. But they are not invincible. Napoli had a ce, the key was in how they set up and executed their game pn.

  Gao Shen id out his tactical blueprint, and the entire coag staff uood his iions.

  This was his decision, one he hadn't even sulted others about.

  Yet, surprisingly, even Carlo had no objes this time.

  After all, none of them had more experiehan Gao She came to preparing for a Champions League final. Furthermao Shen was extremely familiar with Guardio, something no one else oaff could cim.

  Uhese circumstances, following Gao Shen's lead was the best course of a.

  Besides, the first leg against Maer United had already proven that Napoli was ill-suited to a servative approach.

  This was a young team, led by a young coach, made up of young pyers. Their football should reflect that energy and ambition.

  "Everyone!"

  After finishing his instrus, Gao Shen looked at his coag staff and delivered a final motivational speech.

  "By now, I believe everyone uands the situation we're fag. First and foremost, I want to express my gratitude. Over the past three years, each of you has worked tirelessly and pyed a vital role ieam's success."

  A surge of emotion filled the room.

  Napoli's achievements weren't just the club's, they were also personal milestones in each of their coag careers.

  "For three years, we have givehing. We've fought and prepared for this moment. And now, we finally stand on the verge of something unpreted, somethiraordinary. Like all of you, I am excited and full of expectation."

  "But precisely because of this, we must be even more cautious. We must remain focused, take each step methodically, and execute every training session and match to the highest standard. We have to approach every uping challeh the best mi possible."

  "I believe that, in the end, we will achieve a result that satisfies everyone!"

  Gao Shen didn't explicitly say what that result was.

  But everyone knew.

  The Serie A title was all but secured. The Coppa Italia final against Sampdoria was well within their grasp.

  The biggest challenge remaining was the Champions League final.

  Gao Shen wahe treble!

  To achieve the treble, Napoli had to beat Bara in the final.

  They had to defeat that legendary, era-defining team, the greatest team in history from Gao Shen's past life!

  ---

  Meanwhile, in Maer...

  While Gao Shen was rallying his team at Castel Volturno, Sir Alex Ferguson had also arrived at Maer United's Carrington training base.

  Even after a loss, training had to tinue.

  Maer United had a scheduled m session, albeit ter than Napoli's.

  As usual, Ferguson arrived at Carrington early.

  He made himself a cup of coffee, sat in his office, and flipped through the m neers.

  The more he read, the worse his mood became.

  Across Engnd, nearly every neer was critig his tactical setup while vishing praise on Gao Shen and Napoli.

  Ferguso frustrated.

  Damn it! These journalists talk as if their hindsight analysis could have won us the match!

  Did they think I didn't know Ronaldo dislikes pying as a ter forward?

  Did they think I wasn't aware that our midfield trio cked passing creativity?

  The problem was—what other lineup could Maer United have used?

  Py Ronaldo as a right winger instead?

  Ronaldo pyed the ball out to the right, where Di María faced O'Shea one-on-one.

  Py on the left instead?

  e on, Evra would have suffered an even worse fate than O'Shea!

  So, what was the solution?

  Should the midfield step up to block the attack? But isn't that exactly how I would have set up?

  Rooney and Park Ji-sung both worked tirelessly to track bad defend, yet the match still ehe way it did.

  If Berbatov and Ronaldo pyed together up front, how would Maer United set up?

  Would they just park the bus and defend with everything they had?

  That's not in Maer United's DNA!

  The Red Devils have never been a team that pys ultra-defensively, no matter who their oppo is!

  Even in a crushi, Maer United would never simply sit bad defend!

  ---

  Ferguson was flipping through the neer, growing increasingly irritated. Then, suddenly, he came across an article that caught his attention.

  "The Gifted Young Coach Presents Ferguson with Top-Tier Wine!"

  It was a gossip piece from The Sun.

  The article cimed: "As everyone knows, Ferguson is a renowned wihusiast with aensive colle in his personal celr."

  "His wine colle helps him relieve the pressures of petition and brings bao his life. He also has a habit of drinking a gss of wine every night before bed to help him sleep."

  The British media had covered Ferguson's love of wine many times. Over the years, he had attended several wine aus, acquiring fine wines from Bordeaux's top vineyards his personal favorites.

  Acc to The Sun, during this trip to Old Traffao Shen, as Ferguson's self-procimed biggest fan, had specially arranged for someoo procure two cases of premium wine from Chile's fi winery. Each bottle was said to be worth a signifit sum.

  "Ferguson was so enamored with the Chilean wihat he pced two cases in his personal colle, alongside world-famous bels like Lafite and Pétrus."

  ---

  When Fergusohis, he couldn't take it anymore.

  Wasn't this a plete fabrication?

  Damn it, were The Suers writing news or fi?

  The article was quite lengthy, but the actual facts were barely there.

  Yes, Gao Shen had given him two cases of Chilean wine.

  Yes, he had accepted them.

  Yes, he loved drinking wine and had a personal celr.

  But when had he ever said he pced those two cases alongside Lafite and Pétrus?

  That ure nonsense!

  He had tried the wi was det, but nothiraordinary.

  The reporter from The Sun was clearly an expert at sensationalism. They had even mao get hold of photos showing the wine being delivered to his office. Ferguson didn't o think hard to figure out how, the leak most likely came from within Maer United.

  Iy, he didn't mind the photos being published. What irritated him was how The Sun had twisted the story beynition.

  The reporter wasn't particurly skilled at writing serious articles, and their football analysis was even worse. But when it came to riding a trending topid spinning a narrative, they were top-tier.

  No wohey had never been taken seriously in the football world.

  Ferguson decided not to dwell on it.

  If he respoo tabloid gossip, it would only give them more attention and clicks. He had no i in that.

  Besides, Maer United was still in the middle of a tense Premier League title race. He had much bigger s.

  ---

  After The Sun published the report, major ese websites quickly picked it up aed it.

  In a matter of hours, photos of Ferguson, Gao Shen, and the gifted wine were pstered all over news sites, promily dispyed in headlihe reports were nearly identical, just slight rews of The Sun's inal article.

  Soon after, ese neers also included the story in their ce of the sed leg of the Champions League semi-final.

  In an astonishingly short time, the news spread across the try.

  From the i to physical retail stores, more and more people started paying attention to this Chilean wine brand, ohat had previously flown uhe radar.

  After all, Ferguson was aablished oisseur of fine wine.

  If he had chosen to collect this wine and store it alongside world-rereasures like Pétrus and Lafite, then surely—this must be an exceptional wine.

  Had it beeively unknown before?

  That only made it a hidden gem something truly rare and exclusive!

  In fact, that made it even more desirable!

  If a product is too well-known and widely avaible, no matter how prestigious the brand, it loses its mystique.

  But a rare find, known only to the disihat was something truly special.

  Before long, this Chilean wine brand was taking a by storm.