When Maradona walked into the Stadio San Paolo, the entire crowd of over 60,000 Napoli fans rose to their feet, erupting in wild appuse for the legendary king.

  The stadium filled with ts of Maradona's name, eg as if the stadium itself was alive with his spirit.

  This was an incredible, ued surprise!

  Before the game, Napoli's ma wasn't certaiher Maradona would be able to attend, so they hadn't announced his appearance. His sudden arrival left the eadium, and even the live broadcasters, in stunned awe.

  This was Maradona!

  "We're witnessing the eadio San Paolo wele the return of their former king!"

  "Maradona once reached the peak of his career in this very stadium, in this city, and everyone here still remembers his glory."

  "Just a few days ago, a Naples city cilgested that if Napoli were to win the Serie A title this season, they should erect a statue of Gao Shen alongside Maradona, immortalizing both as heroes of the city."

  "Perhaps Maradona heard this news and couldn't wait to e here to show his support fao Shen."

  "While Maradona has his own graffiti wall iy, no one has yet built a statue of him."

  "It's worth noting that there isn't a sier fan iands at the Stadio San Paolo tonight."

  "Acc to information from Napoli, there are over 60,300 fans iadium, all supp Napoli or invited as special guests."

  "For safety reasons, the local fans responded enthusiastically to this arra, and ticket demand was overwhelming. So, De Laurentiis directly iated with the Football Association and Inter Min to ehat no tickets were allocated to Inter fans."

  "Let's look at the footage from outside the stadium..."

  "Every road around the Stadio San Paolo is packed with Napoli fans."

  "Tonight, this isn't just a Serie A match. It's not merely a decisive battle for the league title—it has captured the hearts of all of Naples. Every fan here is eager to see Gao Shen and his team ave season's loss!"

  "Mani and his Inter Min, meanwhile, will do everything they to defend their pce at the top of the standings."

  "This is bound to be a grueling, close-quarters fight!"

  "Some are even calling it the highest level matchup in Serie A this season!"

  ...

  Although every guest who arrived at the stadium received a warm wele, no one could rival the appuse and admiration for Maradona.

  In this stadium, in this city, no one could match Maradona's influence.

  Inter Min had sent two senior representatives, Bnd Oriali, who were seated alongside De Laurentiis, Maradona, and other special guests in the VIP se.

  Familiar faces from Real Madrid, like Sacchi, Zidane, and Valdano, sat together in one area, while Italian legends like Capello, Lippi, and Trapattoni gathered in another. Bara is Guardio and Cruyff sat nearby, sharing a se.

  Guardio, who was coag Bara's reserve team, had experie season's crushing 0-3 loss to Inter with Napoli. Before this game, Gao Shen had called him personally, asking if he'd like to e withe mat person.

  "I'm fident about this game!" Gao Shen had told him.

  Moved by his friend's vi, Guardio flew from Bara to Rome in the m and then took another flight to Naples after finishing a game with the Bara reserves.

  Cruyff, who often watched Guardio's team and shared tactical discussions with him, had also received an invitation from Inter for their tennial celebration. But when he found out that Guardio was heading to o watch the game, he couldn't resist the urge to join him.

  As they settled into their seats in the chairman's box, looking out over the buzzing Stadio San Paolo, the atmosphere was electric. Even before the pyers had set foot och, the excitement alpable.

  Outside, the roar of fans could be heard from all dires. The streets were filled with Napoli supporters, with open-air ss set up to broadcast the game live.

  "This isn't just another Serie A game," Cruyff observed.

  He sed the stands, noting the presence of Italian football legends and promi figures. He even spotted respected Italian coaches like Ulivieri aura among the spectators.

  Could an ordinary Serie A match attract this level of attention?

  "I think this game is a csh of two distinct tactical philosophies," Guardio replied.

  Cruyff nodded in agreement. "Over the past two years, Italy's football unity has often beeant to Gao Shen's methods. But within professional circles, he is highly regarded. Tonight, Inter Min—the pinnacle of Italian football under a traditional Italian coach like Mani fag off against Gao Shen's Napoli, is truly a fasating matchup."

  "But from the outset, Inter Min is already at a disadvantage," Guardio said with a smile.

  As always, he was a staunch supporter of Gao Shen.

  Football matches are never just about the y minutes och. They're also about preparation, strategy, and execution throughout the entire season.

  In terms of pre-match preparation, Napoli had clearly outperformed Inter Min. They had better squad depth and were able to field their full-strength lineup.

  Inter Min, by trast, had pyers retly returning from injuries, making it uain if they could perform at their best.

  "I believe that preparation and current form might level the pying field between Napoli and Inter, but this game will ultimately test the tactical minds and adaptability of both coaches," Cruyff said thoughtfully.

  This recisely why so many Italian football legends were here tonight.

  They wao see, in a test between two evenly matched teams, whose tactics would prevail.

  In many ways, this game wouldn't just impact the Serie A title race; it could reshape Italian football's tactical future.

  This might even bee a cssic tactical showdowched into Italian football history.

  While the media and fans saw Gao Shen as a disruptive force, the professionals in Italian football reized that someone like Gao Shen could bring the necessary innovation aement to the game, introdug fresh ideas and challengiablished norms.

  "I've always felt that Gao Shen is quite different from you," Cruyff said, looking at his protégé with a smile.

  Guardio nodded. "He's the most skilled locker room manager and motivational leader I've ever met."

  "Oh?" Cruyff raised an eyebrow, surprised by Guardio's high praise.

  "At one point, we discussed using zones and grids for pyer positioning, but he disagreed. He sidered it a zy approaa," Guardio said with a slight smile. He himself was now using zones and grids to structure Bara's py.

  But Gao Shen had rejected this method.

  "He studied ma, aold me that bureaucratiagement has three fual teiques that always work. First, tasks are broken down into levels. Sed, responsibilities are assighird, rewards and punishments are clearly defined."

  "He thinks my zoning approach falls into that category," Guardio added, chug.

  Cruyff listened, intrigued. He could see how these principles, if applied effectively, could ma just a team but even aire anization.

  "And he doesn't approve of it?" Cruyff asked.

  Guardio shook his head with a wry smile. "He thinks it's too simplistic, tid, and cks a human touch. It might work with certain pyers, but with others, it could lead to big problems."

  "So how does he do it?" Cruyff asked, his curiosity piqued.

  Guardio sighed. "He hardly oversees training himself. Instead, he spends his days chatting with pyers—not just about tactics, but about everything, even personal topics like dating. He calls it 'eg with the grassroots.'"

  "eg with the grassroots?" Cruyff echoed, bemused.

  Was he a coach, or some kind of politi?

  "Thehers all this information, learning each pyer's personality, abilities, and preferences. Once he's clear ohing, he unicates his owo the pyers, getting them to uand his vision. This way, everyone shares a on goal and knows both the 'what' and the 'why,' which helps them move as one och."

  Cruyff couldn't help but ugh. "No wonder he spends so much time talking to his pyers. It must take a lot of effort and charisma."

  For some pyers, this approach might not work at all.

  Guardio nodded. "He once said he could spend hours plimenting someohout ever repeating himself."

  "That's hard to believe!" Cruyff ughed, genuinely surprised.

  Guardio chuckled as well, nodding in agreement.

  "His approach might seem time-ing, but over the long run, it has a huge payoff. It builds stroionships and helps resolve flicts within the locker room," Cruyff admitted, his respect fao Shen growing.

  "Exactly. This season, he repced avaro with David Luiz and Bonucci, and even made Bonucci the on-field captaie all this, there's been no u in the locker room. Even when avaro was stirring things up in the media, he ended up defending Gao Shen."

  It was remarkable.

  avaro had been sidelined, yet he still defended Gao Shen publicly.

  To put it mildly, it showed avaro's professionalism. To put it bluntly, Gao Shen had mao "sell him off," and avaro was still grateful.

  Such a skill was truly impressive. Even more than Gao Shen's tactical prowess, Guardio admired his mastery of interpersonal retionships.

  "Holy, if Bara decides to ge coaches this summer, I think Gao Shen would be the perfect choice, more fitting than Mourinho. I don't believe Mourinho would suit Bara's ethos," Guardio said thoughtfully.

  The expression on Cruyff's face grew serious, and he nodded.

  At that moment, the pyers from both teams stepped onto the pitch.

  The atmosphere ihe Stadio San Paolo exploded, reag a fever pitch as Napoli and Inter Min lined up for what was sure to be an epic showdown.