By the time they returo Naples from Madrid, it was already noon.

  That m's training had been led by Carlo, Pintus and the rest of the coag staff, which left Gao Shen feeling reassured and at ease.

  After the lunch break, the coag team gathered for a meeting, where Gao Shen brought up observations from the game he had watched the previous night.

  "There are two pyers we o focus on," Gao Shen began, turning to the tactical board behind him and drawing two circles around two numbers:

  Aquini's number eight and Vu?ini?'s number nine.

  "Aqui a deep impression on me. As Roma's midfield core, he's been sistently perf at a high level, making him an essential part of their success. If we don't shut him down, it's going to be a tough match for us."

  "With Hamsik?" Carlo Pintus suggested tentatively.

  Gao Shen shook his head. "That won't cut it. We'll need Vidal."

  There was often a misception about Hamsik. With his mohawk hairstyle and tattoos, people assumed he was a rugged, aggressive pyer, but that wasn't quite true. He wasn't suited for the kind of dirty work this task required. For that, Vidal or even Nainggon was a better choice.

  "Little Mani didn't perform particurly well against Real Madrid, but after Vu?ini? came on, Roma's offense became much more dynamic. Sacchi even wrote in his n that Vu?ini? resembles Van Basten though he's a more insistent version. We o be wary of him."

  Everyone nodded and diligently noted Gao Shen's observations.

  "With Too injured, I suspect Spalletti will deploy Panuc the right and shift ho to the left. This wouldn't be the first time ho has pyed on the left, and I'm sure Spalletti won't hesitate to use him there again."

  With this, Gao Shen's analysis painted a clear picture of Roma's likely starting lineup:

  Goalkeeper: Doni.

  Bae: ho, Juan, Mexès, and Panucci.

  Midfielders: Aquini and De Rossi as the double pivot, with Vu?ini?, Perrotta, and Taddei ahead of them.

  Forward: Totti.

  "To deal with Perrotta, we'll need someone specific. Put Thiago Motta on him. We'll ge formations for this matd use Biglia as the other midfielder," Gao Shen decided after some thought.

  Napoli had bee adept at alternatiween the 4-2-3-1 and 4-3-3 formations, adjusting their tactics depending on the oppo and the situation. In some matches, the team could even seamlessly switch betweewo formations mid-game.

  While tactical formatiohe foundation, Gao Shen always emphasized the fluidity of pyer movement and positioning och. The formation itself was just a reference point.

  "Roma likes to press high and aggressively, but their overall speed isn't very quick," Gao Shen summarized.

  "In their match against Real Madrid earlier this week, their pyers gave it their all. That's bound to affect them this weekend. Meanwhile, we've been able to rest and prepare at home."

  The message was clear: Napoli, pying at home, inteo dominate Roma from the very start.

  Whether it was Mani, Vu?ini?, Taddei, Totti, or Perrotta, none of them were particurly quick. With Napoli's bae more than capable of handling them, the pn was to press Roma relentlessly ahem any space to operate he goal.

  terattacks? They would o be fast.

  Uhis overarg strategy, Napoli would systematically suppress Roma's key pyers, disrupting their rhythm and dismantling their offense.

  "Oh, and we o keep an eye on Totti," Lucas reminded as the meeting ed up.

  Gao Shen raised an eyebrow. Totti, as Roma's captain, was always a pyer to watch.

  "This match is his 500th appearance for Roma," Lucas expined.

  Gao Shen paused for a moment.

  He had great respect for Totti as a pyer. In today's football world, where loyalty often seemed fleeting, Totti's unwavering dedication to Roma despite the club not being a traditional superpower was truly admirable. It spoke to his deep love for the team.

  Years ago, Real Madrid had tried to sign Totti, but he had resolutely refused to leave Roma.

  Five hundred appearances were certainly a milestone worth celebrating.

  "Well," Gao Shen said after a brief moment of hesitation, "he'll have to save his celebrations for ter. Winning is the priority. He'll have plenty of time to celebrate his 600th or 700th appearances down the line."

  The room fell silent for a moment as Lucas and the other assistants stared at Gao Shen, stunned.

  Did he just say 600 and 700 games? Totti was already nearly 32 years old how could he possibly py that many more matches?

  Seeing their surprised expressions, Gao She a pang of amusement but didn't expin further.

  It was 2008, and in this era, who would believe that Totti could tinue pying for so long?

  But Gao Shen knew better. If his memory served him correctly, Totti would e close to 800 appearances for Roma. It was incredible to think about. With the limited number of games in a season, adding nearly 300 more matches would require years of sistency.

  The thought of enduring such a grueling schedule made Gao Shen shudder.

  "Remember," Gao Shen said with a wry smile as he left the meeting room, "Serie A specializes in produg 'old monsters.' Thirty-two? That's still prime age."

  Pyers like Maldini, Costacurta, Totti, Zai, and Buffon were proof of that.

  Of course, much of this loy had to do with Serie A's style of py.

  ---

  That afternoon, the coag staff in Naples adjusted the training pn based on Gao Shen's directives.

  With the match scheduled for Sunday, Thursday's session was retively light. The real workload would e on Friday, the most intense day of the week. Saturday would focus on sharpening the pyers' form while keeping them physically fresh.

  When pnning training sessions, the coag staff had to strike a baween respeg the pyers' physical limits and addressing the team's tactieeds. It was a demanding job that required both sd strategy.

  Carlo, Bueura, Pintus, and Borrell were the ones primarily responsible for these tasks. Gao Shen, by parison, wasn't particurly skilled in designing training regimens. Even with all the cases from his "tactical library," the training ideas he proposed could only be implemented with the expertise of his assistants.

  Simply put, Gao Shen was the brain, responsible for strategy and ht, while the coag staff executed the pns.

  This was why having a mature and reliable coag team was so critical for any successful manager.

  Take Ferguson, for example. After losing Carlos Queiroz, he struggled to find a suitable rept. When Queiroz was fired from Real Madrid, Ferguson wasted no time bringing him baaer United.

  Even so, Queiroz wasn't tent to remain an assistant forever. Ambitious and capable, he eventually chose to strike out on his own.

  The same went for Ten Cate, who left Rijkaard and Bara for his own managerial career.

  In trast, Gao Shen found himself fortuo have someone like Carlo Pintus on his staff.

  He had even sidered promoting Bueura to assistant coach if Pintus ever decided to go solo. With Pintus handling physical ditioning, the coag structure would remain stable.

  At this level, managing a team wasn't just about handling the pyers, it also involved managing the staff and navigating club politics. Bang all these is required careful sideration.

  Fortunately, Gao Shen had not yet faced many of the more challenging dilemmas that came with coag at the highest level. He hoped it would stay that way.

  ---

  March 9, afternoon.

  Ih round of Serie A, Napoli hosted Roma at the San Paolo Stadium.

  Sihe match against Inter Min, the stadium's capacity had been temporarily expao over 60,000 seats, and the club had kept the additional ses open. Once again, over 60,000 fans packed the stands.

  Napoli's fan base was unmatched in its passion. The San Paolo Stadium sistently boasted the highest attendand most vibrant atmosphere in Serie A.

  ---

  Before kickoff, Roma won the toss.

  Totti selected the more favorable side for the afternoon match, allowing Napoli to take the first possession.

  At the start of the game, Spalletti's Roma pressed aggressively, pushing their defensive line high up the pit an attempt to pin Napoli back.

  Barely a minute in, Totti dropped deep to collect the ball, spun away from David Luiz, a a sharp through pass to the edge of the box. Vu?ini? received it and attempted a quick shot, but Thiago Motta slid in just in time to block it.

  Although the attempt didn't threaten Napoli's goal, it was an early warning shot.

  ---

  On the sidelines, Spalletti leased with the team's strong start. Creating a sg opportunity within two minutes of kickoff was no small feat. He gestured for his pyers to maintain their pressure and trol.

  However, Napoli didn't panic. Their defensive anization was solid, and they patiently absorbed Roma's opening surge.

  From the fifth minute onward, Napoli began to settle into their rhythm, gradually pushing Roma back. By the sixth minute, Vidal intercepted a pass from Aquini in midfield, sparking a terattack that cut through Roma's defeup and brought the ball to the edge of their penalty area. Although the py didn't result in a shot, it left Roma's defense momentarily exposed and had their fans holding their breath.

  Spalletti's expression darkened.

  Napoli's pyers were relentless, running tirelessly and disrupting Roma's rhythm. Gao Shen's decision to deploy Vidal to lock down Aquini aying off. With Aquiralized, Roma struggled to build pys through their midfield.

  The pace of the match picked up. Both teams tested fiercely in the midfield, her willing to cede an inch.

  Yet Napoli's speed and iy on the ter were a growing problem for Roma. Their defenders hesitated to push too far forward, fearing Napoli's explosive transitions. Gradually, Roma's defensive line began to retreat, g trol to Napoli.

  The momentum was shifting.

  Although Roma was clearly more petitive than Inter Min had been in Napoli's previous match, they were starting to show cracks under Napoli's relentless pressure.

  Gao Shen stood on the sidelines, calm and focused. He waited patiently, knowing that his team had more in store. Hidden within Napoli's gamepy was a killer move, ohat he inteo unleash at the perfeent.

  ***

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