"This is what's called a dimensionality-redu strike!"

  Iands, Sacchi watched as Napoli, like the wind and the clouds, repeatedly broke through Roma's defense.

  There is never a ck of talent in European football!

  Gao Shen's tactics have been at the forefront of Sacchi's mind. I years, Gao Shen has been the most astonishing talent in European football, particurly in his tactical approach.

  "Do you know, Zinedialian football has truly lost its way, and what Gao Shen adheres to is the right dire."

  Zidane looked at Sacchi and nodded. He had heard Sacchi mention this more than once.

  Whether in opinion pieces, public appearances, or even at coag seminars, Sacchi had repeatedly emphasized this point.

  Some media outlets even mocked him, saying he was Gao Shen's biggest cheerleader.

  Some eveed about a spiracy, g there must be some secret deal between him and Gao Shen. Otherwise, why would Sacchi so recklessly promote Gao Shen, even calling him the world's best coach?

  It didn't make sense, did it?

  "Actually, back when Gao Shen was at Real Madrid, he stantly emphasized ohing in training and matches: to speed up the transitioween offense and defense, making it faster and faster." Zidane recalled the sed half of st season at Real Madrid.

  For him, it was the most unfettable memory of his life.

  "Speed must have a foundation," Sacchi replied.

  Everyone knows they o be fast, but the real question is: why? And is everyone fast enough?

  On the football field, speed is retive to the oppo.

  If your oppo is as slow as a snail, then even walking makes you faster than them.

  Thus, speeding up the transitioween offense and defense essentially means being faster than your oppo.

  This presses the time needed for transitioniween offense and defense, minimizing it further and further.

  Gao Shen took a path very simir to Sacchi's ba the day: whains possession immediately initiates the terattack.

  This elimihe "middlemen."

  Fewer links in the process mean fewer mistakes aime wasted.

  Of course, it's impossible for one person to handle every attack. That's unrealistic.

  Thus, it bees a test of the head coach's abilities.

  "Did you notice? Today, at the San Paolo Stadium, Roma's offense and defense are pletely disjointed," Sacchi observed.

  Zidane nodded, "There's a huge gap in midfield."

  "Yes, ata was supposed to cover that space."

  Zidane suddenly uood. Didn't Gao Sheion before that if Vidal had marked De Rossi in the first leg, he would've adopted a different strategy? But since Vidal marked Perrotta, this led to today's pying style.

  Gao Shen wao apply targeted tactics to suppress Roma and create this disjointed offense and defeuation through Napoli's high pressing. Their attack is overwhelming, and Roma's defense bees passive as they try to cover the ech.

  Especially when Napoli wins the ball and transitions from defeo attack, they are far more effit than Roma.

  No wonder each terattack has created such a time advantage.

  "The team that trols the midfield trols the game, and tonight, Gao Shen has won!" Sacchi said, his tone mixed with admiration and disfort.

  Logically, he should feel happy that his predi was accurate, but deep down, he was uled.

  Roma, the sed-pced team in Serie A this seasoe being weaker than Inter Min overall, should not have beeen so embarrassingly.

  Yet today, against Napoli, a team that had just e up from Serie B, Roma had almost nth to fight back.

  If this were a Champions League knockout round, how would they even survive?

  Sacchi couldn't prehend or accept that Italian football had deed to this extent.

  But it was reality!

  Zidane, sitting beside him, found all of this increasingly fasating.

  Watg and analyzing a match from the perspective of a head coach was pletely different from viewing it as a pyer.

  Since his retirement, Zidane had felt a sense of loss.

  Having pyed football since childhood, he hadn't known what else he could do or what he wao do after retiring.

  Spending time at home with his wife and children every day had been almost torturous for him.

  On a whim, he came to his time, seeking some excitement and y.

  But now, sitting iands, listening to Sacchi's analysis, and watg Napoli dismantle Roma while Gao Shen's calm and on the sidelines, Zidane suddenly had a thought.

  Maybe being a head coach wouldn't be such a bad idea after all.

  After the restart, Roma aowledged the situation.

  Spalletti, clearly aware that tinuing to attaapoli like this would eventually see Roma's defense crumble, decisively chose to stabilize and solidate his defense.

  He even seemed to be trying to lure Napoli into attag.

  But Gao Shen wasn't so easily tricked.

  As a pragmatic idealist, all of Gao Shen's decisions were based ohing: seg victory.

  Fag Roma in this moment, Gao Shen resolutely chose a more servative approach.

  If you don't attaeither will I!

  If you attack, I'll ter!

  What? You're acg me of abandoning my principles?

  Well, if you're so principled and idealistic, then you attack first.

  If you attack, I'll ter. Let's stick to our principles together, okay?

  Thus, after the 20th mihe game became deadlocked.

  Spalletti could see the problems with Roma's performance. Initially, he thought Perrotta's value was just in his running and positioning, but now he realized it was far more than that, particurly Perrotta's tribution to both offense and defense.

  Spalletti wasn't a fool. After some initial fusion, he quickly calmed down and realized what had gone wrong.

  Totti, Vu?ini?, Mani, and Taddei had been pressing too high, and Pizarro had frequently moved forward, leaving a massive gap in Roma's midfield.

  There ressure up front, but a bigger gap in the back, leaving the entire formation disected.

  Uhese circumstances, Napoli could strike easily.

  Previously, wheta resent, his defensive awareness ehat he could return to support De Rossi and provide enough cover for the defense.

  That's alletti and the others had overlooked.

  Realizing this, Spalletti couldn't help but recall Gao Shen's bold statement a week ago, saying he would score three goals against Roma at the Stadio San Paolo. Had Gao Shen already foreseen Roma's problems back then?

  Spalletti felt a chill at the thought.

  Could he really be only twenty-six years old?

  How could someone so young have susight and experience?

  ...

  From the start of the match, Roma never had a good solution.

  After a stalemate for a while, especially as the first half s end, Spalletti and the Roma pyers grew anxious.

  Heading into the sed half down 0-3, Roma would fa even tougher battle.

  Thus, in the final minutes of the first half, Roma unched an all-out offensive in an attempt to cw back a goal.

  But Spalletti clearly uimated Gao Shen and his Napoli team.

  In fact, they had been waiting for Roma to press forward.

  When the Giallorossi pushed up and attempted to press Napoli in their own half, Napoli swiftly unched a punishing terattack.

  David Luiz, the Braziliaer-back with his trademark hedgehog hairstyle, seemed like he was i mode today, pying fiercely and bravely.

  After a teammate won the ball in the defehird, Luiz quickly surged forward into the space just outside Roma's penalty area. After receiving a pass from Vargas, he stopped and, rather than driving the ball forward, sent a diagonal pass.

  Everyone was stunned.

  Is this guy really a tral defender?

  He ying like Pirlo, ung precise long balls to initiate terattacks.

  And the accuracy was on point.

  David Luiz's pass found the right side of the field, dropping behind Roma's full-back Too.

  As the ball nded, Sanchez sprinted onto it and drove the ball into the penalty area.

  Too tried to close Sanchez down, successfully f him towards the sideline.

  But Sanchez was too quick. He raced to the byline a in a low cross with his right foot.

  In the box, i made a run to the near post, putting Mex under pressure.

  However, i's momentum caused him to lose bance slightly, and he went to ground attempting to reach the ball.

  Both Doni in goal and Mex behind i failed to make tact with the ball.

  Just when it looked like Napoli's attack had failed, a blue blur suddenly appeared, charging in from the left.

  The ball was met with a sliding shot, and it flew into the back of Roma's once more.

  In that instant, the eadium erupted with thunderous appuse.

  The terattack had been so fast!

  David Luiz's long pass was so precise!

  "Gervinho!"

  "Napoli scored again… They've scored again!"

  "4-0!!!!!!!"

  "My God, Napoli is pying with iensity today. Their quick terattacks are leaving Roma helpless."

  "And David Luiz, unbelievable! His long passes are sharp and accurate!"

  "This has to be David Luiz's best game since joining Napoli. His defense has been excellent, and his long passes have tinuously sparked attacks, leaving a deep impression."

  "Gao Shen's eye for young talent is something else. Based on this season's performances, Napoli's pyers' values will skyrocket. What a steal!"

  Almost at the same time, iands, De Laurentiis, who had just celebrated the goal, suddenly remembered something important the mome down.

  *****

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