The day after Napoli's 2-1 eback victainst Juventus, the team held a post-matalysis meeting. After pleting recovery training in the m, the entire squad gathered to review and discuss the key takeaways from the Juventus match.

  The reviews from the media were mixed.

  Many outlets praised both Napoli and Juventus for pying a solid half each, while others pointed out that Napoli had certain weaknesses, particurly in defense.

  The right fnk was an area of . Both Jerge Garrid Grava had struggled in that position. Juventus had attempted to exploit that weakness in a previous match without success, but this time Del Piero mao make an impact from that side.

  This has led many pundits to suggest that Napoli should prioritize signing a high-quality right-back as soon as possible.

  It's easier said than done.

  With Napoli still peting in Serie B, it was difficult to attract top-tier talent, especially when you sider the financial implications. Spending millions of euros on a right-ba the current situation would be a tough call for the club.

  Sacchi, in his n, pointed out Napoli's first-half issues and subtly warned Gao Shen that Napoli's biggest enemy right now might be themselves.

  Sacchi, a seasoned veteran of the game, could clearly see that Napoli's first-half approach was too reckless.

  Sacchi alsht up another long-standing issue: the positioning of the double midfield pivot.

  Del Piero's goal in the first half artly due to a defensive error on Napoli's right fnk, but it was also pounded by Rakitic's failure to track ba time. her of Napoli's double pivots were traditional defensive midfielders.

  Biglia was inally an anizing midfielder, while Rakitic had been an attag midfielder. her of them had a background in defensive midfield, but Gao Shen had adapted them to this role in Napoli's system.

  While they performed well most of the time, the game against Juventus exposed some of the risks of pying two non-traditional defensive midfielders in the heart of the team. Rakiti particur, was often too high up the pitd wasn't able to support the defense when needed.

  Another factor was Napoli's tactical system of high pressing.

  From Pellè up front to Bonucci at the baapoli's formation was always pressed, with the distaween the lines trolled to about 25-30 meters. This pact setup worked well for their high pressing, but it also demanded a lot from the midfielders, particurly in terms of c space.

  While this setup allowed the teical midfielders like Rakitic more room to operate, it also left the defense vulnerable if the midfielders didn't track ba time.

  For instance, Rakitic's ability to fire long shots fre was an asset, but it also meant he o bance when to move forward and when to return to help defensively. It pced a huge tactical burden on both him and Biglia.

  Expeg pyers to develop such positional awareness and tactical discipline in just a few months was asking a lot.

  Gao Shen had alsht in Vidal, who had been a ter-back but was now transitioning to a midfield role. Expeg him, or any of the midfielders, to adjust to new roles and perform fwlessly in such a short time was a tall order.

  Positional sense knowing where to be and what to do at any given moment is one of the most critical aspeodern football. It's easy to say, but very difficult to master.

  Pyers don't have the luxury of watg the game with a bird's-eye view, as the fans or entators do. They are ihick of the aakiime decisions without a clear view of the entire field, except for some pyers with the rare ability to percept the whole field, even still pyers like that could only be ted with one hand.

  Napoli was doing well, all things sidered.

  Since Gao Shen had taken over, he had implemented Sacchi's shadow trainihod, which helped maintaieam's shape and tactical discipline. But some things simply take time to develop, and no amount of training make them happen ht.

  ...

  At the post-matalysis meeting, Gao Shen once again took full responsibility for the team's shortings in the game.

  He aowledged that he had made errors in his tactical setup but didn't dwell on them.

  It was the same approach he took with his pyers, like Ramos and David Luiz. If they made mistakes, there was no point in obsessing over them. The key was to learn and move forward. Dwelling on the past, iving up after one mistake, was a recipe for failure.

  Gao Shen instructed the coag staff to e up with a targeted training pn to address the issues that had e up during the match.

  For example, defensive coordination on the right side.

  Juventus had used a cssic py: cutting inside from the left and shooting on goal. It's a on enough tactid it be tered as long as the midfielders track back quickly to cover the spad block the inside nes.

  Still, Gao Shen ordered the coag staff to set up specific training sessions to focus on defensive coordination, particurly for Rakitid Biglia.

  Gao Shen alsht up another crucial topic: pressing.

  Many fans and even some pyers mistakenly believe that pressing is just about running hard and trying to win the ball back.

  But iy, there are many different types of pressing, each with a specific tactical purpose.

  Pressing isn't just about winning the ball.

  Sure, there is the type of pressing where the goal is to win the ball back as quickly as possible. For instance, Gao Shen's Napoli had a system where they tried tain possession within five seds of losing the ball. If they couldn't recover it within that time, they immediately dropped bato a defensive shape.

  Sound familiar?

  Yes, this was a key element of Guardio's Bara team, whi turn had borrowed it from Van Gaal's Ajax.

  The five-sed press requires a coordinated effort, with every pyer on the field pressing together. Other types of pressing, however, serve different purposes.

  Some pressing is about deying the opposition, allowing the team time tanize defensively. Other times, pressing is a means to shift the team's formation to cover mround effectively.

  Sometimes, pressing is simply a way to slow the tempo of the game, giving the pyers a ce to catch their breath. It's a subtle tactic, but an important one no team maintain a high tempo for the full 90 minutes.

  Napoli's pyers were still learning when to press intensely and when to ease off. Sometimes, they pressed too aggressively, chasing the ball when they didn't o, leaving themselves out of position.

  Gao Shen emphasized to his pyers that football today requires more than just physical effort it requires mental effort too.

  "It's no longer enough to just run hard and work yourself to exhaustion. Modern football demands stant observation. You must always be aware of where you are on the field, where your teammates are, where the opposition is, and where the ball is."

  "Our pressing isn't just about getting the ball back. In fact, winning the ball isn't even the main objective. We want to put pressure on the opposition, disrupt their fidence, and make them unfortable."

  "When we dictate the rhythm of the game, we grow in fidehat's when we beat teams like Juventus 5-0. But if the oppo trols the rhythm, then they grow in fidence, and we'll bee weaker."

  "Our pressing is about breaking their rhythm and f them to py ame."

  "That's the true purpose of our pressing!"

  Winning the ball is only one part of the equation.

  Gao Sheedly urged his pyers to think more, to observe more. Only then would they fully uand his tactical philosophy and its purpose.

  Football is too fast-paced fao Shen to instruct his pyers on every little detail. They o be adaptable and make decisions based on what they saw in the moment.

  This is what Valda when he said a coach's mind is no match for the bined intelligence of the eleven pyers och.

  ...

  Guardio sat quietly in the er of the room.

  At first, he was taking notes diligently. But as Gao Shen tinued speaking, he became so absorbed in the versation that he stopped writing altogether.

  Some of what Gao Shen was saying, Guardio already knew. Other points were o him, but they all made perfect sehe more he thought about them.

  In Spain, many people said that Gao Shen had learned from Benítez. Gao Shen himself had admitted this, but after hearing him speak, Guardio realized that this wasirely true.

  Even if Gao Shen had taken inspiration from Benítez, his philosophy was something else entirely.

  Benítez was known for saying, "Give me eleven robots, and I will be invincible."

  What he meant was that pyers didn't o think for themselves. They just o follow his instrus precisely.

  But Gao Shen's approach was the opposite. He enced pyers to think critically and indepely on the field.

  This reminded Guardio of Johan Cruyff.

  Cruyff had been a master at teag pyers to think for themselves. He didn't just show pyers how to py football; he expined why they o py a certain way.

  It was a challenging but incredibly rewarding process.

  Many of Bara's pyers from the "Dream Team" era, including Guardio himself, were heavily influenced by Cruyff's approach, both as pyers and ter as coaches.

  As Guardio sat there listening, he couldn't help but think: Is Gao Shen really only twenty-six years old?

  Or was he truly, as people had begun to say, a on-a-geion coag prodigy?