Starting With Real Madrid

Napoli's preseason warm-up matches were still as chaotic as ever.

Anyone familiar with both Gao Shen and Napoli would not find this surprising.

As Gao Shen's No. 1 fan, Sacchi, mentioned in his column, Gao Shen never placed much importance on preseason matches. For him, these games served as opportunities to train the team, experiment with various tactical setups, and improve overall team chemistry.

"I even heard that after losing to a Serie C team, he still had praise for his players."

But that didn't stop the Italian media from spreading panic about Napoli's performance.

This, of course, was entirely predictable.

The media thrives on sensationalism to draw attention. Without these dramatic narratives, who would even bother following warm-up games?

As a result, however, media coverage often contradicted itself.

Gao Shen once mocked this by saying, "Many newspapers are only fit for single editions. You read them today, and by tomorrow, you've forgotten what they said. At best, they're just a way to kill time. But if you go back and read their past issues, you might start to wonder if these papers are suffering from some inherent flaw. You could almost feel bad for them."

Despite this criticism, Gao Shen made it a point to recommend Sacchi's column.

This shameless guy churned out a column every other day sometimes even daily which left Gao Shen wondering, in amazement, if writing columns was really such a lucrative gig.

"Can you seriously make that much money with just a few paragraphs? If so, maybe I should quit coaching and start writing columns myself. If it's just about hitting a word count, who couldn't do that?"

That said, Gao Shen admitted that compared to other media outlets, Sacchi's columns were at least professional. He believed that readers who went through Sacchi's columns could significantly improve their understanding of football.

What's more, instead of buying a newspaper, you could just register a Twitter account. Sacchi would upload his columns there the night they were published, thanks to an agreement he had with the paper.

At this point, Gao Shen couldn't help but think, as a minority shareholder of Twitter, should he pay Sacchi some royalties? After all, this was practically free advertising!

…

From mid to late July, Napoli played one or two warm-up matches a week, keeping a busy schedule.

The opponents weren't exactly top-tier, mostly Serie C and Serie B teams, all from within Italy.

This even led some Italian media outlets to mock Napoli, questioning whether the club was really so poor that they couldn't afford to play abroad.

Yet despite the relatively weaker competition, Napoli's performances were inconsistent—up and down, unpredictable.

One thing about Gao Shen stood out: he loved to mix things up.

Even when the team's 4-2-3-1 formation seemed to be working well, he would suddenly switch to a 3-5-2 or even a 3-6-1.

Maggio, one of the best right midfielders in Serie A when he played for Sampdoria, found himself being tested as a right-back under Gao Shen's direction. Then, he'd be pushed up as a right winger, and sometimes he even played as a central midfielder.

This kind of experimentation wasn't limited to Maggio. Gao Shen constantly shuffled players into unfamiliar positions, making Napoli's overall tactics appear chaotic.

To the media and fans, the team seemed utterly disorganized.

Those who knew Gao Shen and Napoli well understood that this was par for the course. But most fans didn't have that context. They only saw what the media portrayed criticism and accusations aimed at Gao Shen and his team.

It was as if there was a "Neapolitan pill" being prescribed, a constant dose of anxiety for the fans and the effect was only growing stronger.

However, a deeper analysis of player positioning and game time revealed a method to the madness. By frequently rotating players and altering formations, Gao Shen encouraged his team to develop better communication and understanding on the field.

This was a process of fostering "empathy," as Sacchi described in his column.

"Gao Shen is a cunning strategist," Sacchi wrote. "He wants his opponents to have no idea what he's planning."

"Mark my words: he and his Napoli will surprise everyone this season."

But no sooner had Sacchi written this than the media turned their criticism toward him instead.

"Get lost, you so-called No. 1 fanboy!" they mocked.

…

By August, Napoli's squad was further thinned as eight of their players left to join their national teams for the Olympics.

This shortage in personnel prompted Gao Shen to become even more experimental.

Arturo Vidal and Thiago Motta, both natural midfielders, were rotated as central defenders. With fewer midfield options available, even the 15-year-old Marco Verratti was given a chance to play.

When a reporter asked why Gao Shen was fielding Verratti, he replied cheerfully, "Because I really like this kid!"

And then there was Lorenzo Insigne, of course.

This relentless experimentation meant Napoli's performances continued to be unpredictable. Sometimes they looked impressive, while at other times, they were a complete mess.

Fans and media alike grew increasingly anxious.

The Italian Super Cup was just around the corner, and yet the team still seemed unprepared. How were they supposed to compete with Mourinho's well-drilled Inter Milan?

In contrast, Inter Milan's preseason form was improving steadily.

In July, Inter played three warm-up matches. They secured wins against the Saudi league champions and Bari, though their performances were somewhat lackluster. Later, in the TIM Trophy, they faced Juventus and AC Milan but failed to score, conceding a single goal.

This led to some initial skepticism about Mourinho's team.

However, in August, Inter participated in the Franz Beckenbauer Cup in Munich, where they faced Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena. With a goal from Mancini, Inter secured a 1-0 victory over Klinsmann's Bayern.

In this match, Mourinho reverted to his favored 4-3-3 formation, emphasizing wing play and fluid attacking combinations.

After the game, La Gazzetta dello Sport praised Mourinho's side: "Inter's defense was exceptional, and the team's identity shone through. This was a statement victory for Mourinho."

Calling a preseason match a "statement victory" might have been excessive, but it underscored Inter's growing momentum.

Subsequent warm-up games saw Inter Milan perform even better, building confidence among their fans.

Meanwhile, Napoli's inconsistent displays only fueled more worry.

Even Sacchi, in his column, urged Gao Shen to finalize his starting lineup especially for the Italian Super Cup, so they could start building chemistry.

The absence of Napoli's Olympic players, especially their central defenders, posed a significant problem. Last season's defensive stalwarts had both gone to China, and with Domic sold off, only Paolo Cannavaro remained as a reliable option.

Gao Shen tested several players in the center-back role, including Vidal, Thiago Motta, Stephan Lichtsteiner, and Mehdi Benatia, but none produced satisfying results. This deepened the media's doubts about Napoli's ability to challenge Inter Milan.

…

Grosseto, Tuscany, Central Italy.

Gao Shen wasn't particularly familiar with Grosseto, but Napoli fans certainly were.

Back when Napoli was fighting to gain promotion from Serie C to Serie B, Grosseto was one of their main rivals. They lost to Napoli in the promotion playoffs and had to stay in Serie C for another year. Eventually, though, they earned promotion to Serie B and managed to settle into a mid-table position.

Interestingly, Grosseto's current coach was none other than Stefano Pioli, a familiar name.

Yes, the same Pioli who would later become famous for his firefighting stint with AC Milan.

After losing his job at Parma, Pioli had spent over a year and a half unemployed before taking charge of Grosseto in September 2007. Since then, his team had performed admirably, allowing him to remain in his role.

In a later interview, Pioli revealed that during his hiatus, he meticulously studied every game Napoli played, from Serie B to Serie A, dissecting Gao Shen's tactics and strategies.

He claimed that this period completely transformed his tactical approach.

Under Pioli's guidance, Grosseto began playing in a style that bore a strong resemblance to Napoli's. However, there were key differences.

As described by the Italian media, Grosseto's players pressed like mad dogs, constantly running to create numerical advantages in specific areas and focusing heavily on wing attacks.

Much like Napoli, Pioli's team relied on intense pressing in the opponent's half, aiming to force the ball out wide and create turnovers through aggressive group defending. Once they won possession, they immediately launched counterattacks.

This similarity led some to predict that Pioli might achieve a Napoli-like success story with Grosseto this season.

However, the club had an inherent limitation: a lack of fan support.

Grosseto was a small city with a modest population, and its stadium, which could hold just 9,000 spectators, rarely filled even half its capacity. For a friendly against Napoli, attendance was less than a thousand.

The club's prospects seemed limited, but for Gao Shen, this was exactly what made them an ideal opponent.

…

Before the match, Gao Shen had a cordial chat with Pioli, who openly admitted to modeling his tactics on Napoli's. They exchanged ideas for a while on the sidelines.

Despite being sacked by Gao Shen's Napoli years earlier, Pioli expressed his admiration and gratitude, saying that studying Gao Shen's tactics had been a valuable learning experience.

Gao Shen, in turn, didn't hold back in offering advice.

Although he hadn't studied Grosseto's tactics in detail, he had heard enough to identify their key weakness: their pressing game lacked organization and balance.

"If you push high and press aggressively, it has to be coordinated. If it's not, your backline will be exposed, and a simple long pass will undo all your hard work," Gao Shen explained. "Your players need to either fully commit to the press or take a step back and consolidate defensively. Sitting halfway in between is what creates gaps."

Pioli listened attentively, nodding in agreement. This brief exchange clearly left an impression on him.

After their chat, Gao Shen returned to the visiting team's bench. As he settled into his seat, assistant coach Lucas approached, a small grin on his face.

"Our guys checked everywhere—no Inter scouts spotted," Lucas reported.

Hearing this, Gao Shen smiled knowingly.

***

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