Befao Shen's journey began, whether online or at work, he often heard people venting their frustrations to him.

  They would say things like, "I work so hard, I endure so much, yet why am I still struggling?"

  Whenever he heard this, Gao Shen would offer words of fort, telling them that they were among the hardest workers he knew, and if they hadn't succeeded, it was just a matter of bad luck or some untrolble factors.

  But was that really the case?

  Often, effort might be the least signifit factor iermining success.

  After all, everyone is w hard.

  More critical than effort are choices and luck.

  Luck is self-expnatory. If fortune smiles upon you, like Giampaolo, who was handed a Serie A promotion while sitting at home, what more could be said?

  And then there's making the right choices, choosing a path that suits you and w hard in that dire.

  If you choose the wrong dire, the harder you work, the further away from success you'll find yourself.

  In Gao Shen's view, Giampaolo's choices were misguided.

  Or rather, like many in Italy, he g stubbornly to servative Italian football.

  Take Giampaolo's Cagliari, for instance.

  From his signings of Fini, Paro, and Foggia, to retaining pyers like Del Grosso, it wasn't hard to dis his strategy—he wao replicate his promotion success at Ascoli.

  But he fot one crucial thing: times have ged!

  Did Gao Shen's Napoli not impact Italian football at all?

  Eveura, a seasoned coach, was trying to speed up the pace with his Pisa team. Wasn't that proof enough?

  And who could cim that renowned coaches like Ai or Mani weren't influenced in some way?

  However, their current lineups restricted them.

  For example, could Ai deploy a high-pressing game with Min's aging squad?

  They'd colpse within minutes.

  But that was the case with the Min giants; Giampaolo was coag Cagliari.

  ---

  "My guess is he'll go for a ter-attag approach. That's what Cagliari and Giampaolo are best at."

  Gao Shen sat at the fereable, twirling a pen while frowning. This habit sigo everyohat he was deep in thought, as he shared his analysis.

  "To be ho, the real challenge for us in this game is the pyers' adaptability. After all, they were one of the stro defeeams in Serie A st season."

  The others nodded in agreement.

  Serie B and Serie A are worlds apart.

  Napoli did face a few Serie A teams st season, but her Parma nor Ascoli were among the top defeeams in the league. Cagliari, however, was a different story, boasting one of the best defe season.

  Of course, excluding the eight rounds coached by ba.

  There were ued results, like the sed-round loss to Roma. Napoli didn't perform well against Inter Min in two rounds, and the first enter with Roma was also tough. Now, fag Cagliari in the league opener, fresh off two matches in one week, would be a signifit test for the Napoli squad.

  "At home, we must win no matter what. We'll focus on attack but stick to a 4-2-3-1 formation, keeping it steady!"

  Gao Shen's approach was to make progress while maintaining stability.

  It was a mature and cautious strategy, given that the first league game is always tough, and it's wise to avoid unnecessary risks.

  This opening match marked not only Gao Shen's debut in Serie A but also the Serie A debut for many pyers oeam. For Napoli, it carried a special significe that they couldn't afford to squander.

  This was why Napoli had been so displeased with the Italian Football Federation's scheduling.

  "How's Pastore's dition tely?" Gao Shen asked suddenly.

  "He's okay, but still not fully adjusted," Carlo replied.

  Gao Shen shook his head, "There's no time. Let him get used to it on the field. He'll start on the bench, along with Parejo."

  "What do you mean…?"

  Gao Shen looked at Carlo and crified, "The oppo is away, aing a point is a success for them. But for us, we must secure three points at home."

  Carlo thought it over and uood.

  The idea was to anticipate a defensive approach from the opposition.

  It was entirely possible.

  Though Napoli was a newly promoted team, they had earned some respect. This season, they had already pyed two rounds in the Coppa Italia, and while that was more taxing than Cagliari's schedule, the 8-0 and 3-0 victories liari in those matches served as a warning.

  If Giampaolo decided to sit bad defend on the road, earning a point would indeed be a success fliari, as Napoli shouldn't be evaluated merely as a newly promoted side.

  And everyone knows how tough it is to break down a Serie A defense oeam parks the bus.

  Gao Shen's decision to bench Pastore and Parejo was likely made with this in mind.

  ---

  Even after two years, Marco Giampaolo vividly remembered that afternoon on August 28, 2005.

  It was the first time in his career that he led a team into Serie A!

  He had once dreamed of standing in the halls of the sport's elite.

  As a professional pyer, he had never pyed in Serie A or even Serie B.

  For more than a decade, he had toiled in the lower leagues, dreaming of stepping onto the grand stage and being a shining star.

  But unfortunately, he cked the talent.

  God had closed a door for him, only to open a window.

  Though he wasn't gifted as a pyer, he found success as a coach.

  By a stroke of luck, he became the head coach of Ascoli ahem to Serie A.

  He was even more excited than the pyers when he marched into Ascoli's Stadium del Duca.

  And his first Serie A oppo was A!

  He would never fet that match. His team pyed Min at home, and when scored the first goal fliari, they held the lead for six minutes before Kaka set up Shevko to score.

  But Min couldn't find the again after that.

  That game had a sting impa him.

  Giampaolo spent a lot of time refleg on st season. He analyzed it thhly and decided to build on st season's defense while strengthening the midfield and attack.

  After selling Suazo, he secured ample transfer funds and aggressively pursued the pyers he wanted.

  Fini, Foggia, Paro, Matri…

  Cagliari's preseason had gone well, and the team seemed to gel, boosting Giampaolo's fidence.

  Relegation?

  No, he aimed to recreate the highs of Ascoli two years ago.

  His target -ten finish in the league!

  ---

  Giampaolo was ner to Napoli.

  He recalled that a year ago, during a coag summit in Rome, Sacchi had given a speech urging all Italian coaches to learn from Napoli's young coach.

  The statement had sparked intense debate at the time, with many dismissing Sacchi's ents as absurd.

  Giampaolo certainly didn't believe it—how could a young coa his twenties be so impressive?

  But as Gao Shen's results improved, especially after 4-0 and 6-0 wins over Parma and Roma, respectively, Giampaolo began to see that Gao Shen's football was indeed different from traditional Italian football.

  In his hiatus from coag, Giampaolo had studied many of Napoli's matches and tactics, and was deeply struck by Gao Shen's approach.

  The style wasirely new, but Napoli's anized and purposeful pressing, coupled with effit energy use, was certainly distinct.

  More importantly, their quick transitions from defeo attack were remarkable.

  Giampaolo realized that a paradigm shift was underway.

  After studying Napoli's py and various tactical trends, Giampaolo knew he had to adapt.

  Thus, he decisively adjusted Cagliari's tactics for the season.

  He had high expectations for the away game against Napoli.

  Just like two years ago, when he faced A and Ai.

  He believed Sacchi's words: the era of yered defenses was ending. It could no longer cover the ech or trol different areas effectively.

  After Ai's Christmas tree formation triumphed in st season's Champions League, Giampaolo became a believer.

  He wasn't trying to replicate the past or revert to his old style, but rather to use his experieo manage his current pyers better.

  He wouldn't mimic Gao Shen, because Gao Shen's approach didn't suit him.

  Instead, he sought inspiration from his oppo of two years ago, A's Ai.

  For the Italian se, fliari, this was the ideal tactic.

  The Christmas tree formation, 4-3-2-1.

  ---

  August 26, 2007, afternoon.

  Stadio San Paolo, Naples.

  When Gao Shen received Cagliari's starting lineup, his brow furrowed.

  He had guessed right about the ter-attag approach.

  But he had guessed wrong about the formation. Giampaolo hadn't goh the dual-forward 4-4-2 from his Ascoli days; instead, he opted for a Christmas tree 4-3-2-1, simir to A, starting with three defensive midfielders.

  "Ai, that damn fat man!" Gao Shen muttered through gritted teeth.

  After winning the Champions League, A's 4-3-2-1 had sparked a trend in Italy, especially st season, and now it was even more popur.

  The reasoning was simple: three defensive midfielders provided a rock-solid defense.

  And it was easy to imagihe challenge of fag two defensive lines made up of seven pyers, plus the two lines in front. Breaking through would be a nightmare for any oppo.

  Gao Shen and his Napoli were no exception.

  He really wao front all these coaches and ask them, "Ai has Pirlo, Kaka, and Seedorf. Who do you have?"

  "Fini and Foggia? Are they parable to Seedorf and Kaka?"

  "This game is going to be tough!" Gao Shen sighed, shaking his head.

  Carlo nodded with a serious expression.

  Indeed, Serie A matches were never easy.

  So servative!