After Napoli made their substitution, the pyer's positions shifted slightly.

  Gao Shen instructed the wio stretch Cagliari's defense as wide as possible to open up spa the middle.

  At the same time, the team o rely on more crosses and teral movement.

  Befetting into coag, as a fan, Gao Shen couldn't quite grasp the stant crossing tactics of Guardio's Bara.

  But after being a coach, he had to admit that on oppo sets up a tight, yered defense, breaking through bees exceedingly difficult.

  That was exactly what he was fag with Cagliari.

  To deal with a team like this, you only rely on sustained pressure, tinuous movement, and waiting for the oppoo make mistakes.

  You'll realize that long shots, high crosses, a pieces only bee effective after the defensive "bus" has been disrupted.

  In other words, the bus has to be broken down first before tactics like long shots, set pieces, and targeting a tall ter forward have any real effect. It's not the other way around.

  With Cagliari, four defenders, three midfielders, and two more dropping back meant they could have nine pyers proteg the area in and around the box, c every space effectively.

  Even if Napoli itted plenty of pyers to the attack, it would still be a challenge due to the crowded space.

  And crowding is ily detrimental to offense, isn't it?

  So, what could they do?

  Iy, there was no perfect solution.

  It's like Bara's philosophy of possession py: as long as the ball is in our trol, the oppo 't score.

  Theoretically, if a team maintained 100% possession, the opposition wouldn't even have the ce to score.

  The same applies t the bus: if the defenders make no mistakes and execute their tactics perfectly, it's nearly impossible to break through.

  However, ny be executed fwlessly.

  At times like this, it bees a test of patience, endurance, and skill.

  It's about stantly shifting the ball side-to-side, tinuously recyg possession.

  That's why Bara's stant teral passing, which is often criticized, is actually quite effective.

  The oppo knows they 't win the ball back easily, but they also don't want to cede a goal, so they remain pad disciplined in defense.

  When Bara sees the oppo sitting deep and risking possession losses with forasses, they revert to crossing and teral movement.

  Some might ask why Bara doesn't just take the risk and push forward. Why bother with so many teral passes?

  This question goes back to a fual principle.

  By trolling possession, Bara avoid losing. When they pass forward and lose the ball, they risk g a goal.

  No matter how small, a risk is still a risk.

  If other teams were in this situation, what would they do?

  The answer is simple: they'd try to emute Bara.

  Teams that say they don't want to py like Bara simply ck the teical ability to dominate possession like Bara does.

  Right now, Gao Shen wouldn't implement this style himself.

  But if Napoli possessed the skill to trol the game like that, why wouldn't he?

  If you don't wao move the ball terally, then why don't you push your defense higher up? Why sit back so tightly?

  If you e out, I'll find a gap and exploit it; that's the game.

  ---

  So, Napoli tinued shifting the ball from left tht, and then back again.

  Cagliari's defense also moved bad forth, trag Napoli's movements.

  In this process, it's impossible for pyers to maintain the same level of tration and coordination, and insistencies lead to openings.

  For example, just two minutes after Pastore came on, when Napoli swung the ball from the right to the left, Hamsik received it with his back to goal and passed it back to Pastore.

  The young Argeaking the ball in a more tral position, cut diagonally towards the left. This sudden movement caused Cagliari's defensive lio panid shift disorderly as pyers rushed to close him down.

  Di Maria, spotting an opportunity, raised his hand for the ball on the left. i ositioned in the middle, Sanchez behind him, and Hamsik was ready at the edge of the box, all preparing for a potential shot.

  Pastore saw Di Maria's run but took ara touch. By the time he looked to pass, Biondini had already closed him down, and his rushed diagonal ball was intercepted by defender Ferri.

  A collective groan echoed throughout the stadium.

  Di Maria threw his hands up in front of Pastore as if to say, "e on, man! Where's your accuracy?"

  Pastore raised his hand in apology, casting a wary g Biondini. His heart pounded with the realization of just how meticulous Serie A defenses could be.

  He had taken ara step, hoping for a better angle on the pass, but…

  No one dwelled on Pastore's error because Cagliari's clearance romptly intercepted by Napoli, and the ball was quickly brought back over the halfway line.

  The game situation resumed where it had left off.

  ---

  "Pierpaolo, is this the pyer you were raving about frentina?" Sacchi asked with a smile from his seat iands.

  "Yes, we signed him for half a million euros," Marino nodded.

  Sacodded in approval. "Another smart piece of business!"

  But Mari a sudden pang of ay and g De Laurentiis beside him.

  Please, Mr. Sacchi, don't say too much, or I'll be the oing an earful ter!

  Yes, it was a good deal, but when it came to sharing credit, it was like cutting off a piece of his own flesh.

  "If the kid had released the ball a little soohat attack might have developed into something," Sacchi added.

  Creating a dangerous ce doesn't always result in a goal, but it's still a lot better than what we're seeing right now.

  Och, after receiving the ball again, Pastore quickly executed a owo pass with Hamsik. However, his subsequent touch was a bit heavy, allowing Cagliari's midfielder ti to clear the ball.

  Even though it didn't result in a threat, Pastore's active performance was winning him appuse from the San Paolo faithful.

  "This boy has a good feel for the game and solid skills, but he's still a bit raw," Sacchi ented.

  He uood what Gao Shen was aiming for.

  The idea was correct, the approach was sound; it just came down to whether they could find the back of the .

  Sometimes, evehe coach's tactics are spot on, it doesn't guarantee victory.

  That's the uable beauty of football.

  ---

  Giampaolo wasn't blind to the ges brought about by the substitution.

  He noticed how Pastore's presence had ied new life into Napoli's attack.

  This made Pastore a potential danger, so Giampaolo instructed his pyers to pay close attention to the young Argentine.

  If his dribbling aration were causing problems, they o press him aggressively whenever possible.

  As a result, Pastore began to drift deeper to find space.

  Gao Shen, from the sidelines, shook his head. Taking advantage of a stoppage in py, he called Hamsik over.

  "They're fog on Pastore now. Drop your position back a bit and give him more room to operate. I'm giving him the freedom to roam. I doubt Cagliari will sacrifice their defensive shape just to chase him all over the pitch. Got it?"

  Hamsik, breathing heavily, nodded.

  "Also, Marek, when you pull back, look for the right moment to make a forward run. Be decisive when the opportunity arises!"

  With that, Gao Shen gave Hamsik an encing pat on the shoulder, urging him bato the field.

  Cagliari, oher hand, had not made any substitutions.

  It was clear that Giampaolo had his stro lineup out there.

  He likely wouldn't sider making ges until his pyers were visibly exhausted.

  Gao Shen was also biding his time.

  Napoli had been gradually wearing down the opposition, and now with Pastore och, they aimed to force more errors and create gaps.

  As fatigue set in, mistakes would bee increasingly likely.

  The game had reached the 75th minute, and it was still a stalemate.

  ---

  Saood he right toue, panting.

  He had been w tirelessly up and down the fnk, expending a lot of energy.

  But as the mattered its final stages, it was a test of endurance, willpower, and the desire to win for both teams.

  Lichtsteiner received a pass, and as Cagliari's Fini closed him down, Sanchez dropped bad called for the ball.

  "Here!"

  Lichtsteiner saw the opening, passed the ball to Sanchez, and shouted, "Keep it safe!"

  Trusting his teammate's judgment, Saook a touch to trol the ball and then immediately turned.

  He advanced along the right fnk, trying to drive past Del Grosso.

  He had disliked this matchup for some time; if it were just one-on-one, he would've beaten him easily.

  But Cagliari's lines were too tight.

  Before Sanchez could get past Del Grosso, Paro came over to help.

  Seeing that he was about to be double-teamed, Sanchez made a quick stop. He knew if he tinued, he'd be trapped.

  If he allowed himself to be pio the toue, the attack would be over.

  Just then, he saw Pastore ing over to support.

  A fsh of inspiration struck him. Sanchez feinted as if to tiowards the byline, but then suddenly cut inside, dragging Paro with him, and slipped the ball into Pastore's path.

  The young Argeook the ball in stride, using his loo get a touch ahead. He accelerated immediately, bursting into the spaear the edge of the penalty area. Paro was caught off guard and couldn't rea time to stop him.

  te rushed to close him down, but Pastore skillfully he ball forward with a quick poke, threading it right through te's legs a perfeutmeg.

  The crowd roared iement as Pastore dribbled past both te and Paro, breaking through the defensive line and driving towards the box.

  With Cagliari's defense in disarray, ter-back Bianco had no choice but to step up and challenge him outside the penalty area.

  But Pastore was ready this time. He spotted i making a diagonal run to the right side of the box. Without hesitation, Pastore slipped the ball through the gap, finding i in stride behind the defense.

  The Uruguayan forward burst onto the ball.

  ****

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