The first half ended with a scoreline of 2-0 in favor of Napoli.

  Reggina had no answer for Napoli's relentless pressure, and the odd tactics deployed by Ulivieri didn't seem to pose ahreat. Several terattacks frina were snuffed out with little to no danger.

  As the sed half began, Napoli tiheir aggressive approach. Ih minute, Vidal executed a perfect high press, dispossessing a Reggina pyer deep in the oppo's half. He quickly passed the ball to Pellet, who pyed a clever yoff just outside the box. Vidal, charging forward, took a touch to trol and unleashed a powerful shot that found the back of the .

  3-0!!!!!!!

  By this point, the result was all but decided.

  Ulivieri, clearly reizing the iable oute, began making substitutions. His moves were less about trying to win and more about damage trol. Oher hand, Gao Shen also made his adjustments, opting to give his younger pyers valuable minutes och, rather than pursuing a more lopsided victory.

  When the final whistle bleoli secured a 3-0 win, advang fortably to the fourth round of the Coppa Italia, thanks to goals from Pelle, Vidal, and an own goal by Case.

  This year's Coppa Italia format had some ges. Napoli and Genoa had to navigate through the first two rounds of the cup, and after the third round, 16 teams remaihese would now face off in single-elimination matches, with the winners advang to the fourth round.

  At that stage, the remaini teams from Serie A, including the previous season's top eight, would ehe fray, adding another yer of petition.

  The fourth round, set for December, would mark a shift from single-elimination to two-legged knockout ties, a signifit ge from the first three rounds. The winners from the third round would be matched against the newly entering Serie A teams, ensuring that no powerhouse teams would csh prematurely.

  The Italian Football Federation's i was clear: avoid early matchups between strong teams to keep the tour exg. However, two wild cards in this year's tour were Napoli and Juventus. Both teams had shown formidable strength, and few, besides the Min clubs, could cim to be clearly superior to them.

  The fourth round's return to home-and-away knoatches would add even more intrigue. From there, matches would tiil the single final held at the Stadio Olimpi Rome.

  As it stood, the third round of the Coppa Italia had effectively eliminated all Serie B teams, a stark reminder of how difficult it is to create upsets in Italian football. The hierarchy of talent and tactics remained firmly in pce.

  Because of this, no oook Gao Shen's pre-matents about potential upsets seriously.

  …

  After the match, Gao Shen walked over to the visiting team's bend offered his hand to Ulivieri.

  Napoli's victory had e without much drama, but Ulivieri's tactical decisions still piqued Gao Shen's curiosity. As they shook hands, Gao Shen couldn't resist probing Ulivieri about his lineup choices.

  The veteran coach, clearly not eager to discuss his missteps, gave a brief, non-ittal answer. He expihat his aim was to create more passing options out wide when faced with Napoli's high press.

  Gao Shen nodded in aowledgment, this was indeed one way to approach the problem.

  Many say that Pep Guardio's Bara ged the ndscape of European football, but how exactly did they do it?

  Was it all about possession?

  Yes, after Bara's dominance, many teams began emphasizing ball trol, but none quite pursued possession to the obsessive extent that Bara did. And by 2021, the football world had rgely e to a crucial realization.

  Bara's dominance during their "Dream Team III" era wasn't solely about possession. It was a twed approach: possession and high pressing.

  The team's success relied owo pilrs equally. When their pressing diminished mainly due to the aging of pyers like Xavi and Ia. Bara became vulnerable. Their dee was swift, as teams exploited the gaps left by a pressing system that no longer worked.

  This showed that possession alone wasn't enough. Pressing was just as important, if not more so.

  After Bara's reign, other teams adopted high pressing as a means of dealing with their dominance. Goalkeepers and defenders began pying a crucial role in maintaining possession, which became the primary method of breaking high-pressure tactics.

  Initially, teams were helpless against Bara's press. Coaches were left scratg their heads, uo find a solution. Pundits famously said, "The only thing that defeat Bara is time." In other words, there was no immediate tactical solution, teams just had to wait for Bara's pyers to age.

  Mourinho's Inter Min famously parked the bus in their Champions League semi-final against Bara, deploying a defensive mastercss that remains iic. But evehe match was hardly beautiful to watch.

  Soon after, teams like Klopp's Borussia Dortmund and Simeone's Atletiadrid emerged with their own high-pressing systems. However, these teams couldn't maintain possession as well as Bara. They pensated for their teical deficies with relentless running and high energy, but this came at a cost they could only sustain this level of iy for about 60 minutes.

  The evolution tinued. Heynckes' Bayern Munid Ai's Real Madrid found a baween teique and physicality. As Bara's stars aged and their iy dropped, these teams capitalized, taking European football by storm.

  This historical text gave Gao Shen the fideo boldly decre that he could turn Napoli into a dominant force within three years.

  He knew he couldn't recreate Bara's magic, but he didn't o. His goal was to build a team like Bayern, Real Madrid, or Atletico, a team that banced physicality and teique while adopting an overall pressing style.

  In today's football, a well-drilled pressing system is nearly uable. Uhe opposition parks the bus or Napoli itself makes critical mistakes, there's no clear solution to high pressing.

  Even a seasoacti like Ulivieri struggled to find an answer.

  Ulivieri's attempt to create more passing options on the fnks was a traditional approach to dealing with high pressure. But to fully exploit this strategy, teams need defenders and goalkeepers who are excellent with the ball at their feet.

  And in 2007, where could they find such pyers?

  …

  Gao Shen wasn't irritated by Ulivieri's reluce to share more. In fact, he admired the veteran coad would have loved to engage in a deeper tactical discussion. But he also uood that pride could be a barrier for Ulivieri, a figure deeply respected in Italian football.

  As Gao Shen turo leave, Ulivieri suddenly called out to him.

  "Gao!"

  "Hmm?" Gao Shen paused, turning back. "What's up?"

  Ulivieri hesitated for a moment before asking, "Are you pnning to attend the Professional Coach Summit?"

  Gao Shen raised an eyebrow. He hadn't expected that question. He knew about Ulivieri's role in anizing the event, but he was unsure whether he would attend.

  "Is it mandatory?" Gao Shen asked.

  "No, it's voluntary. Just an exge of ideas," Ulivieri crified.

  "Oh, I see," Gao Shen nodded. "I'll have to check my schedule. I might be busy around that time."

  He didn't it either way, but his response seemed to please Ulivieri. The veteran coach's eyes softened with relief.

  Gao Shen couldn't help but feel a little puzzled. Why did it seem like the old man was so ed about whether or not he would attend?

  Regardless, Gao Shen decided it was best to keep his distance.

  ….

  Napoli's 3-0 victory gina didn't attract much attention in the grand scheme of things.

  The Coppa Italia wouldn't fully heat up until the top eight Serie A teams ehe petition. For nooli's win was just aep forward.

  Beating Reggina had been straightforward, and while it was satisfying to outmahe old master, Gao Shen quickly shifted his focus to Napoli's challenge: Udinese in the sed round of Serie A.

  It was the st match before the iional break, and Gao Shen wao end this phase of the season on a high note.

  Udinese, with their ambitions and talent, posed a unique challehe Pozzo family had built a team of cost-effective stars, including Di Natale, Quagliarel, Asamoah, and Zapata, with the aim of peting for European spots.

  After drawing with Inter Min in their opening match, Udinese was looking like a formidable oppo.

  Fao Shen, this was the perfect opportunity. Unlike many Serie A teams, Udinese pyed a more open, attag style, exactly the kind of game Gao Shen relished.

  It was time to sharpen Napoli's bdes and make a statement.