Before the game against Udinese, Gao Shen ran into Marino and, with a mischievous tone, asked him a rather eous question: "Are you reted to Pasquale Marino?"

  Napoli's general manager narrowed his eyes and respohrough gritted teeth, "For the st time, I have ion to Pasquale Marino. We are not ected in any way!"

  "He was born in Marsa, a port city in Sicily. I'm from Avelli of hey're two pletely different pces!"

  Gao Shen stifled his ughter and, with a teasing expression, nodded knowingly. "Alright, that puts me at ease."

  Then, with a sly wave, he turned and said, "No more talking. I'm off to sharpen my knives!"

  He left Marino standing there, bewildered.

  What did that mean? Sharpening knives?

  Still fused, Marino sighed. It was frustrating enough having the same st name as Udinese's head coach, Pasquale Marino, and having previously been Udinese's sp director, where he had built a stroionship with the club. It made the situation a little awkward.

  But few people knew, or had fotten something important.

  Marino had an even closer e to Napoli.

  This was his sed stint as Napoli's general manager.

  The first time was when he was thirty years old.

  That summer, he helped Napoli sign a superstar from Bara: Diego Maradona.

  For the hree years, he was Napoli's general manager, guiding the team to their first Serie A title before moving on.

  Do you know who repced him?

  Luoggi!

  When Marino had earlier said that his sole duty was tao Shen and the team, it wasn't just lip serviapoli didn't dominate Serie B st season by sheer luck or "special treatment"they ear through hard work.

  "That kid Gao Shen still has a lot to learn!" Marino muttered to himself, watg Gao Shen walk away. He adjusted his gsses with a smirk.

  If he really was as useless as some people thought, would De Laurentiis have worked so hard t him back to Naples?

  A pushover? That's only because the boss aying a lot. Of course, I'll e!

  Strictly trolled by his wife? Nonsense! I… I respect her! Yes, respect!

  Marino snorted arrogantly and turo leave.

  But after taking a few steps, something clicked in his mind.

  Sharpening knives?

  Hmm, iing.

  ...

  Pasquale Marino is a coach who's worked his from the bottom.

  His coag career started in Italy's fourth tier, Serie C2, with the team Foggia.

  Ironically, Marino admired Lazio's winger, Pasquale Foggia, whom Udinese had borrowed for the season, and their first enter had left a great impression on him.

  Pasquale Foggia sharing the same first name as Marino and coag Foggia itself? It almost felt like destiny.

  He managed Foggia for two seasons. In the first, he promoted them from C2 to C1. In the sed, he almost succeeded in another promotion, but despite falling short, his outstanding performance caught the attention of Arezzo, who had just been promoted to Serie B.

  He spent one season at Arezzo, guiding the newly promoted side to a 13th-pce finish in Serie B and ensuring they avoided relegation.

  Then he moved to ia, a team aiming for promotion to Serie A.

  As it turned out, that was a wise move. In just one season, he led ia to Serie A and secured a respectable 13th-pce finish st season.

  That success led to his leap to Udinese, a team with bigger ambitions.

  At 45, Marino was entering the prime of his coag career, and he was seen as one of Italy's brightest young coag talents. Many mid-to-lower-tier Serie A teams had tried to hire him this summer.

  In the end, he chose Udinese, hoping to elevate the club to new heights.

  Young and full of energy, Marino was especially fident after his team drew away to Inter Min in the first round, followed by a 3-0 win in the cup.

  Returning home to faapoli and their coach Gao Shen, who had just won La Liga and the Champions League, Marino khis was the perfect opportunity.

  After all, Sacchi had predicted that Gao Shen would revolutioalian football. Gao Shen had already bee something of a publiemy in Italy...

  And what better target to beat than someone like that?

  He wao show Gao Shen what Italian football was really about.

  If Mani could use a 4-4-2 to beat him, then Pasquale Marino would defeat him using the most advaacti the game.

  At home, Udinese lined up in a 4-3-3—the most popur formation in European football at the time!

  ...

  Referee Andrea Guervasoni stood at the ter of the pitch, whistle in hand, gng at Udinese on his left and Napoli on his right. After firming that both teams were ready, he checked his watch.

  2:00 PM sharp!

  Guervasoni blew his whistle to start the game.

  "Ladies alemen, wele to the sed round of the 2007-08 Serie A season. Today, Udinese hosts Napoli in romises to be one of the most exg matches of the weekend."

  "Ierday's games, Inter defeated Empoli 2-0, with Ibrahimovi? sg twice."

  "Juventus led twice away to Cagliari, only to be equalized twice, but eventually won 3-2, with Foggia sg two goals."

  "Roma also secured a 3-0 victory over Siena at home."

  "The top teams have tiheir strong performances from the first round. Now we'll see if Napoli, who currently sit fourth after the opening round, maintain their momentum."

  "Napoli have started aggressively, pressing high from the very beginning, which is their signature opening strategy, and the tempo is already very fast."

  "Let's see if Udinese withstand this whirlwind of an attack."

  ...

  Both teams were clearly well-prepared for the match.

  Udinese lined up with a front three of Flores, Quagliarel, and Di Natale, showing Marino's i. He wanted a win at home.

  Udinese's strategy focused on a solid defensive terattack, and Marino was fident in his team's defensive abilities, especially after holding Io a draw in the first round.

  Moreover, he had the reliable midfielder Io anchor his team.

  However, the high-iy pressure applied by Napht from the start was overwhelming for Udinese.

  Despite their preparations, they weren't ready.

  Ih minute, Napoli crafted a slick attag move on the right.

  Sanchez drove the ball to the byli was intercepted by Udinese's left-back. He quickly stopped, shielding the ball, and passed it back to Lichtsteiner, who was making a run from deep. Lichtsteiner surged into the penalty area at full speed.

  He took a touch, adjusted, and whipped in a cross to the edge of the six-yard box, aiming for i.

  The Uruguayan striker rose high, met the ball with a powerful header, but it arried by goalkeeper Antonio Chimenti.

  The rebouo Sanchez, who had sprinted into position on the right side of the goal. The Chilean winger lined up a direct shot.

  It should have been a guaranteed goal, he was unmarked, the keeper was out of position, and the right side of the goal was wide open. All Sanchez o do ce his shot.

  But shogly, Sanchez mishit the ball, sending it high over the crossbar.

  Everyone was stunned!

  Sanchez dropped to the ground, clutg his head in disbelief, as though the sky had just fallen on him.

  What a missed opportunity!

  ...

  "No worries, no worries!"

  On the sideline, Gao Shen cpped his hands eically after the missed ce, trying to lift the team's spirits.

  "Keep it up! Stay sharp! The game's only just begun!"

  While Gao Shen was encing his pyers, across the pitch, Udinese's coach Marino was already making tactical adjustments, pointing out his team's defensive pses.

  His main was that his pyers were sitting too deep.

  He had uimated Napoli's intense pressing and quick transitions.

  Marino instructed his pyers to move the ball forward quickly when transitioning from defeo attack, fog on making their terattacks more dangerous rather thaing bogged down in their own half.

  After finishing his instrus, Marino adjusted his suit and exhaled deeply, just as he caught a gnce of Gao Shen across the pitch.

  The two coaches exged polite smiles, but Marino's smile quickly faded. He turned aretending not to have seen Gao Shen, and focused ba the game.

  He realized he might have uimated his oppo.

  ...

  her team ying servatively, and the pace of the game remained quick, with both sides attag and ter-attag in turn.

  Whenever Udinese regained possession, they tried to transition quickly through the midfield ahe ball to their forwards, but Napoli's pressing and anized pressure made it difficult for Udio execute their game pn.

  Ih minute, after an interception on the left during a Napoli attack, Udinese unched a ter.

  Inler pyed a sharp pass to Di Natale on the right.

  As Di Natale prepared to accelerate, a t figure surged in front of him, casting a long shadow and bringing immediate pressure.

  Standing at just 1.7 meters tall, Di Natale was dwarfed by the 1.9-meter David Luiz, whose wild, curly hair made the situation even more daunting.

  Di Natale was taken aback.

  What was Napoli's ter back doing this far up the pitch?

  More importantly, David Luiz wasted no time. He closed in, used his body to shield Di Natale, and easily dispossessed him.

  After winning the ball, David Luiz didn't hesitate. He pushed forward himself, advang past the midfield while giving the impression that he was going to pass to Biglia.

  But just as everyone expected a pass, David Luiz spotted an opportunity upfield and unched a long ball instead.

  The ball soared over the halfway line, arg perfectly into Udinese's penalty area.

  i and Zapata were both charging forward, battling for position. As the ball desded, i positioned himself brilliantly. He jumped slightly, nodding the ball down to the midfield and keeping Zapata behind him.

  He erfectly positioo receive the ball...