After meeting with the two top bosses in Naples, Gao Shen bought two bottles of wine iy, called Fernando Lucas, and took a taxi straight to the hotel to pick up Lucas. Together, they went to Carlo's house.

  Carlo was treating them to dionight.

  The three of them sat at Carlo's house, enjoying the meal that Mrs. Carlo had prepared. Lucas drank some wih Carlo.

  On his trip back to a this time, Gao Shen had specially prepared gifts for Carlo, Lucas, and others. One of these gifts was tea.

  After the meal, Carlo opened Gao Shen's gift and served them tea.

  The air ditioner in the living room was blowing cold air, and as the hot water oured, a light mist filled the room, and the aroma of the tea spread throughout.

  "Iernoon, I met again with Napoli's chairman, De Laurentiis, and their teical direarino," Gao Shen said casually.

  Carlo and Lucas were already aware of this, so they weren't surprised.

  "What did they say?" Carlo asked.

  He had always known that Gao Shen was much more in demand than he was.

  At least, so far, no one had approached him for a coag position.

  It made him a bit anxious; being unemployed like this was not a good situation.

  Gao Shen talked about Juventus, and both Carlo and Lucas frowned.

  When it es to coag a team, the most feared thing for a head coach is being undermined by ma.

  The ma of Juventus is indeed a tricky situation, even a minefield.

  Particurly, Alessio Secco, the sp director, has trol over transfers, which isn't an issue in itself, but there's a fear he might mess up the signings or fail to cooperate with the head coach's pns.

  Therefore, when Gao Shen said he was not seriously sidering Juventus, both Carlo and Lucas agreed.

  "What about Napoli?" Lucas asked with .

  Carlo also frowned. "This team is even worse than Juventus a newly promoted club from Serie B with a weak foundation. You could say they're starting from scratch. More importantly, is this chairman trustworthy? Is he really willing to i?"

  For a team like Napoli, it's essentially a brand-new club. It's only been around for two years and has been struggling in the lower leagues. Having finally been promoted to Serie B, the most crucial task is to y a solid foundation.

  But since De Laurentiis didn't use the current coach Reja and wao ect with someo a higher level, he is obviously an ambitious person.

  Such people have ambitions, but the worry is whether they are all talk and no substance.

  "You don't have to worry about that. From what I've seen of De Laurentiis, he has a clear vision for Napoli. He's not the type of local ty who just throws money around; he will be careful with his spending, but the iment won't be small, especially in the early stages."

  After a pause, Gao Shen carefully chose his words, "I think he just wants to i in a team that reach the top three in Serie A, or even win the championship. That's certain."

  "As for Napoli starting from scratch, that's not necessarily a bad thing for me. A bnk vas is easier to paint on."

  Lucas kept nodding. He had an almost blind fiden Gao Shen's abilities.

  On the trary, Carlo, who was more cautious by nature, felt that Gao Shen might be overestimating himself.

  Napoli doesn't have much moo burn, so they would only be able t in younger pyers, which is akin to buying a lottery ticket.

  Where does Gao Shen's fidene from?

  Not only Carlo but even Sacchi and Valdano were puzzled about this. They had asked Gao Shen several times, but he had always been vague, leading them to secretly specute if there was some hidde.

  Or, as Secco of Juventus suggested, was Gao Shen just being from Real Madrid's youth system?

  "So, you're leaning towards Napoli?" Carlo asked.

  Gao Shen smiled. "From the current perspective, they've offered me the most authority. First, they went to a, and now they've e to Madrid. Their siy is clear, but I'm still thinking it over, and they're also sidering some of the ditions I've proposed."

  To secure Gao Shen, De Laurentiis and Marino even stayed in Madrid, and it was expected that the oute would be clear in two or three days.

  "I get it. You still have some rese in your heart and want to teach Secco of Juventus a lessht?" Lucas, who knew Gao Shen well, asked. He didn't believe that Gao Shen would just let this slide.

  Gao Shen smiled but didn't deny it. "That's part of it."

  Carlo looked at the two young men in front of him, talking so lightly and freely about coag a team. He was at a loss for words. Should he say they were too carefree? Or were they just young and naive?

  "What if De Laurentiis backs out or doesn't fulfill his promises?" ihem.

  Gao Shen nodded. "That's why the tract will be signed on a yearly basis, and I want every dition clearly outlined in the tract. For now, I hold the initiative."

  It was clear that De Laurentiis was feeling more urgency because of Juventus.

  Gao Shen is no longer a rookie; he's a double champion coach of La Liga and the Champions League!

  After all, among the current head coaches in European football, how many are Champions League winners?

  "To be ho, I 't imagine a head coach like you, who's won La Liga and the Champions League, going to coach a newly promoted Serie B team. If this news breaks, won't it shock all the media? They'll definitely say you couldn't tinue iop leagues, so you moved to a newly promoted Serie B team. You'll be the best double champion coach ever," Lucas said wryly.

  He had bee increasingly adept at uanding the routines of the media reporters.

  And ihat's probably how it would go.

  Gao Shen and Carlo looked at each other and ughed in unison.

  "That's okay. If they dare to say that, I'll prove them wrong again!" Gao Shen said fidently.

  At this point, even Carlo was impressed by Gao Shen's calm fidence.

  Ever since being Real Madrid's head coach, Gao Shen seemed to have undergoransformation always so fident and posed.

  It was as if nothing in this world could ever defeat him.

  "By the way, what ditions did you put forward to De Laurentiis?" Lucas asked casually.

  "A lot. One of them is that I want t in a core coag team of five people."

  "Five?"

  Lucas wasn't the only one surprised; Carlo was also taken aback. That's quite a rge number!

  You know, even some famous coaches usually bring only three people. And now Gao Shen wa in two more, which would certainly increase the cost in terms of saries and bonuses.

  But Gao Shen had his own siderations.

  For now, it's manageable, but in the ing years, the petition faced by head coaches will only beore intense, and tactid teiques will evolve rapidly. If you 't keep up, you'll be eliminated immediately.

  The ability of a head coach alone is actually quite limited, so there o be a team with a clear division of bor and cooperation.

  When Guardio was coag Bara, ??the coag staff of the first team reached more than 30 people a huge number. Later, when Rosell became the president of Bara, ??he pined about it quite a bit and cut back signifitly.

  This was around 2010, only about four years from now.

  So, Gao Shen was also pnning ahead, aiming to get everythi up in one go.

  "I've thought it through. Lorenzo Bueura will tio be the fitness coach, Fernando will be the analyst, and I also need an assistant coach who specializes in leading the team, a goalkeeping coach, and aeical coach."

  Gao Shen had been pnning this for a long time, and it was actually necessary.

  Needless to say, the fitness coach, analyst, and assistant coach are essential. The reason for the goalkeeping coach is that Gao Shen intends to implement high-pressing tactics, where the goalkeeper's position would be higher than usual, almost c the entire penalty area.

  Here's the problem: most current goalkeeping coaches 't do that.

  Goalkeeper coaches from the hernds and Spain align more with these advanced requirements because they both draw from the same source Van Gaal's goalkeeper coach Frans Hoek.

  This coapletely revolutiohe training meism foalkeepers in Spanish football, so over the years, Spanish goalkeepers have rgely met the needs of high pressing tactics.

  Ball trol is very on in La Liga, but the problem is that this is a signifit trend.

  In the ing years, world football will tio ie ball trol, and all teams will emphasize possession. This is a dire that will be pursued.

  trolling possession requires three things: overall strategy, off-ball movement, and foot teique.

  For pyers iop leagues, the tter two are not an issue; the key is training.

  Passing with the foot is not difficult the key is training.

  Running off the ball is not difficult the key is training.

  The level and quality of training are the keys that determieam's effectiveness.

  Gao Shen could say with fidehat iure, the division of bor among a team's coag staff will beore and more detailed, and coag teams will grer and rger.

  Is it necessary to poach those future big names?

  No need just like with Lucas.

  Gao Shen had never heard of his name in his previous life, but after leading Real Madrid to win the double, Fernando Lucas, as an analyst, also gained fame and was regarded as the top expert in football analysis.

  Top coaches have their own fixed teams because these people are trained by the head coach. Gao Shen is now looking for and cultivating his own team. Fernando Lucas and Lorenzo Bueura have already been recruited, and he pns to make Carlo an assistant coach, but hasn't mentio to Carlo yet. The real problem is finding a goalkeeping coad teical coach.

  "What do you think of Pedro Haro, Real Madrid's first-team goalkeeping coach?" Lucas suggested. "He's 43 years old, from Madrid, and pyed for Real Madrid and Atletiadrid in his career.

  After retiring, he worked as a goalkeeper coach at Atletiadrid and then for the Spanish U21 youth team for two years before joining Real Madrid in 2005." It would be a pleasure to work with Gao Shen, mainly because Pedro Haro trained Casils, and there's no flict with Gao Shen.

  "This suggestion is good, Pedro Haro is very strong," Carlo agreed.

  But Gao Shen shook his head.