Bab 273: Chapter 273: The Greatest Defensive Formation of All Time
As the international players headed off for their national team duties, Gao Shen and his coaching staff couldn't help but feel anxious, their hearts seemingly traveling with the players.
The fear of injury was palpable.
Napoli was in great form at the moment, but international breaks were already disruptive enough without the added risk of players returning injured. Gao Shen and Lucas were constantly monitoring updates from their international players' training and matches.
It wasn't that Gao Shen didn't trust the national teams' coaches or medical staff, it's that he couldn't trust them at all.
It wasn't just national teams. Many mid- to lower-tier club team doctors were equally unreliable. Even in the early days, the medical teams at football giants like Real Madrid and Barcelona were notoriously inconsistent.
There had been numerous instances where the media exposed their mishandling of injuries.
How could Gao Shen entrust his players to such people?
But unfortunately, there was no way to refuse a national team call-up.
Gao Shen now understood a very parental feeling—"worrying when they leave, fearing they return injured."
Each of his players was a treasure, someone he had invested heavily in, and they all had potential he was counting on. How could he not be worried?
…
While anxiously awaiting the return of the international players, the annual Italian Professional Coaching Summit was held in Rome.
Compared to UEFA's coaching summit, the Italian version was relatively low-key.
Despite featuring some high-profile managers, the event didn't receive much publicity.
Although Gao Shen had time, he decided not to attend. Still, he was kept well-informed about what was happening at the summit.
He had two sources of inside information. One was Arrigo Sacchi.
After Napoli's 5-0 demolition of Udinese and their rise to the top of the Serie A standings, Sacchi had written a series of columns over three consecutive days, all focused on Napoli and Gao Shen's tactical innovations.
Just for the sheer dedication Sacchi displayed in writing so much, his title of *Il Primo Corno del Cielo* "the first trumpet of the heavens" was firmly cemented.
Sacchi joked that if his editor hadn't called and asked him to change the subject, he would have kept writing about Napoli for a whole week. Gao Shen couldn't help but tease the legendary coach.
"I think you should be called *the first water monster of the heavens* you're so good at watering down your points!"
But Sacchi argued that there was a lot to explain about Napoli's tactics, and explaining it thoroughly might indeed feel drawn out.
"Otherwise, how will people fully understand your tactical ideas?"
"Sure, but then what?" Gao Shen challenged.
"They'll find inspiration, whether they agree with you or not. Whether they want to learn from you or destroy your tactics, they'll at least evolve their thinking."
Gao Shen had to admit Sacchi had a point.
But he believed it would be difficult for Serie A to change much in the short term. There simply wasn't enough talent to sustain such a shift.
Youth training in Italy had withered, and strict foreign player restrictions had caused the overall quality of Serie A to decline.
Inter Milan, despite being one of the top clubs, was being held back by one significant weak link: Roberto Mancini.
Sacchi, sensing something, asked cautiously, "Are you eyeing Inter Milan by any chance?"
He always suspected Gao Shen wasn't the type to stay at a club like Napoli for too long.
Moreover, while De Laurentiis was keeping a low profile for now, Sacchi knew that over time, the Napoli president might start flexing his authority.
"I think this team could win the Champions League if they hired a good coach and strengthened two or three key positions," Gao Shen said with a light smile, radiating confidence about Inter Milan's potential.
Sacchi agreed.
AC Milan's Champions League victory last season was somewhat surprising, to say the least.
To be more precise, it was a triumph of Ancelotti's Christmas tree formation, the creative influence of Pirlo, and Kaka's breakout performances. Without Kaka's explosive form, AC Milan would never have won that title.
Sometimes, winning the Champions League wasn't just about strength. At most, sheer ability could get you to the quarter-finals or semi-finals. But beyond that, you needed a touch of luck.
Of course, it could also be argued that luck tended to favor those who were well-prepared.
…
Ancelotti, on the other hand, didn't just call Gao Shen, he showed up in Naples unannounced.
The rotund coach proudly informed Gao Shen that he had come specifically to give Gao Shen the honor of treating him to a meal.
"You should feel lucky to have the chance to buy dinner for the Champions League-winning coach!" Ancelotti boasted.
Hearing this, Gao Shen wondered if Ancelotti had lost his mind.
"Do you believe I'll have someone beat you up and send you back to Milan?" Gao Shen jokingly threatened.
Ancelotti roared with laughter. "That'd be great! You'd even save me the cost of the return flight."
During dinner, Ancelotti filled Gao Shen in on Renzo Ulivieri's speech at the summit.
It was long-winded and full of theoretical jargon that sounded impressive but offered little in practical terms.
For example, Ulivieri argued that to avoid Napoli's high press, teams needed to move the ball faster.
Who didn't already know that?
But the real question was: how do you do that?
Italy's best ball-playing center-backs were all at Napoli: Bonucci, David Luiz, and even Paolo Cannavaro.
Now, you could understand the first two being good with the ball at their feet, but Cannavaro? When had he become such a ball-playing defender?
He certainly hadn't shown this kind of potential when he was at Parma.
So, the question became: had Gao Shen's system and tactics brought out the players' hidden potential, or were these players naturally gifted in this area, and Gao Shen had just recognized it?
It was difficult to say, but in Cannavaro's case, it seemed to be more of the former.
This led to another question: if all the best passing center-backs were at Napoli, what should other teams do?
Develop their own? That would take years.
Buy them?
Even if these players were poached, could they still perform like they do at Napoli?
Because Gao Shen hadn't attended the summit, the discussions there were more candid, with some coaches even criticizing his tactics outright. They argued that his style of play was reckless and overly destructive, representing a step backward for football.
But the majority of attendees agreed that Napoli's football was worth studying, even if it was hard to replicate.
Since last season, Napoli had consistently led the running stats in Italian football. This season, after their promotion to Serie A, they were running even more. How could other teams keep up?
Napoli had the youngest squad in both Serie A and, arguably, all of Europe's top leagues. They covered the most distance on the field. This was something other teams simply couldn't imitate.
"Ultimately, they came to a consensus," Ancelotti said with a grin. "If they can't copy you, they'll try to figure out how to stop you."
Gao Shen chuckled. "So, did they come up with any solutions?"
Ancelotti gave him a sideways glance. "Do you really think I'd tell you if they did?"
Gao Shen smirked but remained silent.
Ancelotti was clearly teasing him. But in truth, the summit wasn't likely to produce any groundbreaking tactical plans.
In the end, one tactic would always remain: park the bus. It had been the greatest defensive formation throughout history, and it was never going out of style.
…
After being coerced into treating Ancelotti to a meal, Gao Shen returned to his rather dull life as the coach left behind during the international break.
Every day, updates about Napoli's players on international duty came in, how they were training, how they were performing in games. All the information was detailed and clear, keeping Gao Shen well-informed about his squad's condition.
To his surprise, Paolo Cannavaro didn't play in Italy's two European Championship qualifiers, so the dream of the Cannavaro brothers playing side by side would have to wait.
But with Materazzi returning from injury and Napoli's young center-back duo, Bonucci and David Luiz, continuing to shine, Cannavaro's place at Napoli was becoming increasingly uncertain.
No one could predict what the future held.
What Gao Shen didn't expect, however, was bad news from Argentina. After playing a friendly in Australia, Napoli midfielder Lucas Biglia picked up a calf injury during Argentina's second friendly against Mexico. He was substituted midway through the game for Fernando Gago.
After the match, the Argentine team doctor informed Napoli that Biglia had suffered a calf muscle strain, with an initial estimate of a one-month recovery period.
When Gao Shen received this news at Napoli's training ground in Castel Volturno, he was furious.
Biglia was a crucial player for Napoli.
Rakitic was still young, and Vidal and Nainggolan couldn't fully replace Biglia's defensive capabilities or his organization in midfield. Parejo and Pastore were also too inexperienced. Under these circumstances, Biglia's steady performances were essential.
And now, with him injured, what was Gao Shen supposed to do?
"I just don't understand those idiots!" Gao Shen ranted. "A friendly in Australia? Then another one back in Argentina? If you're preparing for Copa America qualifiers, wouldn't it make more sense to play just the second game?"
Gao Shen was livid, almost boiling over with frustration.
In reality, everyone knew why Argentina had played the first match, Australia had paid them to play.
And now, thanks to that unnecessary match, one of Napoli's key players was injured. How was Napoli supposed to cope?
"The first match was for money! What a waste," Gao Shen muttered angrily. "And now they've cost us Biglia! How are we supposed to manage without him?"
His next concern was immediate. The third-round match against Sampdoria wasn't too troubling because Gao Shen had already planned to rest his international players, particularly the South Americans. But what about the games following that? There would be three matches in one week, culminating in the crucial away match against Inter Milan in the seventh round of Serie A.
That was the match Gao Shen had been targeting for a long time, the match where he planned to exact revenge for last season's humiliating 0-3 loss in the Coppa Italia semi-final.
And now, Biglia was out of the picture.
"Get Biglia back here right away," Gao Shen ordered, his frustration still simmering. "I want to know as soon as possible if he'll be fit enough to face Inter Milan!"
After giving the instructions, Gao Shen couldn't help but curse the Argentine Football Association under his breath.
The upcoming match against Inter Milan was the one he had been strategizing for all along.
PERTIMBANGAN PENCIPTA 
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