บท 280: Chapter 280: Play Off

After Napoli's 2-1 comeback against Inter Milan, their momentum surged to its peak.

On the field, every Napoli player gave it their all, relentlessly pressing and attacking Inter Milan, which put tremendous pressure on the opposition.

One statistic perfectly illustrated the situation on the field:

From the 80th minute onward, Napoli managed a shot every two minutes.

This meant that Inter Milan's defense had completely collapsed, and nothing they did could stop it.

In the end, Mancini had to make a desperate substitution, bringing on Cruz in place of Burdisso.

Yes, he continued to bolster his defense.

Clearly, Mancini was deeply concerned that his team couldn't hold on any longer.

And his concerns weren't entirely unfounded. Even after Inter's substitution, the situation remained precarious. Inter's goal was constantly under siege, and Napoli's players only grew stronger, pushing even harder.

Especially after Gao Shen replaced Di Maria with Callejon, reinforcing Napoli's attack. The team showed a fierce determination and fighting spirit, determined not to look back until they scored another goal.

But no one could have expected that just when Napoli's morale was at its highest, a fatal mistake occurred in the 91st minute.

David Luiz, perhaps overcome by the heat of the moment, made an ill-fated decision after receiving a back pass from a teammate. He chose to dribble the ball forward.

Under normal circumstances, this wouldn't have been an issue. Luiz had good footwork and technique, so dribbling forward wasn't out of the ordinary.

But this time was different.

As Stankovic closed in on him, Luiz didn't pass the ball, attempting instead to beat Stankovic on the dribble.

He managed to get past the man, but Stankovic won the ball.

After intercepting the ball, Stankovic quickly sent a pass forward to Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

The Swedish striker, who had been quiet all game, used his strength to shove Bonucci aside after receiving the ball, sprinted into Napoli's penalty area, and when faced with the advancing Handanovic, he calmly slotted the ball into the net.

A thunderous roar erupted from the entire Meazza Stadium!

The crowd was chanting Ibrahimovic's name.

2-2!

Inter Milan had equalized!

…

Gao Shen was stunned.

Victory had been within his grasp, and now it had vanished like a mirage!

"Is his brain broken?" Gao Shen shouted in disbelief, completely enraged.

There was nothing he could do about such a mistake.

Unless he chose not to play Luiz at all.

Not only Gao Shen, but the entire Napoli coaching staff and all the players on the pitch were dumbfounded.

Even David Luiz stood frozen, not knowing how to react.

The head coach had spent a week carefully preparing; more than a dozen players had given their all on the field, and everything had been going perfectly. Thousands of Napoli fans were glued to their televisions back home…

And it had all fallen apart because of one mistake!

"He… is he out of his mind?" Lucas muttered with a bitter smile.

Lucas had a close relationship with David Luiz, but even he couldn't excuse such a blunder.

It was such a basic error!

You're a central defender. Sure, under normal circumstances, you can dribble, pass, and even join the attack if the team needs it. But how could you make such a reckless play in such a critical moment?

Trying to beat an opponent one-on-one?

Why not just fly to heaven?

Lucas glanced over at Gao Shen, only to see him too furious to speak.

Lucas wanted to say something in defense of Luiz, but the words wouldn't come.

That idiot had messed up big time!

…

As the cheers of Inter Milan's fans echoed through the stadium, Napoli's players quietly slunk off the field.

They all hung their heads, looking as if they had just lost a final.

In stark contrast, the fans in the San Siro stands were overjoyed, and Inter's players seemed to have regained their spirits.

This was the difference in expectations.

Before the game, if anyone had suggested that Inter Milan would be thrilled with a draw against Napoli, they would have been ridiculed and torn apart by the media. Back then, their only thought was to win, perhaps even to win comfortably.

But now, they were genuinely elated to maintain their unbeaten home record.

Especially after being down 1-2, securing an equalizer felt like a victory.

Napoli, on the other hand, felt like a team that had lost everything.

…

Gao Shen stormed into the locker room, his entrance so sudden that it startled everyone inside. The players felt a sense of dread settle over them.

They had never seen Gao Shen like this before.

For a long time, to the Napoli players, Gao Shen had always been kind and calm. Sure, he had disciplined players before, but never in a way that made him look like he wanted to tear someone apart.

Without acknowledging anyone else, Gao Shen's gaze locked onto David Luiz.

The Brazilian's unmistakable hairstyle made him impossible to miss.

"Tell me, David, why?" Gao Shen asked in a low, menacing voice.

David Luiz looked at his coach, eyes filled with guilt and regret.

He had no idea what to say.

But Gao Shen wasn't going to let him off the hook.

"We have a whole team of people who have worked tirelessly for this moment. From last season to now, we spent an entire week preparing for this match. All the players gave their best on the pitch. And now, because of one mistake, you've ruined it all. Tell me, why?"

By the end of his words, Gao Shen was nearly shouting.

The entire locker room was deathly silent. No one even dared to breathe too loudly.

Everyone stared at their coach, who was visibly furious. They couldn't help but remember what Lucas had once told them: when Gao Shen coached Real Madrid, he had trained Zidane and Ronaldo so harshly that even they had been afraid to look him in the eye.

At the time, no one in Napoli had believed it, but now, they were seeing it with their own eyes.

The kinder a person is normally, the more terrifying they become when they finally snap.

David Luiz was racked with guilt. It was written all over his face. Several times, he opened his mouth to say something, but each time, the words wouldn't come out.

In the end, all he could manage was, "I'm sorry, boss."

"Don't apologize to me! Don't say sorry! If 'sorry' fixed things, we'd be fine right now! But it doesn't, and you keep making the same mistake over and over again!"

"I'm warning you, David, my patience is running thin. If you think we can't do this without you, or if you don't make the effort to change, then I'm sorry, but neither I nor Napoli needs a player like that!"

With that, Gao Shen stormed out of the locker room, leaving everyone behind in stunned silence.

Especially David Luiz.

He had made mistakes before, but this was the first time Gao Shen had ever berated him so harshly—and in front of the entire team, no less.

He was terrified!

All the players were scared!

They all knew how badly Gao Shen had wanted to beat Inter Milan, so they could imagine how disappointed, angry, and frustrated he must have been. But none of them had expected him to speak so harshly.

…

Even the coaching staff, Carlo and Lucas were puzzled.

"Didn't you just say that a draw wasn't so bad?" Lucas asked in disbelief.

After watching Gao Shen's outburst in the locker room, it was like seeing a completely different person. He had scolded David Luiz like a tyrant. Even the coaching staff had been taken aback by how fierce he was.

"Yeah, a draw isn't bad," Gao Shen replied calmly. "But David Luiz needed to be scolded."

"You're not actually mad?" Carlo asked, surprised.

Gao Shen smirked, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly. "A bit of good acting, huh?"

"You deserve an Oscar!" Lucas quipped, still shaken by the display.

"David Luiz has all the attributes of a top center-back: the body, speed, flexibility, technique, even passing and vision. He's got huge potential, but if he doesn't fix some of his bad habits, he's going to be very limited in what he can achieve."

Carlo, Lucas, and the others fell into quiet reflection.

They understood.

The more Gao Shen scolded David Luiz, the more it showed he believed in the player and had high expectations for him.

"But you really scared him," Lucas said with a wry smile.

Gao Shen nodded. "Good. He needs to be scared, so he can reflect on this. These kinds of issues can only be fixed if he realizes them himself and makes the effort to change. Otherwise…"

A head coach isn't omnipotent.

Not every player with potential will flourish under a coach known for developing talent.

There are many complex factors involved.

That's why youth development is such a high-risk area, and nurturing young players can be fraught with challenges. Clubs like Real Madrid, Inter Milan, and Barcelona prefer to spend big on mature or nearly mature players.

Even if it costs them a fortune, they don't mind.

Take Kaka, for instance. Did Real Madrid not rate him back then?

Of course, they did.

The problem was that Kaka was too young at the time, and they weren't sure if he'd adapt to European football. So they hesitated to buy him at a low price, allowing him to go elsewhere and prove himself. As he performed better, Real Madrid became more willing to spend big on him.

This is how Florentino's Real Madrid operated.

It's also why AC Milan preferred to bring in veteran players rather than spending big on young, unproven talent.

But Gao Shen truly hoped that David Luiz could change.

"Remember, let him figure it out himself. None of you are allowed to say a word about this," Gao Shen instructed seriously.

Carlo, Lucas, and the others nodded in agreement.

"Where are you going?" Lucas blurted out as he saw Gao Shen walking away.

Gao Shen stopped, turned around, and smiled. "I'm heading to the press conference. Want to go for me?"

Lucas frantically shook his head. Just the thought of facing the media reminded him of the press conference chaos back at Real Madrid.

"Not a chance! That's not a job for humans!"

"Be careful," Carlo warned. "They're all waiting for you out there."

Gao Shen nodded, his expression resolute. "My player, I'll scold behind closed doors. I can tear him apart if I need to. But to the outside world… humph…"

With that, Gao Shen strode off.

Carlo, Lucas, and the others exchanged glances and chuckled.

Gao Shen was fiercely protective of his own.