After Napoli's 2-2 draw with Inter Min, the team disbanded in Min.

  Pyers called up to their respective national teams flew directly from Min to their tries or national training camps. Gao Shen, oher hand, took the pyers who weren't selected for iional duty auro Naples.

  Since September, one pyer in particur had beeling with a personal dilemma: Swiss midfielder Ivan Rakitic. Due to his outstanding performa Napoli, he had received offers from both the Swiss and Croatian national teams.

  He was now faced with a critical decision. He had to choose which try to represent and once he made that choice, there would be n back.

  Rakitic had alyed for Switzernd's youth teams, so he was sidered a Swiss pyer. But if he chose to represent Croatia, he would have to ge his national allegiance.

  This decision weighed heavily on Rakitic, even affeg his performances och. He frequently sought advice from Gao Shen, but Gao Shen couldn't offer much help, he had no experieh dual citizenship.

  a didn't reize dual citizenship, so Gao Shen had never faced a dilemma regarding his nationality.

  After over a month of iurmoil, Rakitially made his decision: he chose to represent Croatia, and in October, he received his first call-up to the national team.

  Upon hearing his decision, Gao Shen smiled ruefully to himself.

  As a time traveler, Gao Shen ofte like he could ge many things. But the truth was, he had little trol over major events. The only thing he could truly influence was the small circle around him.

  He gratuted Rakiti his choid sele to the Croatian national team.

  Though it was a shame they hadn't been able to recruit Luka Modric, having a future Modric teammate like Rakitic wasn't a bad sotion.

  One piece of hat delighted Gao Shen was that pyers like Di Maria, Antonio Valencia, Sanchez, and Vidal didn't have any iional itments.

  Di Maria's situation was somewhat unusual due to his age.

  He had just helped Argentina win the U20 World Cup in June and July and participated in the 2008 Olympics with the national team. He even pyed in a friendly iember, but had no matches in October. He wasn't yet called up tentina's senior squad.

  As for Valencia, Sanchez, and Vidal, Ecuador and Chile simply didn't have matches scheduled in October, leaving them free from iional duties.

  This was a huge relief fao Shen.

  With his core pyers avaible, he wasn't afraid of fag Roma or Juventus.

  …

  When Napoli returo Naples from Min, the entire football world in Italy was abuzz.

  The 2-2 draw against Inter Min wasn't the most signifit news in itself. What made headlines was hooli had domihe final half-hour of the game, reversing the momentum against a much stronger oppo.

  Acc to Gazzetta dello Sport, the first 60 minutes were evenly tested. Both teams pyed proactively, with her res to defensive or servative tactiapoli hadn't opted for a safety-first approach despite fag the powerhouse of Inter Min; they boldly chose to fight.

  "This was a daring decision!"

  "Though Napoli was slightly on the back foot during the first hour, they were never passive. They traded blows with Inter Min and created numerous dangerous ces."

  "This really surprised everyone."

  "At the very least, Inter Min failed to establish a signifit advantage."

  Gazzetta dello Sport believed the turning point of the match came with Gao Shen's substitutions.

  "This is another match that Gao Shen's fans will talk about for years to e. Ih minute, he made two game-ging substitutions."

  "Pastore tio influehe game as a midfielder, but the real standout was Ecuadorian winger Antonio Valencia. He fully exploited his speed in his duel with Chivu on the right wing, pletely overwhelming him and wreaking havo Inter Min's left side."

  Napoli's first goal was a showcase of Valencia's speed, while their sed goal highlighted the Ecuadorian's strength on the ter-attad his execution of Gao Shen's tactics.

  "It was uhe immense pressure from Valencia that Chivu made a long-distance passing error."

  But Gazzetta dello Sport emphasized that Napoli's high press in the final third was also a key factor behind Inter Min's sed goal cession.

  Di Maria, i, and Valencia, the three attag pyers on the field at the time, applied intense pressure to forter's defeo making critical errors, allowing Napoli to capitalize.

  "This is not a fluke, but a staple of Napoli's tactics!"

  More importantly, Napoli showed that even ih or 90th mihey still had the stamina to relentlessly press their oppos.

  This wasn't just down to tactics, it was the result of high-iy, stifid advaraining. The secret y in Gao Shen and his coag staff.

  Gazzetta dello Sport drew parallels to Porto's 2004 Champions League win, attributing much of that success to Mourinho's advaraining system. Mourinho had carried that system with him to Chelsea, achieving success there too, though a Champions League title eluded him.

  Now, Gao Shen had brought his advarainihods to Real Madrid and Napoli, ging the ndscape of Italian football.

  " Gao Shen really revolutionize Serie A the way Mourinho transformed the Premier League?" Gazzetta dello Sport pondered.

  …

  Arrigo Sacchi, the legendary Italian coach, wasn't oo miss su important momeher.

  In his n, Sacchi broke dowactiuances of the match, fog especially on Napoli.

  He began by publicly apologizing to Gao Shen, admitting that his pre-matalysis had been far too pessimistic.

  "I never imagined Gao Shen would make such a brave and bold decision. I feel deeply ashamed."

  Sacchi expihat Gao Shen had taken a huge gamble. He had pced his trust in his pyers' abilities and resilience, and it had paid off. Napoli had proven themselves to be a strong, ceous, aermieam.

  "From now on, it's no longer possible to vieoli as a newly-promoted team!"

  "Through this game, Napoli has proven themselves as a top tender in Serie A!"

  Sacchi also noted how much Gao Shen had improved as a tacti since arriving in Italy. Judging from this match, his strategiius was undeniable.

  "Especially his cleverness!"

  Sacchi believed that Gao Shen had po wear down Inter Min from the very start, but he did so by unleashing his full starting lio attack. This likely led Mani to believe that Gao Shen was recklessly going all-in.

  "But who would've guessed that Gao Shen had an ace like Antonio Valencia up his sleeve?"

  Sacchi joked that Napoli's bench was like a treasure trove.

  "Not to mention young talents like Callejon and Parejo from Real Madrid, or the rise of Pastore. It makes everyone wonder just how many hidden gems Gao Shen has on his bench!"

  "As it turns out, ich against Inter Min, Gao Shen pulled out Antonio Valencia."

  Sacchi expressed his admiration for Valencia, praising his tactical awareness, teical skill, and blistering speed. He was an incredibly capable winger.

  "I truly don't uand why such a talented pyer was overlooked for so long," Sacchi said, raising a question for many in the football world.

  Gao Shen had practically picked up Valencia for free.

  Sacchi went on to highlight hoeople in the industry had uimated Napoli's depth and overall strength.

  The key, Sacoted, was that every pyer Gao Shen brought in had a specific role to py.

  For example, Parejo excelled at passing, Pastore was an excellent ball-carrier, and Valencia was lightning-fast.

  At the end of his n, Sacchi humorously admitted that he was eagerly looking forward to seeing which young talents Napoli would bring i, adding that Napoli's transfer moves had bee a source of fasation for him.

  …

  While the football world buzzed with excitement, analyzing Napoli's draw with Inter Min and studying Gao Shen's tactics, the atmosphere at Castel Volturno remained business as usual.

  All the pyers who weren't away on iional duty showed up for training the day after the match.

  It was a recovery session, ae the draw, Gao Shen maintained a stern, dissatisfied expression. His demeanor clearly signaled his displeasure, and the pyers could feel it. The atmosphere during training was noticeably tense.

  As usual, the team was given a day off after the m recovery session.

  Gao Shen reminded his pyers that even on their day off, they o maintain discipline, as Napoli's wo fixtures were going to be brutal.

  Whether fag Roma or Juventus, both matches were key to Napoli's pursuit of a higher league position.

  In other words, Napoli o grab crucial points in these upio-head battles if they wao climb the standings.

  The pyers could sense Gao Shen's ambition, and no one dared to sck off.

  These wo matches would be pletely different from the csh with Inter Min. In both games, Gao Shen would be going all out for three points, even when pying away to Roma.

  There would be no tolerance for anyone who disrupted Napoli's overall strategy.

  After dismissing the pyers for their day off, Gao Shen and his coag staff remai Castel Volturno, fog on analyzing Roma and preparing for the match.

  U season, Roma had signifitly strengtheheir squad this year. Both their starting lineup and bench depth had improved, making the challenge Napoli faced even more daunting.

  But the Red Wolves were not invincible.