Ranieri was in a bad mood.

  Inter Min had made a dramatieback to beat Parma 3-2, Roma defeated ia 2-0, and Napoli had beaten Lazio 2-0...

  Meanwhile, his Juventus could only manage a 0-0 draw against Sampdoria.

  And it was at home.

  Ranieri felt deeply frustrated by the match.

  Twenty-one shots, only four on target—what more could he say with such poor efficy?

  By parison, in Napoli's match against Lazio, they mao hit the target with 13 of their 22 shots, clearly far more effit than Juventus.

  This parison seemed reasonable on the surface, but Ranieri k wasirely fair.

  Why?

  Ranieri expi the post-match press ference, asking whether Juventus' shooting ces were truly good opportunities or simply forced shots.

  If Napoli created better shooting opportunities while Juventus took more desperate shots, then it wasn't just about efficy, it was about the team's ability to create quality ces.

  But then, the media flipped the narrative, acg his team of g creativity.

  Even Turin Sports Daily criticized him, g that he relied too heavily on physical strength, disregarding teique and creativity. They said his tactics for Juventus were unbanced between offense and defense, and that his style of py was overly simple and cked variety...

  Ranieri felt as if he wasn't fourth in Serie A, but rather fourth from the bottom!

  Of course, in parison, his situation wasn't all that bad.

  Just look at that young manager in Naples Gao Shen who ractically beled as publiemy number one by the Italian media.

  Thinking of Gao Shen's troubles, Ranieri's mood lifted a bit.

  But then he remembered he San Paolo Stadium, and the fans who hadn't eve him crou peace…

  Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, shaving, Ranieri couldn't help but ugh a little wickedly.

  "Sorry, but I guess I did gloat!"

  …

  After shaving, Ranieri went back to his room, got dressed, tied his tie, and put on his watch. Just as he was about to head out, the cssiokia ringtone in his pocket began t.

  Raook out his phone and frowned when he saw it was a call from Alessio Secco.

  He figured Secco robably calling to pin about the draw with Sampdoria again.

  But there was no avoiding it, so he picked up the call.

  "Hello," Ranieri answered.

  "Where are you?" Secco's tone sounded urgent.

  "I'm at home, about to have breakfast, so..." Ranieri was about to say calmly that if Secco wao talk about the disappointing game, it could wait until he finished his breakfast.

  But Secterrupted him before he could finish. "You o give us an expnation about this matter."

  Rahought it was about the league draw. "I know, Alessio. I'll give you an expnation when I get back."

  "No, no, Cudiht now, I, the chairman, and the general manager are all waiting for your expnation. You o tell us now immediately—what's going on!"

  Ranieri was taken aback, and his tourned defensive. "I already expi the post-match press ference. We had an overwhelming advaook three times as many shots as the oppo, but our pyers weren't i form, and our efficy was low, which led to us not sg..."

  "Wait, Cudio, this isn't about the league." Secterrupted him again.

  Ranieri was stunned. "It's not about the league?"

  Then he asked, fused, "So what is it about?"

  "We were hoping you could tell us!" Secco sounded exasperated.

  "How should I know?"

  "Haven't you read today's paper?"

  "Whie?"

  "Turin Sports Daily, La Repubblica, Gazzetta dello Sport… holy, all the major papers, even the main news websites—they're all rep it. na's affair has been exposed!"

  na?

  Ranieri's fitness coach, Riccardo na.

  What happened with na?

  Ranieri's mind started pieg it together.

  He immediately left the room, walked quickly to the living room, grabbed a neer, and saw the headline on the front page of Turin Sports Daily: "The Mediocrities Destroying Juventus!"

  He picked up another paper, Slow Motion, which also had a story about na: "The Man Behind Juventus' Injury Crisis!"

  Corriere dello Sport even mocked him, calling na an "unlised driver."

  Ranieri felt a cold sweat break out.

  The thing he had feared most had finally happened!

  …

  In the blink of an eye, major media outlets across Italy were rep a shog story.

  The fitness coach Riccardo na, who had been touted as a renowned professor from the Uy of Genoa, author of 18 highly regarded sports training books, and respected by tless professionals in the industry, didn't actually hold an official coag lise in Italy.

  In other words, he had either aken the exam or had failed it.

  Who could believe this? Who could accept it?

  Juventus had suffered from a string of injuries this season, with several key pyers out. Del Piero's resurgence had beeed to his personal trainer, but Camoranesi, Nedved, and others weren't so lucky.

  na had joined Juventus uhe aura of an expert, gaining resped high expectations. But as the seaso on and injuries piled up, people began to question his methods.

  For example, some felt that his trainihods didn't take Juventus' specific situation into at, and instead blindly followed Mourinho's methodology, bining ball and running training.

  "Juventus pyers simply 't handle so much ball-orieraining, but he insists that this is the most advanced and reasonable approach," oicle criticized.

  Ranieri had defended na several times, saying that "we need more time to see the bes of his fitness regime."

  In other words, na ime.

  Initially, people accepted this expnation, and even the murmurs of doubt within the locker room were minimal.

  After all, na was a respected academi the Uy of Genoa, with many professionals studying his works.

  But who would have thought that he didn't even have a coag certificate?

  Now, even those who had initially been on the fence began to questioher this so-called expert professor had only theoretical knowledge, g the practical experienecessary to back it up.

  The media began to press Ranieri, asking if he had known that na didn't hold a lise.

  How could someohout a coag certificate be allowed on Juventus' coag staff? How could the pyers trust him and follow his training?

  This season, Juventus had yet to reach their peak form and injuries had been a stant issue. Was this reted to na's methods?

  Had na proved his methods on other teams, even amateur ones?

  The media's answer: No.

  They couldn't find any relevant evidence.

  So, why did Ranieri choose na?

  No one knew, because st season, when Ranieri was w at Parma, na was still teag at the Uy of Genoa.

  …

  When Juventus' ma held their third meeting to evaluate Ranieri, they were deeply ed about why he had selected Riccardo na as the team's fitness coach.

  Ranieri arrived at Juventus headquarters early in the m, without even having breakfast.

  Wheioned, he repeatedly insisted that there was no issue with na's professional knowledge. He said he had carefully sidered the decision to invite na to join his coag staff, and it wasn't a hasty move as the media cimed.

  As for why na didn't have a lise?

  Ranieri expihat na had never sidered pursuing a career in coag, so he hadn't taken the certification exams.

  But now the issue was clear.

  Riccardo na was a renowned professor ialian football unity, his works studied by many, but he cked a coag certificate and any practical experien the front lines.

  Could he be trusted?

  "I trust him!" Ranieri decred firmly, standing by his choice.

  The Juventus board, however, was in turmoil. They had never entered such a baffling issue before.

  There had been cases of "unlised drivers" in Serie A, typically involving famous pyers-turned-coaches who started w before obtaining their certification.

  But there was no case quite like na's.

  Especially not for a top club like Juventus.

  It recisely for this reason that no one had questioned na's credentials before this sdal broke.

  Because having a coag certificate was seen as a basic, minimum requirement.

  "Cudio," General Manager Bnc said sternly, looking at Ranieri, "Have you sidered the implications? Sihis summer, we've seen injury after injury in our squad. We've long suspected na's methods, and now this es to light. How are we supposed to ha? What will the pyers think?"

  Ranieri khat the exposure of this issue would have a massive impa Juventus, and on himself.

  But he tio insist, "I still believe he's a very petent and professional fitness coach!"

  In truth, he had no choice but to stand by his decision.

  Firing na would be disastrous for Ranieri at this point.

  Juventus, too, had to think carefully about the ramifications of the whole situation.

  Ranieri had been hired by Bnd with this troversy unfolding, Seaturally wao minimize the damage. But if the situation spiraled out of trol and affected Juventus' season, Secco's own career would be at risk as well.

  After all, the pyers he'd brought in so far this season had already drawn criticism.

  In this regard, he and Bnc were effectively in the same boat, sharing the burden of this crisis.

  But even so, how could they justify this to the pyers? How would they appease the media?

  And, more importantly, they would have to ao the club's top brass.

  To make matters worse, their oppo ialian Cup was Napoli!

  It seemed that when it rained, it poured.