What Gao Shen wao do was incredibly bold. No one in Italy, or even across Europe's top leagues, had ever attempted it, and perhaps no one had even thought about it before.

  His pn was to pletely revolutiohe existing physical training system.

  This idea took shape as he started analyzing Napoli's issues this season, pieg together insights from various sources. In November, he was io a sports sce seminar in Europe, where he met some of the industry's leading experts and heard cutting-edge ideas. Those discussions sparked a series of houghts.

  Napoli faumerous challehis season, and the first major issue was the impact of national team games.

  With more pyers now called up for their national teams including youth squads, Napoli's training schedule had bee severely disrupted.

  Each two-week stretch dedicated to iional matches was wreaking havo the team's rhythm.

  This wasn't a problem uo Napoli; every European club, past, present, and future, has to deal with this.

  So how did other clubs ha?

  By breaking dowraining intmented, highly targeted, and refined sessions.

  By 2021, "physical training" would no longer be an appropriate term. Instead, it would be known as "sports performance."

  This wasn't just a ge in terminology; it represented a plete shift in mi.

  Training would no longer focus solely on physical fitness but instead prioritize how pyers perform during matches.

  As Lucas and Bueura had just discussed, Gao Shen's goal was clear: he wanted Napoli pyers to sistently outperform their oppos on the field.

  It sounded simple, but achieving this required far more than traditional physical training.

  Coaches would need expertise not only in physical ditioning but also in specialized training, sports sce, rehabilitation, tactical analysis, psychology, and nutrition. They'd o uand all of these fields and be able to colborate with analysts to evaluate both pyers and oppos, makiailed, individualized adjustments.

  This was airely new system, and it would require a massive support work.

  So, when did this cept begin to take shape?

  Gao Shen didn't know whinally came up with it, but he first heard about it when Guardio was coag Bayern Munich.

  There's a saying: The English py long balls, the Spanish focus on teique, the Italians master tactics, and the Germans rely on sce.

  It's likely that many people were w toward this vision at the same time, but Guardio was one of the first to fully it to it at Bayern Munich.

  During Guardio's te Bayern, they hired a 28-year-old Italian, Simon Martinello, who was Bueura's assistant at the time. This was Martinello's first job as a sports coach.

  From the start, Guardio's approach led to flict with Bayern's renowned doctor, Hans-Wilhelm Müller-Wohlfahrt, due to their starkly different ideologies. Guardio, known as a trol freak, couldn't tolerate opposing viewpoints in his staff.

  To help alleviate the tension, Bayern brought in Holger Broich from Bayer Leverkusen.

  Broich's role had various descriptions in the media, some called him a physical therapist, others a diagnosti, a fitness coach, or even just a masseur.

  Regardless of the title, Bayern hired Broich te the gap between Guardio and Müller-Wohlfahrt.

  But the flicts only grew. Although Guardio achieved success at Bayern, he didn't quite reach the heights everyone had expected.

  However, his ideas ahods left a sting influe Bayern Munich, who tio refine and develop them.

  In 2020, Bayern won the Champions League with a perfect record.

  They were the first team to win the Champions League without a single loss sihe tour's format ged.

  That season, led by Hansi Flick, Bayer a profound impression on everyoheir pyers seemed superhuman in their stamina, relentlessly high-iy from start to finish, without any signifit injuries. Each pyer looked like an ironman who could run endlessly, making Bayern feel like they had ara pyer on the field in every match.

  How did they achieve this?

  Flick's coag team included two key figures.

  The first was Simon Martinello, the fitness coach responsible for the overall physical ditioning—strength, explosiveness, endurance, and speed to ensure pyers were always in peak petitive form.

  The sed was Holger Broich, who hahe tailored, targeted training for each pyer. Broich worked closely with analysts to study each Bayern pyer and their uping oppo, optimizing each pyer's performao outshiheir terparts.

  On top of that, Bayern's coag staff was supported by a highly capable analysis team.

  This was the secret behind Bayern Munich's ued Champions League victory.

  ---

  As a time traveler, Gao Shen articurly impressed by Bayern's achievements that season.

  In fact, many teams were already beginning to experiment with this cept of specialized fitness coaches. For instance, Maer United's Mike Clegg was expl simir ideas, though these efforts were still in their infancy.

  When Guardio was at Bara, his coag team had swelled to over 30 members, a staggering number for a football club. However, budget straints ter forced the club to y off staff, which also created tensioween Guardio and then-club president Sandro Rosell.

  Today, more and more fitness coaches were w in professional football, though the role was still evolving.

  What Gao Shen now aimed to do was establish a simir role within Napoli's coag team to help tackle the challehe team was fag.

  If Bueura were solely responsible for the physical ditioning of every first-team pyer, the workload would be overwhelming, and it wouldn't meet Gao Shen's specific requirements for Napoli.

  Therefao Shen was determio expand and reform the coag staff.

  But to expand and reform, he needed funding.

  ---

  After the coag staff meeting, Gao Sheuro his office, with Marino following him in, grumbling as he went.

  "If you wao propose something, why not just tell me directly?" Marino pined. "In the past year, have I ever not supported you? Have I ever failed to back you up? Was it really necessary to gh this whole charade?"

  Gao Shen chuckled, sitting down on the sofa. He gestured for Marino to sit as well.

  "e on, haven't I apologized? It's not that I don't trust you. But you know there's someone else you have to ao." Gao Shen pointed upwards, implying their boss, De Laurentiis.

  Marino shuddered at the mere mention of De Laurentiis.

  The man had two great fears: his wife at home, and the boss in the club's upper ma.

  "This is a legitimate request," Marino said, though his voice cked fidence. "Who knows? Maybe he won't say no."

  Everyone khat De Laurentiis was notoriously tight with money.

  Despite being the general manager, Marino had no say in financial matters.

  "That's why I've given you a strong, legitimate reason to make the case," Gao Shen said with a grin. "Just go a the situation holy. Emphasize the challenges we're fag and make it sound as urgent as possible. Get us that budget."

  Marino shot Gao Shen a look, one eyebrow raised. He couldn't shake the feeling that Gao Shen was a master at twisting things to his advantage.

  "Holy, De Laurentiis is thrilled with the team's performance right now. Very satisfied," Marino said with a smirk.

  "Well, I'm not," Gao Shen replied. "Not even close."

  After a moment's pause, he tinued, "You know, we could have beaten Inter Min at the San Siro. We didn't have tle so badly in November and December. Now we have two options: ush forward in the sed half of the season or settle for where we are. I'm choosing the former."

  Marino nodded, uanding the weight of Gao Shen's words.

  Everyone khat Gao Shen had taken on the Napoli job because his goals aligned with those of the club. If their ambitions diverged now, he would undoubtedly sider other opportunities.

  With his curreation, if he left Napoli, there'd be no she of offers—teams in other leagues and even Serie A clubs would likely repce their current coaches in a heartbeat t him in.

  There were even rumors that A, increasingly dissatisfied with Ai, had their eye on Gao Shen. And as for Juventus, everyone knew Ranieri was on thin ice.

  "How much is the budget for this?" Marino asked cautiously.

  Gao Shen sighed. "There it is again—money. Isn't all this money for the good of Napoli?"

  Marino couldn't help but ugh. "Maybe, but it still depends on the club's willio spend."

  Given Napoli's current position in the league, with a solid ce of finishing iop four, why would De Laurentiis i even more? What guarantees did he have that additional spending would bring greater results?

  "You've got to give me a ballpark figure so I make a case to the Germans," Marino said, exasperated.

  Gao Shen nodded. "One core coag hire, some specialized training equipment, and an additional analyst. Based on my estimates, we're looking at around oo one-and-a-half million euros, maxing out at two million."

  "That much?" Marino's heart skipped a beat.

  He knew Gao Shen's tactics too well; he suspected the real budget request was the figure Gao Shen had mentio.

  "If you think it's a lot, sider this: with improved facilities and higher-level training, we could actually pete with Inter Min for the title!" Gao Shen said with vi.

  " you guarahat?" Marino asked.

  "e on, have you ever heard of a coach guaranteeing anything?" Gao Shen replied. "But you know we have a young, talented squad with tremendous potential. They may not be as physically strong as Inter Min right now, so the only way te that gap is through more focused, targeted training. That's why, no matter what, you've got to help me get this budget approved."

  Marino looked at him with a wry smile. He khere was no point in arguing further, Gao Shen was clearly set on this path, and he wasn't going to let up until he got what he wanted.

  "Alright, alright. I'll see what I do," Marino finally ceded, shaking his head. "But just know, you're putting me in a tough spot here."

  Gao Shen leaned back with a satisfied grin. "That's why I'm ting on you. Besides, you know as well as I do—if we really want to take this team to the level, it's not just about holding round. We o aim higher. We o push beyond what ahinks is possible."

  Mari out a resigned sigh, scratg his head. "Fine, fine. But remember, if I get yelled at for this, it's on you."

  Gao Shen just ughed, unbothered. "Don't worry, Marino. I've got your back."

  ****

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