Starting With Real Madrid

On the evening of April 18th, during the 32nd round of Serie A, Inter Milan faced an away challenge against Juventus.

The match was intense right from the start. Just ten seconds into the game, Nedvěd threatened Inter Milan's goal with a long-range shot.

In the ninth minute, Balotelli executed a brilliant first touch, cut inside, dribbled past two defenders, and struck a low shot with his left foot in front of the goal. The ball passed through Buffon's hands but was cleared in time by Portuguese midfielder Tiago, who had rushed back to defend on the goal line.

Juventus soon retaliated. Del Piero took a free kick, and after receiving the ball unmarked at the far post, he volleyed it into the air. However, the ball narrowly missed the target, and Juventus squandered a great opportunity to score.

The first half ended in a 0-0 draw. But in the 64th minute of the second half, Inter Milan launched a rapid counterattack. Ibrahimović played a through pass, Muntari delivered a wonderful assist, and Balotelli dribbled past Grygera before firing a right-footed shot from ten meters out, securing the first goal for Inter Milan.

Juventus responded with a fierce offensive push, but in the 76th minute, Balotelli was fouled while receiving the ball, and Portuguese midfielder Tiago received a red card, leaving Juventus with ten men.

Just when everyone thought Juventus was doomed, the game entered stoppage time. Giovinco delivered a corner kick, and Grygera headed the ball into the net at the near post, securing a late equalizer for Juventus.

The match ended in a 1-1 draw, with both teams sharing the points.

After the match, Mourinho was furious, unable to believe that his team's three points had slipped into a single point in the final moments.

"If we keep playing like this, I can only congratulate Napoli!"

What he meant was that Inter Milan's performance had been terrible, so bad that they were unworthy of the championship and unfit to compete with Napoli.

However, Mourinho didn't stay upset for too long. Soon, he broke into laughter.

That's because, in another match happening at the same time, Napoli fielded an all-reserve lineup against Cagliari in an away game. After 90 minutes, the match ended in a 0-0 draw.

In this way, Inter Milan's draw didn't seem so bad.

The five-point gap remained, with six rounds left in the league.

Inter Milan still had a chance.

The key was the upcoming 33rd round, where Inter Milan would travel to face Napoli away.

If they could secure a victory and close the gap, the title race would remain unpredictable.

---

Midweek: The Second Leg of the Coppa Italia Semi-Final

After a 3-1 away victory against Lazio in the first leg, Napoli returned home for the second leg. Gao Shen continued using a full reserve lineup, keeping his key players fresh for the crucial clash against Inter Milan over the weekend and the Champions League encounter against Manchester United next Wednesday.

In a span of just four days, Napoli had two critical matches that would determine their fate in both Serie A and the Champions League. The team needed to win both encounters to keep progressing on both fronts.

The Champions League clash against Manchester United was especially challenging due to the unfavorable schedule, with Napoli hosting the first leg before traveling to Old Trafford. If they failed to win at home, they would be in a very difficult position for the away leg.

Mourinho was already tough to handle, and with the cunning Ferguson in the mix, Gao Shen faced enormous pressure from two of the world's top managers at the same time.

During the preparation period, Gao Shen spent every day in the tactical library, reviewing the entire developmental process and tactical evolution of Ferguson and Manchester United over the years. In addition to Ferguson, he also studied Carlos Queiroz.

Since Queiroz became Ferguson's assistant, Manchester United had fully committed to the path of continental football reform. Ferguson managed the big picture, but all training, specific player roles, tactical arrangements, and match preparations were handled by Queiroz.

This version of Manchester United was undoubtedly Ferguson's team, but it also bore deep traces of Queiroz's influence.

In Ferguson's book, there was a passage that read:

"Queiroz's most crucial impact is on training and match preparations. The new ideas he brought to the club were not just 'continental ideas'—they were truly innovative and beneficial."

It was precisely due to his outstanding work at Manchester United that Queiroz was appointed head coach of the Galácticos at Real Madrid. After being sacked, he was immediately invited back by Ferguson. Now, he had moved on to coach the Portugal national team.

Gao Shen re-examined Manchester United's tactical evolution over the years, hoping to find a more effective way to counter Ferguson.

---

Since Napoli was playing with a reserve lineup, Gao Shen even gave Verratti and Insigne more than half an hour of game time. As a result, Napoli lost 1-2 at home to Lazio.

However, with an aggregate score of 4-3, Napoli advanced to the Coppa Italia final.

Meanwhile, at the San Siro in Milan, Inter Milan had suffered a shocking 0-3 away defeat against Sampdoria in the first leg, leaving Mourinho's side in an extremely difficult and humiliating position.

In the second leg at home, despite a fierce attacking effort, Inter Milan could only manage a 1-0 victory. With a 1-3 aggregate score, they were eliminated by Sampdoria.

In the end, the Coppa Italia final was set: Napoli vs. Sampdoria.

This also meant that Mourinho had no fallback option left.

After Inter Milan's elimination, Mourinho declared that they had only one remaining objective—Serie A.

"We have no choice but to beat Napoli away in the 33rd round!"

---

April 25th, Stadio San Paolo

In the 33rd round of Serie A, Napoli hosted Inter Milan.

Mourinho stuck with the 4-3-1-2 formation he had frequently used in recent matches, showing his concern about Napoli's home strength, especially their attacking prowess under Gao Shen.

Inter Milan's starting XI:

Goalkeeper: Júlio César

Defense: Chivu, Samuel, Lúcio, Maicon

Midfield: Muntari, Stanković, Cambiasso, Moutinho (advanced role)

Forwards: Ibrahimović, Balotelli

This was the strongest attacking lineup Mourinho could deploy, underscoring his determination to win away at Napoli.

Gao Shen responded with a 4-3-3 formation:

Goalkeeper: Handanović

Defense: Vargas, David Luiz, Bonucci, Lichtsteiner

Midfield: Thiago Motta (deep-lying role), Biglia, Rakitić

Forwards: Sánchez, Pellè, Di María

Mourinho was surprised by Gao Shen's lineup, as he hadn't expected Napoli to field their full-strength Champions League squad against Inter Milan, despite their upcoming clash with Manchester United.

However, he quickly realized something and immediately instructed his team to go all out in attack.

The game unfolded just as Mourinho had anticipated.

Right from the start, Napoli did not launch an aggressive attack as they usually did at home. Instead, they played defensively, a stark contrast to their usual approach.

Inter Milan seized the initiative and pressed forward aggressively.

In the second minute, Inter Milan won a free kick in the attacking third. Lúcio's close-range header was saved by Handanović. The subsequent corner kick also posed a threat.

Ibrahimović and Balotelli both had successive shooting opportunities afterward.

The most dangerous chance came in the 17th minute when Moutinho delivered a brilliant pass into the box. Ibrahimović used his body to shield Bonucci and took a close-range shot only to blast the ball over the bar.

Napoli didn't get their first shot until the 21st minute.

At this point, over 50,000 Napoli fans in the stadium were puzzled, what was going on?

---

"What is he trying to do?" Boas was confused.

Not only him Faria, and the others were also baffled.

Only Mourinho understood what Gao Shen was thinking.

"Training! Testing the formation!"

"What?" Everyone was stunned.

This was a decisive battle in the Serie A title race, yet Gao Shen was using such a crucial match to train his players?

"I think he wants to test how much offensive pressure his center-forward can handle," Mourinho speculated.

Everyone found it hard to believe, this was an incredibly bold move.

"He still has great confidence in his team's defense, but he's probably not so sure whether they can hold up against Manchester United. So, he's using this match as a trial run, letting us attack!"

At this point, Mourinho laughed and said, "If I don't beat him up, I'd be doing him a disservice!"

How could Mourinho let such a rare and justified opportunity to crush Gao Shen slip away?

Besides, if he truly managed to defeat Gao Shen, the latter might even feel grateful.

How perfect would that be? Winning three crucial points while receiving a heartfelt 'thank you' from my opponent!

Looking at the assistants around him, Mourinho smirked again.

"Don't forget, Napoli is still leading by five points. Even if they lose this match, they'll still have a two-point lead. And more importantly, we haven't even scored yet."

At this moment, Mourinho suddenly felt a bit embarrassed. He immediately stepped up to the sidelines and signaled his players to press forward with more aggression.

He almost cursed out loud.

Damn it, where is your Italian cannon?

Fire it! Destroy them! Crush them to pieces!

Throughout the first half, Inter Milan launched wave after wave of attacks against Napoli.

But to be fair, Napoli remained incredibly composed in defense. Their overall defensive structure was solid, and their discipline was remarkable.

No matter how Inter Milan attacked or tried to break through, they barely managed to create any clear-cut chances.

The only golden opportunity was squandered by the unreliable Ibrahimović.

The rest of their attacks posed little to no threat.

This left Mourinho shaking his head in frustration on the sidelines.

Here's a golden opportunity for you!

The opponent is willingly letting you attack, yet you still can't score, who's to blame for that?!

It wasn't until the very end of the first half that Gao Shen finally let out a long sigh of relief.

"We defended well in the first half. There were some minor issues, but overall, it was a solid performance. In the second half, we attack!"

***

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