Chapter 224: Are You on Drugs?

"Did you see that? Our opponents are laughing at us!"

In the locker room, Gao Shen held up the starting lineup in his hand and shouted at the players standing before him.

"Here, at our own Stadium, they've gone with a more aggressive lineup than they used at the Olympic Stadium. They don't take us seriously at all. They look down on us from the bottom of their hearts, thinking we're just a newly-promoted Serie B team!"

As soon as the players heard this, the atmosphere in the room became charged. Everyone sat up straight, their bodies tensing with indignation.

At the same time, Lucas stood behind Gao Shen, diligently organizing the tactical board and laying out Roma's starting lineup for the night.

In goal was Doni, the back line consisted of Tonetto, Chivu, Mexès, and Panucci. In midfield, De Rossi anchored the team with Mancini, Vučinić, Pizarro, and Taddei in front of him, and Totti leading the attack.

"If my guess is right, they'll adjust during the match and pull Pizarro back," Gao Shen explained as he moved the number representing Pizarro on the board, positioning Vučinić just behind Totti. The formation resembled a 4-2-3-1 on paper.

But, as Gao Shen knew, actual player positioning was fluid. Coaches would often make adjustments on the fly, depending on how the match unfolded.

"And you know what? I'm furious!" Gao Shen pounded his chest as he spoke.

"We've worked our asses off since the start of this season. The results we've achieved on the pitch speak for themselves. Every single one of you has made Naples proud, and you've made me proud, but I'm sure you've noticed there are still so many people who just can't accept it. They can't accept our success. It's not just doubt, it's complete denial."

The Napoli players grew more and more animated.

As Gao Shen said, the attitude of the outside world toward Napoli had been nothing short of harsh recently. When Napoli won, it was as if a calamity had struck the football world. But when they lost, it felt like a holiday for everyone else, like the entire country popped champagne to celebrate.

Why? Why was this happening?

"We're a newly-promoted Serie B team, and everyone expects us to know our place."

"But what does that even mean?"

"'Know your place' means they think we should lose to Serie A teams. That we're the underdogs and should lose to the giants. That we're young and should bow down to the superstars, the veterans, the ones everyone idolizes!"

"But why? Why should we accept that?"

"Football is about defying the odds, about doing the impossible."

"So, why can't we a newly-promoted team, a young team achieve something great?"

By now, the room was buzzing with energy. The young players were fired up, some of them even standing from their seats, fists clenched.

"Tonight, at the San Paolo Stadium, we're going to make ourselves heard! We're going to show them who we are! And we're going to send a message to everyone: To hell with all of you!"

Gao Shen's voice crescendoed, practically shouting by the end, and the players echoed his energy, their own roars filling the room.

But Gao Shen wasn't finished.

He raised his hands, signaling for silence, and when the room quieted down, he spoke again, his voice low and serious.

"Tonight, I will be on the sidelines, fighting alongside you. I will be watching every one of you, every move you make."

"I want you to remember everything we've prepared for tonight. Every plan, every instruction, every detail. Remember the injustice you feel in your hearts right now, and the fire burning in your chest."

"Go out there and unleash it!"

With that, Gao Shen stepped aside, motioning toward the locker room door. It was time to take the field.

…

Napoli lost the coin toss.

Cannavaro Jr. failed to win the advantage. Totti, having won the toss, gave up the right to kick off and instead opted to switch sides. Napoli would start the match facing into the sun, giving Roma the advantage early on.

Arturo Vidal, who had been handed a vital role in tonight's match, jogged into position alongside his teammates. He would be playing in the defensive midfield, just ahead of Cannavaro Jr. and David Luiz, with Biglia and Rakitic in front of him.

His job was simple: dominate the midfield.

Vidal was tasked with winning every loose ball that came into his area. More importantly, he was to shut down Totti whenever the Roma captain dropped deeper to receive the ball. At the same time, Biglia and Rakitic were responsible for supporting the midfield and closing off the space on the flanks. But Vidal's job was the most critical.

Since the first leg against Roma, Gao Shen had worked closely with Vidal, preparing him for this match. They had spent hours watching game footage together, dissecting Roma's playstyle and how Vidal could disrupt it.

But they had talked about more than just football. Vidal had opened up about his childhood dream of owning a farm or winery, a dream inspired by the lush vineyards around Chile's capital.

Gao Shen hadn't laughed at Vidal's dream. In fact, he had fully embraced it.

"That's a fantastic idea, Arturo!" Gao Shen had said, his enthusiasm catching Vidal off guard. "I'm serious. If you ever decide to do it, count me in!"

Vidal had been skeptical at first.

"Is that really possible?" he had asked.

"Of course it is!" Gao Shen had replied, even more excited than Vidal himself. "Chile's cherries and wines are in demand all over the world. There's huge potential there!"

And that's when Gao Shen had laid out the plan that had Vidal's head spinning.

"You buy a farm. Start growing cherries, maybe some grapes. Set up a winery, and then you export all over the world and china."

"China?" Vidal had asked, confused.

"Yes, China! There's 1.4 billion people there, Arturo. In a few years, China's going to have one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. The demand for cherries and wine will be astronomical. Think about how huge that market is!"

Vidal had stared at Gao Shen, struggling to comprehend the numbers. 1.4 billion people? That was more than a hundred times the population of Chile.

"You're serious?"

"Dead serious," Gao Shen had said. "And here's the best part. Chile is in the southern hemisphere, right? So, when it's winter in China, it's summer in Chile. That means when cherries go out of season in China, you'll be the only one supplying them. You could dominate the market."

Vidal had been speechless.

"Trust me, Arturo. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We need to move fast if we want to get in on it."

From that moment, Vidal had been hooked. Even his teammates, like Sanchez and Vargas, had started showing interest in the idea.

Vargas had chimed in during one of their conversations, "We've got blueberries and avocados in Peru. Do you need those in too?"

"Absolutely," Gao Shen had said, already envisioning the possibilities. "We'll take them all. When the time comes, count me in."

But Gao Shen had also made one thing clear: they had to focus on football first.

"Right now, let's focus on playing well. You'll get your annual salary and your bonuses, and then we can invest in the farms. After you retire, you can sit back and watch the profits roll in."

The idea of becoming a wealthy landowner, sipping wine and counting money, had left Vidal and his teammates more motivated than ever.

And now, standing on the pitch at the San Paolo Stadium, Vidal could feel the weight of that dream pushing him forward.

It wasn't just about football anymore. It was about securing his future.

"Come on! Let's go!" Vidal shouted, clenching his fists and yelling to his teammates as they took their positions on the field.

His sudden outburst caught some of the Napoli players by surprise, but they quickly rallied behind him, shouting their own encouragement.

Ahead of them, Cavani kicked off, sending the ball to Sanchez, who quickly passed it back to the defenders.

Roma pressed high, trying to force an error. Napoli attempted a long pass out from the back, but Chivu intercepted it easily. Roma immediately launched an attack.

The ball was worked forward quickly. Totti dropped deep to receive the ball, but as soon as he did, he felt someone tightly marking him.

"Farm... winery... landowner..." he vaguely heard someone muttering behind him.

Totti was momentarily confused.

What the hell?

But before he could process what was happening, the ball was gone. He had been dispossessed by a sudden and forceful challenge.

"Get up the pitch! Attack!" Vidal roared as he charged forward with the ball.

Totti, still lying on the ground, looked up in shock.

Is this guy on drugs?