Chapter 252: Show Them What a Miracle Is!

July 2, morning.

In the sweltering heat of summer, even before the sun rose, the air was already growing thick with heat.

Gao Shen woke up early, had breakfast, packed his belongings, and stood at the intersection. After waiting for less than a minute, Lucas pulled up in the car to pick him up. Together, they headed toward Fort Volturno.

Today marked the beginning of Napoli's summer training camp.

In reality, the players had already begun reporting the day before, where they underwent physical examinations conducted by Buenaventura and the team's medical staff. The results, while not surprising to the coaching team, were less than ideal.

These young players had clearly let loose during their break.

But this wasn't unexpected.

Very few players have the extreme discipline or strong willpower to keep training rigorously during the offseason. Most of them, being regular people, tend to relax as soon as they're given time off.

The coaching staff was fully prepared for this. The more these players enjoyed their break, the more intense the upcoming training would be.

For the summer training, Gao Shen had scheduled three sessions per day.

---

The coaching staff arrived at Fort Volturno an hour before the players.

Upon their arrival, they quickly convened for a short meeting.

The training plan had already been carefully studied in advance, and a solid strategy had been established. Now, it was time for execution. Gao Shen's main requirement was that the team be in top form before the Coppa Italia in mid-August. At the same time, they needed to build a strong physical foundation for the two-front battle in the upcoming season.

In addition, several players prone to injury like Thiago Motta were to be closely monitored. Gao Shen specifically instructed Buenaventura and the medical team to keep an eye on them and report any concerns immediately.

"Alright, everyone!"

At the end of the meeting, Gao Shen stood before the coaching staff and support team for a final rally.

"Last season, we reached the Coppa Italia semifinals, but I was personally dissatisfied. I don't believe that was a true reflection of our capabilities, especially the 3-0 loss to Inter Milan that was a shame I can't forget!"

"I'll say it again: we have only one goal this season, and that is to win the Serie A title!"

"I hope all of you are ready to fight alongside me. Together, we'll reclaim the honors we missed out on last season. The matches we lost—we will win them back this season!"

Gao Shen's words were met with enthusiastic applause from everyone present.

Whether it was his core coaching team or the staff at Fort Volturno, after working with him for a season, they had developed great respect and admiration for Gao Shen.

He had earned that respect, game by game, throughout the previous season.

---

The first training session of the new season is always a bit ceremonial.

Gao Shen and his coaching staff stood by the entrance to the training ground early, watching the players emerge from the locker room, laughing and chatting as they walked toward the field, all in high spirits.

"Lorenzo, seeing them like this, don't you feel a little guilty for what's coming?" Gao Shen asked with a smile.

Buenaventura glanced at him and muttered, "As if you didn't help plan it."

Everyone nearby chuckled.

While Buenaventura had drawn up the training plan, all of the specific requirements and instructions had come from Gao Shen himself.

So, who was to blame?

"They don't realize they're about to face a disaster," Carlo joked, shaking his head.

The training program Buenaventura devised was particularly brutal.

"Boss!"

"Good morning, boss!"

"Hello, boss!"

One by one, the players greeted Gao Shen as they approached, shaking hands and offering hugs.

Gao Shen responded warmly, acting as though he had no idea what awaited them over the next month. He smiled, encouraged them, and exchanged pleasantries, all while keeping their spirits high.

This scene made both Carlo and Buenaventura exchange glances, shaking their heads in disbelief.

Gao Shen had a way with the players, and his standing among them was incredibly high.

How high?

Well, believe it or not, when the players started complaining about the difficulty of training, the first to take the blame would be Buenaventura, followed by Carlo.

Why?

Buenaventura was the fitness coach, and Carlo was the assistant coach responsible for overseeing the training sessions.

Those two were the most obvious targets. Who would dare blame the head coach?

Gao Shen, after all, was overseeing the big picture. He often stood on the sidelines during training, hands on hips, occasionally offering a few encouraging words or making decisions that seemed to favor the players.

How could someone as friendly and kind as Gao Shen be responsible for their misery?

Even if he had approved the plan, surely it was Carlo and Buenaventura's suggestion!

And, believe it or not, this was exactly how the players thought.

Carlo couldn't help but smile bitterly.

Sometimes, he wondered if Gao Shen had asked him to be his assistant coach just so he'd have someone to take the heat.

---

"Everyone!"

Once all the players had gathered, Gao Shen stepped forward to give his pre-training speech.

"Welcome to the summer camp of the future Serie A champions!"

The players erupted into applause, some cheering excitedly. David Luiz, always the clown, nearly broke into a samba dance to celebrate.

Even though the team's atmosphere was known for being lively, some of the newer players were still taken aback.

Was it always this lively?

"Before last season ended, I told you all that we have three goals for this season. First..."

"Champions!" Several players shouted enthusiastically.

"Second..." Gao Shen raised two fingers.

"Champions!" the players echoed again.

"And third..."

"Still, champions!"

"Exactly!" Gao Shen laughed, praising the players for their enthusiasm.

"Last season, we won Serie B as a newly-promoted team. This season, we're once again a newly-promoted team in Serie A."

"A lot of people out there are saying that the best finish a newly-promoted team has ever achieved in Serie A history is fifth, like Del Neri's Chievo, which they called a miracle. But I think that's too small."

"Is finishing fifth really a miracle?"

Many of the players shook their heads.

In the Bundesliga, Kaiserslautern had won the title as a newly-promoted team. That was a miracle!

Greece winning the European Championship was a miracle!

Fifth place in Serie A? That wasn't a miracle.

"This season, we're going to show them what a real miracle looks like. Let the doubters, the ones who think we're just fighting to avoid relegation, watch closely!"

"We're going to do what no one has done before. The title we missed last season, we're going to win it. The games we lost last season, we're going to win them back!"

"We're going to face down every doubt, every challenge, and show the world what we're capable of!"

"I believe in each and every one of you, and I know you won't disappoint me, our fans, or yourselves!"

The players were instantly fired up.

Although Gao Shen had repeatedly warned them that summer training would be tough and they needed to be mentally prepared, the young squad, full of energy and ambition, wasn't deterred.

They couldn't wait to get on the field, prove themselves, and fight for the championship.

---

Goalkeepers: Handanovic, Gennaro Iezzo, Matteo Gianello.

Defenders: Bonucci, Vargas, David Luiz, Paolo Cannavaro, Lichtsteiner, Dossena, Domizzi, Gyorgy Garics.

Midfielders: Rakitic, Biglia, Vidal, Hamsik, Thiago Motta, Parejo, Nainggolan, Pastore, Montervino.

Forwards: Pelle, Cavani, Sanchez, Callejon, Di Maria, Mertens, Antonio Valencia.

Teenagers training with the first team: Verratti and Insigne.

Gao Shen took great pride in the fact that his team's average age was just 21.82, making them the youngest squad not just in Serie A, but across all five major European leagues.

They were even younger than Van Gaal's famous Ajax team.

If you only looked at the starting eleven that Gao Shen trusted most, the average age dropped even further to 20.54. That was younger than the reserve teams of both Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Yet here he was, preparing to lead such a young team into the competitive environment of Serie A.

More importantly, Gao Shen had the confidence to guide this team to success.

Their stellar performance last season had already demonstrated their strength and potential. All he needed to do now was tap into that potential, squeeze out every bit of ability from his players, and elevate the team to the next level.

This summer, Napoli had strengthened their squad, but so had their competitors.

Juventus had spent over 50 million euros, signaling that they were not to be taken lightly.

Inter Milan had brought in players like Chivu and Suazo, further bolstering their squad. Although they missed out on Emerson, which meant they couldn't reunite the Emerson-Vieira midfield duo, Inter's overall strength had definitely increased.

AC Milan and Roma had also significantly improved.

All of this was expected and was factored into the plans Gao Shen had presented to De Laurentiis.

He knew the challenges that Napoli would face if they wanted to win the title. Yet, despite the odds, he set this goal and was determined to achieve it.

Not only did he want to push every player to their limits, but he also wanted to challenge himself.

He could have set a more modest target, like securing a spot in European competitions or even qualifying for the Champions League, and that would have been more than enough.

In fact, meeting those goals would have fully satisfied the expectations he had set with De Laurentiis.

But that wasn't Gao Shen's style. Instead, he boldly declared their aim to win the Serie A championship.

Whether before or now, he had always believed that people often underestimate themselves.

If you don't push yourself to the limit, you'll never know how far you can go or what you're truly capable of achieving.

Now, the goal was set, the challenge laid out, and there was no turning back.

It was time to go all in.