Chapter 300: Conspiracy

There's an old saying in football: the outcome of a game is decided the moment you step onto the pitch.

Many people don't understand why this is true.

But that's simply how it is.

Take Napoli, for example. The issues the team faces aren't really down to the players, and even the coaching staff can't be entirely blamed.

Imagine the league as a high-speed train, with each game like a stop along its journey. Each stop has a fixed arrival time, a fixed departure time, and the train speeds off toward the next destination, with barely any margin for error in the schedule. The competition is fierce, and every detail is meticulously timed.

So here's the question:

What if, at the very first station, the train is delayed by just one minute? What happens then?

The answer is simple: each subsequent stop will also be delayed.

Now, what if there are delays at multiple stations?

The delays pile up, and eventually, the train is seriously off-schedule.

The same principle applies to the league. Over a full season, success isn't only about the strength of the team or the quality of the coaching staff. It's also about problem-solving efficiency and adaptability.

When too many issues go unresolved in the relentless pace of a league, they snowball into far more severe, even catastrophic consequences over time.

Just look at AC Milan this season.

Who would have believed that last year's Champions League winners are now sitting in ninth place in Serie A, flirting with the relegation zone?

Is Ancelotti incompetent?

Of course not.

But since the start of the season, AC Milan has faced mounting problems. Ancelotti managed to solve some, but others required more time. And in a league, time is the one thing you don't have. Some issues may not be solvable at all within the season's schedule constraints.

And so, AC Milan finds itself in this predicament.

Napoli's situation is somewhat similar, albeit with a different trajectory—starting high, but then gradually sliding down.

Things took a sharp turn in November. After three straight months of players leaving for national team duty, a host of new issues erupted in Naples. These unresolved problems derailed the entire season plan, leaving the team's form in a dismal state.

Some might wonder, why is Inter Milan so consistent?

The answer is straightforward: compared to other Serie A teams, Inter's squad is much stronger, with greater depth and more resilience to setbacks.

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Gao Shen was deeply dissatisfied with Napoli's performance in November and December.

But he never expressed his displeasure publicly, or even in the locker room.

Only among the coaching staff did Gao Shen mention, more than once, that he believed there were issues with the team's training, particularly in terms of fitness and conditioning.

Buenaventura, the fitness coach, had joined Gao Shen's team back during his time at Real Madrid. His capabilities had been impressive, and he continued to perform well after following Gao Shen to Italy. Last season, he had been instrumental to Napoli's success.

However, this season had seen some major setbacks. It wouldn't be fair to call it a complete failure, but there were definitely significant issues.

The first three "big games" had been the dividing line. Gao Shen had been pleased with the team's performance before that, but afterward, it was difficult for him to be satisfied.

Of course, Gao Shen's standards had also risen.

"From the perspective of a newly promoted team, I can't demand too much more from you," he told his staff. "But let me ask you this are you really satisfied with being just a newly promoted team?"

The question struck a chord. Several of his core staff members found themselves at a loss for words.

Who wouldn't want more?

Napoli was currently second in the Serie A standings. Although the gap wasn't huge, they were among the top teams.

Genoa, another newly promoted team, was still fighting to avoid relegation.

And while Juventus was technically a newly promoted team, nobody viewed the Bianconeri that way, not with their €50-60 million summer investment and a roster featuring a Ballon d'Or winner and world-class talents.

In some ways, Juventus's performance this season was worse than Napoli's, and both Ranieri and Secco were under even greater pressure. There were even rumors in the Turin Sports Daily that Juventus executives were considering replacing Secco.

Such is the brutal reality of professional football.

"We definitely have problems with our training," Gao Shen said. "We didn't put enough thought into the season plan, and we deviated during execution. Now, with the issues piling up, we've veered significantly off course. But the winter break is our best chance to correct it."

"And Fernando," he added, pointing directly at Lucas. "Your analysis team has serious problems too."

"I've always been a strong supporter of your analysis team. I've given you funding, equipment, and people. But your results are still far from meeting my expectations. Over the winter break, I need a solution from you."

Lucas opened his mouth, ready to respond, but Gao Shen cut him off.

"I don't want excuses or reasons. Just answer me this: can you do it?"

Lucas frowned, gritted his teeth, and replied, "With our current manpower and budget, there's no way."

"Can't do it?" Gao Shen's voice rose, his hand almost slamming down on the table.

Marino, who was attending the meeting as Gao Shen's guest, was startled, fearing Gao Shen might fire Lucas in a fit of anger. He quickly stepped in, smiling and trying to defuse the situation. "Let's discuss this. Fernando, if your analysis team is facing challenges, just let us know."

"Yes, tell us," Gao Shen said, gesturing for Lucas to continue.

Lucas, clearly prepared for this moment, stood up and began, "There are only three of us. We have to track and analyze both our own training and study the opponents. Marino, I'll be blunt—his requirements are extreme."

"You know what he wants us to do?" Lucas asked, clearly frustrated. "Not only analyze ourselves, which is tough enough, but he also wants us to analyze every detail about our opponents, down to an insane level of precision."

"He wants us to predict the opponent's physical performance, to break everything down, and give him a detailed report. That means predicting their starting lineup, bench players, each player's running distance, sprint distance, number of sprints, moments they'll likely fatigue, substitution timings, post-substitution tactics, and how the changes in tactics will affect their stamina…"

Lucas looked around, his frustration evident. "You don't understand, do you? That's fine. He wants us to tell him what the opponent might do in the next match. Based on that prediction, he divides the game into phases and sets targeted tactics for each phase, like what we did against Juventus at home."

"Marino, can you calculate how much work that requires?"

Having said this, Lucas took a long, exhausted breath.

Marino was dumbfounded. He prided himself on being open-minded and receptive to new approaches, but the level of detail Gao Shen was demanding was unheard of.

"Is all of this… even possible?" Marino asked, turning to Gao Shen.

"If he can't do it, then we'll find someone who can!" Gao Shen said, resolute.

"Who can't do it? Who can't do it?" Lucas fired back, clearly irritated. "The problem is, we don't have enough people or funding. It's just the three of us, yet you expect us to work like machines, 24/7?"

Marino finally grasped the root of the issue. Gao Shen's demands were far too high for such a small team with limited resources.

Buenaventura, the fitness coach, stood up in support of Lucas. "I agree with Fernando."

"The truth is, a lot of these things are achievable. But we need more staff and more funding to do it."

Buenaventura paused, then shifted the conversation. "I admit, we've had serious problems with our fitness regimen this season. I agree with Gao Shen's idea to adopt a more focused approach, where we prepare specifically for each opponent rather than a one-size-fits-all seasonal strategy."

"But that would require significantly more work and investment, possibly even the creation of new positions. Without those investments, our current staff simply can't keep up."

Marino was perplexed. He scratched his bald head, recalling what Lucas had mentioned. Gao Shen wanted a highly detailed analysis of each opponent, down to every position…

It clicked.

The analysis team provides the predictions, which the coaching staff uses to develop strategies. The fitness coaches then adjust training regimens based on these predictions, preparing the Napoli players to outlast and outrun their opponents in every game.

It wouldn't be perfect, but if they could achieve this in the majority of matches…

A light bulb went off.

"So that's what you were planning all along?" Marino finally realized, looking at Gao Shen with newfound understanding. He chuckled, as if to say: You sly fox, you were leading me right into this.

Gao Shen didn't say much, only smiling.

He wasn't hiding his intentions.

This was a blatant conspiracy.

A big, shiny vision that he laid out in front of everyone, asking them one simple question: Do you want a slice?

******

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