Chapter 281: Heresy in European Football

"In the last half hour, there was only one team left on the San Siro pitch."

"That was us, Napoli!"

At the post-match press conference, Gao Shen's powerful declaration sent shockwaves through the room, leaving the gathered reporters stunned.

So bold and commanding!

Over the past year or two, which team in Serie A would dare to say something like that in front of Inter Milan?

The reactions from the media were mixed, especially among the Italian reporters.

From a media standpoint, Gao Shen's words would undoubtedly ignite public debate the following day. Whether people praised or criticized him, his statement would be widely discussed, and Gao Shen would again find himself in the center of attention.

Yet, no one could deny that Napoli had indeed dominated the final 30 minutes of the match. If it weren't for David Luiz's mistake, Napoli could have walked away from the Meazza Stadium with all three points and a stunning comeback victory.

But, as always, there are no "ifs" in football.

Gao Shen praised his team's performance, emphasizing how well they had executed the game plan laid out by the coaching staff. He noted that the players had met his expectations, and he was satisfied with the result.

"We're not perfect. In fact, there's no such thing as perfection in this world. But we're all striving to be the best version of ourselves, and I think that's enough."

"In this match at the Meazza Stadium, we showed the world what Napoli is capable of. We played our brand of football, and we demonstrated that Inter Milan is not invincible. I think that's more than enough."

From the very beginning, Gao Shen had only one strategic goal for this match: to break the shadow of their 0-3 defeat last season.

Therefore, his pre-game strategy was clear, a draw would be acceptable.

However, all of his preparations were geared toward winning. He couldn't tell the players that a draw was good enough, that would be ridiculous. So while the 2-2 result wasn't ideal, it was still within the range of outcomes that Gao Shen could accept. In fact, he considered it quite satisfactory.

When answering the reporters' questions, Gao Shen backed up his arguments with detailed data, proving that Napoli's performance throughout the match was on par with, or even better than, Inter Milan's.

Many of the journalists in the room realized that if Gao Shen wasn't coaching, he could easily be a successful columnist or football analyst, providing weekly breakdowns of matches. Clubs would probably line up to hire him as a consultant.

But, of course, not everyone at the press conference was pleased. Some reporters fixated on David Luiz's error, calling it a glaring mistake.

This wasn't the first time the Brazilian center-back had made such an error, and it wouldn't be the last time a Napoli player made a costly mistake.

The most infamous incident was last season when Napoli had essentially secured the title, and Gao Shen made the risky decision to instruct goalkeeper Handanovic to play further out of his box. Twice, Handanovic's passes were intercepted, nearly costing the team points. After the match, Gao Shen publicly took responsibility for the tactic.

However, the long-term results proved the decision was right. Since that period of training, Handanovic had become noticeably more confident and composed with the ball at his feet, and his performances were improving.

Gao Shen appreciated this development.

And it wasn't just the goalkeeper, it extended to the center-backs as well.

Bonucci, David Luiz, Cannavaro Jr., and even Domizzi had all experienced moments where they had to control the ball under intense pressure from the opposition. This had become the norm in Napoli's system.

All of this was considered unorthodox, even heretical, by current European football standards, especially in Serie A.

But Napoli's performances kept improving.

Even though Napoli couldn't beat Inter Milan tonight, they still held second place in Serie A.

Gao Shen expressed his satisfaction with David Luiz's overall performance.

"Throughout the match, he played like an excellent center-back. I'm very optimistic about him. I believe he has the potential to become a world-class defender. Of course, at this stage, he's not there yet."

Regarding Luiz's mistake, Gao Shen took responsibility, explaining it was part of his tactical instructions.

"In fact, if you regularly watch Napoli games, you'll know that David Luiz is very skilled at dribbling forward. I've even joked that he's an attacker trapped in a defender's body. That's why I allow him to dribble forward when the opportunity arises—it's part of our tactical approach."

Since it was his decision to allow Luiz that freedom, Gao Shen felt responsible for the consequences.

"Unfortunately, he made a mistake on an important occasion, and it cost us three points. I feel helpless about it, but I accept it," Gao Shen said with a laugh, signaling to everyone that he wasn't holding a grudge.

"Mr. Gao, are you really not angry at all?" one journalist asked, sensing that Gao Shen might be protecting his player.

Gao Shen smiled and shook his head. "Why should I be angry? Shouldn't it be our opponents who are more upset?"

The reporters immediately understood. Gao Shen had achieved his strategic goal, so there was no reason for him to be angry.

Throughout the press conference, Gao Shen lavished praise on his players.

"Last season, we lost 0-3 in this stadium. This season, we drew 2-2," Gao Shen said with a confident smile. "Next time we come here, I think it should be 3-0 in our favor!"

The reporters couldn't help but feel Gao Shen's confidence radiating from him.

Napoli was undeniably getting stronger, even on their off days.

Before the season, many people had predicted Napoli would struggle to avoid relegation. But after just two rounds, they were near the top of the league. Although their form dipped slightly afterward, they remained unbeaten after seven rounds.

Now, there were only three undefeated teams left in Serie A: Inter Milan, Napoli, and Fiorentina.

Fiorentina had three wins and four draws, placing them fifth in the standings.

Inter Milan and Napoli both had four wins and three draws.

Juventus and Roma, both with four wins, two draws, and one loss, were third and fourth, respectively, just one point behind Inter Milan and Napoli.

The challenge ahead was daunting. After two weeks of international fixtures, Napoli would face Roma and Juventus back-to-back.

That kind of schedule would be brutal for any team!

Despite this, Gao Shen remained calm at the press conference, even joking that Napoli wasn't afraid of those two teams.

"In fact, we have a psychological advantage over both Roma and Juventus," Gao Shen quipped.

The room erupted in laughter.

The phrase "psychological advantage" was originally used by Mancini to play mind games with Napoli, but Gao Shen turned it around and used it on his own terms.

Last season, Napoli had demolished Juventus 5-0 and Roma 6-0, so their psychological advantage was undeniable.

But times had changed, and Roma and Juventus were no longer the same teams Napoli had thrashed last season.

Approaching the upcoming games with that same mindset would be a mistake.

Gao Shen reassured everyone that he had a detailed plan but wouldn't reveal it to the public.

…

As Gao Shen left the press conference hall, he exhaled deeply, feeling relieved.

In reality, dealing with the media felt like fighting a war.

Just as he was about to head back to the locker room to join the team, he saw a group of four or five people walking toward him down the corridor, deep in discussion. Leading the group was none other than Inter Milan's chairman, Massimo Moratti.

Accompanying Moratti were his two trusted associates, Marco Branca and Gabriele Oriali.

"Hey, Gao!" Moratti called out when he spotted Gao Shen, his face lighting up with a smile.

"Hello, Mr. Moratti!" Gao Shen responded, walking over to shake hands with Moratti and the others.

Gao Shen had a great deal of respect for the Inter Milan chairman.

If nothing else, Moratti's love and dedication to Inter Milan earned him the admiration of everyone in football.

Of course, his professional skills as chairman were another matter entirely.

"That was a wonderful game tonight!" Moratti praised warmly.

"Your Napoli left a lasting impression on me, even last season. This year, I can see how much you've progressed. The football your team plays is powerful, and it's exciting to watch."

"Thank you, Mr. Moratti. Your Inter Milan is also an exceptional team, and you're the standard we're striving to catch up with," Gao Shen replied politely.

"Catch up with? Or defeat?" Moratti teased with a smile.

Gao Shen laughed awkwardly but didn't deny it. "You beat us pretty badly last season. That was the worst loss I've ever experienced as a coach."

Moratti studied Gao Shen closely, nodding.

Gao Shen had only been in management for two years, but he was already regarded as one of the most promising coaches in Europe, with every move he made closely scrutinized.

Most importantly, the teams he coached were always impressive.

"If it hadn't been for your Brazilian center-back's mistake tonight, you might have gotten your revenge," Moratti said candidly.

Gao Shen shook his head. "Mistakes are part of the game. We didn't win in the end, did we?"

"You should feel honored to take a point away from the Meazza Stadium," Moratti said proudly.

But Gao Shen laughed, "Didn't you just say that without our mistakes, we should have taken away three points?"

Moratti was momentarily stunned, then burst into laughter.

That was true.

The president of Inter Milan found himself liking this young man more and more. Not only was he handsome and eloquent, but also extremely talented. The more he looked at Gao Shen, the more he appreciated him. Without hesitation, he pulled out his mobile phone and asked for his number.

This gesture was all too familiar to Gao Shen.

In his previous life, he often took out his phone to scan QR codes, adding people on WeChat, and the like.

Unfortunately, there was no WeChat yet, so he had to settle for exchanging phone numbers and sending text messages.

Sigh, it made him think of his Ate40pro again.

He had bought iPhones for the entire team, but the first generation of iPhones... well, it really was...

Anyway, it's hard to describe how underwhelming it was!

Once again, history proves that it's written by the victors. If Apple hadn't succeeded later on, that first iPhone would never have been considered groundbreaking.

But no matter what, Gao Shen was determined to keep supporting Apple until he was knighted.