Chapter 304: Our Goal is to Win the Double Championship

The conversation began with Juventus.

Gao Shen, Buenaventura, and Pintus discussed Juventus' situation from last season.

Both Napoli and Juventus had been in Serie B, so Gao Shen and his team were quite familiar with the state of affairs at Juventus.

Pintus' new approach in itself wasn't flawed. In fact, Gao Shen strongly agreed with it, believing it was the direction of the future. With FIFA's reforms, all teams must expand their effective control range on the pitch, which requires more running.

Gao Shen even went so far as to predict that technical midfielders would become increasingly crucial and would play an even larger role.

"I'm willing to bet that if a player can't run or pass in the future, they won't even make it onto the pitch."

Gao Shen spoke with such confidence. Zidane, Buenaventura, and the others, familiar with his style, didn't find it surprising. But Pintus was quite taken aback. He held a similar belief but hadn't dared to state it as firmly as Gao Shen did.

This also gave Pintus a sense of kinship with Gao Shen.

At Juventus last season, especially toward the end, no one believed in Pintus; even Deschamps had doubts.

Gao Shen and Buenaventura both believed that the main reason for Pintus' failure at Juventus was that the players weren't suitable for his methods.

"They were too old, and their styles had already been set. Many of their habits on the pitch didn't align with your training," Gao Shen shared his opinion candidly.

Buenaventura then provided Pintus with a more in-depth analysis from a professional perspective.

Both men were experts in physical training, and as they discussed their craft, they went on endlessly. They threw out many unfamiliar terms, many of which Zidane and even Gao Shen had never heard of.

What kind of training produces which effects? Why do muscle strains frequently occur? Why do veteran players sustain so many injuries despite a reduced schedule? Are there issues with the training plan? Is the recovery phase after training adequate?

For a while, Gao Shen and Zidane became mere spectators.

The two exchanged glances and couldn't help but smile wryly.

Who was the interviewer here?

Yet, Gao Shen secretly felt he'd made the right call by bringing Buenaventura along.

Watching the heated discussion between Buenaventura and Pintus, it was clear there was a strong connection between the two. When Buenaventura introduced some advanced physical training concepts he had discussed with Gao Shen, Pintus already familiar with some of these ideas was visibly taken aback.

At first, Pintus assumed these concepts were Buenaventura's original thoughts, but when he learned they were Gao Shen's ideas, his gaze at Gao Shen changed noticeably.

This also gave Gao Shen a bit of satisfaction.

Most importantly, the methods they were discussing wouldn't be uncommon in European football within ten years.

But this was 2007.

Sports science would make significant strides over the next decade, evolving rapidly. Gao Shen could be said to be capitalizing on the advantage of his knowledge from the future.

The conversation gradually shifted to Napoli's current status and the reforms Gao Shen wanted to implement.

First and foremost, it was about mindset. Gao Shen was promoting a running-oriented style at Napoli, which aligned well with Pintus's philosophy for Juventus. The two hit it off immediately.

After the reform, Gao Shen envisioned Buenaventura taking charge of general physical conditioning, overseeing the big picture, while Pintus would be responsible for targeted training, tailoring intensive sessions based on each player's position and technical characteristics.

At the same time, they would collaborate with the technical coaches, masseurs, rehabilitation therapists, analysts, and other specialists to monitor and track players' physical conditions, adjusting training loads and programs as needed, to ensure the players were in peak form for every match.

Under Gao Shen's leadership over the past year and a half, Napoli had established an analysis team renowned not only in Italy but across European football, providing robust support to the coaching staff.

Pintus was deeply impressed by Gao Shen's strategy of predicting the opponent's tactics in advance, allowing his team to conduct targeted training sessions ahead of games to dominate their opponents on the field. This concept was even more advanced than Pintus's own ideas.

"This is simply a crazy idea! If it works, it would revolutionize physical training!" Pintus exclaimed, clearly amazed by the advanced concept.

Since this was an interview, Gao Shen asked Pintus about his own thoughts and approach.

The Turin native explained that his training methods were intense and predominantly without the ball. He acknowledged that this likely contributed to the muscle strains experienced by Juventus players last season, but he argued that such intensity was necessary.

Reducing strength-based drills and increasing running was his training philosophy.

He insisted that his approach was scientifically sound and without issues, but it required player cooperation.

Focus during training and adequate recovery afterward were both crucial.

Additionally, he had numerous ideas for targeted player training, though he said specific plans would need to be tailored based on the actual state of the Napoli players, so he couldn't reveal too much at this stage.

However, he did make one promise.

"I looked at Napoli's schedule, and I see that the first game after the winter break is on January 12, which gives us roughly half a month. I think that should be enough time."

Pintus's plan was to spend the first five days thoroughly assessing the players' conditions. He would then, in conjunction with the team's existing winter break training plan, devise a ten-day intensive and targeted training program.

"My initial estimate is that we can get into peak form by February and sustain it until the end of the season," Pintus said confidently.

Gao Shen wasn't an expert in this field, so he looked over at Buenaventura, who nodded slightly.

Clearly, their earlier discussion had convinced Buenaventura that Pintus was a coach with real talent.

But Gao Shen thought it over and shook his head.

This reaction surprised not only Pintus but also Buenaventura and Zidane.

Was it not good enough?

"I don't want us to simply be in good shape. I want you, Lorenzo, and the rest of the staff to get the team into its best possible condition, ready to compete on two fronts."

Gao Shen looked at Pintus seriously. "I want you to think it over carefully. Our goal at Napoli has never changed, and that's to win the Serie A championship! And now, we also want to win the Coppa Italia!"

Hearing Gao Shen's firm and resolute declaration, Buenaventura appeared visibly moved.

Pintus was astonished, as anyone could see how strong Inter Milan was in Italy.

Napoli was just a newly-promoted team, and they wanted to challenge Inter Milan for the Serie A title?

But this was Gao Shen they were talking about.

When he managed Real Madrid, who could have predicted he'd lead them to overtake Barcelona and win the Champions League?

Even at Napoli, who would have thought he'd turn them into a Serie A powerhouse in just one year?

Yet here they were.

Who could still call Napoli a newly-promoted team?

Have you ever seen a newly-promoted team ranked in the top two for a long period?

In fact, if Napoli didn't dare to aim for such heights, then Serie A would truly be stagnant!

With this realization, Pintus suddenly felt a surge of fighting spirit.

"Alright, I'll give it everything I've got!" Pintus promised.

Gao Shen smiled, reached out, and shook Pintus's hand firmly. "Welcome, Antonio! Congratulations on officially joining our future double-champion team in Italy!"

…

Negotiating Pintus's salary was actually the easiest part, as it ended up being slightly lower than Gao Shen had anticipated.

Eager to start, Pintus proposed to pack up right away and fly to Naples on the 28th, ready to officially begin his duties.

Clearly, his time off had left him with plenty of pent-up energy.

As they left Pintus's home and returned to Milan, Gao Shen felt quite satisfied with the results of this trip. He looked at Zidane, feeling a slight pang of guilt, knowing he had inadvertently recruited someone who would have been a key asset for Zidane in the future. It was...

He couldn't help but wonder, with both Guardiola and Zidane's future fitness coaches now working for him, would they still perform as well down the line?

But Gao Shen wasn't poaching indiscriminately. Regardless of whether Pintus worked at Real Madrid, Inter Milan, or other teams in the future, his role was always that of a fitness coach, and his expertise lay in training players.

"So, Zinedine, what do you say? Interested in joining my coaching team?" Gao Shen asked with a grin.

Consider it his way of making it up to Zidane for "poaching" his future staff.

Zidane grinned back. "Did you forget our bet, future double-champion coach?"

Gao Shen remembered then that he'd made a wager with Zidane.

"Well, I'm serious here. If you join now, I'll give you a high salary and a good position. But if you lose the bet and join later… haha, you'll be relegated to cleaning duty."

"Cleaning… You mean like cleaning toilets?" Zidane laughed and cursed.

Gao Shen and Buenaventura burst into laughter.

"But seriously, I've been so idle this past year, I feel like I'm rusting. I'm planning to get back to training and work on earning a coaching license." Zidane shifted the conversation.

Gao Shen nodded. "Sounds good, but how's your academic performance? Think you can pass the exams and get certified?"

Feeling Gao Shen's teasing gaze, Zidane grew indignant. "Who do you think you're

underestimating? Do I look like someone who can't get a coaching certificate?"

Uh, Gao Shen suddenly remembered wasn't there someone who still hadn't managed to get their coaching license?

Was this a subtle jab at Zidane?

"As for you," Zidane continued, "you'd better put in some serious effort in the second half of the season. If you win the Serie A title, I'll admit defeat. But if you don't… well, I'll have to think about joining very carefully," he said with a smirk.

Was that a challenge?

But it was understandable. After all, Zidane's status in the football world was unique.

If he joined Gao Shen's coaching staff, it would definitely make waves across the football community.

Gao Shen was looking forward to it.

When that day finally came, with Guardiola on his left and Zidane on his right, it would be impossible for Gao Shen not to make a name for himself in world football!

"Gao, you're smiling like that again. So sneaky, who are you plotting against now?" Zidane asked, feeling a shiver down his spine.

Had he been trapped by Gao Shen's scheme again?

***

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