Chapter 505: Game On

Serie A, Round 37.

Napoli, having secured the Serie A title two rounds in advance, once again fielded an all-rotated lineup and drew 2-2 away to Catania. Gao Shen only sent on three regular starters in the second half to maintain their match fitness.

Everyone knew that Napoli had no real interest in this game.

Gao Shen and his team had only one focus now, the Champions League final.

Meanwhile, Inter Milan, having lost their grip on the title, showed their inconsistency again. Playing away against Cagliari, Ibrahimović gave Inter the lead in the eighth minute, but Cagliari responded with two goals to turn the game around.

In the end, Inter Milan suffered a 1-2 defeat.

Gao Shen felt somewhat wronged.

He had already stopped competing, yet his lead in the table kept growing.

Blame me?

…

Serie A, Round 38.

Tonight was also Napoli's championship award ceremony.

Gao Shen continued with an all-rotated squad, even giving the veteran captain Montervino a start. Young players like Insigne and Verratti were also named in the starting eleven.

Perhaps inspired by the prospect of stepping onto the stage to receive the trophy, Montervino delivered a surprisingly strong performance.

It was unexpected. The old captain hadn't played a competitive match in three years.

Everyone knew that Gao Shen included him purely to give him an opportunity to enjoy the occasion.

But no one could have predicted that just four minutes into the game, Montervino would unleash a long-range strike and score against Verona.

Gao Shen, Zidane, Carlo, Lucas…

Every coach on Napoli's bench was left speechless.

At that moment, Gao Shen felt a twinge of guilt.

Had he unknowingly sidelined a world-class midfielder for years?

Was this his mistake?

Then, just three minutes later, Montervino played a perfectly timed through ball, allowing Insigne to break free and set up Mertens for Napoli's second goal.

2-0!

This time, Gao Shen was truly stunned.

"Why does it feel like our old captain is so good?" Gao Shen muttered with a bitter smile.

Carlo, standing beside him, coughed and reminded him, "Montervino is only 31 years old."

"Huh?" Gao Shen didn't react immediately.

In his mind, Montervino had always seemed like a veteran on the verge of retirement, more of a locker room leader and logistics captain than an active player.

But he was only thirty-one?

Alright, I was wrong!

Gao Shen awkwardly waved his hands, realizing he had completely misjudged the situation.

Stereotypes can be dangerous!

In the 18th minute, Dossena delivered an assist, and Insigne found the net, extending Napoli's lead to 3-0.

After that, Verona switched to full defensive mode, and Napoli eased off as well.

The match ended in a 3-0 victory for Napoli, with Montervino named Man of the Match.

The San Paolo Stadium erupted.

No one had ever seen this side of their veteran captain before.

Montervino had always been more of a symbolic figure, a player who lifted trophies on behalf of the team and served as a spiritual leader. Yet today, in his first start in years, he had directly contributed to two goals. It was almost unbelievable!

However, as the match progressed, his limitations became apparent.

Verratti, despite his talent, was still young. His passing and technique were solid, but he lacked maturity.

Napoli's 3-0 victory made the subsequent award ceremony even more electrifying.

With the Champions League final just four days away, Napoli had opted not to hold a parade at Gao Shen's request. Instead, after receiving their medals and lifting the Serie A trophy, Montervino led the team on a celebratory lap around the stadium, holding both championship trophies.

…

After the celebrations at the San Paolo Stadium, the team returned to Castel Volturno.

The players were dismissed for the night, but the coaching staff stayed behind to work overtime.

In the office, Gao Shen and his team reviewed the Copa del Rey final between Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao.

Lucas had personally traveled to the Mestalla Stadium with Sarri and the scouting team to watch the match live, taking meticulous notes. Using their observations, they analyzed Barcelona's tactics and began formulating a strategy.

Athletic Bilbao's approach could be seen as both a success and a failure.

It was successful because their tactics were sound.

They had effectively contained Barcelona's play and put Messi under pressure.

However, it was also a failure because Bilbao's squad lacked the strength and endurance to maintain their game plan. Their relentless pressing drained their energy too quickly, leaving them exposed early in the second half. As a result, Messi broke free, and Bilbao had no effective countermeasure.

Failing to adjust their tactics in time, they conceded multiple goals in succession and eventually lost 1-4.

From Messi's first goal to his third, barely ten minutes had passed.

This highlighted the importance of in-game management.

Hesitation—even for a few minutes—could lead to irreversible consequences.

Gao Shen first listened to everyone's opinions. Most of the discussion focused on how to limit Messi and disrupt Barcelona's passing and control.

Buenaventura pointed out that Athletic Bilbao had unintentionally provided Napoli with a valuable lesson on what not to do. Given Napoli's superior fitness and tactical discipline, they could execute a high-pressing game more effectively.

"I talked this over with Antonio," Buenaventura said. "We both agree that if we implement this strategy, we can sustain high pressing for around 65 to 70 minutes."

That estimate was based on a worst-case scenario where Napoli was under constant pressure. In reality, with their skill level, Napoli wouldn't be as passive as Bilbao had been.

Overall, physical endurance wouldn't be an issue for Napoli. That was their advantage.

The real challenge was Messi.

Iniesta's dribbling and Xavi's passing could be contained with the right approach, but Messi was the real problem. He was the most dangerous and unpredictable player in this Barcelona lineup.

Especially now that Guardiola had moved him centrally.

To make matters worse, Henry and Eto'o were positioned on the wings.

Messi often dropped deep, allowing the wingers to push forward, Barcelona's signature attacking move.

At times, they even played a 4-4-2 diamond, with Messi in the No. 10 role behind Henry and Eto'o. However, the two forwards operated more like wide forwards, frequently drifting to the flanks.

How to stop it?

That was the big question.

"Caparrós used a double-pivot midfield," Lucas analyzed. "Javi Martínez and Orbaiz protected the area in front of the penalty box. Whenever Messi dropped deep, one of them would follow to limit his space."

Napoli's usual system was a 4-3-3 with Thiago Motta as the lone defensive midfielder. If Messi dropped deep, Thiago Motta would struggle to handle him one-on-one.

However, if he coordinated with David Luiz and Bonucci in the backline, they might have a chance.

But in this case, the defensive coverage of Henry and Eto'o on the wings also needed to be considered.

Both players possessed exceptional individual ability.

Henry's pace was not what it once was, but his movements on the left side and in the left half-space remained highly threatening.

Everyone shared their thoughts, analyzing and discussing different ideas. Even Sarri, who was not part of the regular coaching staff, had gained valuable insights from the Copa del Rey final and learned a lot from the experience.

"There's one more player we need to focus on," Gao Shen said after his assistants had voiced their opinions.

"Yaya Touré," Zidane answered immediately.

Gao Shen glanced at the Frenchman, smiled, and nodded approvingly.

Zidane understood him well and had a sharp tactical sense, even during his playing days at Real Madrid.

"Barcelona's first goal came from Yaya Touré, who dribbled past three players before scoring. His sense of timing was impeccable, and he picked the perfect moment to make his run. Either he didn't make a move, or when he did, it was a direct threat," Zidane analyzed.

Dribbling past three players in succession, and from such a deep position, this was no small feat.

Yaya Touré's performances at Barcelona had been outstanding.

In Gao Shen's previous life, many had claimed that he left for Manchester City because he was pushed out by Busquets.

That was only part of the story.

Yaya Touré had always been a standout at Barcelona, both in that timeline and in this one.

Even under Guardiola, he received significant playing time. This season, he had played more minutes than Busquets, yet Guardiola still refrained from using him in his best role as a defensive midfielder.

So why did he leave for Manchester City?

The truth was simple, he wasn't happy at Barcelona, and Manchester City offered him a lucrative contract.

But that raised another question: why was he unhappy? Why did Guardiola prefer Busquets as the holding midfielder over him?

The answer was clear, Yaya Touré was not a natural No. 4.

Take the goal Zidane had just analyzed as an example.

From a spectator's perspective, everyone marveled at the brilliance of Yaya Touré's solo run and finish. It was a spectacular goal.

But from a head coach's standpoint, this posed a significant problem.

A center-back pushing forward unpredictably, charging into attack when he saw an opening, what happened to the defensive line in his absence?

It was no secret that Barcelona's biggest weakness was their defense.

They had no issues in attack or ball circulation, but their defensive structure was fragile.

As Gao Shen had pointed out before, Barcelona's No. 4 role was essentially an auxiliary center-back. His job was to shield the defense and maintain ball distribution. Tactical awareness and vision were not the priority, defensive stability was.

As a defensive midfielder, Yaya Touré was perfectly suited for Manchester City. With someone like Fernandinho alongside him, he had the freedom to attack without defensive concerns.

But the problem was, what Barcelona lacked wasn't another Yaya Touré, they needed a Fernandinho-type player instead.

And that was why Yaya Touré would be Napoli's key weakness to exploit in the Champions League final, Gao Shen concluded with confidence.

***

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