Starting With Real Madrid

As the game entered the second half, an interesting scene unfolded.

Whenever Roma pressed forward, Napoli would immediately follow, pressing them with precision like a needle to thread. There was no sign of concession. But as soon as Roma retreated, Napoli also stepped back, as if saying, "Take your time, we're in no rush."

This made both Roma and their coach, Spalletti, frustrated.

Seriously, at this point in the game, you need to either attack or defend. Can't we just settle this in a decent way?

Is this really the best use of our time?

Weren't you supposed to play offensive football?

But Gao Shen wasn't moved at all, continuing to manage the game steadily, without haste. The truth was, Spalletti didn't have many options, especially considering Roma's bench wasn't brimming with substitutes.

To put it bluntly, Roma wasn't the powerhouse it used to be at the start of the century, when they could assemble a massive squad. They don't have that kind of talent now. This season, they've barely managed to put together a decent starting lineup that's performed well in Serie A. However, their bench depth is nowhere near that of Inter Milan, the current strongest team in Italy, and well ahead of other teams.

There's no one on the bench. Even if Spalletti wanted to make a substitution, he had no viable options.

Who could he bring on?

The young Okaka? Newcomer William Song? Or someone else?

None of them were better than the players already on the pitch.

In this situation, making any substitutions would only weaken the team's combat effectiveness. So, what could Spalletti do?

This is not just Roma's problem, but a tragedy for all small and medium-sized teams.

Their financial resources are only enough to assemble a solid starting lineup. But once the need arises to make adjustments, especially after injuries or fatigue, performance quickly plummets just like Roma in the second half of this season, or Osasuna in La Liga last year.

In short, it's all about resources.

The reason they have no one to call on is simply because they have no money!

It's a harsh reality.

In the 62nd minute, Napoli once again completed a steal.

After Vidal stripped Vučinić of the ball, he quickly passed it to Rakitic, who then sent it to Cavani up front.

This immediately sparked a counterattack. Cavani moved the ball forward and quickly laid it off to Gervinho on the left.

Gervinho was forced toward the sideline by Panucci and had to stop near the byline. He pulled the ball back and passed it to Vargas, who was making a run from behind.

The young Peruvian stopped the ball, then passed it back to Cavani. Seeing Vargas dash into the left side of the penalty box, Cavani delivered a clever pass behind him. Vargas trapped the ball, and as Roma's goalkeeper Doni came rushing out, Vargas calmly struck with his left foot.

The ball slipped right through Doni's legs and rolled into Roma's net.

5-0!!!

"Another swift counterattack by Napoli!"

"This time, it was a more coordinated attack. Napoli's relentless offense left Roma with no effective way to defend, especially during transitions from offense to defense, exposing too many weaknesses under Napoli's swift counterattacks."

"But it's also clear that Spalletti didn't want to play defensively. He's trying to push for another away goal."

"And it's understandable. After beating Napoli 2-1 at home, Roma believed they had a chance to advance. But now, they've conceded five goals in a row at the San Paolo. This is unbearable for Roma."

"But we also need to recognize that Roma's bench lacks suitable replacements."

"Napoli's defense has been incredibly organized tonight, especially targeting Totti and Mancini Jr., who was Roma's best player in the first leg. But it's obvious Gao Shen prepared a plan for him tonight."

"Napoli's right-back Garrick has also significantly improved compared to his performance in the first leg."

Though Spalletti didn't plan to make substitutions, Gao Shen was the first to make adjustments.

After Vargas scored the fifth goal, Gao Shen substituted Gervinho with Di Maria.

The Ivorian winger had performed quite well strong, fast, with good technique but his stamina wasn't great.

In Gao Shen's mind, Gervinho was still useful, but he favored developing Di Maria more.

Why?

Di Maria showed more promise, especially with his aggressive pressing in the attacking third.

Gervinho, due to his weaker stamina and, frankly, the more relaxed attitude typical of some African players, had a bit of laziness in his nature.

At this stage, Gao Shen could manage it, but over the long term, it would become an issue.

That's why Di Maria was being groomed intensively.

When the Argentine winger came on, he immediately brought high energy to the field.

Roma still aimed for a goal, repeatedly pushing forward when opportunities arose.

By the 69th minute, just minutes after Di Maria had come on, he received a pass from Vargas on the left. Using his speed, Di Maria blew past Panucci, driving the ball down to the left side of Roma's penalty area. From there, he lobbed the ball to the front of the six-yard box.

At that moment, both of Roma's central defenders were focused on marking Cavani and Sánchez, completely neglecting the oncoming Biglia. Seizing the chance, Biglia pounced, sending Di Maria's cross into the bottom left corner of Roma's goal.

Biglia!

"Lucas Biglia!"

"This must be his first goal for Napoli! His first goal in Italian football!"

"My God, Napoli are on fire tonight!"

"Unbelievable, 6-0!!"

"Roma is utterly crushed!"

"After tonight, how will Italian football react to this match?"

"Before the game, everyone believed that Spalletti's Roma would beat Napoli at the Stadio San Paolo, but now Napoli has slaughtered the Red Wolves 6-0!"

If Gao Shen was thrilled about the earlier goals, by now, he had become calm.

His first thought wasn't about scoring more but about defending their own goal.

In Manchester United's game under Ferguson, their one flaw had been conceding a goal. Gao Shen couldn't give Roma that kind of opportunity.

Secondly, he thought about how he had orchestrated Roma's midfield collapse in advance. If Roma were to face Manchester United in the Champions League knockout stage, could Ferguson replicate a similar massacre?

Gao Shen doubted it.

In that moment, he felt a bit sorry for the old man.

Finally, Gao Shen reflected on modern football tactics.

Football has become more about cohesion. The competition on the field increasingly favors a team's overall strength. A local weakness, under enough pressure from the opponent, can be magnified, eventually becoming a fatal flaw and leading to a disaster.

Just like what happened tonight with Roma.

Was Roma a weak team?

Not at all.

In Serie A, they were tied for first in goals scored and one of the best in defense, keeping pace with Inter Milan.

But the fatal flaw they showed tonight had been exposed by Gao Shen.

When Napoli poured all their strength into targeting Roma's midfield, the Red Wolves completely disconnected between attack and defense had no chance to respond.

Gao Shen could confidently say that if Roma dared to press forward, Napoli would counter and score again.

But Spalletti had clearly seen the problem.

Not only Spalletti, but even the Roma players had lost all confidence.

At least, tonight, at the San Paolo Stadium, they were utterly defeated.

From this, Gao Shen also took lessons for himself.

No matter what, they had to fix the right side this summer, or the consequences could be dire.

Because today's Rome could easily become tomorrow's Napoli.

Disheartened, Spalletti threw in the towel and substituted three of his main players, signaling his surrender.

Gao Shen also made substitutions but stayed cautious in case Spalletti changed his mind.

In the end, Roma didn't turn the tide.

Napoli slaughtered the Red Wolves 6-0 at home!

As the referee blew the final whistle, the entire San Paolo stadium erupted in applause and cheers.

Gao Shen exhaled in relief, turning to embrace and shake hands with his coaching staff,

Then, he shook hands and embraced the players on the bench one by one. Finally, while heading towards the visiting team's dugout, he raised his hands to acknowledge the fans. Many Napoli fans were chanting his name. At just 26 years old, this young head coach had become the darling of Napoli fans, the hope and confidence of Naples' football revival.

From the day he announced his appointment as Napoli's head coach, the fans had supported him without hesitation, placing him in the same breath as the legendary Maradona. This spoke volumes of their trust in Gao Shen.

In half a season, Gao Shen and his Napoli had met the fans' high expectations, repeatedly defeating their opponents at the Stadio San Paolo, bringing great joy and excitement to the fans.

Amidst the roaring cheers of the fans, Gao Shen reached the visitors' bench and extended his hand to Spalletti from a distance.

The Italian coach, looking visibly worn out, surely remembered what Gao Shen had said after the first leg:

That he would score three goals away from home. Spalletti had thought the young man was crazy.

But now, it wasn't Gao Shen who looked crazy it was Spalletti and his Roma.

Not only had Napoli scored three goals, but they doubled it and scored three more.

Fortunately, Gao Shen didn't rub salt in the wound, graciously shaking hands with Spalletti and offering a few words of consolation.

However, to Spalletti, that kind of comfort felt even worse than no words at all.

"Hey, Gao," Spalletti called out as Gao Shen was about to leave.

Gao Shen stopped and turned around. Spalletti hesitated for a moment before asking, "Did you plan for Perrotta to get that yellow card in the first leg?"

*****

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