Starting With Real Madrid

"Napoli are close to champions!"

The headline of La Repubblica in Rome echoed across Italian media the next day. The sentiment was consistent: after such a resounding victory, Napoli was now closing in on the Serie A title.

Of course, the language was cautious, they were "approaching," not there yet.

La Repubblica praised Napoli for displaying an exceptional level of strength and tactical precision in their 5-0 demolition of Inter Milan, a match where they dominated from start to finish. The newspaper stated, "Napoli has shown they possess the capability to challenge for the Serie A championship."

"With this emphatic victory, Napoli climbed back to the top of the Serie A standings for the third time this season."

In analyzing Inter Milan's humiliating defeat, La Repubblica attributed much of it to the struggles Mancini's team had faced recently.

The paper detailed the game extensively, supporting their analysis with numerous statistics. They specifically highlighted the key metrics Gao Shen had emphasized during the post-match press conference, running distance, possession rate, and passing success rate, arguing that they demonstrated Napoli's overwhelming dominance on the pitch.

According to La Repubblica, Napoli benefited from several key advantages: a home crowd, players in peak form, and, most notably, a clean bill of health. In contrast, Inter Milan faced numerous challenges: injuries sidelined key players, while others who had just returned from injury were visibly unfit and out of form.

However, La Repubblica did not use this to undermine Napoli's achievements. Instead, they criticized Mancini for his inadequate preparation.

"From the moment Inter Milan stepped into the Stadio San Paolo, many had already declared their fate sealed," the paper remarked.

"It's just that no one expected Inter Milan to lose so badly."

The report also revealed another surprising statistic: prior to this match, Inter Milan had gone unbeaten in 32 consecutive away games, a remarkable feat across all four major European leagues.

"But at the Stadio San Paolo, the mighty Inter Milan met an unstoppable Napoli, suffered a humiliating defeat, and may have lost their grip on the entire season!"

The paper concluded that Inter Milan's morale had taken a massive blow from this defeat. Mancini's decision to stay on as coach provided some stability, but the team's ability to regroup would be the true test.

"Now that both teams are tied on points, the championship race remains wide open."

"Still, Inter Milan arguably has a slight edge over Napoli."

---

La Repubblica wasn't alone in its cautious optimism about Napoli's title chances.

Following the match, European bookmakers adjusted their odds significantly, improving Napoli's chances of winning the title while lowering Inter Milan's. Clearly, even bookmakers recognized the psychological impact of such a one-sided defeat.

However, despite the shift, Inter Milan remained the bookmakers' favorite to win Serie A.

Their reasoning? Inter Milan's superior squad depth and more favorable schedule. If Mancini could pull his team out of their slump, they were expected to regain their dominance in Serie A.

Meanwhile, bookmakers saw Napoli's youth and inexperience as potential pitfalls. With twelve critical rounds left, even a single mistake could cost them the championship.

"For both teams, the one who makes fewer mistakes and drops fewer points will win the title!"

In the eyes of the bookmakers, Inter Milan remained the safer bet. Napoli, after all, was a newly promoted team and youth can often falter under pressure.

---

"Chaos! Chaos! Chaos!"

This was the sensational headline plastered across the front page of Gazzetta dello Sport the next morning.

The Milan-based newspaper, written with a clear bias toward Inter, used the phrase "chaos" three times, in bold red font that resembled dripping blood, to describe the state of Mancini's team.

The paper blamed Inter Milan's consecutive Serie A titles for their complacency, accusing them of overconfidence and arrogance.

"They mistakenly believed they had no rivals in Serie A."

But, as Gazzetta dello Sport pointed out, this was far from true.

"Last summer, when Gao Shen led Napoli into Serie A, he boldly declared his goal: to win the Serie A title. This season, Napoli has climbed to the top of the table not once, not twice, but three times."

"Initially, many dismissed his ambition as impossible. After all, no newly promoted team in Serie A history has ever won the league title. Napoli was expected to be no exception."

"But as the season progressed, especially after the winter break, Napoli consistently held second place in the standings. With Inter Milan dropping points, Napoli kept chasing, and now they've overtaken the top spot."

Gazzetta dello Sport argued that Napoli's rise was a direct result of Mancini's strategic failures.

From the start, Inter Milan failed to take Napoli seriously. This arrogance, coupled with poor management after the winter break, created the conditions for their recent slump.

"This is a disastrous situation!"

The paper criticized Mancini's lack of preparation and poor judgment, asserting that these failures had led Inter to their current predicament.

"In contrast, Gao Shen has been far superior to Mancini in every aspect this season, from tactics to preparation and in-game adjustments."

The paper praised Gao Shen for his decision to bring in fitness coach Antonio Pintus during the winter break, a move that significantly improved Napoli's fitness and form.

However, Gazzetta dello Sport, like most other Italian media, maintained that Napoli's current position at the top was only temporary.

Despite Napoli's dominant performance in this match, the paper believed Inter Milan remained the more likely Serie A champion.

"But one thing is clear: the landscape of Serie A has changed."

"Gao Shen and his Napoli are like a bolt of lightning, tearing through the skies over the Apennine Peninsula and introducing a bold, advanced tactical concept to Italian football."

In a detailed analysis, the paper broke down Napoli's tactics, calling them deceptively simple yet profoundly intricate upon closer examination.

This marked the first time that Italy's authoritative media publicly recognized the innovation and sophistication of Gao Shen's tactical approach.

---

In his column, Sacchi showered Gao Shen with praise.

Before the match, Sacchi had predicted a narrow victory for Napoli, forecasting a 2-1 or 1-0 scoreline. He never imagined Napoli would rout Inter Milan 5-0.

Reflecting on the game, Sacchi jokingly wrote, "Mancini must not have read my column carefully."

Sacchi highlighted Gao Shen's superiority in every aspect of coaching, from pre-match preparation to in-game adjustments.

"From the first whistle, Napoli controlled the game, dictating the tempo and imposing their style. Mancini's team was on the back foot from the start, and conceding two goals in the first ten minutes all but sealed their fate."

Sacchi also criticized Mancini's substitutions, calling them panicked and misguided.

"Inter Milan's players were clearly out of form, and several rushed back from injury prematurely. In such an important match, Mancini should have prioritized immediate effectiveness over reputation, but instead, he doubled down on poor decisions."

In contrast, Sacchi hailed Gao Shen's decisiveness and adaptability, calling him a coach worthy of the Golden Bench award for Serie A's best manager.

However, Sacchi cautioned that Napoli still faced major challenges. With tough matches against Roma and Juventus looming, Napoli could not afford any missteps.

"Napoli's biggest enemy now is not Inter Milan, it's themselves," Sacchi concluded.

"If Gao Shen and his team want to win the Serie A title, they must treat every match as a battle against their own limits, constantly striving for improvement and consistency."

---

The impact of Napoli's victory reverberated across Europe and the world. Media outlets everywhere hailed the brilliance of Gao Shen and his tactical philosophy.

In the words of L'Équipe, "This match cemented Gao Shen's place among Europe's elite managers. No longer is he just the man who won two titles with Real Madrid, he has now proven himself a world-class coach on his own terms."

Gao Shen, however, remained humble and uneasy with the overwhelming praise.

***

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