On the evening of August 18th, at the San Paolo Stadium in Naples.

  The team's seaso is a Coppa Italia match against Frosinone, an old rival from the C-1 League.

  The oppo isn't particurly strong, but they shouldn't be uimated.

  The key is to assess the overall strength of Napoli after iing more than 16 million euros.

  This isn't just a question for Napoli fans, but for Italy and even all of Europe.

  After leaving the spotlight of La Liga and the Champions League to coaapoli, a newly promoted Serie B team, Gao Shen made an astonishing choice.

  But he did it!

  The local media in Naples have likened Gao Shen's move from Real Madrid to o Maradona's transfer from Bara. Both are seen as heralding a new era in Naples.

  During Maradona's time, Napoli also made signifit iments. Now, a new era has begun under Gao Shen. Although Napoli's current iment is far less than during Maradona's era, it is still quite bold.

  Now, it's time to deliver the results.

  ---

  De Laurentiis was a bit nervous, pag bad forth in his office.

  The attenda the San Paolo Stadium tonight was quite impressive, with over 50,000 fans filling the stands, nearly a full house.

  For the first round of the Coppa Italia, against an oppohat isn't particurly strong, such a turnout is entirely due to Gao Shen's debut and the club's restructuring and iment this summer.

  But the more this was the case, the more anxious De Laurentiis felt.

  He had been in the film business, primarily in Hollywood in the Uates.

  In Hollywood, every movie goes through a strining process from its iion. By the time it's released, everyone pretty muows if it will be a blockbuster, average, or a flop.

  But football is different. No one knows the result until the final whistle.

  De Laurentiis opened his humidor several times but wasn't ied.

  Finally, Marino knocked on his office door from outside.

  Seeing the general manager of the club he had just appointed walk in, De Laurentiis immediately asked, "How is it? What did he say?"

  "He said he's very fident," Marino replied.

  De Laurentiis clicked his tongue, "fidence isn't enough; he o win."

  He was making a big gamble now.

  More than 16 million euros a huge sum for a Serie B team.

  If they don't win, then De Laurentiis will bee a ughingsto Italian football.

  "No, I'll ask him myself." De Laurentiis couldn't restrain himself.

  Since July 10th, after the team officially started training, De Laurentiis had only been to Fort Volturno once, on the sed day of training camp, to meet the pyers; the rest of the time, he waited.

  Sure, he snu to watch a game, but what could he say?

  The performance was still unsatisfactory, even though they woch.

  Now, he was genuinely worried.

  Their oppo is Frosinone, a team from st season's C-1 League. Napoli defeated them 3-1 away and drew 1-1 at home, showing dominant strength and performance.

  Although each match is different, if after such a signifit iment, they still 't beat them, what would De Laurentiis do? Would he just be ughed to death?

  But as he reached the door, De Laurentiis stopped.

  He turo Marino and asked, "Are they och or in the locker room?"

  "They are in the locker room, making final preparations before the game."

  De Laurentiis clicked his tongue again and exhaled heavily, "I promised not to ehe locker room without his permission."

  Marino stood aside, looking straight ahead without any expression.

  "Pierre Paul, when Gao Shen said that, what did you think of his expression? Was he fident, certain of winning, or just somewhat likely to win?"

  Marino was taken aback. How could he possibly know that?

  But he knew better than to make light of it with De Laurentiis.

  After frowning and thinking, he nodded, "I think there's a high probability of winning."

  "Rubbish! Gao is the coach of a double-champion team, and we've ied so much. A high probability of winning? Doesn't that mean there's still a small ce of losing?" De Laurentiis felt like he was going crazy.

  Marily rejoiced: Boss, nothing is ever 100% certain in football!

  But he didn't dare say it.

  Some things Gao Shen could say, but if he did, he'd be immediately bombarded.

  He knew his boss's temperament well.

  Actually, he truly admired Gao Shen ated agreeing too quickly to take the job.

  Looking back, if he had just pyed it cool like Gao Shen, maybe the boss wouldn't dare to mess with him so easily.

  Fortunately, when the boss wasn't angry, he was still pretty det.

  ---

  "Do you knoe're fag tonight?"

  As Napoli prepared in their locker room, Frosinone's coach, Ivo Jai, was loudly addressing his pyers in their locker room.

  "Napoli, st season's nemesis," shouted a pyer seated in front of his locker.

  Jai shook his head, "No, not just Napoli, but someoronger."

  "Gao Shen?" another pyer asked.

  "Yes!" Jai nodded. "Last season's Real Madrid head coach, La Liga and Champions League double-champion coach, the hottest young coa European football today!"

  When Jai said this, he looked directly at his pyers, making a final rallying cry.

  "You all know this, but you also o know that when he first arrived, he decred he wao win Serie B, get promoted to Serie A, and build a strong Serie A team within three years. Who does he think he is?"

  "Does he think no one in Serie B stop him? Does he really think Napoli, under his leadership, is the stro, and all the other teams are just useless?"

  By the end, Jai's series of rhetorical questions had stirred his pyers.

  Too disrespectful!

  "I tell you that right now, every team in Serie B wants to beat him, and it would be an honour to do so. And we have the ce to be the first team to officially challenge Gao Shen and his Napoli!"

  "We should be proud of this! At the same time, we o give our best performan front of Gao Shen and Napoli, and ruthlessly show them that Serie B is not their backyard! That teams in Serie B, especially Frosinone, are not just pushovers!"

  "Tell me, are you pushovers?"

  "No!!!!" The pyers stood up, shouting in unison.

  "Good! Go out there and prove it to me!"

  ---

  Walking out of the Sao Paulo Stadium, Ivo Jai saw Gao Shen smiling.

  Gao Shen was waiting for him in the pyer tunnel.

  Jai wasn't impressed. He was even slightly repulsed by this incredibly young, double-champion coach.

  Not just because of his achievements but also his duct.

  Tant! Too high-profile!

  ing in, he decred himself an enemy of all of Serie B. Does he really think there's no petition here?

  Young people being too aggressive it's not a good thing!

  Ivo Jai was just fifty years old this year, twice Gao Shen's age. He felt he had eaten more ptes of pasta than Gao Shen had travelled roads, so he wasn't fond of his style.

  Such a character is bound to hit a wall in Italian football!

  As they met, Jai gave Gao Shen a cold shoulder. He merely shook hands, exged a few polite words, and turned back to his team's bench.

  ---

  Gao Shen uzzled.

  How did he offend him?

  For no reason, why act like he owes him millions?

  Baffling!

  "Did you run into a problem?" Carlo asked, smiling.

  Gao Shen chuckled, "Did I provoke him?"

  "Italy has a servative atmosphere. When you say you want to win the championship right away, it may be fine from your perspective, but the eion naturally dislikes it, and you are ioo young."

  ade a valid point.

  Typically, coaches shaking hands are men in their forties or fifties. It's rare to see one in his thirties.

  Now a 25-year-old young coach shows up, and the key is that he won both La Liga and the Champions League. What do you expect the senior coaches who have been around football their entire lives to think? How are they supposed to hahis?

  Not to mention Jai; even Carlo had spent months wrestling with himself before finally admitting that Gao Shen indeed surpassed him in many aspects and agreeing to be his assistant.

  "Remember what you said earlier about a saying: 'Not being envied is mediocrity.' You have to get used to it!"

  After hearing this, Gao She amused. "My respected Mr. Carlo, are you f me? Or praising me?"

  "Take it however you want," Carlo chuckled.

  Actually, being Gao Shen's assistant coach wasn't bad aside from him being too young, everything else retty good, and they worked well together.

  Gao Shen smiled, looked up, and searched the chairman's stand, noting there were quite a few people.

  Sacchi had said earlier he would e to support him tonight, so Gao Shen made sure he got a ticket.

  There were also some pyers' families, like those of Rakitid Sanchez, seated in the chairman's stand.

  This was the season opener, not just fao Shen but also for these young Napoli pyers a fresh start in Italian football!

  Gao Shen exhaled heavily, then turned his head and g Jai, who was standing in front of the visiting team's benbsp;

  Bring it on!

  I'm ready!

  Not satisfied, huh?

  I'll beat you so decisively that there won't be any room for doubt!

  Didn't Sacchi say it best?

  It's not just about winning, but about winning so vingly that your oppo has no choice but to respect you. That's real skill that's what greatness is all about!