How does the saying go?

  Wars are won with logistics.

  As the saying goes, supplies must e before the soldiers move. That's the reality.

  As Napoli's general manager, Marino has alced great importan logistics. He does everything in his power to meet the demands of Gao Shen and the team.

  Especially during iional matches.

  Last season, Napoli suffered due to the timing of iional fixtures, which impacted their performance. Although Gao Shen didn't openly criticize it, both De Laurentiis and Marino reflected ouation and made it their priority to address those shortings.

  Now that Napoli is making a full-scale push on all fronts, logistical support has bee the top priority.

  De Laurentiis even issued strict orders, demanding Marino ensure every logistical detail was handled, regardless of cost.

  At the end of March, Marino personally oversaw arras for pyers on iional duty, demonstrating just how seriously he took the task.

  The day after Napoli's game against A, Gao Sheo the San Paolo Stadium to get a firsthand update.

  …

  "I've tacted the national teams, and I personally spoke to the football associations," Marino expined in his office, updating Gao Shen and De Laurentiis on the progress. "They uand our packed schedule and will try to aodate us where possible."

  "But, to be ho, it's going to be difficult. Right now, South America is in a critical phase of its World Cup qualifiers. Their schedules are tight, and their national teams are under immense pressure."

  Put simply, Napoli had their own petitive pressures, while national teams were fighting for a p the World Cup.

  Just imagihe uproar if tries like Brazil, Argentina, uay failed to qualify. The stakes were enormous.

  "Let's hear your pns," Gao Shen said, nodding.

  "My team and I analyzed the South Ameri qualifiers' schedule. There are two matchdays: one on March 28th or 29th, and the other on April 1st or 2nd," Marino expined. "Our 30th Serie A match is scheduled for the evening of April 5th."

  Gao Shen didn't o look at the dar; he already khese dates all too well. They'd been giving him a headache.

  "Our South Ameri pyers represent Peru, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil. While the first round of matches isn't a major , the sed round is key. Peru pys Brazil in Porto Alegre, Argentina pys in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, and Uruguay faces Chile in Santiago."

  Marino tinued, "We tacted scouts and local sources in South America, as well as airlines. After extensive coordination, we decided that Buenos Aires would be the meeting point. Ohe iional matches clude, pyers will fly directly to Buenos Aires from their respective venues.

  "We estimate they'll all be there by noon on April 3rd. Of course, they won't get much rest during this process."

  He paused before adding, "We spent over €100,000 to charter a flight. The pyers will board in Buenos Aires, and the pne will fly directly to Rome. The flight takes over ten hours. If all goes acc to pn, they should arrive in Rome in the early hours of April 4th, or at worst, ter that m."

  Gao Shen frowned. He could see the potential problems at every step.

  While noon on April 3rd sounded ideal, reality might not cooperate.

  For instance, after a match, pyers might not be able to head straight to the airport. What if the national team was deyed for some reason? And even if they made it to the airport, there was always the risk of flight deys.

  In fact, deys were almost guaranteed.

  I years, Serie A clubs had established a semi-standardized process fing transportation for South Ameri and Afri pyers. Generally, clubs pooled resources to eheir iionals returo Europe as quickly as possible.

  As long as the pyers were ba Europe, things became manageable.

  Napoli had focused on optimizing the pyers' rest and recovery. The goal was for everyoo return to Naples on April 4th. Gao Shen wasn't too ed about the Sampdoria mat April 5th.

  Napoli still had a five-point lead in the league standings. Dropping points against Sampdoria wouldn't be catastrophic.

  The priority was ensuring the squad was in peak dition for the Champions League quarter-final against Arsenal.

  However, Marino expihat the shared Serie A charter flight would require a stop in Madrid. Napoli found this arra uable and decided to bear the higher cost of a direct flight from Buenos Aires to Rome.

  While the time saved might seem negligible, those few extra hours of rest and recovery were critical for professional pyers.

  Gao Shen knew Marino had done his best.

  In the grand scheme of things, football wasn't a priority for airlines overs. It wasn't realistic to expect airlio prioritize clubs over their regur schedules.

  Even for iional pyers, logistics had to ply with the ws ary requirements of each try. As a result, national team matches often caused logistical headaches for clubs.

  Every iional break became a test of a club's logistical capabilities.

  "Let's move on to the Londements," Gao Shen said.

  Marino g De Laurentiis, who nodded for him to proceed.

  "I personally ied the hotel you reended. It's excellent, slightly over budget but still reasonable, so I went ahead and booked it," Marino said with a smile.

  The hotel Gao Shen suggested was the same one he had used while managing Real Madrid during a trip to London. He'd been satisfied with it then, so he ree to Marino for Napoli's uping visit.

  Gao Shen appreciated Marino's dedication. In terms of logistical support, traditional powerhouses like Real Madrid had always set a high standard when pying away games.

  Marino's meticulous approach reassured Gao Shen. And De Laurentiis, now fully itted to supp the team, didn't hold back.

  After all, Napoli was in the Champions League quarter-finals.

  Back when they were pced in the group of death, both De Laurentiis and Marino had sidered the possibility of an early exit, thinking it wasn't worth risking too much.

  But reag the quarter-finals? That was beyond their wildest expectations.

  What's more, Napoli had knocked out Chelsea.

  This wasn't just progress, it was genuine success.

  And with success came eveer pyer performances.

  The better the pyers performed, the higher their market value, giving Napoli leverage in future iations.

  De Laurentiis, once hesitant about Gao Shen's 20% share agreement, no longer had any doubts.

  Why?

  Because Napoli's squad value had skyrocketed.

  Take i, for example. Last season's Serie A top scorer and still perf exceptionally well, the 22-year-old was valued at €30 million. But realistically, no one could expect to sign him for just €30 million.

  Thiago Motta was another hot odity, with Inter Min, Bara, and even Real Madrid reportedly ied. Napoli wouldn't let him go for less than €20-30 million.

  If Napoli made it to the semi-finals or further, the squad's value would only increase.

  De Laurentiis and Marino could hardly imagine what that would look like. But ohing was certain: even if Gao Shen took his 20%, Napoli would still reap massive rewards.

  De Laurentiis had e to terms with the deal. If Gao Shen decided to stay, he'd gdly offer him a new tract, with a higher sary aer terms.

  What could he do? Gao Shen's leadership was just too profitable.

  Gao Shen had tied De Laurentiis and Marino's is firmly to the team's performance.

  …

  "Gao, tell us the truth—how fident are you about this quarter-final?" Marino asked, looking ed.

  Gao Shen g Marino, then at De Laurentiis, who leaned forward slightly, his curiosity evident.

  "Holy, if both teams py at their normal level, I'm about 60% fident," Gao Shen said calmly.

  "Sixty pert?" De Laurentiis repeated, surprised. "That's more than enough!"

  He'd assumed it would be a 50-50 ce at best, or maybe even 40-60 against Napoli. Gao Shen's fidence exceeded his expectations.

  "Are you sure?" Marino asked cautiously.

  "If Arsenal is a strong team, thehey're strong. But if you look closer, you'll see they have plenty of weakoo," Gao Shen replied, his tone measured.

  Though vague, his assessment wasn't wrong.

  Arsenal's reputation for near-misses, top-four battles, and occasional colpses had made them a subject of endless jokes among fans. But these jokes also reflected lingering hope and expectations for the club.

  People joked because they still cared. When no ohers to criticize you anymore, that's when you've truly been written off.

  As fao Shen, he had no expectations for Arsenal or any sympathy. He was focused entirely on preparing Napoli for the uping match.

  Gao Shen already had a preliminary pn to ter Arsenal. His bold remarks weren't baseless, they were a calcuted move to boost Napoli's morale and ule their oppos.