"It seems Wenger has guessed your strategy."
Standihe visiting team's teical area, Zidane ented calmly as he watched Arsenal throw the ball bato py after a Napoli attaded out of bounds.
"Not surprising," Gao Shen replied, frowning slightly.
There's a saying that your oppo often knows you best. But that isn't always true.
After all these years, how could Wenger not know the weaknesses of his team? Surely, he uands why Arsenal has been reduced to stantly fighting just to secure a top-four finish in the Premier League and make it into the Champions League knockout stages year after year.
It's not that Wenger doesn't know—he must. But knowing is ohing; being able or willing to ge is another.
For example, is sistently finishing iop four really Wenger's ultimate goal? Certainly not. But the straints on Arsenal make it difficult to aim higher.
Simirly, Arsenal's style of py is something Wenger is unwilling to promise on.
With a squad full of young pyers peting in the demanding Premier League, Wenger has few viable alternatives to his teical, possession-based approach.
Signing new pyers costs money, money Arsenal doesn't have in abundance.
Modern European football is very different from the past. Any promising talent is immediately scouted by tless clubs the moment they step onto the professional stage. Pyers who make a difference demand top prices, and Arsenal doesn't have the financial muscle to outbid their petitors.
This is why what Gao Shen has done in Naples has shaken European football to its core.
From Real Madrid to Napoli, he's uhed and nurtured an astonishing number of young talents, many of whom had flown uhe radar. He's proven that he ot only deliver results but also make the club a signifit amount of money by boosting the value of his pyers.
To put it simply, Gao Shen isn't just achieving success och—he's buildih for the club.
---
After Clichy's throw-in, Arsenal unched atack. But Gao Shen quickly noticed a pattern.
Both of Arsenal's full-backs were pushing very high up the pitch.
"He's not pying servatively at all tonight. In fact, he's being very aggressive," Gao Shen remarked with a faint smile.
Zidane nodded, his gaze fixed on the positions of Clichy and Sagna, who had advanced further than Arsenal's midfielders Song and Fabregas.
In the seinute, during an attack down Arsenal's left fnk, Nasri received the ball with his back to goal and brought it inside, while Clichy sprinted up the toue. His overpping rued a crossing opportunity, but Di Maria had tracked him diligently and blocked his progress.
Gao Shen immediately shouted instrus, reminding his pyers to pay close attention to the aggressive runs of Arsenal's full-backs. At the same time, he noticed Van Persie and Adebayor stantly moving, ready to exploit any gaps.
These two forwards frequently drifted to the fnks to provide support, and both were highly skilled individually. Clichy and Sagna's forward movements only added to Arsenal's offeions.
Gao Shen signaled for Napoli to drop back slightly and stabilize the situation.
Despite Arsenal's early pressure, Gao Shen remained calm.
He noticed that while Arsenal's wide attacks looked promising, they weren't creating signifit threats.
By the fourth minute, Clichy and Sagna had each delivered crosses into the box, both aimed at the near post. On one occasion, Thiago Motta dropped back to intercept the ball, and oher, David Luiz cleared it.
her attempt posed any real danger.
This firmed Gao Shen's assessment: as long as Napoli trolled the tral areas, Arsenal's crosses would not be a major issue. Of course, it was still crucial to prevent the Gunners from whipping in crosses at will.
After finding little success on the wings, Arsenal shifted their focus to the middle.
Nasri, who had beeing space for Clichy on the left, began moving into tral positions more frequently to bih Fabregas.
The game's first shot came from a owo between Nasri and Fabregas, but Fabregas' attempt was blocked by Thiago Motta before it could trouble Handanovic.
Shortly after, Walcott used his speed to burst past Vargas on the right and deliver a cross, but again, Napoli's defense trolled the situation, clearing the ball from the danger zone.
In the opening four mihe transitioween attad defense were fast-paced. Arsenal had more possession and attag opportunities, but none of them were truly threatening.
"The Gunners' attack is nothing new," Gao Shen said, reassured.
The opening exges firmed that Arsenal's offeactics were limited.
Unless Napoli made mistakes in their own defense, Arsenal's moves were predictable and manageable.
By the fifth minute, with Napoli settling into the match, Gao Shen signaled his team to tighten their marking on Adebayor and Fabregas.
Arsenal, meanwhile, maintaiheir high pressing on Napoli's midfielders.
In the fifth minute, as Thiago Motta received a pass, Arsenal's Song chased him aggressively, pressing high up the pitch. Uo win the ball, Soed to tripping Motta, g a free kick just outside the penalty area.
This sequence highlighted Arsenal's pressing iy, but it also revealed their defensive vulnerabilities.
For Song to press so far forward meant that Arsenal's midfield cked stability. With Fabregas left aloo cover, Arsenal's deferucture was fragile.
As Arsenal's pyers slowly retreated, expeg a routine free kick, David Luiz began advang up the pitch.
Gao Shen ched his fists, his eyes fixed on the py.
---
Napoli's midfielders and forwards begareating as well, walking back deliberately.
No oicipated that David Luiz would take the free kick himself. The position was dangerously close to Arsenal's penalty area, but the Brazilian defender's sudden forward run caught everyone off guard.
Napoli's striker i was the quickest to react. Sprinting forward, he drew Arsenal's ter-backs Gals and Toure with him.
David Luiz's long pass was delivered with precision, traveling at speed and with a low arc. The ball dropped just outside the left edge of the penalty area, where i leapt to meet it. Beating both Arsenal defeo the ball, he toward the left er of the box.
At 1.88 meters tall, i had a clear physical advantage als and Toure, her of whom could challenge him effectively in the air.
The header fell to Sanchez, who sprio the ball and trolled it expertly with his right foot, shielding it from the advang Sagna.
Sanchez now faced Sagna one-o the edge of the box. Behind him, i moved into the penalty area, ready to receive the ball, while Di Maria hovered he right side, prepared to make a run.
Arsenal's defense scrambled to cover their respective threats. Sagna focused on Sanchez, while the tral defenders kept an eye on i. Meanwhile, Di Maria's movement drew the attention of Clichy and Song.
Sanchez feinted as if to cross toward i, causing Sagna and the Arsenal defeo react. But instead of delivering the cross, Sanchez pushed the ball back to his right, slipped past Sagna, and delivered a low pass to the edge of the box.
Rakitic, perfectly positioned just outside the penalty area, met the ball. With no defenders marking him, he took a toud fired a precise shot into the bottom er of the .
The ball smmed into the goal.
"GOAL!!!!"
"Napoli takes the lead! Less than six minutes into the game, Rakitic scores!"
---
Ooue, Gao She into the air, fists raised in celebration.
The goal may have seemed sudden, but fao Shen, it was the produeticulous pnning. From David Luiz's long pass to i's header and Sanchez's clever movement, every piece of the py had been carefully rehearsed.
Rakitic's perfectly timed arrival and finish capped off a brilliantly executed sequence.
Gao Shen hugged Zidane and his staff before turning to cheer at his pyers, giving them a thumbs-up.
Finally, he g Wenger on the opposing bench. The Arsenal manager, impeccably dressed in a suit and his signature red tie, now wore a dark expression.
"This," Gao Shen thought to himself, "is my demonstration. Do you uand?"
His heart swelled with fidence.
See? He had been right all along.
Pying against Arsenal wasn't so difficult after all.
Sg against Wenger's team? Even easier.
