Starting With Real Madrid

Champions League matches always kick off at 7:45 PM, but the players arrive at the stadium much earlier.

When Napoli's team bus departed from their hotel and made its way toward the Emirates Stadium, the streets were already packed with Arsenal fans.

Italian fans, particularly those from the south, are infamous for their fiery behavior when traveling to away games, fans from clubs like Roma are prime examples.

Napoli's fans are even more fervent than Roma's.

This time, the UK authorities imposed strict controls on the number of Napoli fans allowed into London, issuing fewer than a thousand tickets for them. Meanwhile, the Emirates Stadium was filled with 60,000 fans in total.

It was clear Napoli would face an intense barrage of noise and hostility from the home crowd.

But for Napoli, this was nothing new.

As soon as the Gunners' supporters spotted the Napoli bus, they swarmed it, jeering and pounding on the sides. If it weren't for the police escort flanking the bus front and back, it might not have reached the stadium on time.

Upon arriving at the Emirates Stadium, Napoli felt like they were at the center of a storm, surrounded by enemies baring their teeth and eager to tear them apart.

The Napoli squad was young, but they had grown accustomed to such hostile receptions at away games.

From entering the locker room to heading out for pre-game warm-ups and familiarizing themselves with the pitch, everything proceeded in an orderly manner. Gao Shen, however, waited quietly for the Arsenal lineup to be announced.

Finally, the Gunners' starting XI was revealed:

Goalkeeper: Almunia

Defense: Clichy, Gallas, Toure, and Sagna

Midfield: Nasri, Song, Fabregas, and Walcott

Forwards: Adebayor and Van Persie

When Gao Shen saw the list, he couldn't help but clench his fist. He had guessed it correctly!

"4-4-2. Wenger is sticking to his typical strategy for home games," Gao Shen said, satisfied.

It wasn't an impossible guess, but until the lineup was confirmed, who could truly predict Wenger's plan?

As Gao Shen had previously noted, Arsenal's recent good form was largely due to their proficiency in alternating between the 4-2-3-1 and 4-4-2 formations.

Now, with the first leg of the quarterfinals taking place at home, Wenger would undoubtedly want to press for an advantage.

"Prepare yourselves—we need to tweak our tactics a little," Gao Shen instructed decisively.

Now that the lineup was revealed, adjustments were necessary.

---

At the same time, Wenger also received Napoli's starting lineup:

Goalkeeper: Handanovic

Defense: Vargas, David Luiz, Benatia, and Lichtsteiner

Midfield: Thiago Motta as the deep-lying playmaker, with Biglia and Rakitic in central midfield

Forwards: Di Maria, Cavani, and Sanchez

Wenger was slightly surprised by what he saw.

Bonucci had been suspended for this match after picking up a yellow card against Drogba in the second leg of the Round of 16. Wenger had assumed Gao Shen would likely use Paolo Cannavaro to fill the gap, but instead, Gao Shen opted to take a gamble on Benatia.

This choice caught Wenger off guard.

Benatia's rise mirrored Gao Shen's own: meteoric and almost too surreal to be believed.

Before joining Napoli, Benatia had struggled to secure a starting spot in either Ligue 1 or Ligue 2. But after joining Napoli, he became a cornerstone of their defense, with his performances steadily improving.

Now, he was starting in the quarterfinals of the Champions League.

It was as if Benatia's life were guided by some kind of cheat code!

And Gao Shen was the one operating it.

"This guy loves shaking things up," Wenger muttered with a smile.

Despite their rivalry, Wenger genuinely admired Gao Shen. It wasn't about the outcome of the match, it was a senior's heartfelt appreciation for the remarkable talent of a younger peer.

While Gao Shen had been aggressive during the pre-match press conferences, he was always respectful in private.

But on the pitch? Respect wouldn't matter.

---

German referee Wolfgang Stark led both teams out onto the pitch at the Emirates Stadium.

By now, the stands were packed with 60,000 Arsenal fans.

As the Napoli players entered the field, they immediately felt the oppressive atmosphere of a decisive battle. Despite their prior experience at imposing venues like the Bernabéu and Stamford Bridge, the tension of the moment still got to them.

However, when they stepped onto the field and saw Gao Shen walking out of the tunnel in his suit and tie, their nerves seemed to settle.

His calm and confident demeanor gave them a sense of direction, as though his presence alone grounded them.

Instead of heading straight to the visitors' technical area, Gao Shen approached Wenger.

Arsène Wenger, with his lined face, gray hair, and visibly thinner frame since their last meeting, greeted him.

"Professor, have you been losing sleep recently?" Gao Shen joked lightly.

As he spoke, his eyes scanned Arsenal's bench. Substitutes like Fabianski, Djourou, Sylvestre, and Gibbs sat ready. Among them, Gao Shen immediately recognized Gervinho.

The Ivorian winger had joined Arsenal for €15 million in the same season Napoli had been promoted to Serie A. At the time, Gervinho had personally asked Gao Shen for a transfer.

What had once seemed like a high price for Gervinho now seemed modest. Today, any random Napoli player would cost more than that.

Since moving to Arsenal, Gervinho had struggled to adapt. The competition within the team, particularly with the arrival of Nasri, had relegated him to the bench.

When Gervinho noticed Gao Shen looking at him, he nodded politely.

His hairstyle had only gotten stranger over the years.

Gao Shen couldn't know what Gervinho was thinking in that moment, nor could he guess how he felt seeing his former Napoli teammate Di Maria now thriving as one of Europe's top wingers.

Did Gervinho regret his decision to leave?

It didn't matter anymore.

"Professor, I thought you might take a more conservative approach," Gao Shen said with a relaxed smile as he turned back to Wenger.

Wenger studied Gao Shen closely, trying to discern whether he was truly at ease or just putting on a show.

"This is our home," Wenger replied confidently. "We've played in the Champions League here for three years and have never lost."

Gao Shen chuckled. "There's a first time for everything."

After a pause, he continued, "When we played Chelsea, they also claimed Stamford Bridge was a fortress. And yet..."

Gao Shen trailed off, shaking his head slightly, leaving the rest of the sentence unspoken.

They turned out to be far weaker than expected.

Wenger simply stared at him, unperturbed.

Keep pretending.

"I underestimated you back at Highbury," Wenger said, his tone serious. "That won't happen tonight."

Gao Shen smiled. "To be honest, the Real Madrid team I coached back then couldn't execute my vision. Tonight is different. This Napoli squad reflects my ideas far better."

Back in 2006, Real Madrid had been slow and aging. Though they defeated Arsenal, it was a scrappy win.

Napoli, on the other hand, was dynamic in both attack and defense, with far greater stamina and cohesion.

"Be careful, Professor. I won't hold back tonight," Gao Shen declared confidently before turning and heading toward the visitors' technical area.

Wenger watched him go, frowning slightly.

The bold statements Gao Shen had made before the match, combined with his calm demeanor now, left Wenger unsettled.

Was he truly this confident? Had he found a way to exploit Arsenal? Or did he simply believe Napoli was that strong?

Wenger couldn't shake his doubts.

After all, Napoli had overturned Chelsea in both legs, proving their strength.

If not for those results, Wenger might have dismissed Gao Shen's bravado as arrogance. But now, he had to wonder if Napoli truly had the ability to break Arsenal's undefeated record at the Emirates.

---

The match kicked off with referee Stark's whistle. Cavani immediately passed the ball to Di Maria, who sent it back to the midfield for Thiago Motta.

Napoli's deep-lying playmaker controlled the ball, observing Arsenal's movements as their players began pressing high up the field.

Clearly, Arsenal had done their homework.

The Gunners were determined to exploit their strength in pressing and disrupt Napoli's rhythm early on.

As Motta passed the ball back to his defenders, Arsenal's press gradually eased as they retreated into their own half.

Biglia, positioned on the left near the halfway line, received a pass and tried a long ball to switch play.

The ball arced toward Di Maria on the right, but Clichy stuck to him tightly, forcing an error. The ball sailed out of bounds.

Arsenal's throw-in.

The crowd erupted with cheers, their voices booming through the stadium.

The Arsenal fans were clearly pleased with their team's defensive effort, which disrupted Napoli's attack and forced a turnover.

Di Maria quickly raised his hand, acknowledging his mistake. He'd let Clichy lock him down too easily.

Napoli's first attempt to penetrate Arsenal's defensive line ended with a misplaced long ball, and possession changed hands.

As the Gunners prepared to restart play, nearly a minute had passed since kickoff.

In that minute, Arsenal hadn't rushed to regain possession, while Napoli appeared cautious.

This left many in the stands wondering:

Is this the demonstration Gao Shen promised?

***

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