After the training camp opened in Naples, security at the Konami Training Center in Fort Volturno was upgraded.
But spies are always pervasive.
It has even happened before that someone sneaked into the golf course and tried to use a telescope to peek at the Naples training ground from a high place, but was discovered by the security personnel of the golf course.
Since then, Naples has continued to step up patrols.
Every time we go out for a game, it is a perfect opportunity for our opponents to spy on the military situation. They are even very aboveboard and set up cameras directly in the stands to take pictures of the stadium.
In fact, they are all involved in Italian football, and they all know who is whose scout.
From the first warm-up match, Inter Milan arranged special scouts to follow Naples. However, after following several consecutive games, it may be because the formations of the advanced players are always in a mess, and the opponents are all small balls.
Team, running back and forth, but with little results, so I started to be absent from time to time.
Gao Shen was quite secretly proud of himself. At least Mourinho really valued his opponent.
Otherwise, he would not have arranged people to follow Naples in such a big way.
Therefore, Gao Shen also turned on the counter-espionage mode.
Just like now, there are only a total of 1,800 fans in Grosseto's home stadium, and the tickets are all through Grosseto's own channels. It is not difficult to know whether there are spies who have infiltrated the opponent.
.
The circle is so big, who doesn’t know anyone?
…
"There's none?"
After listening to Lucas' report, Gao Shen felt a little funny.
How disdainful is this of Grosseto?
In fact, the strength of this team is quite good.
Of course, there is definitely a big gap between Naples back then.
"I guess I'm annoyed." Lucas chuckled, "You don't respect other people's professionalism at all, you're just playing tricks with them."
"That's because they were killed by stereotypes."
What does Gao Shen mean?
The so-called stereotype is actually very simple. Everyone thinks that after Gao Shen sold Domic, he introduced a character similar to Domic, who was positioned as the fourth central defender.
If you paid attention to Naples fans before the season, you will definitely find that Madehi Benatia did not receive any attention at all. Even after David Luiz and Bonucci went to China to participate in the Olympics, the most mentioned by all media
Cannavaro Jr., followed by Thiago Motta, because he played as a central defender in Barcelona.
And Vidal, he was born as a central defender.
Who is Benatia?
Oh, I was a member of the French U17 national team.
And after that?
He couldn't make it in Marseille. After being loaned out continuously, he didn't show much in Ligue 2. Tours where he played was relegated.
Note that it is a relegated team from French Second Division.
After that, he only played one game in Lorient, losing 3-0 to Paris Saint-Germain. His performance was poor.
Then the knee ligament was severely torn, and then Marseille refused to renew his contract.
It can be said that this is a young player who may not even be able to play football in France 1, let alone France 2.
At best, he has some talent, but with a severely torn knee ligament and missing an entire season, can he still play football?
Therefore, this is almost perfectly in line with the outside world's reaction to Gao Shen's signing this time.
With zero transfer fee, bringing in a fourth central defender who is willing to sit on the bench, just in case, seems to be quite cost-effective.
Therefore, in the media before the season, Benatia had almost no presence.
Gao Shen's use of him also indirectly contributes to this impression.
For example, as long as the opponent's scouts and media reporters are present, Gao Shen will only arrange for Benatia to be a substitute, or even a substitute among the substitutes, to come on during the final minutes of the game.
Then in the media reports, Benatia has no sense of presence, and even has very little playing time, just like a dispensable supporting role.
It’s introduced for free, that’s fine!
But what about actually?
If you analyze it carefully, it is not difficult to find that Benatia's playing time is actually not that small.
Moreover, in games where there are no scouts or spies and few media reporters, Gao Shen will even arrange for Benatia to play for a long time. His partner the most is Cannavaro Jr.
As for outsiders, Gao Shen never mentioned Benatia.
Therefore, when all the media outside are worried about Naples' central defender in the Italian Super Cup, Naples knows very well that it is not Thiago Motta, not Vidal, but Benatia.
Gao Shen trusted the Moroccan central defender from the beginning.
He is not here to play as the fourth central defender at all, but as a substitute central defender, and may even steal the main position.
The reason is not complicated either.
Gao Shen has always believed that Cannavaro Jr. is enough to play in Serie A, but if he wants to play in the Champions League, the third central defender must be stronger.
Before he crossed over, Benatia played in Ligue 2 for two years after recovering from injury. He performed very well and was lured to Serie A by Udinese at a very low price. He immediately became a blockbuster.
This means that the central defender is still very strong after returning from injury.
In French Second Division, he was able to do this without receiving special care. When he arrived in Naples, with the help of world-class trainers like Buenaventura and Pintus, Gao Shen believed that his strength would recover faster.
, the improvement is more obvious.
Facts also proved that Benatia did not disappoint Gao Shen.
…
Among Naples' central defenders, there is actually a very clear division of labor.
For example, David Luiz and Bonucci, the former attacks and the latter assists in defense and protection.
Benatia is also an attacking central defender. His best ability is frontal interception. This comes from his excellent prediction and keen grasp of timing, which makes his frontal interception ability very strong and one-on-one defense is better.
It's his specialty.
His fast speed, excellent tracking ability, coupled with his height of 1.9 meters and strong body, all give him an advantage in defense.
Moreover, according to his own disclosure, he played as a center forward in the youth team and had excellent footwork, good heading ability, and more stable passing ability. These are the main reasons why Gao Shen is interested in him.
Perhaps, some people can't help but ask: If he is so strong, why didn't Marseille renew his contract when he was injured?
This is what Gao Shen said before, the same player has fixed characteristics and playing style, but in different tactical environments, it will produce completely different effects.
Central defenders like David Luiz and Benatia need to be able to play their maximum role in a tactical environment that suits them. Otherwise, their weaknesses and shortcomings may be exposed.
This is the reason why David Luiz always received mixed praise before his high-level journey.
But this is exactly what Gao Shen likes the most.
It is a great gift he prepared for the Italian Super Cup and Mourinho!
…
This time against Grosseto, when Gao Shen learned that there were no spies, he arranged a central defender combination of Benatia and Cannavaro. He wanted to give it another try in this game.
What is the effect of a central defender?
Grosseto plays a tactic very similar to Naples, using a high position to press and press, which is a great test for Naples' central defender, especially Pioli putting a speedy player in front, which is very effective in counterattacks.
threaten.
But when it came to the game, everyone discovered that Naples' defense was actually still very stable.
There were several quick counterattacks, and Benatia was able to catch up quickly.
There was even one time when he chased the ball directly from the center line back to the penalty area, used an unconventional move to intercept the ball, and he did not commit a foul.
This wonderful defense even won bursts of applause for the Moroccan central defender.
Gao Shen is also quite satisfied with his performance.
In comparison, Cannavaro Jr. actually looks quite bleak.
Although they are brothers, Cannavaro Jr.'s football accomplishments are indeed much inferior to Cannavaro Sr.'s.
Even after confirming the idea, Gao Shen still tried to rotate, substituting Thiago Motta in the second half and switching to a three-back tactic.
This is also a direction Gao Shen is very interested in trying.
Bielsa actually likes three defenders, including the style of play in the Argentina national team. Although it failed, it is still very meaningful for research, and Gao Shen is no exception.
He has been studying other managers' books in the tactical library, including Bielsa's.
It is a warm-up match anyway, so Gao Shen naturally wants to cherish the opportunity and explore all possibilities.
In the end, Naples defeated Grosseto 2-0.
This is the first time Benatia has played a full game.
…
"This central defender is not easy!"
As soon as the game ended, Pioli came up to him full of admiration.
Before the game, like everyone else, he thought Napoli was lacking a central defender, but now looking at it, where is the shortage?
Thiago Motta can do the job, Vidal can also play, and even Benatia, who no one has mentioned, is the biggest trump card in Gao Shen's hand.
"Are you deliberately suppressing him so that you can play in the European Super Cup in Italy?" Pioli immediately guessed Gao Shen's intention.
Gao Shen smiled slightly and changed the subject: "This high-position defensive tactic requires the central defenders to have higher personal abilities after the defense line is in the front, because they are often in one-on-one situations."
"In addition, central defenders have more passes. This will definitely be a trend and will even become an important criterion for selecting central defenders. The past central defenders who were strong in body, excellent in defense, but technically rough are no longer suitable."
Pioli nodded, but then looked at his central defender and realized that he actually had no choice.
Sometimes he also wonders, how did Gao Shen find these players?
The ability is so strong and it meets his tactical requirements. The key is that each one is of high quality and low price, which is simply amazing!
Well, the only drawback is...
"If you play more civilized football, you should lead him to the bad side." Pioli chuckled.
Gao Shen nodded with deep understanding.
Italian central defenders are notoriously dirty.
Many people will be confused by Nesta's so-called elegance. In fact, the so-called elegance is based on the advantage of crushing strength. If he really meets a master, Nesta will play dirtier than anyone else.
In comparison, the current Benatia is not dirty enough or ruffian enough.
"Are you asking me to teach the children bad things?" Gao Shen asked with a smile.
