Chapter 1 The New Year's Training

On the first day of training after the New Year, Mazzarri gave all the players a physical examination, mainly to check their body fat percentage and see if anyone had gained weight during the holiday.

The results showed that many players on the team failed, their fat percentages having increased to varying degrees.

Despite the team's lackluster performance in the first half of the season, it didn't affect their holiday mood.

Only a few veterans managed to maintain their figures.

Among the young players, Chen Hero was an exception. He hadn't gained weight; instead, he'd lost weight. He dropped from ninety-eight kilograms to ninety-six kilograms. Although it was only two kilograms, those two kilograms shouldn't be underestimated. Chen Hero's fat percentage was further reduced, and it could be said that he was all lean, solid muscle. He lost less because his body fat percentage was already very low, leaving little to lose. Under such circumstances, losing two kilograms was already quite impressive.

Mazzarri publicly praised Chen Hero for his professional behavior of not forgetting to exercise even during the holidays. Arshavin wasn't surprised by this because Chen Hero was the same way when he was at Zenit. Every time he returned from vacation, he not only didn't lose his shape, but he also felt stronger.

But no one knew why Chen Hero had lost weight.

To be able to work his butt off for eleven days in the instance dungeon and still not gain weight could only mean that the instance dungeon was called "A Den of Debauchery."

Lavezzi, on the other hand, discovered that the atmosphere within the team had subtly changed after returning from the Christmas holiday.

Even before entering the locker room, he could hear Chen Hero's hearty laughter.

He really didn't know how this guy could still be so happy... The team had a new head coach, and it wasn't yet known what the new coach was thinking. The team's performance was also fluctuating, and he was being criticized so harshly by the media and fans. Under such great pressure, he could still laugh.

Lavezzi himself felt a bit of admiration for this big guy. Because if he put himself in his shoes, he would have already collapsed...

To still be able to laugh so happily like this, should he say that he was confident and very optimistic about his future? Or was he just stupid?

When he entered the locker room, Chen Hero was introducing his teammates to Arshavin one by one. Chen Hero was the only one in the team who could communicate with Arshavin since they both spoke Russian.

Seeing Lavezzi enter, Chen Hero said a few words to Arshavin. He walked up to Lavezzi and shook his hand: "Hi, hello. I'm Arshavin."

Lavezzi felt inexplicable but still shook Arshavin's hand out of politeness: "Hello, I'm Lavezzi."

Later, he realized that Chen Hero must have introduced himself to Arshavin. He just didn't know how this kid had introduced him...

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Lavezzi's premonition about the subtle changes in the team's atmosphere was correct because, in the first tactical lesson, the team's head coach Mazzarri announced that the team would start playing in a 3-4-3 formation from today onward.

This decision didn't cause too strong of a reaction because Reja's 3-4-1-2 was, in a sense, a 3-4-3, except that Hamsik and Lavezzi weren't true wingers... The two of them ran around in the frontcourt, their positions very flexible, but they lacked crosses from the flanks.

Why play 3-4-3? Some people guessed that it might be related to Arshavin's arrival. Arshavin's strength didn't need to be elaborated on; everyone knew it very well. His performance in the European Cup could be described as great. Especially in the match where Russia eliminated the Netherlands, Arshavin's performance was magnificent, and many media outlets asserted that he would become a superstar.

With such a person joining the team, it was impossible for him to sit on the bench. He definitely had to be given a position suitable for him to perform.

Judging from his performance in the European Cup, the flanks were where he was most active.

In that case, it was logical and reasonable for the team to play 3-4-3.

Of course, some people would also think about who would benefit the most if the team played 3-4-3...

"Wow!" A burst of exclamations rang out on the training ground.

After Arshavin went to the baseline and crossed, he sent the ball to Chen Hero's head. Chen Hero leaped high, facing the frontal defense of Santacroce and Aronica, and crashed into the goal with the ball.

The exclamation was dedicated to Chen Hero's mighty performance...

Previously, during internal team training, Chen Hero rarely showed his aggressive side.

But after Arshavin arrived, he was like a fish in water, quickly finding his rhythm.

Yes! That's it!

After landing, Chen Hero roared at the sky, venting the frustration in his heart.

With strong support having arrived, he was no longer alone within the team. Although Hamsik was a friend, he also had a good relationship with Lavezzi and the others, so he could only remain neutral within the team.

Arshavin was his direct confidant! One of the four great iron relationships in life: they had visited prostitutes together! Such a relationship couldn't be compared to Hamsik's.

After the roar, Chen Hero took the initiative to find Arshavin and high-fived him in celebration!

He didn't hide his good relationship with Arshavin at all. Arshavin didn't mind letting Lavezzi and the others know that he and Chen Hero were actually on the same side.

With his current status, he really didn't take Lavezzi seriously. So what if he was Maradona II? Had he proven himself in international competitions? Had he won a European trophy?

He didn't cause trouble, but that didn't mean he was afraid of anyone.

Lavezzi watched Chen Hero embrace Arshavin, and he felt more and more that the sky was about to change in Volturno...

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Even if this tactic was similar to the tactics he had mastered before, it still needed to be adapted to.

Not to mention that Lavezzi performed very uncomfortably in the winger position—he even resisted the arrangement. Especially having to pass the ball to Chen Hero. He had suddenly gone from being a main force to being a supporting role for Chen Hero, which was a bit unacceptable for someone as proud and stubborn as he was.

So, in Napoli's first match after the winter break, they drew 0-0 with the visiting team Catania.

Arshavin and Chen Hero had a few threatening offensive plays, and the two were obviously more in sync, but Arshavin didn't have enough understanding with the rest of the team, which affected his performance.

Lavezzi's performance on the field was simply terrible and was described by the Italian media as "a pile of dog shit."

Mazzarri's 3-4-3 journey had just begun, but it already seemed worrying.

But he didn't retreat.

Moreover, having just taken over the team and led them in four league matches, achieving two wins, one draw, and one loss, it wasn't bad by any means, so he didn't feel any pressure. He could continue to try out his new tactics.

He was prepared to not win a single game in January. But in order for the team's performance to reach a higher level in the future, such a price had to be paid now.

He felt that Reja had encountered a bottleneck because of his tactical thinking.

Having a fierce center forward like Chen Hero and not using him, but instead making Lavezzi the main attacker. Although the reason was that it was too risky to disrupt the tactics that the team had been practicing for a season. But risk also meant huge gains.

If his set of tactics succeeded, its power would definitely be more promising than Reja's set.

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As a price for experimenting with new tactics, Napoli lost 1-2 to Chievo, who were ranked last in the league, in the nineteenth round of the league.

Hamsik scored a goal, but it couldn't save the team.

After this match, it seemed that the Neapolitan media's confidence and goodwill towards Mazzarri had been exhausted.

Voices criticizing Mazzarri appeared in the media.

"...When he used Reja's set of tactics, we achieved two wins and one loss. But when he started experimenting with his 3-4-3, we had one draw and one loss, and we haven't won yet! Doesn't this explain the problem?"

"We understand that any new head coach will want to erase the traces left by his predecessor after taking office. But whether or not doing so will be successful is hard to say. Obviously, Mazzarri wanted to erase the assets left by Reja, but he was punished!"

"3-4-3 isn't impossible, but there's one prerequisite: you need two excellent wingers. Arshavin counts as one, but what about Lavezzi? He definitely isn't. The most suitable position for him is actually center forward... Otherwise, should we have Chen Hero play on the flanks and cross?"

"Obviously, Mazzarri has placed his hopes on Chen Hero's scoring ability. But the reality is cruel. A 0-0 draw against Catania and a 1-2 loss to Chievo. In two matches, what is the number of goals scored by Chen Hero, who Mazzarri has placed high hopes on? Zero!" A guest on a sports discussion program on television was waving his arms, explaining to everyone that Mazzarri's nepotism would not end well.

"I don't think Mazzarri is the kind of head coach who doesn't have any good ideas, otherwise, he wouldn't have led Sampdoria to sixth place in the league last season. He must be under pressure from the club's higher-ups... Yes, I'm talking about Aurelio De Laurentiis. His doting on Chen Hero is known to the world. He must have put pressure on Mazzarri, telling Mazzarri to ensure Chen Hero's status as a main force... Unfortunately, 'Big Mouth' De Laurentiis's good intentions have been squandered by Chen Hero!"

……

At the fan level, these two matches also did nothing to improve Chen Hero's situation. As long as he got the ball, he was still booed.

When they lost to relegation team Chievo away from home, Chen Hero, who didn't score, was also bombarded by fans.

"He's earning the highest salary in the team, but he's like an idiot who only knows how to run around aimlessly on the field! Run around aimlessly!" A Napoli fan angrily criticized Chen Hero's high salary and low performance in a television interview.

They just didn't know that Chen Hero's "aimless running" was actually the tactical requirement that Reja had asked him to achieve in training...

Chen Hero was testing the training results he had gained in the instance dungeon in actual combat. After all, the training in the instance dungeon could be arranged according to his own wishes and couldn't be compared to this kind of unpredictable actual combat match. Only actual combat had the meaning and value of testing.

He was gradually approaching becoming a true center forward.

However, his performance made Lavezzi a little confused—what, is the sky not going to change again?

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ps, Because I have to run around outside today, today's updates can only be automatically updated.

Here's a preview of the update times.

The first update is at eight o'clock in the morning.

The second update is at one o'clock in the afternoon.

The third update is at five o'clock in the afternoon.

The fourth update is at eight o'clock in the evening.

Hero's big show is about to begin!