Chapter 1 Leonardo's Defensive Strategy

Leonardo's defensive strategy was successful because Napoli failed to score a single goal in the first half.

Now they only had forty-five minutes left. In these forty-five minutes, they not only had to win the game but also win by as many goals as possible, ending the suspense in the first leg.

Obviously, this task was arduous.

So when the first half ended, Napoli's coach Mazzarri didn't look too happy as he left the field.

Leonardo, on the other hand, had a smile on his face.

At this time, the commentators also changed their tune, praising Leonardo's clever tactical arrangements.

After all, being able to keep a clean sheet against Napoli, a team known for its attacking prowess, especially at their home ground, was quite remarkable.

"Inter Milan played a 0-0 draw with Napoli in the first half. For Leonardo, this is a good result. If Inter Milan ultimately forces a 0-0 draw against Napoli away from home, it would be a significant boost to their chances of advancing to the semi-finals."

"Leonardo's defensive tactics worked. Napoli did not expect Leonardo to implement such a thorough defense away from home, and they lacked an effective response, catching them off guard. Now they only have forty-five minutes left. Can Napoli reverse this unfavorable situation in these forty-five minutes?"

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In the home team's locker room, Mazzarri was comforting the players, expressing sympathy for the team's failure to score in the first half.

"It's a pity that we didn't score. Their tactics were a bit unexpected. But it's not a big deal. Just a dense defense, right? You know, Napoli is not afraid of dense defenses!"

At the same time, in the away team's locker room, Leonardo was all smiles, satisfied with the team's performance in the first half.

"We didn't concede a single goal in the entire first half, which is a good thing. We must continue to do so in the second half, at least continue to defend resolutely at the beginning. Once they realize that they can't score, they will become anxious. After all, this is their home ground, and the home ground means advantage, but also means enormous pressure. If they can't beat us at home, their fans will put tremendous pressure on them. That's when our opportunity will come!"

"So continue to defend resolutely in the second half and patiently wait for the opportunity. We have already seen in the first half how empty their defense is when they press forward with all their might. That's the opportunity we can exploit!"

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After comforting and encouraging the players, Mazzarri began to tell them what to do in the second half. Football matches are not about empty talk. It's not about who can say the most bombastic words and be able to win. Want to win? It still depends on real strength.

"In the first half, I was thinking about a question, which is why Leonardo wanted his team to start defending from the first minute of the match, even at the cost of completely giving up the attack, and even using a striker like Eto'o as a defensive midfielder. At this moment, I understood—they hope to use such tenacious defense to wear down our will. Think about it, guys. This is our home ground. If we can't beat our opponents at home, what will you think? Will you feel that the second leg will be difficult? Will you feel that the home fans will become your pressure at this time?"

Someone nodded, which was indeed the case. If they couldn't win at home, the second leg would be very difficult, which is why many players didn't look too happy as they walked off the field after the first half. They couldn't help but frown when they thought about the future.

"That's right, that's how it is. If we can't score for a long time, we will become very anxious, and some mistakes and loopholes that didn't exist before will appear. When we make mistakes, they will seize these opportunities... They are Inter Milan, they have rich experience in matches, and it's not difficult to do this."

"So to disrupt the opponent's plan, we should strive to score early in the second half." Mazzarri held up a finger. "That's one. Two, if we really can't score for a long time, don't be impatient. We would rather let the opponent take a draw than let them take a victory and an away goal. This is very important."

In Mazzarri's view, the worst outcome he could accept was being held to a draw by the opponent. At worst, he would treat the match at the Meazza Stadium as a final, a one-off match to determine the winner. As long as they didn't lose at home, both sides would still be on the same starting line.

"We can't continue to play like we did in the first half in the second half. There are too many gaps behind us, which can easily give the opponent opportunities. And our stamina will definitely decline in the second half. If the gaps in the back are too big, we won't be able to return to defense in time if we're lacking stamina."

"In terms of attack, we should be more varied. We can't always cross from the byline... The opponent's two center-backs are still very good at defending aerial balls. We need to be more patient when receiving the ball in front of the penalty area..."

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"I really didn't expect Napoli to fail to score at home for so long..."

"If Napoli can't win the match at home, it will be very difficult to advance to the semi-finals."

"Yes, yes. Leonardo's move looks ugly, but the effect is surprisingly good..."

In the press box, reporters from all over were also exchanging their views on the first half.

Just as they were talking, the players from both sides came out, and the second half of the match was not far from starting.

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In the second half, the two sides changed sides and fought again. Inter Milan was still defending resolutely, but this time the commentators were no longer criticizing Leonardo.

This season, Inter Milan after Mourinho left has been a bit difficult. After Leonardo took over, the team's performance improved. If they can reach the Champions League semi-finals, or even reach the Champions League final for two consecutive years, it would undoubtedly be a shot in the arm.

So at this time, they were no longer concerned about whether the scene conformed to the image of a treble-winning team. On the football field, winning is the only hard truth.

Leonardo continued to sit on the coach's bench, while Mazzarri continued to stand on the sidelines.

The different performances of the two coaches seemed to confirm the mentality of the two teams.

Leonardo looked calm and composed, watching Napoli still attack fiercely, while his goal remained standing firm in the storm, as if he had already seen the painful expressions on the faces of the Napoli players after Inter Milan scored...

But six minutes later, he stood up from his seat.

Wrong, it would be more accurate to say "jumped" up...

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Six minutes into the second half, Raul received Chen Hero's headed pass in front of the penalty area and successfully scored with a chip shot.

The football bypassed Inter Milan goalkeeper Cesar's ten fingers and fell into the goal behind him...

"Ah! Beautiful! Napoli finally scored! They took the lead in the fifty-first minute!"

"Raul! He scored his seventy-first goal in the Champions League! This is a remarkable achievement! It now seems that Napoli's free transfer of Raul from Real Madrid last summer was a worthwhile deal!"

"A beautiful chip shot! After Hero headed the ball back to him, Raul didn't make many adjustments. He just unloaded the ball and then followed up with a chip shot directly with his right foot! Such an imaginative and inspired goal, so beautiful and free! This is that Raul Gonzalez!"

After scoring the goal, Raul made his signature celebration gesture of kissing his fingers. He himself didn't expect that he could really usher in a new life in Napoli... and continue to write his ageless legend in the Champions League.

Seeing Raul chip the ball into the goal, Mazzarri breathed a sigh of relief.

But on the other side, Leonardo jumped up from his seat as if his butt was on fire. He had been calm and composed just now, but now he was in a hurry.

The score was tied only six minutes into the second half, which meant that Napoli had forty minutes to score more goals.

If they played to their full potential, and got into the zone, scoring two more goals in forty minutes would not be a problem at all...

How to deal with it?

He didn't have time to regret Raul's goal here. His brain was working at high speed, making multiple-choice questions.

Immediately press out to attack and try to equalize the score as soon as possible?

This would not only bring both sides back to the starting line but also get an away goal.

But Leonardo rejected this option without hesitation. In theory, this is a good option, but it is very difficult to put into practice. First of all, you can't guarantee that pressing out to attack will immediately result in a goal. Secondly, if you press out to attack, there will naturally be gaps behind you. In case you haven't been able to equalize the score, but instead let the opponent widen the lead, it would be too much of a loss.

So continue to defend resolutely and wait patiently for the opportunity?

Leonardo finally chose to continue defending, but not patiently waiting for the opportunity, but counterattacking at the right time.

In fact, losing 0:1 away from home is completely acceptable for Leonardo's Inter Milan. Returning to the home court, as long as they win 2:0, they can advance.

Mazzarri, on the other hand, would not give up. After Napoli scored a goal, they would definitely want to score more goals, because just winning by one goal is not safe for Napoli. They will definitely continue to attack. As long as this is the case, Inter Milan will have opportunities.

Now what he needs to do is to stabilize the morale of the army, tell them to continue defending, so as not to have the players have different ideas, some want to continue to defend, and some want to go all out to equalize the score as soon as possible.

Taking advantage of Napoli's celebration of the goal, Leonardo loudly called the captain Zanetti down and told him his arrangements, and then asked him to tell the other players on the field.

"Continue to defend, tell them not to panic. And then counterattack at the right time, that's it!" He patted Zanetti on the shoulder and sent him back to the field.

Looking at Zanetti's back running onto the field, Leonardo felt a little proud of himself for making a decision so calmly so quickly.

This is his second season as a coach, and to be able to have such qualities shows that he is really suitable to be a coach... After retiring from AC Milan, Leonardo has been working as a scout for AC Milan, but he feels that the position of coach is the most suitable for him.

He hopes to prove his coaching ability in Inter Milan, a wealthy team.

How to prove it?

He thought again of the fans singing the "Mourinho song" by the training ground. Of course, it was to make people forget Mourinho and sing the "Leonardo song"!