Chapter 148: The Glory of Naples

Reja was in a very good mood recently.

During the two weeks that their main striker, Sosa, was out with an injury, Napoli had not slowed down their march forward. They had won two consecutive games, scoring seven goals while conceding only one. Another starting forward, Calaiò, had netted three goals across those two games, displaying fine form. But what made Reja even happier was that the temporarily deployed substitute, Chinese center-forward Long Bisheng, had perfectly integrated into the team's tactical system. Although he had scored only one goal in two and a half matches, he had significantly increased the scoring output of his teammates—from this perspective, Long Bisheng's role on the pitch was even greater than Sosa's.

However, the gap between Long Bisheng and Sosa remained quite obvious. Despite the formidable scoring prowess he had displayed in the previous match, Reja did not believe Long Bisheng could fully replicate Sosa's deterrent force and finishing ability on the field. In the subsequent round of the league, Reja came to see the area where Long Bisheng lagged behind Sosa the most.

That was experience.

In the twenty-fourth round, Napoli played away against Teramo, a team sitting at the bottom of the standings. Reja placed Sosa, who had just resumed training, on the bench. On one hand, because Sosa had only just returned to training, Reja did not want to take any risks; on the other hand, Long Bisheng had performed exceptionally well in recent matches, giving Reja no reason to make a change.

Yet, Long Bisheng did not play well in this match. Although he managed to tap in Calaiò's shot near the goal line in the first half, his overall performance was far from satisfactory. The defenders in Serie C might not possess exceptional individual talent, but they were, after all, Italian defenders. Italian defenders' understanding of defending was second to none in the entire world. In the previous matches, nobody was familiar with Long Bisheng, so they had been caught off guard by his reckless, chaotic charging and striking—like a drunk master throwing random punches—leaving them clueless about how to handle him. But after a few games, defenders from other teams began to realize there was a tall forward with great physical confrontation skills, superb jumping ability, excellent heading, solid fundamental footwork, and a habit of delivering quick one-touch passes.

These wily veterans of the Italian leagues immediately identified Long Bisheng's greatest weakness: youth, or rather, a lack of experience.

During the away match against Viterbese, the opposing defenders adopted tactics aimed at preventing him from entering the penalty area, restricting his jumps, front-marking him, and even exaggerating contact through diving to thwart his attacks. This approach yielded remarkable results. For instance, during counterattacks, the defender marking him would constantly block his running path, forcing him to slow down his pace as he approached the box. Even a slight hesitation from his teammates would cause the counterattacking opportunity to vanish. In positional play, once inside the penalty area, he was invariably subjected to a division-of-labor defense by two players: one to hinder his takeoff, and the other responsible for front-marking to clear the ball with a header.

As the number of times Long Bisheng successfully entered the penalty area drastically decreased, his lack of dribbling and breakthrough ability meant he could not receive and carry the ball outside the box. While his occasional passes could produce miraculous effects, he was not a true attacking midfielder, and playmaking was certainly not his forte. Consequently, Long Bisheng's impact on the pitch was reduced to a minimum, and he no longer enjoyed the abundance of scoring opportunities he had in the previous game. Under such circumstances, his weakness of having a poorer goal-scoring instinct than Sosa was exposed even more prominently.

This was a lack of experience. After all, Long Bisheng had been playing professional league football for less than a year. Although his fundamentals were very solid, his match sense still needed to be nurtured through a large number of official games.

In the second half, Long Bisheng was substituted off, and the incoming Sosa immediately scored the goal that sealed the victory for Napoli, using this strike to announce that he remained the undisputed first choice in Napoli's forward line.

Although Long Bisheng's weaknesses were exposed in this match, Reja had no intention of stopping his development. This was because Long Bisheng's flaws were purely a matter of experience. While his decisiveness and sensitivity in front of goal needed strengthening, and he still needed to develop more dribbling skills and methods, these traits could be gradually cultivated and forged through a massive volume of matches. Reja had no desire to give up such a young center-forward with infinite potential. Napoli was not a powerhouse—at least not yet. He could not expect the owner to dish out massive funds every transfer window to buy established stars. In truth, even powerhouses needed to cultivate their own outstanding players.

In the matches that followed, although Sosa reclaimed his starting position, Long Bisheng still received ample playing time. Sometimes he came off the bench after Sosa scored, and other times Reja intentionally implemented rotations. The two center-forwards harbored no dissatisfaction or hostility toward each other due to this competition. Long Bisheng was a newcomer; he was in no position to express discontent, and in truth, he was more than satisfied just getting opportunities as a substitute. Meanwhile, Sosa, who had spent nearly a decade grinding away in professional leagues, clearly understood the difference between healthy and unhealthy competition. He simply used harder training and better performances to prove that he remained Napoli's premier striker.

The healthy competition between the two center-forwards made Napoli's performances in the league increasingly formidable. They defeated their opponents in every single match. A run of eight consecutive victories propelled them ten points clear of the second-placed Frosinone. The team that had trailed Napoli by only three points after the winter break was left further and further behind over the last nine rounds. What made their opponents truly despair was that during this eight-game winning streak, Napoli averaged three goals per opponent while conceding only one goal every two matches!

Their defense was no less impressive than it had been in the first half of the season, and their attack had grown much stronger. Such a Napoli was simply invincible in Serie C—because their true stage should never have belonged in Serie C in the first place. For Napoli's fans, finding themselves in Serie C this season was a damn mistake. If that wretched Gaucci hadn't completely messed up the club's finances and stubbornly refused to step down early, how could Napoli ever have fallen to such a plight today!

It was worth mentioning that, strictly speaking, the current Napoli was no longer the same Napoli from before the bankruptcy. Despite no changes in history, honors, and home stadium, the original Napoli club's full name was "Naples Sport and Football Club," a name that had vanished along with the club's bankruptcy. The current full name was "Naples Football Corporation," a company registered by De Laurentiis after the bankruptcy of the old club. Through this company, he acquired the club, giving birth to the present-day Napoli team.

"Naples Football Corporation" inherited everything from "Naples Sport and Football Club," save for that name. While this might seem trivial, from a practical standpoint, the current Napoli club was a brand-new entity, distinct from the historical Napoli inscribed with two league titles.

On April 9, the twenty-ninth round of Serie C1, Napoli welcomed the Campania derby at their home ground, facing regional rivals Avellino.

Before the match began, club president De Laurentiis and general manager Marino unexpectedly walked into the locker room. This was the first time it had happened this season, catching the players completely by surprise.

Prior to this fixture, Napoli's closest rival, Frosinone, had won their match, temporarily narrowing the gap at the top to seven points. Even if Napoli won this game, they could not secure promotion five rounds ahead of schedule. Why would the owner and manager, who never visited the locker room, show up today? All the players began to guess.

Film mogul De Laurentiis based his career in Los Angeles, so he rarely returned to Italy, leaving everything in Marino's hands. Meanwhile, the manager—who had once forged a Napoli dynasty alongside coach Bianconi and captain Maradona—typically exerted his influence behind the scenes. Today, arriving alongside the rarely seen president, they must have had an announcement to make.

"Boys, I am proud of the achievements you've made this season!" De Laurentiis sported a standard Italian face and a thick Neapolitan accent. "I believe the one million five hundred thousand citizens of Napoli are equally proud of you... Just now, I received some data regarding the attendance at the San Paolo Stadium today... Gentlemen, do you know how many people are there? Sixty-one thousand six hundred and twenty-six! This is a record for the Serie C league, and even in Serie A, it is a figure that many clubs can only look up to with envy! You have won back the hearts of Napoli's fans—"

De Laurentiis shouted with passion, while Marino smiled slightly beside him with a hint of pride. He shared a part of the credit for this milestone, as the assembly of this team was the culmination of his immense dedication.

"Of course, my purpose in coming here today is not merely to announce this good news. Not interfering with the head coach's work has always been the principle upheld by Marino and myself. But today, I have an announcement to make, and I want you to be the very first to know."

A mysterious smile hung on De Laurentiis's face. He successfully piqued the curiosity of every player. Even head coach Reja waited with eager anticipation for him to reveal the good news.

How did they know it was good news? Would the president be smiling so brightly if it weren't?

"Through the united efforts of everyone in the club, and the tireless legwork of our manager, Mr. Marino, the Napoli club has reclaimed its former glory! Starting today, the name 'Naples Sport and Football Club' will once again appear on Italian pitches, and next season, it will appear on the pitches of Serie B!"

All the players froze for a moment, and then an eruption of thunderous cheers instantly shook the Napoli locker room!