Chapter 4

The signing process with Claudio Ranieri went very smoothly, as his team's performance was poor, and the Naples club did not want to retain this young coach whose contract was about to expire. They did not obstruct Fiorentina's poaching, and thus Claudio Ranieri successfully terminated his employment contract with Naples without paying any breach of contract fees and came to Fiorentina.

In the chairman's office of Fiorentina, this place had become the venue where Zhuang Mingge handled daily affairs and held small meetings.

Ranieri sat opposite Zhuang Mingge, looking at the chairman who was overly young, and couldn't help but recall the bits and pieces of his past coaching experiences.

From 1989 to 1991, he led Cagliari, then in the third division, to achieve a miraculous three-level promotion. After the 1990-1991 season, he received an invitation to coach the then-dominant Naples club. Full of confidence, Ranieri came to Naples with beautiful dreams, believing he could lead the team with the legendary Maradona to new glories.

But...

After his suspension, Maradona refused to continue playing for Naples and transferred to Sevilla;

Alemão announced his retirement...

The team's highly anticipated Ciruzzi proved to be a disappointment...

After Maradona's departure, Naples seemed to lose its soul and began to decline. Ranieri tried hard to bring Naples back on track, but he failed. Over the years, Naples had exhausted its resources trying to find a partner for Maradona, but the fans and the club's management did not realize this. They only saw that with stars like Zola and Ferrara, Naples finished only 11th in the 1992-1993 Serie A season.

Naturally, Ranieri was blamed for the team's poor performance and faced much criticism.

Ranieri knew that Naples would not tolerate him continuing to coach the team. He asked his agent to discreetly inquire if any Serie A teams were interested in inviting him to coach.

However, due to Ranieri's limited experience in top-tier leagues and his poor coaching record, no Serie A team was willing to extend an olive branch to him.

Just as Ranieri was feeling disheartened, Fiorentina, who had been relegated from Serie A this season, extended an invitation to him, and he accepted it without hesitation.

Since you top-tier league teams look down on me, I will start anew. I will lead Fiorentina to shake the entire Italy!

This was the first time Zhuang Mingge met Ranieri in person. The famous "Tinkerer" of the future was now just an unknown figure, with fewer white hairs and a slightly worried expression, but not the desperate look he often saw on TV broadcasts.

Zhuang Mingge, looking at the much younger Ranieri, handed him a folder filled with player information submitted by Antonioni: "This is the player information for Fiorentina's first team for this season. Do you have any issues with it?"

Ranieri opened the folder and carefully went through it. To his surprise, half of the first team list consisted of young players to be introduced from other teams.

Selling almost the entire starting lineup and making a big move to introduce new players, it seemed the owner really valued these young talents.

Ranieri thought this as he closed the folder and cautiously asked, "Mr. Chairman, what do you think of this Fiorentina youth team you have built?"

"I believe they have unlimited potential, and getting promoted to Serie A by the end of the season should not be a problem," Zhuang Mingge said confidently, then added, "Claudio, you don't need to call me boss or Mr. Chairman. Just call me Antonio."

"Alright, Antonio. Your meaning is, on the basis of ensuring promotion, to give these young players as much space to perform as possible?" Ranieri asked, needing to confirm this. In Italian football, how to ensure results while also aligning with the owner's vision is a crucial skill for Italian coaches.

"Ha ha, Claudio, don't worry about me giving random orders. After all, I also have an international A-level coaching certificate," Zhuang Mingge chuckled, showing Ranieri the certificate.

Ranieri felt somewhat reassured after seeing the certificate. The worst thing in coaching is when outsiders give orders to insiders, like the old Berlusconi forcing Ancelotti to use a double-striker formation without considering whether it was suitable for the team; or after 2006, Abramovich forcing an unsuitable Shevchenko into Chelsea's tactical system, which led to Mourinho's dissatisfaction.

"I just took a rough look at these players' positions and technical characteristics. I can see that you envision Fiorentina playing a 4-4-2 formation with a diamond midfield and no wingers. This can indeed strengthen the team's central defense, but it will also weaken the flanks' offensive and defensive capabilities," Ranieri boldly offered his opinion.

"The flank attacks will be completed by the full-backs advancing and the central midfielders moving wide. As for defense, three midfielders with good defensive skills can easily cover for the advancing full-backs."

"Antonio, your idea is that we shouldn't be rigid about position assignments. Full-backs can push forward to act as wingers, and central midfielders can move to the flanks for defense," Ranieri's eyebrows involuntarily raised. He had never tried such a tactic before, "This is a bold idea, reminiscent of the Dutch total football."

"This tactical system is indeed derived from Michels' total football philosophy," Zhuang Mingge admitted. Could he say that European teams would all play like this in a few years? Subsequently, Zhuang Mingge explained his tactical ideas, which he had compiled based on his future memories and the knowledge of his predecessor, to Ranieri.

"Emphasize collective movement and overall pressing, focusing on one-touch passing; during passing, use triangular passing and combination play; Fiorentina will build a team as a whole, not centered around any single player. This is the unchanging tactical principle for the future of Fiorentina," Zhuang Mingge set the tone for the team's tactics, "Of course, the specific tactical details will be arranged by you, Claudio. Don't forget our Italian specialty, the catenaccio, during training."

"Ha ha, rest assured, how could an Italian coach not value defense?" Ranieri laughed. Catenaccio is a must-learn for every Italian coach.

However, if this improved version of catenaccio based on overall pressing and collective movement is fully formed, it will be even more terrifying, Ranieri thought to himself.

"There is one more point. Currently, we have Batistuta on the front line and Effenberg as the playmaker. These two players can handle the team's offensive responsibilities, but in defense, I hope to introduce a player who is in his prime and can contribute immediately. After all, the players we are introducing are too young. Tommasi has not yet played in a professional league, and Birendel, Gennaro Gattuso, and Jonti have only played less than a season in lower leagues. They need to adapt to the rhythm of Serie B."

"Alright, I think you've convinced me, Claudio. Do you have any players suitable for this tactical system that you can recommend? I will contact the transfer department head, Hercule (Poirot), to bring the players we need to the team."

Here's a bit of additional information: Before the end of 1995, that is, before the Bosman ruling, players had little say in their transfer destinations. Generally, if a player wanted to transfer to another team, the club introducing the player had to pay a transfer fee that satisfied the other party; otherwise, the player could not leave even if their contract expired (for more details, see the Bosman ruling). If a club wanted to sell a player and a team was capable of acquiring them, the player would have to transfer, a famous case being Dunga (who transferred from Fiorentina to Pescara in 1992). Unless they were superstars like Roberto Baggio or Baresi, no one would dare transfer them to lower leagues without their consent.

In short, before the Bosman ruling, the situation for players in European football was very poor. Most of them could not decide their own fate, and this was Zhuang Mingge's opportunity.

"Turin's midfielder Cois, or Naples' midfielder Crippa," Ranieri thought for a moment and gave his suggestions.

"Why not buy Ferrara? Naples probably won't obstruct this transfer," Zhuang Mingge suddenly had a whim and wanted to test Ranieri.

"But Ferrara is a national team member and might participate in next year's World Cup. If he plays in Serie B next season, he will not only lose his place in the national team but also resent Fiorentina, which would be counterproductive," Ranieri explained, "However, Cois and Crippa are different. I know Sacchi well; he is very stubborn and trusts the combination of Albertini and Dino Baggio. With Juventus' Conte and Inter Milan's Berti, Cois, who is still a newcomer, and Crippa, who is not young, have no chance of entering the national team."

"Very good analysis, welcome to Fiorentina, Claudio," Zhuang Mingge applauded Ranieri's analysis and said happily.

"I am also very happy to coach Fiorentina, Antonio."