The God of Football starts with passive skills

Chapter 33 Klopp panicked

On May 11, in the 33rd round of the German Second Division, Mainz will play away against Cologne.

This is the largest football stadium Wang Shuo has ever experienced.

It has a capacity of 5 people.

The stadium has two tiers of stands, and the players' tunnels are located at the four corners of the field.

As I walked out, the shouts of the fans in the stands surged up and overwhelmed me.

The Cologne stadium doesn't have many standing rooms; there are only two low-level stands behind the goal, which probably have fewer than 10,000 people.

The rest are all seats.

A VIP box is separated between the two tiers of stands.

When the Mainz players came on, Cologne fans pieced together a giant TIFO on both the upper and lower tiers of the stands.

It clearly features the colors and crest of Cologne's jerseys.

Standing inside the stadium and looking out, it was truly awe-inspiring.

"What's wrong? Are your legs going weak?"

Subotic gave Wang Shuo a gentle push from behind and asked jokingly.

Wang Shuo snorted coldly, "I'm not like you, you spineless crab!"

"Who are you talking about?" Subotic quickened his pace and stepped forward, wrapping his iron arm around Wang Shuo and restraining him.

"I don't know who said it, but when they entered Bayern's Allianz Arena, they were so scared that their legs went weak and they were thrashed 5 times." Wang Shuo was still not to be outdone.

What's even more amazing is that both Gunkel and Calhan, who were standing in front and behind, seemed to have the potential to be the straight man, asking in unison, "Who is it?"

Subotic immediately backed down and told Wang Shuo to stop talking.

He was practically ready to bow down and call him godfather.

This immediately made the players who had just joined this season understand each other implicitly.

In the final round of last season's Bundesliga, Mainz suffered a crushing 2-5 defeat away to Bayern Munich in the most dire relegation battle.

That was Subotic's first start for Mainz's first team, playing on a world-class stage like the Allianz Arena.

He secretly told Wang Shuo that his legs went weak when he entered the venue.

"Actually, you can't blame Neven for that game; he did a good job defending Makaay." Marco Rose was also reminded of the incident.

After saying that, Marco Rose sighed, "Overall, we actually did quite well in that game."

"There were two chaotic moments in the middle of the game. In the first half, starting in the 30th minute, Bayern scored three goals in just eight minutes."

"Makaay didn't score, but Santa Cruz, Scholl, and Van Bommel did."

"In the second half, I assisted Amri to pull one back, and the team's performance improved significantly. However, Karim and Pizarro each scored a goal, and we conceded two goals in 10 minutes."

There were people all around who had played football.

Just hearing Marco Rose say that, I basically knew what was going on.

Besides the difference in roster and strength, another very important factor between strong and weak teams is their mental fortitude.

The players selected by top teams are all exceptional individuals.

Although their market value is high, they are all the result of rigorous training and competition. Whether it is physical fitness, technical skills, or mental fortitude, they are all one in a million.

Teams like Mainz, when outmatched by their opponents, are easily thrown off balance by their rivals.

“I came to Mainz in 2002. I have witnessed this team transform from a weak team in the 2nd Bundesliga to a strong team in the 2nd Bundesliga, then made history by entering the Bundesliga, performed well in the Bundesliga, and finally was brought back to its original state and returned to the 2nd Bundesliga.”

Marco Rose is indeed one of the few players on the team who personally experienced the entire process.

This gave him a deeper affection for Mainz than anyone else.

"When we were relegated, we all cried. We were all very regretful, and many of us were completely disheartened."

"But this is an unchangeable fact!"

Marco Rose took a deep breath, looked at his teammates, and his eyes were full of sincerity.

"But today, I hope that everyone will not leave this stadium with regrets like we did last year!"

Marco Rose is usually not very talkative in the locker room.

But it is precisely because of this that his words are so infectious.

"Don't worry, Marco, we will definitely win this game!" Captain Nowitzki said loudly.

"That's right, we won't lose!"

"Go Marco!"

Marco Rose's teammates encouraged him one after another.

When it was Wang Shuo's turn, he didn't say anything, but just smiled and hugged his teammate.

He will prove it with his actions!
……

"Viewers, welcome to the live broadcast of the 33rd round of the 2007/08 Bundesliga 2 season."

"We are now broadcasting this key match from the RheinEnergieStadion in Cologne."

"The two teams facing off are Cologne, currently ranked 2nd in the 2. Bundesliga, and Mainz, ranked 4th in the 2. Bundesliga."

"The outcome of this match will affect the promotion spots for teams in the 2. Bundesliga this season, so it will be very intense."

"Let's take a look at the starting lineups of both teams."

"Cologne still sticks to their most effective 4-4-2 formation."

"The goalkeeper is Colombian international Farid Mondragón."

"The back line consists of Matip, McKenna, Mohammed, and Ozat."

"Today we saw Ozart appear on the right wing."

"Ahead of us are Thomas Broich, Kevin Pezzoni, Meno Suazo, and ahead of us is Loda Antal."

"The two strikers are Helmes and Novakovic."

"This is also Cologne's strongest starting lineup this season."

"Both sides have very complete personnel configurations."

"Let's take a look at Mainz."

Goalkeeper: Ischdonat;

Defense: Marko Rose, Nowitzki, Subotic and Hoglund;
Midfielders: Gunkel, Pekovic, and Calhanoglu;
Forwards: Feulner, Wang Shuo, and Baljak.

"This is also the best player in Mainz's recent winning streak."

"Both sides have invested a lot of resources and energy in this match. Now we'll see who can win and take control of the promotion race."

……

"Hurry, hurry, the live broadcast signal is here."

"What's going on on the forum? The signal is only coming back on so late."

"They said there were too many people and the server couldn't handle it."

"What did you do early?"

"Look, there's a picture! The starting lineup, Wang Shuo!"

"As expected, Wang Shuo is starting!"

"Well done, starting at a crucial moment proves that he is Mainz's most valued striker."

"This match is crucial, Wang Shuo needs to work hard."

"If we win, we'll see Chinese players playing in the Bundesliga next season!"

"Go for it, Wang Shuo!"

"Klopp's lineup and tactics are still the same as always; he doesn't seem to be very adaptable."

"Cologne is stronger than Mainz. Both of their forwards are among the top three scorers in the 2. Bundesliga. They're in a dangerous situation."

"There's nothing we can do. That's just how small teams are. They only have a few cards to play, and no matter how they play, they'll always make mistakes."

"Wang Shuo needs to step up his game and put in better performances to try and get into a top team soon." "Didn't we hear that Bayern Munich was interested in our Wang Shuo?"

“Bayern Munich is currently a strong team with world-class strikers such as Luca Toni, Lukas Podolski, and Mario Gomez. They also have their own protégé Thomas Müller in the U19 team. If Wang Shuo goes there, he will have no chance at all.”

"Yes, it's better to stay in Mainz than to sit on the bench at Bayern."

"The key is that Mainz needs to get promoted to the Bundesliga."

"Isn't this just charging in?"

"Alright, stop arguing, it's about to start."

……

With the referee's whistle, the match, which had attracted countless viewers, officially began.

Both sides were well-prepared and adopted counter-strategies against each other.

Therefore, at the start of the game, neither side was able to gain an advantage.

Mainz wanted to launch a preemptive attack, but Cologne was not intimidated at all.

The team that Daum has coached is no ordinary team.

With a center forward like Novakovic up front, once they win the ball, they can quickly launch long passes to find the tall center forward.

After trying it a few times and finding the effect was not obvious, I immediately moved to the ground.

Moreover, they are basically all two side roads.

Just four minutes into the game, Baljak fouled Broich, who was making a run into the box, while making a defensive run back to assist Hoglund, and was shown a yellow card.

If he hadn't fouled, then it would probably have been Hoglund's card.

If a full-back gets a card right at the start of the game, the situation becomes very passive.

This also shows that Cologne's strength is indeed superior to Mainz's.

But all of this was within Mainz's expectations.

Wang Shuo kept running around the frontcourt, constantly looking for opportunities.

Having performed well in the previous rounds, Cologne strengthened their defense against Wang Shuo.

In addition, Mainz's long-standing problem with midfield ball distribution makes it difficult for Wang Shuo to receive the ball in the attacking third.

However, due to Cologne's active attacks down the flanks, Baljak and Feulner often retreated, so Wang Shuo had to stay in front to hold the line.

This resulted in him having a very low profile in the media for a period of time.

It doesn't have much of a presence.

But the contributions have always been there.

If he hadn't been holding the line, Cologne would have launched a full-scale attack.

Overall, the game was close, but not bad.

As Mainz expected.

Especially after 10 minutes, the game became deadlocked.

Both sides restrained each other's attacks and neither was able to launch a threatening offensive.

In the 18th minute, Cologne launched a quick counter-attack, with a long pass finding Novakovic.

Nowitzki and Marko Rose both rushed to contest the header, but Marko Rose stopped as soon as he started sprinting.

In the end, Novakovic got to the ball and headed it to Helmes.

Helmes' shot missed the target.

It wasn't until this moment that everyone noticed that Marco Rose was lying on the grass in his own penalty area.

"Ruined!"

When Wang Shuo saw this scene from afar, he had a very ominous premonition.

The other Mainz players also had complicated expressions.

The wave of injuries this season is like a Damocles' sword hanging over the heads of every player.

Nobody knows who will be the next to fall.

Especially veterans over thirty years old like Marco Rose.

The referee stopped the game, the team doctor immediately entered the field, followed by a stretcher.

Demetraz appeared on the sidelines and replaced Marco Rose, who was carried away on a stretcher.

It's obvious that the injury is quite serious.

……

"good chance!"

As soon as Christopher Daum saw Mainz make a substitution, he immediately went to the sidelines like a shark that had smelled blood.

"Umit".

Daum called Ozart, the right-back closest to the coaching bench, to the sidelines and gave him a long lecture.

After the match restarted, Cologne abandoned their previous composure and launched a decisive and fierce attack.

Ozart, in particular, was quite active on the right wing.

In fact, he almost used himself as a right winger.

Mainz's defense, especially on the left flank, was suddenly thrown into disarray.

18 minutes in, Marco Rose was forced off the field due to injury.

In the 21st minute, Ozart received the ball on the right wing and delivered a cross.

He didn't go to Novakovic, nor did he go to Helmes.

Loda Antar, who had surged forward from the back, delivered a powerful header, sending the ball into Mainz's goal.

1 is better than 0!

The entire RheinEnergieStadion was filled with the cheers of Cologne fans.

"Truly worthy of being a renowned German coach!"

"Christopher Daum's on-the-spot command is as amazing as ever!"

"Just after the adjustment, Ozart assisted Antar on the right wing to score a goal."

"This goal is a huge blow to Mainz."

"Our starting left-back got injured and had to leave the field, and then we conceded another goal."

"Now, the time has come to test Mainz!"

The television cameras also focused on the sidelines.

Head coach Klopp covered his face with his hands, clearly very disappointed with the goal conceded.

Although he could blame it on Marco Rose's injury, what's done is done, and the outcome can't be changed.

More importantly, Cologne's morale is now high.

Led by Ozart, the right flank began to exploit Mainz's left flank.

They weren't satisfied with a 1-0 lead; they wanted to score more goals.

The best course of action is to finish this match in one fell swoop.

Just like this time last year, Mainz played Bayern Munich away in a crucial relegation battle.

Three goals conceded in 8 minutes!

Is history about to repeat itself?

Klopp panicked.

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(End of this chapter)