The God of Football starts with passive skills

Chapter 35: I've been tricked again!

Wang Shuo's assist and Baljak's goal brought the game back to a balanced state.

Although Cologne had the upper hand, they were unable to break through Mainz's defense.

The first half ended with a score of 1-1.

However, the players were extremely exhausted during this match.

When they returned to the locker room, the Mainz players were all panting heavily.

Klopp followed the players in, and before they had even returned to their seats, he slammed his hand on the small blackboard behind him.

"Quickly find a seat and don't make a sound. Listen to me!"

Everyone felt the head coach's imposing presence and immediately returned to their positions.

"First of all, we played terribly and chaotically in the first half."

Klopp pointed at the players very seriously, almost to the point of yelling at them.

"I've said it before, Cologne's greatest strengths are their two flanks, especially Ozart's side, but what was the result?"

The locker room fell completely silent.

No one wanted to make any excuses, but Klopp still reacted very strongly.

"You must not make any excuses. Nothing, including unforeseen accidents, can be used as a reason, because you are professional players, and professional players who are preparing to enter the Bundesliga!"

With the head coach saying that, who would dare to say anything more?
Wang Shuo felt that Klopp actually knew the truth, but there was nothing he could do about it.

These are the cards I have.

Demetraz is a right-footed player playing on the left wing, Gunkel is also right-footed, and although Feulner is ambidextrous, his dominant foot is also right. This puts Mainz's left wing in a very passive position when defending against Ozat.

Imagine how troublesome it would be for a right-footed player to face a left-footed player on the left flank who is moving out to the outside.

But Klopp wasn't wrong either.

There are only so many people, what can he do?
At this point, could he say: I understand you, it's okay to make mistakes?

Isn't that seeking death?

“Our midfield and forward line, apart from Wang Shuo, everyone else performed very poorly, including the goal scorer, Baljak. You all need to reflect on your performance.”

Everyone turned to look at Wang Shuo, their eyes filled with envy.

Since Wang Shuo made his debut for the first team, he has never been criticized by Klopp; on the contrary, he has been praised repeatedly.

Many players couldn't help but ask: Are you Klopp's godson?

However, Wang Shuo's performance is also remarkable.

"Foylner, Baljak, I've told you repeatedly that when Cologne attacks, it's crucial for the full-backs to make overlapping runs. You need to hold your ground, but what have you done?"

The two wingers also have a heavy workload.

When defending, they not only have to withstand the full-backs' runs forward, but also have to pay attention to tracking back at all times.

When attacking, they need to provide timely support to the midfield and create opportunities on the flanks and in the half-spaces.

This is a bit too much to ask of Mainz's players.

Even someone as strong as Feulner didn't do very well.

Of course, they didn't make any mistakes, and they worked very hard.

Throughout the first half, the two teams only received one yellow card, which was for Baljak.

The head coach's tactics are correct and his ideas are good, but the players' abilities and execution can only go so far.

If Marco Rose were in defense, Feulner would face much less defensive pressure, allowing him to focus more on passing and attacking.

This would be of even greater help to Wang Shuo.

But like now, Wang Shuo almost never gets the ball in front of him.

It was tough for his teammates, but it was even tougher for Wang Shuo.

He will face two strong center-backs, McKenna and Mohammed, and will also have to watch out for the deep-lying midfielders such as Suazo, Pezzoni and Broich who will track back to defend.

If he can't get the ball out of midfield, he has to drop back to receive it.

When defending, you also need to suppress the opponent's center-back as soon as possible to relieve the pressure on the midfield and backfield.

This also took a huge toll on him.

If it weren't for the regional-level breathing support, he would have been just as exhausted as the others.

"Boss, what's Marco's situation now?" Captain Nowitzki asked with concern.

Everyone in the locker room turned to look at Klopp.

As a veteran, Marco Rose has suffered numerous injuries this season.

Before the start of the league, he suffered a metatarsal fracture and did not play for the team until late October.

Those present had all played football, and seeing him being carried off the field on a stretcher, they couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow.

It looks very serious.

Klopp looked at everyone, hesitated for a moment, and replied, "Severe tear of the knee ligaments."

hiss!
Wang Shuo clearly felt that the atmosphere in the locker room suddenly cooled down.

He was startled himself.

In that one sprint at the start of the race, for no apparent reason, he suffered a severe tear in his knee ligaments.

This is a potentially fatal injury!

This is almost a death sentence for Marco Rose, who will turn 32 soon.

Just before the game started, Marco Rose was talking to everyone about returning to the Bundesliga, and everyone felt a bit bittersweet.

Injuries are the nemesis of professional athletes!
Wang Shuo thought to himself: Luckily, I have the [Damage Reduction] buff.

"He is a key player for the club, and I will communicate with the higher-ups to renew his contract."

In European football, clubs typically purchase insurance for their signed players.

One of the most important things is injuries.

Although Wang Shuo has not yet signed a formal contract, he has purchased insurance for the youth team.

One of the most important aspects of the insurance policy is that the club will continue to pay the patient's salary for the first six weeks of recovery.

That means receiving full salary.

Six weeks later, the insurance company intervened, but at this point only 80% of the salary was paid.

This is the kind of safety net that comes with the industrialization of football in Europe.

Therefore, with insurance coverage, the club's losses in terms of player salaries are actually manageable, and may not even be significant, when players are injured.

The real loss lies in the competitive arena.

Of course, if Mainz renews Marco Rose's contract while he is injured, the club will definitely suffer some losses.

However, considering Marco Rose's many years of contributions, this investment is still necessary.

At least, at this moment, the players in the locker room felt much better after hearing this.

Klopp appealed, "Marco won't be back until next season at the earliest, and he definitely wants us to be playing in the Bundesliga then, not stuck in the 2. Bundesliga!"

"I'll say it again: we must take Cologne today, no matter what!"

Marco Rose is usually a man of few words in the locker room, but he's always been well-liked. He's also very diligent in both matches and training.

Everyone was stimulated by Klopp's words.

For my injured teammate!
Klopp's initial strategy was to launch an attack in the second half.

He concluded that Cologne would certainly not adopt a conservative tactic.

More importantly, for Mainz, even a 1-1 draw is still a loss.

Mainz must win if they want to return to the Bundesliga!

So, the key is how to break through Cologne's defenses?
This involves how the midfielders distribute the ball.

No one in Mainz's entire midfield and attack has the ability to consistently receive the ball with their back to goal and then turn around.

His personal abilities aren't particularly good either.

“I can drop back more and receive the ball in the gaps in the middle and flanks to make a transition,” Wang Shuo suggested.

"Can we retreat and then advance again in time?" Klopp asked with concern.

"I'll handle it myself, no problem."

Wang Shuo battled with Cologne's center-back for 45 minutes, gaining a clear understanding of each other's speed and skill level.

Especially Lebanese national team player Mohammed.

He is confident that if he seizes the right opportunity, he can succeed.

Klopp is not a hesitant person either.

He glanced at the locker room and made a decision immediately.

"That's settled then. Everyone, keep a close eye on him. Once you get the ball, focus on Wang's movement immediately."

This is to launch an attack centered around Wang Shuo!

At this point, unless someone has more courage and ability than Wang Shuo, there would certainly be no objection.

……

Joseph Mohammed is only 1.82 meters tall, but he has excellent heading ability and is very explosive.

Since joining Freiburg in the 2. Bundesliga in 2004, he has consistently performed well in defense.

In the summer of 07, Daum bought him from Freiburg to Cologne with the intention of rebuilding Cologne's defense.

His partner is McKenna, who joined from Cottbus and holds dual Canadian and Scottish citizenship.

McKenna is over 1.9 meters tall and is a typical white high-ball guard.

Cologne's two center-backs, like the two strikers mentioned earlier, are a classic combination of one tall and one fast.

Mohamed has had a very impressive season in the 2. Bundesliga, and his market value has now soared to 3.5 million euros.

Don't let his height of 1.82 meters fool you; he's not afraid of tall centers who are over 1.9 meters tall.

He can even gain an advantage by using his explosive power and agility.

His fierce forward runs are one of his specialties.

But in the first half, he was outmaneuvered by Mainz's 17-year-old prodigy.

This left the Lebanese national team player seething with anger.

At the start of the second half, Mainz launched another attack. Whenever Wang Shuo dropped back to receive the ball, Mohammed followed up to intercept.

And Wang Shuo basically didn't get any advantage.

He even deliberately fouled Wang Shuo from the side and behind twice when Wang Shuo was receiving the ball, tripping him down.

Another instance was when he was clearing the ball with a header while challenging Wang Shuo for a header.

Mainz's attack was quickly suppressed.

However, in the 57th minute, Mainz intercepted the ball in their own half and launched a counter-attack.

Wang Shuo dropped back even deeper, receiving a pass from Gunkel in his own half. Before Suazo could react, he passed the ball to Feulner on the left wing, then turned and made a forward run.

Feulner understood perfectly and passed the ball forward to Wang Shuo, who was making a run forward.

Wang Shuo once again received the ball head-on and attacked Muhammad's defensive zone.

1 versus 1!

Muhammad took his defensive position, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes.

This time, you won't get away so easily!

Wang Shuo also kept a close eye on Muhammad.

He slowed down and kept dribbling the ball closer to Muhammad.

It looks just like the first half.

Just as he rushed into Mohammed's defensive zone, he quickly stepped out with his left foot, slightly lowered his left shoulder, and leaned his whole body to the left, as if he was going to dribble the ball and break through from the left.

Besides watching Wang Shuo's movements, Muhammad was also keeping an eye on the football at his feet.

The person moved, but the ball didn't!
fake!

Muhammad immediately made a judgment and remained unmoved.

They used the same trick once in the first half and used it again in the second half.

Labor and management will never fall into the same trap twice!
Just as Muhammad was about to block Wang Shuo's inside cut, he suddenly noticed that Wang Shuo suddenly accelerated and broke through to the left.

After stepping out with the left foot, the right foot hooks the ball with the instep and slides forward.

With a powerful thrust of his feet, he shot past Muhammad like an arrow.

What the hell!

Fooled again!

This time it's actually true!
Surprised or not?

Not surprised?

Muhammad was surprised and immediately turned around to chase after him.

McKenna stayed at the back of the defense, immediately closing in and blocking Wang Shuo's path into the penalty area.

But Wang Shuo immediately took a step forward, dribbled the ball, and rushed towards the baseline.

When he reached the baseline, he suddenly stopped and used his right foot to bring the ball back.

McKenna chased after him relentlessly, but his tall and burly frame couldn't stop as suddenly as Wang Shuo could.
After dodging McKenna, Wang Shuo made a series of small, quick adjustments, tricking the hurriedly arriving Muhammad into closing in as well.

Wang Shuo seized the opportunity during Muhammad's steps and passed the ball across with his right foot.

The ball went right through his legs and into the left side of the penalty area.

At that moment, Feulner, who had made a late run, arrived in time and, before Suazo could react, fired a shot that sent the ball back into Cologne's goal.

2 is better than 1!

reverse!

　During the new book release period, please add it to your favorites, recommend it, give it monthly tickets, and follow it! Thank you!!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)