The God of Football starts with passive skills

Chapter 42 Wang Shuo scores! Klopp's latest gamble! A clash between Tractor and Ferrari! [Seeking first subscriptions]

Klopp has never been a believer in individual heroism!
He often jokes, "My football talent is at most at the fourth-tier league level, but my intelligence is at the Bundesliga level, so I can play for Mainz in the 2. Bundesliga."

Wolfgang Frank is destined to be an insurmountable mountain in Klopp's life journey.

This German, deeply influenced by Italian football and inspired by Sacchi's football philosophy, not only transformed Mainz but also completely reshaped Klopp's football philosophy.

Especially his high-pressure tactics.

In German football, there is a specific term: Gegenpresse, meaning anti-pressing.

In the mid-to-late 90s, Wolfgang Frank asked this question.

The English have always stuck to their 4-4-2 formation, the Spanish have been working hard to maximize their wing-heavy tactics, and the Italians have been constantly studying and iterating their chain defense...

"What do we Germans have?"

A free agent?
Since Sammer, no libero has ever emerged in German football.

Times have changed, and the difference in players' abilities is too great.

Since the 90s, countless Germans have been pondering the same big question: Where is German football headed?

Some people think about it from the perspective of national team development, some from the tactical style of German football, some from youth training, and others from the perspective of club development...

Klopp felt very lucky.

Because he personally experienced such an era, felt such a trend of thought, and experienced the changes of the times.

Wolfgang Frank believes that German football should be based on Gegenpresse.

German football is known for its "machine-like spirit," which relies on teamwork.

Klopp wholeheartedly agrees!
Wolfgang Frank failed twice in his tenure as manager of Mainz, and the burden has been passed down through generations.

Before Klopp took over, he clearly told Christian Heidel what kind of team he wanted to build.

Heidel was his best friend and made it very clear to Klopp that Mainz was poor, but he would do everything he could to support him and give him all the support he could.

The reward was that Mainz made history by entering the Bundesliga.

But their good fortune didn't last long, and Mainz soon fell back to the second division.

Being relegated is an incredibly painful blow for anyone.

This is especially true for Klopp.

But he never doubted that he was going in the wrong direction.

He and his team just didn't do a good enough job.

What will this new Mainz team do after returning to the Bundesliga?
After the failure in the Bundesliga and the decline in the 2. Bundesliga, Klopp has once again provided an answer.

On the first day of the new season's training camp, during the team's tactical meeting, he wrote down such a term.

Gegenpressing!

High-level pressure!

He remains committed to his beliefs and principles, firmly believing that they will bring success to him and the team.

When the team loses possession of the ball, everyone must immediately and on the spot launch a pressing attack to regain possession as quickly as possible and speed up the attack.

"We must be like a pack of wolves, charging forward, biting our opponent relentlessly, and never letting go until we defeat them!"

Klopp said this through gritted teeth.

This vividly helps players understand the kind of football they want.

But everyone knows that this tactical approach often means high consumption, high pressure, and a fast pace.

Even the most resilient players will suffer greatly under the influence of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and high blood sugar.

But for Mainz players who are familiar with Klopp, this is nothing new.

That's it?

Do not!
Klopp is a very reflective person. He also summarizes Mainz's relegation and the difficulties they faced when they encountered difficulties in the 2. Bundesliga last season.

Some problems are unsolvable, such as the wave of injuries and illnesses.

No one can avoid injuries.

However, some of these issues can be avoided as much as possible.

In the past, when quickly pressing back after losing possession, Klopp would have one or two of the closest players press the ball.

What about the rest?

Immediately disperse to cut off passing lanes and support players around the ball carrier.

Theoretically speaking, there's no problem.

What about when it's executable?

What level of players does Mainz have?

How do they manage to cut off so many passing lanes and receivers in such a short time?
How many players can meet these requirements?

When players fail to perform, the effectiveness of tactics is greatly reduced.

The players were exhausted, but the desired effect wasn't achieved. When they encountered stronger opponents, they were simply outplayed.

When Mainz was relegated, they suffered a humiliating 0-4 defeat at home to Bayern Munich and another 2-5 defeat away from home.

This is a perfect example!
what about now?

Klopp's choice was to surround them.

Just like a pack of wolves surrounding their prey, they immediately surround the ball carrier.

Obviously, theoretically the former is better, but it is not suitable for a team of Mainz's caliber.

The latter is somewhat simple and crude, but it's direct enough.

In short, everyone was scrambling to buy it!

Forget about passing lanes and receiving passes; everyone just needs to focus on one thing: while maintaining the overall formation, swarm in and win the ball like crazy!
This is something Mainz players can do!

Klopp has also made significant adjustments to the team's specific tactics.

It's called 433, but it's actually more like 4411.

The four defenders in the back line go without saying.

Both Feulner and Heller on the right wing dropped back, more like playing as wingers.

The two players in the middle are Gunkel, Calhanoglu, and Pekovic, who will rotate in their positions.

For position 10, the number 1 was chosen as Hainaur.

The first choice, number 1, was Wang Shuo.

It's obvious to anyone that this is the tactic Klopp has tailored specifically for the current Mainz team.

The two 1s in front of them had a great deal of freedom to play during the attack.

However, correspondingly, they also have to shoulder more responsibility when defending.

Wang Shuo, in particular, was the first to be affected.

The newly signed players were clearly surprised by this tactical arrangement.

Can a young player who is not even 18 years old shoulder such a heavy responsibility?

Bansey asked himself honestly, if he were in that striker's position, the pressure would be immense.

Given his height of 1.92 meters and weight of 90 kilograms, can he really run that much?

Only those familiar with Mainz and Wang Shuo know that this was a team Klopp tailored specifically for Wang Shuo.

Wang Shuo came first, and then this set of tactics came into being!

Once the tactics were clear, the next step was repeated drills.

For a team like Mainz, being able to develop a set of tactics and a set of lineups is already considered a great success.

……

"Your gambling addiction is getting worse and worse!"

Training at Mainz has always been handled by assistant coach Buvac.

Klopp and his teammate Kramny stood on the sidelines watching.

It was Kramny who spoke; he felt that Klopp was putting too much pressure on Wang Shuo.

"Don't forget, he's only 17 years old, still a child!"

Klopp smiled. "Have you ever seen a child so ruthless to themselves?"

After a pause, Klopp patted Kramny on the shoulder and said, "You're a good person, but you don't understand Wang Shuo."

"At the very least, we don't know enough about it."

Kramny paused for a moment.

It's true if you think about it carefully.

Strictly speaking, he had known Wang Shuo for less than half a year, and they had only spent two or three months together.

How can we talk about understanding?

“He didn’t say it, but I can guess that he came from a very, very poor mountain village and had gone through a very, very difficult time to get to where he is today. So he is more eager to succeed than anyone else.”

"Because he wanted to change himself and his family's fate!"

Klopp once held the same idea.

The difference is that he was fortunate enough to be born in Germany.

Even in the villages of the Black Forest, the standard of living is quite good.

But what about Wang Shuo?

A 17-year-old boy forced himself to practice intensively for more than a month, enduring extremely difficult times every day.

That takes a lot of perseverance and determination.
Klopp believes that children like this deserve to succeed!

"Do you know what the biggest difference is between Wang Shuo and Ban Sai?" Klopp asked again.

These two forwards are the strongest contenders for Mainz's starting striker position in the new season.

Kramny shook his head.

Banse is from Africa, he is also very poor, and he also longs to succeed through playing football.

"Wang Shuo is tougher on himself, but he is also smarter and wiser."

Kramny narrowed his eyes upon hearing this. "How did you figure that out?"

Klopp chuckled, "Last season, after playing so many Bundesliga 2 matches, did you ever see Wang Shuo get a card?"

They didn't get a card in the 2. Bundesliga, nor in the U19 team.

This proves that Wang Shuo is a very calm and rational player.

"Look at Bansey. As he gradually made a name for himself, he has received a red card in each of the last three seasons, and last season it was even worse."

Anyone who has played football knows that a yellow card and a red card are two different types of punishments.

Bansey received red cards for three consecutive seasons, proving that he is indeed not good at controlling his temper and is prone to losing control.

This is a common occurrence for many professional players after they become famous.

Why was Bansey given an additional 5-match penalty?

Strictly speaking, it's 3+2.

In last season's home game against Borussia Mönchengladbach, Neuville scored a penalty in the 28th minute.

The two sides disagree on this.

So, in the 44th minute, just before the end of the first half, Bansey committed a very rough foul on Neuville during a defensive play near the halfway line.

This is blatant revenge!

Therefore, he received a red card and was sent off on the spot.

The score at the time was 0-1, with Offenbach trailing by one goal as they were determined to avoid relegation.

When Bansey was sent off with a red card, some fans in the stands were criticizing and booing him. It was hard to tell whether they were Offenbach's own fans or fans of the visiting Borussia Mönchengladbach team.

As Bansey walked toward the players' tunnel, he gave the middle finger to the fans in the stands.

After the start of the second half, Offenbach, playing with 10 men, had their center-back Sijon foul Noveski again in the 48th minute, receiving his second yellow card and being sent off with a red card.

Borussia Mönchengladbach were awarded another penalty, which Noveski converted for his second goal.

In the end, Borussia Mönchengladbach defeated Offenbach 7-1 away from home.

After the match, Ban Sai was suspended for 3 more matches due to the red card, and for giving the middle finger, he was suspended for another 2 more matches, for a total of 5 matches.

That's why Klopp said that Bansey isn't actually that smart.

Moreover, it is a potential hidden danger.

Nobody knows whether or when this landmine will explode.

In comparison, Wang Shuo, though younger, is clearly more reliable.

Klopp had been paying close attention, especially during the summer training camp.

He believes that with Wang Shuo's personality, his ruthlessness towards himself, and the strength and characteristics he showed last season, he will definitely bring surprises in the new season.

Under 18 years old?
So what?

Once you're on the football field, it's all about skill; who cares how old you are?
Therefore, Klopp was willing to change the team's tactics for Wang Shuo and use a 4-4-1-1 formation.

Kramny was right; it was a huge gamble.

But he took a gamble last season and won.

He decided to place a bet again this time.

He firmly believed that Wang Shuo would not let him down!

……

8:25 PM, August 9th, Beijing time.

China's most famous sports forum exploded!
Angry fans kept posting and leaving messages, offering friendly and enthusiastic greetings to the female elders in the forum moderator's family.

The reason is that the promised live stream didn't happen.

This thoroughly enraged tens of thousands of fans who had been waiting on the forum for days.

"Damn moderator, come out and explain yourself! You took the money but didn't do the job. What happened to the promised live stream?"

"The match is about to start, where's the live stream?"

"If you dare to cheat me out of my money, I'll sue you for fraud and illegal fundraising tomorrow!"

"Yes, if there's no live stream tonight, let's sue him until he's bankrupt tomorrow!"

"Liar, come out and explain yourself!"

"The promised live TV broadcast was canceled, then it became a text and image broadcast, and now that's canceled too. Do you have any credibility at all?"

"Everyone, calm down. The website didn't mean to do this either. The live streaming channels we had arranged have suddenly disappeared."

"That's right, there's really nothing we can do about it, the distributors in Germany are unreliable."

"The money will definitely be refunded. Such a big forum and website wouldn't cheat people out of that little bit of money."

"Don't worry, didn't we say that the netizens who would help with the live stream are on their way?"

"Hey upstairs, stop trying to defend us. Do we care about that little bit of money? We want to watch the game! The game! Understand?"

"Yeah, we're on the way, always on the way. When will we arrive? The competition is about to start."

"It's 14:30 PM local time in Germany, there are only 5 minutes left."

Amidst the barrage of angry comments from forum users, the forum moderators quickly stepped in to explain.

"As soon as we received the news yesterday that there was no live broadcast in Germany, I immediately contacted a netizen in London, [青青禾边草], who flew to Berlin early this morning."

“I just contacted Qingqinghebiancao. The competition is in Potsdam, southwest of Berlin. He went to the wrong place before.”

"Please be patient and wait a little longer. We will definitely deliver on our promise of free live text and image broadcasts, and we will also fully refund the live broadcast fees we collected earlier."

The moderator's personal explanation did not alleviate the anxiety of the netizens.

Tonight is Mainz's first game of the new season.

First round of the German Cup.

This was also Wang Shuo's first match after joining the Bundesliga.

How could fans possibly miss such a significant match?
"Stop talking nonsense and hurry up, the competition is about to start!"

"That's right, hurry up and take more photos of the scene."

"Mainz's previous warm-up matches were all in Germany and the surrounding areas, and they played quite well, but the opponents were all too weak. Now it's an official match, and everyone is looking forward to it."

"Stop nagging, moderator, and call again to urge them."

"I don't have Qingqinghebiancao's phone number; we only communicate via QQ." The post was followed by a crying emoji of a moderator.

"How did you become a moderator? You're so unreliable!"

"We don't care, it's 28 points, the game is about to start, there's no live broadcast, you just wait."

Just as netizens were filled with righteous indignation, the moderator suddenly shouted.

"We're here! We've finally arrived!"

"Qingqinghebiancao has arrived at the competition site. Everyone, please check the live text and photo post."

The pre-prepared live text and image post was immediately flooded with tens of thousands of netizens who had been waiting for a long time.

A photo sent from the scene in Germany showed a poorly equipped football stadium.

The players from both teams are entering the field, and judging from the photos, there aren't many fans present.

"I'm sorry, I flew here specifically from London. I'm not familiar with Berlin, so I came to the wrong place."

"In the first round of the German Cup, Mainz will play away against Barbersburg."

"The match is in Brandenburg, Potsdam, southwest of Berlin."

"This stadium isn't very big. Only two of the four stands have roofs. I was in a hurry to buy tickets, but I ended up getting standing tickets for the unroofed ones. It's afternoon here in Germany, and the sun is still quite strong."

"Let everyone see our Wang Shuo!"

Qingqinghebiancao quickly posted another photo, a close-up of Wang Shuo.

"Today, Wang Shuo is making his debut."

"The stadium, which can hold more than 1 people, is now only filled with less than 3400 people."

"Mainz is just a small team, but because of Wang Shuo, there are more viewers in China than in Germany."

"Chinese fans are awesome!"

With the photos and text updates of the green grass by the riverbank, netizens below started discussing it enthusiastically.

Some were demanding that he give them the starting lineup, while others were asking about Mainz's tactics and formation.

The green grass beside the rice paddies is also quite speechless.

"Sorry, netizens, my limited football knowledge comes from my dad."

"I really don't understand tactics and formations. I studied economics and don't know much about football."

"But I see that Wang Shuo is now in the center circle preparing to serve."

"Here's another one for everyone, isn't he handsome?"

Here's another photo: Wang Shuo is wearing a red Nike jersey and standing in the center circle, ready to serve.

"To be honest, I think it's a bit of a waste for Wang Shuo to play football. He should have gone into the entertainment industry. His looks are much better than those effeminate Korean stars."

But netizens immediately refuted this.

"Why be a star? In the whole world, the social status of a football star is much higher than that of a celebrity."

"Exactly, when entertainment stars meet sports stars, they all have to kneel down and sing 'Conquer'."

"Green grass by the rice paddies, you really don't understand football."

"Hurry up, take more photos and talk more about the match."

Qingqinghebiancao immediately sent another photo.

It was the moment Wang Shuo kicked off the match.

Fans and netizens immediately started their own commentary.

"Wow, Wang Shuo is wearing Mainz's number 9 jersey now."

"That's great! He wore number 36 last season because he wanted to compete for number 9. After Borja left the team, number 9 naturally became Wang Shuo's."

"Is that guy wearing the number 10 jersey on the other side, Boyakye?"

"Upstairs, Boyakje is on loan from Wolfsburg; Mainz didn't buy him outright."

"Number 10 is Hainaul, who joined from Karlsruhe this summer."

"Judging from the starting positions, Mainz looks like they are playing a 4-4-2 formation."

“Like 4411, Hainaur is the number 10.”

"On the left is still Feulner, and I don't recognize the one on the right; he should also be a new signing."

"The newest member is called Heile."

"It seems that Mainz's starting lineup has been strengthened this season."

Seeing everyone discussing the game and unable to get a word in edgewise, and knowing that they all knew more about football than he did, Qingqinghebiancao said something.

"Given my limited knowledge of football, I'd better not do any commentary and just take more photos for everyone."

"I'll tell everyone when I score."

"Just now, Wang Shuo made a forward run, but was pushed down by the opposing center-back."

"The other person looks very fierce."

"Green grass by the rice paddies, hurry up and post a photo so we can see where the foul occurred."

"Yes, yes, position is crucial; it might just lead to a goal."

Unfortunately, this free kick did not result in a goal.

Even Qingqinghebiancao, who doesn't know much about football, could see that Mainz had an overwhelming advantage on the field. "I feel that Mainz will win this game without much trouble."

"I think so too. The opponent is still too weak."

"The key is for Wang Shuo to score a goal and gain an advantage in the competition for a starting position."

"I heard that Ban Sai was suspended for the first two rounds."

"So, Coach Zhang said with a chuckle that Wang Shuo's performance in the first three games was crucial."

"Generally speaking, as long as the team performs well, the head coach will not change the starting lineup casually."

"Hurry up, Wang Shuo, try to score a goal!!"

Goal!

"Wang Shuo scores!!"

Just as a large number of netizens were flooding the screen with "[Wang Shuo scored]", a message suddenly came from Qingqinghebiancao.

Goal!!!!

The fans below immediately erupted in anger.

Mainz scored?

Who came in?

"Quick, tell me, did Wang Shuo score?"

"Oh my god, hurry up and tell me!"

"Green grass by the rice paddies, who scored? Explain yourself!"

Finally, a photo appeared, showing Wang Shuo excitedly rushing to the sidelines, right near the stands where Qingqinghebiancao was, separated only by a few iron railings. The photo was exceptionally clear, even showing the sweat on his face.

"Wang Shuo scored!"

"My God, I didn't even see how he got in."

"It was the guy who hugged him during the celebration, who passed him the ball, and then he dribbled past one of the opposing defenders and then past the goalkeeper in the penalty area."

"The movement was too fast, I didn't see it clearly, and the ball went in!"

"Here's another picture for everyone. It seems that Wang Shuo is quite popular in the team. Everyone came over to celebrate his goal with him."

The netizens below are in an uproar again!

Everyone cheered.

"It hasn't even been 10 minutes, has it?"

"My God, the assist was from number 7, named Feulner."

"so amazing!"

"Awesome!"

"A reporter from China Daily interviewed Mainz before and said that Wang Shuo had been training hard all summer, and it seems to have been very effective."

"Go for it, Wang Shuo! Try to score another one!"

……

Wang Shuo was unaware of everything that was happening in China.

He didn't even know that across from him as he celebrated his goal, a fellow countryman was taking pictures and sending them back home.

He returned to the field shortly after scoring.

The competition has restarted.

Mainz easily overwhelmed their opponents in terms of strength.

However, there are also problems.

The first game of the new season is always the toughest, as the players haven't yet found their rhythm.

Although the players have become somewhat familiar with each other after five warm-up matches and a month of training in the summer, their teamwork is still not good enough.

The starting lineup consisted of 11 players, with Klopp fielding three new signings: Heller on the right wing, Van der Heiden on the left wing, and Hajnal as the attacking midfielder.

However, with Wang Shuo opening the scoring in the 8th minute, the game went more and more smoothly.

In the 16th minute, Wang Shuo delivered a brilliant pass, and Feulner broke into the penalty area to score another goal for Mainz.

2 is better than 0!

In the 37th minute, Hajnal made a late run and scored again for the team.

3 is better than 0!

In the second half, in the 56th minute, Hajnal delivered a through pass, and Wang Shuo quickly broke the offside trap and broke through the Babersburg goal one-on-one, scoring his second goal.

4 is better than 0!

After scoring two goals, Wang Shuo was substituted by Banse in the 61st minute.

In the 76th minute, this very strong African striker headed the ball back to Hajnal, who had made a run into the box, during a header contest inside the penalty area.

Hainaul put the ball into the Babersburg goal again.

5 is better than 0!

This was also the last goal of the match.

Although Barbersburg is only a fourth-tier league team, its strength is indeed relatively weak.

However, the 5-0 victory over their opponent is a good start for Mainz in the new season.

Wang Shuo sat on the bench after the game and only returned to the locker room with his teammates with a smile after the game ended.

After this match, everyone is more confident about the new season.

Qingqinghebiancao took many photos of Wang Shuo leaving and posted them in a live forum thread in China, which continued to spark heated discussions among netizens.

"Green grass by the rice paddies, why don't you hurry up and go ask him for an autograph?"

"Oh my god, I was so busy taking pictures that I completely forgot about him. Where am I supposed to find him now?"

……

After being promoted to the Bundesliga, Mainz has undergone a complete transformation in all aspects.

The first to be affected were the team buses.

The team has acquired two new MAN cars. While their configurations are not as luxurious as Bayern's, their comfort level has skyrocketed.

The journey from Potsdam to Mainz is over 500 kilometers.

The team's own bus takes about five hours via the highway.

Taking the train is actually more inconvenient.

First, you need to drive from Potsdam to Berlin, then take the train from Berlin to Hanover, and finally transfer in Hanover to a train in Frankfurt.

Finally, we drove back to Mainz from Frankfurt.

The whole process takes more than 6 hours and is quite exhausting.

Therefore, Bundesliga teams usually travel to away games by bus.

Therefore, it is essential to purchase a comfortable and luxurious bus.

The players and coaches got on the bus, found their seats, and began to rest.

Some even simply wear eye masks to sleep.

Wang Shuo carries an MP3 player with him and listens to the very busy Milk Tea King while closing his eyes and pretending to sleep.

In reality, he entered the God of Football System.

The new Bundesliga season will begin in a few days.

Mainz's first match is an away game against Wolfsburg.

In a way, Klopp and Magath seem to share a similar plight.

Magath was sacked by Bayern Munich and is furious.

Klopp participated in Bayern Munich's "selection of a bride," but in the final round of the "super male god" competition, he was squeezed out by Klinsmann, who had connections.

The German media is still quite enthusiastic about the love-hate relationship between these two.

But Wang Shuo was only concerned about himself.

Judging from the training, warm-up matches, and the recently concluded German Cup match, Klopp's starting lineup for the new season has almost fully gelled.

The right wing will likely be played by Heller, and the left back is currently Van der Heiden.

The biggest change brought to Mainz by Hajnal's arrival is the increase in ground passing combinations.

Previously, when the ball reached the frontcourt, it would always get stuck.

It's clear now.

Heller is a versatile player. Compared to Baljak last season, his biggest strength is his ability to break through and cross from the right wing.

Baljak plays with his left foot on the right wing, while Heller plays with his right foot and is quite good at defense.

The fact that Feulner and Heller were positioned further back is actually a relatively conservative strategy.

However, in the 4411 formation, the roles of Wang Shuo and Hainaur become even more prominent.

Power and responsibility are always directly proportional.

In the 4411 formation, the two 1s have the highest degree of freedom, but also the heaviest responsibility.

Especially Wang Shuo, who was at the very front.

When transitioning from offense to defense, he is the team's first line of defense and needs to suppress the opponent's midfield and backfield immediately.

This places extremely high demands on his running ability.

Wang Shuo could sense that this was the head coach's expectation and trust in him, but it was also a test.

After a period of familiarization and adjustment, the team's playing style has gradually taken shape, and Wang Shuo has become more aware of his responsibilities.

Therefore, he basically knew how to choose the passive skill card he had.

Having an extra passive skill is certainly a good thing.

But for Wang Shuo right now, the most important thing is to consolidate his role and performance in this tactical system.

More importantly, he now has 28 passive points, and it won't be long before he can collect enough for another passive skill card.

As long as you consistently appear in matches, it's not difficult to obtain another passive skill.

Therefore, Wang Shuo chose to strengthen his position without hesitation.

"Are you sure you want to use a passive skill card on the passive skill [Breathing] to upgrade it from the regional level to the national level?"

Wang Shuo chose to confirm.

Soon, a warm current quickly spread throughout my body.

The slight fatigue from the game was completely swept away.

He became more energetic and refreshed.

When Wang Shuo took a closer look, he saw that the "breathing" function had been upgraded to a national-level status.

This indicates that his running ability is now stronger than before, which will give him more confidence in dealing with the upcoming Bundesliga matches.

After completing these steps, Wang Shuo exited the God of Football System.

But he still didn't rest.

Instead, they began to review the game that had just ended.

Especially his teamwork with new teammates such as Hainaul, Heller, and van der Heyden.

This is one of Wang Shuo's good habits.

After each game, he would review and analyze the match.

Wang Shuo wasn't sure about the other Bundesliga teams, but for Mainz, Peter Kravitz from the analysis team would provide an analysis report after each match.

The coaching staff will also compile a post-match summary of each player's performance, strengths and weaknesses, and distribute it to each player.

Wang Shuo first conducted his own analysis, and then verified it after summarizing the results of the competition.

This is also a way to cultivate one's own ability to analyze matches.

Hainaul is not a simple passer.

He has excellent footwork skills; he can pass, control, dribble, and shoot, and his range of movement is also quite large.

Mainz's counter-attacks often involve Wang Shuo leading the attack, quickly passing the ball behind the defense to launch a counter-attack, which they then execute directly.

If you can't win, then control the ball.

Wang Shuo and Hainaur are the main ball-receiving players in Mainz's attacking third.

They had possession of the ball, and only through the late runs of players like Feulner, Heller, Calhanoglu, and Gunkel did they have a chance.

Therefore, the tacit understanding between the two is particularly important.

Passing timing, playing habits, personal preferences, etc...

You need to know all of these things very well.

Moreover, all of this is useless if you just talk about it.

There isn't much time for you to look or think on the field.

Teamwork is the result of experience accumulated through massive analysis and data over time, and the decisions made in a split second on the court.

……

Magath has always felt that his departure from Bayern Munich was not due to a lack of coaching ability.

It's because of other reasons.

Bayern's players have never liked him, especially his grueling training regimen.

This is something everyone knows.

What is little known is that Bayern's management has never given him enough support.

Magath didn't even have any transfer rights!
He lacked the prestige to negotiate face-to-face with Rummenigge and Hoeneß like Hitzfeld did.

The end result was that he couldn't offer any advice on who Bayern's management wanted to sign.

Van Bommel, Podolski, Dos Santos, and others all joined the team in this way.

In the winter before he left Bayern Munich, he wanted to sign a midfielder with enough presence.

But Hoeneß didn't even consider that.

Magath has been resentful ever since he was sacked by Bayern Munich.

So he took over Wolfsburg.

Before Magath took over, Wolfsburg narrowly avoided relegation for two consecutive seasons.

Magath had only one requirement: head coach and sporting general manager.

He wants to excel in both competition and transfers!
As a result, Wolfsburg's strength has increased by leaps and bounds over the past two years.

Grafite is here, Dzeko is here, Ricardo Costa is here too...

Last season, Wolfsburg finished 5th in the Bundesliga, but Magath's team lost 2 and drew 1 of their 3 matches against Bayern Munich.

Magath was particularly indignant about the German Cup semi-final, where they lost 0-2 to Bayern Munich's Hitzfeld away from home.

He is determined to further strengthen the team.

This summer, players such as Barzagli, Zacardo, and Misimovic have joined the team.

Especially Misimovic, at only 400 million euros, is an absolute steal.

After the preseason games, Magath had a preliminary understanding of the team's strength.

He felt the time was right!
Wolfsburg will make the entire Bundesliga tremble this season!

He wants everyone to see him, Magath, in a new light!
Just one day before Mainz beat Barbersburg 5-0 away, Wolfsburg beat Würzburg 4-0 away.

Dzeko, Grafite, Gentner and others all scored goals, and the overall performance was very good.

This gave Magath even more confidence.

When Magath received the match report on Mainz's victory over Babersburg, he was sitting in his office discussing the upcoming Bundesliga opener with two assistant coaches.

And the team's starting lineup.

The season opener is Bayern Munich vs. Hamburg, the South Giants versus the North Giants, a highly anticipated match.

Wolfsburg played Mainz at home the following day.

"Klopp is as aggressive as ever, actually wanting to use a player under 17 years old to block the main players. How much does he look down on the Bundesliga?" Bernd Hollerbach laughed.

"If you ask me, I think Mainz is probably trying to create a young genius to sell for a good price!"

These are all well-known tactics in the Bundesliga.

"We still can't be careless. This young Chinese player named Wang Shuo performed very well in the German second division last season."

Another assistant coach, Sepo Eichkorn, has followed Magath for many years.

The two first started collaborating in Stuttgart in 01.

Interestingly, before working with Magath, Eichkön was an assistant coach in Duisburg.

At the time, his head coach was Wolfgang Frank.

"Frank praised his prized disciple to us more than once. At that time, Klopp had not yet started coaching, but Frank said that Klopp looked rough but was actually very thoughtful."

"No matter what, it can't be so outrageous as to assign such an important task to a 17-year-old, can it?" Hollerbach still couldn't understand.

Wang Shuo played a few games in the German Second Division last season.

Wolfsburg also obtained video recordings of all his matches.

But they were all in the German second division.

The defensive intensity in the 2. Bundesliga is different from that in the Bundesliga.

Therefore, these can only be considered as references.

Nowadays, not many Bundesliga teams know much about Wang Shuo, except that his biggest advantage is his speed.

Klopp once publicly praised him, saying he was like Michael Irving.

"Regardless of his thoughtfulness or whether he takes risks, for us, winning the first home game is a must."

Magath reached out to reassure the two assistant coaches, preventing them from delving deeper into the topic.

Barzagli is an Italian international center-back, while Ricardo Costa was a key player for Porto when they won the Champions League.

Such a central defensive pairing couldn't subdue a 17-year-old youngster from China?
"Grafite, Dzeko, Misimovic, Gentner, Santana... all the key players, I'll field them all, I want to make a splash from the very first round!"

Both assistants sensed Magath's ambition.

Wolfsburg are aiming for the league title this season!

Magath never took Mainz seriously; he only saw Bayern!

"Didn't Klopp want Misimovic all summer?"

Magath snorted twice, "Then let's show him how good Misimovic is in this round!"

Seeing Magath's expression, Eichkorn hesitated to speak.

He knew that Magath was very resentful.

Magath was very uncomfortable because Klopp had come so close to Bayern Munich.

But on second thought, Wolfsburg is playing at home, and the two teams are so far apart in strength, so Magath's confidence is understandable.

As a newly promoted team with no money to make signings, Mainz can only pick up some discarded foreign players that Bundesliga teams like Wolfsburg don't want. Even if Mainz has the ability, it is very limited.

Wolfsburg had already claimed the 3 points from their first home game.

The only difference is how to win and by how many goals.

……

The day after Mainz finished their German Cup match, Klopp was also strategizing for the upcoming first round of the German Cup.

He was very clear about one thing: Mainz's strength was completely inferior to Wolfsburg's.

"Which do you think is faster on the highway, a tractor or a Ferrari?"

"Let's not talk about offense, let's talk about defense."

"Grafite and Dzeko, and now Misimovic, can we defend against them?"

Anyone familiar with the Bundesliga knows how strong Misimovic is.

Grafite is a Brazilian center forward, standing at 1.89 meters tall, with exceptional physical strength.

What about Dzeko?
Standing at 1.93 meters tall, he is a Bosnian center forward, but his footwork is exceptional, earning him the reputation of being the Bundesliga's Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

These two centers are physically gifted, have great speed and technique, and are also exceptionally good scorers. They can pass, shoot, control the ball, dribble, and run. How can you defend against them?
Last season, one could argue that Wolfsburg's midfield was weak.

Misimovic has now been added to the roster.

"It's unstoppable!"

Klopp gave his answer directly.

Subotic and Nowitzki are very strong.

Mainz's defense is very strong.

But against Wolfsburg, defense alone won't be enough.

"A tractor trying to outrun a Ferrari on the highway is doomed to die."

"Then we'll drag them onto the rough, muddy path. Even if he had 82 cylinders, let alone 12, we'd still blow them up!"

As he spoke, Klopp gestured for all the players to look over.

He has meticulously crafted a complete set of tactics specifically for this match.

In the first round of the league, they played away against Wolfsburg, a team with title-winning potential.

If we don't put in some effort, we might lose the entire season!

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(End of this chapter)