The God of Football starts with passive skills

Chapter 55 Major Upgrade! Secret Weapon! Winter Transfers and Verbal Battles! Klopp Syndrome! Championship Dream Shattered!
"Congratulations! You have drawn the passive skill [Eagle Eye] using a passive skill card."

"Eagle Eye: Expands your field of vision and enhances your alertness."

When Wang Shuo saw this message, he felt extremely depressed.

This is why he draws fewer new passive skills now.

Just like now, I wasted 50 precious passive points and drew [Eagle Eye].

Expand your horizons and enhance your awareness.

This looks pretty awesome.

Especially after obtaining the "Hawk-Eye" skill, Wang Shuo's ball control, passing, and shooting have all improved significantly, reaching the regional level.

But Wang Shuo was still a little disappointed.

He even doubted whether any of the remaining three passive skills could actually improve physical strength.
For Wang Shuo now, every bit of passive value should not be wasted, but should be used to improve his strength as quickly as possible.

Of course, Hawkeye shouldn't disappoint Wang Shuo.

The previous coordination is a good example of this.

It looks ordinary, but it actually has a very important function.

After drawing the [Hawkeye] card, Wang Shuo still had 217 points left.

He decided to give himself a major upgrade!
"Should we upgrade the passive skill [Ball Sense] from regional level to national level?"

"Yes!"

"Should we upgrade the passive skill [Swiftness] from the regional level to the national level?"

"Yes!"

"Should I upgrade the passive skill [Radiance] from class-level to region-level?"

"Yes!"

"Should I upgrade the passive skill [First Strike] from the professional level to the regional level?"

"Yes!"

I upgraded four passive skills in one go, and a tingling sensation spread throughout my body. It felt amazing!

Wang Shuo checked and found that after the upgrade, several important active skills, such as ball control, shooting, positioning, and breakthrough, had been improved to the national level.

It can only be described as a complete transformation!

However, to Wang Shuo's surprise, the free kick skill in his active skill set had also reached the national level.

This means that as long as Wang Shuo practices diligently, he can improve his free kick skills as well.

"Holy crap, this is absolutely awesome!"

Wang Shuo truly didn't expect such an unexpected gain.

Free kicks are a crucial skill that every top scorer must possess.

I need to practice!

You absolutely must practice!
but……

Despite all the practice, Mainz's primary free-kick taker is still Hajnal.

After the first half of the Bundesliga season, the entire Bundesliga will definitely focus on targeting them in the second half.

No one can ignore the top scorer of the first half of the season!

Secret weapons are always a good thing, the more the merrier.

Having more skills is never a bad thing.

Of course, the potential of active skills has been increased, but to realize it, hard work in daily training is still needed.

But for Juan Wangshuo, this was not a problem at all.

Wang Shuo had a vague feeling.

The improvements, including those in free kicks and shooting, are also largely due to Hawk-Eye.

However, whether this is true or not, he still needs to practice and test it in training and competition.

……

Early in the morning, just as dawn was breaking, Wang Shuo had already gotten up.

After washing up, just as I was about to leave, I saw Zhao Yifan from the next room open his door and come out.

“Before Andrei went home, he told me that I had to get up early every day to practice extra, and it was true.”

Schürrle has started his holiday and gone home to spend Christmas with his family.

"I originally wanted you to rest more and adjust to the time difference."

Wang Shuo chuckled at Zhao Yifan, "Since you're up, let's get up together. You probably haven't seen Mainz in the early morning yet."

The two quickly ran out the door.

The mornings in Germany are cold and foggy in the winter.

There wasn't a single person or even a car in sight on the main road, and the sanitation workers hadn't started work yet either.

Wang Shuo and the other man were both dressed in sportswear and running quickly along the road.

They first ran around the University of Mainz, and Wang Shuo even told him about the place he used to live.

Then they ran to the vicinity of the old town.

As a Mainz player, there are certain places you absolutely need to know, such as the market square.

"This is where our fans gather. On away game days, there are usually fans gathered here."

"Victories or celebrations are all held here."

Although Bruchweg Stadium is the home stadium, it is small and cannot accommodate so many people.

After running for an unknown amount of time, they arrived at the famous Rhine River and saw the world-famous Kaiser Bridge spanning the Rhine.

Germany's administrative divisions are actually quite peculiar.

The Rhine River forms the boundary between the states of Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate.

It runs diagonally through the center of Mainz from northwest to southeast, dividing it into two parts.

The two bridges are connected in the middle by the Caesars Bridge.

What's odd is that the east bank of the Rhine belongs to the state of Hesse, with its capital Wiesbaden, while the west bank belongs to the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, with its capital Mainz.

Thus, the Mainz city area has three districts on the east bank of the Rhine River. They are separated by only one river, have names starting with Mainz, and are geographically closer, yet they belong to Wiesbaden, the capital of Hesse.

According to Schürrle, the local residents of Mainz have always felt that the city could not grow because those three districts were swallowed up by Wiesbaden.

Therefore, Mainz always puts in extra effort whenever they play against Wiesbaden.

Oh, right, and Frankfurt and Darmstadt too.

These two cities are also very close to Mainz. Frankfurt, as a neighbor, far surpasses Mainz in terms of reputation, influence, and economic level.

This is the source of hatred.

Darmstadt is one of the richest cities in Germany, and naturally, it is also hated by many.

"That's often how derby rivalries develop," Wang Shuo said with a hearty laugh.

Mainz has a very small urban area.

After the two ran back to Bruchweg Stadium, Wang Shuo finally began his day's training.

The coaches and players have all started their vacation.

Before the vacation, Kramny and Axel Busenkel both assigned Wang Shuo the task of training.

They could all see that Wang Shuo's body was really quite resilient.

This is really important for professional players.

Some people, due to their muscle structure, get injured easily when they are slightly fatigued, which is very troublesome.

Wang Shuo clearly does not belong to this category.

However, as Asians, we are naturally at a disadvantage in physical confrontations.

Even with Wang Shuo's hard training, his age of 18 means he is still severely lacking in this area.

At the beginning, Zhao Yifan was able to keep up with Wang Shuo's training.

But gradually, he became breathless.

This made Zhao Yifan admire Wang Shuo even more.

Back in China, Wang Shuo always had the best physical fitness, but Zhao Yifan, as a midfielder, was also quite fit.

But now, in such a short time, the gap has widened significantly.

This made Zhao Yifan sigh.

Wang Shuo worked incredibly hard to get where he is today.

……

In the following days, Zhao Yifan trained with Wang Shuo.

Wang Shuo personally supervised him and advised him to avoid overexertion based on his own circumstances.

Lina Gerke suddenly arrived the day before Christmas.

"I'm going home to spend Christmas with my family, and I just stopped by to see you."

Lina Gerke looked at the Chinese boy in front of her, who was sweating profusely and radiating heat, and her eyes lit up with admiration.

"Does my way home go through Mainz?"

“Of course, my parents live in Marlborough.”

"Marburg?"

"North of Frankfurt."

"Oh."

Wang Shuo still didn't know the exact location, but something seemed strange to him.

Going from north of Frankfurt to the west, is that considered going the right way?
As if sensing Wang Shuo's somewhat suspicious gaze, Lina Gerke awkwardly explained, "I came from... Munich."

Wang Shuo responded with another "oh".

Do you have to go through Mainz to get from Munich to the north of Frankfurt?
It seems to be OK.

“Oh, by the way, this is for you.” Lina Gerke handed over a beautiful gift bag.

"what?"

"It was a gift for participating in an event. I didn't use it, so I'm giving it to you."

Lina Gerke practically shoved the gift bag into Wang Shuo's hands, and their hands inevitably touched. It felt so hot...

"I'm off! Merry Christmas!"

Merry Christmas, Lina!

The blonde girl turned around, smiled sweetly at Wang Shuo, and left.

After watching her leave, Wang Shuo opened the gift bag and found a cell phone inside.

The latest Apple iPhone.

How did Wang Shuo know this?
Because the logo of this phone is an apple that has been bitten.

Furthermore, Christian Heidel also bought one, and he complained all day long that this one was not easy to use and that one was extremely difficult to use, but what was the reality?
He always holds it in his hand and shows it off, as if he's afraid others won't know he's using an iPhone.

Not long ago, several players in the Mainz team also bought this phone.

After Wang Shuo looked up, he looked into the distance again, but Lina Gerke was no longer there.

"So, she specifically came all this way to give me a cell phone?"

……

After Christmas, Mainz began to regroup.

Fully prepared, they head south to Spain for winter training.

This is a regular event for German teams, and even Nordic teams, every year.

It's too cold up north; we can't train there at all.

Of the 18 German teams, 17 chose to head south, either to Spain or Portugal.

Only Werder Bremen went to Türkiye.

In addition, teams with greater commercial potential, such as Bayern Munich and Hamburg, will travel to Dubai after training in Spain.

In recent years, the football market in Dubai has also been very hot.

It is said that Bayern Munich will also play a friendly match against AC Milan in Dubai.

Mainz followed the trend and trained in the Malaga and Marbella area of ​​Spain.

The advantage of doing this is that it is easy to find suitable opponents for warm-up matches.

The hottest news during this winter break is, of course, Real Madrid.

The management of Real Madrid failed to understand the transfer rules, spending huge sums to sign two players, Huntelaar and Lass Diarra, but only one of them was able to represent Real Madrid in the Champions League.

This has led countless fans to ridicule Real Madrid's management for their incompetence.

But what Wang Shuo saw was Real Madrid's wealth and power.

In the Bundesliga, Bayern Munich is another club with deep pockets.

Bayern Munich paid €1100 million to sign Ukrainian midfielder Tymoshchuk from Zenit St. Petersburg.

However, this player can only join the team in the summer.

Klinsmann did something quite bizarre: he signed US international Donovan, but stubbornly refused to give Podolski and Toni Kroos more opportunities.

Tony Cross resolutely chose to leave the team and seek a loan opportunity.

It is said that Stuttgart, Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Dortmund are all interested in loaning Toni Kroos, but Stuttgart has no shortage of midfielders, and Leverkusen also has a formidable player like Arturo Vidal.

Dortmund, with their sole focus on strengthening their midfield, was originally the best option.

Surprisingly, Borussia Dortmund's head coach, Christopher Daum, was not enthusiastic about the deal.

Everyone in the world knows that he doesn't get along with Bayern Munich.

Having Hummels, a center-back on loan from Bayern Munich, under his command was already a hard-pressing task for him, and now they've shoved in another one, Toni Kroos?

He actually wants Cologne midfielder Antar.

But Borussia Dortmund's sporting director, Zorc, responded: "Antar? Impossible! Make good use of Toni Kroos!"

After their falling out, Tony Cross chose to go to Bayer Leverkusen.

This left a deep impression on Wang Shuo for the first time on this German midfielder.

Very unique!
Another transfer during the winter break caught Wang Shuo's attention.

Wolfsburg signed Japanese striker Yoshito Okubo from J-League side Vissel Kobe for €200 million.

While Wang Shuo was shining brightly in the Bundesliga, Japan was also continuously exporting its own players.

Mainz, apart from selling Subotic to Dortmund for 700 million euros, did not make any signings.

Of the 18 Bundesliga teams, only Mainz and Schalke 04 are known for only losing teams and not signing any.

But Mainz's predicament was more due to financial difficulties.

We're really broke!

In early January, Wang Shuo also received another honor from the UK.

The Times of London has released its list of the 50 greatest young talents in international football.

The age limit is under 23 years old.

Wang Shuo was prominently featured among them.

He is also the only player in the Bundesliga to be included in the top 50.

There are only two Asian players, the other being Lee Chung-yong from South Korea.

The list immediately sparked strong outrage from the German media upon its release.

There are too many British players on the list; even 17-year-olds have made it.

No German players scored, and only one player, Wang Shuo, scored in the Bundesliga.

"If Wang Shuo hadn't just won the European Golden Boy award, the British probably wouldn't have even given the Bundesliga the only spot!" Bild sarcastically remarked.

But the British media are no pushovers either.

They're the masters of verbal battles!
The Times then launched a counterattack, suggesting that the absence of German and Bundesliga players should prompt Germans to reflect on their youth training system.

"Besides Wang Shuo, which other young players in the Bundesliga have impressed in recent years?"

“Even Wang Shuo almost couldn’t stay in the Bundesliga. He tried out for 19 teams before Mainz finally kept him.”

"A young player with such exceptional talent cannot possibly be overlooked in the Premier League!"

This really hit a nerve with the German media.

Who said no?
Which young players in the Bundesliga have truly impressed?

Excluding those over the age limit, there are really very few outstanding performers under the age of 23.

In fact, it's obvious to anyone with eyes to see that The Times was biased this time.

Rakitic, Augusto, and Hoffenheim's Carlos Eduardo, among others, are all under 23 years old and have performed very well, so their inclusion in the shortlist is no problem.

Are you kidding me? You can even get John Fleck, a 17-year-old striker for Rangers in the Scottish league, into the Bundesliga, so how come these players who are performing well in the Bundesliga can't?

But the selection is based on the standards of The Times, and if they don't want to, there's nothing anyone can do.

Of course, there is also a theory that the British media were unhappy that Wang Shuo had snatched the European Golden Boy award, which originally belonged to a Premier League player.

The British originally believed that Manchester United's Anderson and Arsenal's Walcott were a double insurance.

As a result, Wang Shuo suddenly appeared and won the award.

The Times is deliberately trying to retaliate and annoy the Germans.

Thus, the two long-standing feuds reignited.

……

Wang Shuo was merely a bystander in the war of words between German and British media.

He had absolutely no sense of identification with the character.

During his winter training in Spain, he continued to train hard every day.

Currently, in addition to the special passive skill [damage reduction], he also has 8 other passive skills.

These are: Intercontinental level [Breathing], National level [Ball Sense], National level [Swiftness], Regional level [Insight], Regional level [Opportunity], Regional level [Inspiration], Professional level [Coordination], and Professional level [Eagle Eye].

Wang Shuo hopes to use the winter training to master these passive skills as soon as possible and integrate them into his knowledge.

This would greatly enhance his competitiveness in the second half of the Bundesliga season.

In addition, Wang Shuo also began to notice the role of [Eagle Eye].

Simply put, expanding one's field of vision means that Wang Shuo's field of vision has become larger.

The range of vision that the human eye can see is a sector. Now, Wang Shuo's sector has a larger opening angle and a farther range, so he can capture more information.

If we compare the human brain to an information processing center, then the human eyes are like radar.

The wider the scanning coverage, the more information is captured, and the more accurate the results are after central processing.

【Eagle Eye】means to increase the range of radar scanning.

After Eagle Eye is upgraded, the effects of passive skills such as Insight, Initiative, and Inspiration are also enhanced.

Another point is that [Eagle Eye] also improves sensitivity, which can help Wang Shuo capture more details.

This is the biggest and most crucial support.

Because a football match is made up of a whole host of details.

Whether it's insight, foresight, or inspiration, they are all built upon a foundation of details.

As training progressed, especially after playing a warm-up match, Wang Shuo clearly realized that [Eagle Eye] did not directly improve his match performance, but it could help his other passive skills to exert greater power.

From this perspective, the role of [Eagle Eye] is indeed very significant.

……

Mainz played a friendly match during their training camp in Spain.

Their opponent is Fiat, a team from the German second division.

This is the best attacking team in the 2. Bundesliga this season.

Mainz lost the friendly match 2-3.

This is not the point.

Klopp was furious after the crushing defeat to Fiat, expressing his anger and dissatisfaction with the lack of ambition and fighting spirit among many players in the team.

"You've been completely blinded by the praise you've received from the media and fans over the past few months!"

Do you guys feel like you're superstars now?

"Do you guys think that buying your girlfriend a handbag is more important than a football match?"

"Have you all forgotten how we were relegated from the Bundesliga in the 06/07 season?"

Klopp's series of questions left everyone in the locker room speechless.

When everyone was being criticized, Wang Shuo was naturally among them.

Despite his excellent performance in the warm-up match, where he scored one goal and provided one assist.

However, the team's overall performance was poor.

Klopp's tactics are so flawed that if just two players make a mistake, the chain reaction could cause them to collapse.

Moreover, the entire Mainz team is currently performing poorly.

This was something Wang Shuo had been worried about.

Selling Subotic is not just about selling a key center-back.

Whether forced into it or selling players willingly, the final result tells everyone: Mainz tanked in the second half of the season!

With 38 points in the first half of the season, Mainz had already secured their place in the league.

To put it bluntly, even if the team loses all 17 games in the second half of the season, it won't be relegated.

This already represents the season's objectives set by management at the beginning of the season, achieved ahead of schedule.

Well, if your management team isn't ambitious, how can you expect the players to be?

Moreover, everyone on the team fought so hard in the first half of the season, so it's normal for their form to decline after their peak.

Moreover, Wang Shuo had a feeling.

The fact that the club didn't award a corresponding bonus after winning the first half of the season must have something to do with it.

Everyone fought so hard to win the halfway championship and create a so-called miracle, but all they got was a title and no real reward. It's really not fair.

At this moment, Wang Shuo couldn't help but recall a sentence that Thomas Essien had once told him.

"Sometimes, it's more dangerous when a club suddenly achieves unexpectedly good results!"

However, judging from the current situation, Klopp should still be able to handle things.

After venting their anger, the team's morale improved slightly during training.

However, the actual results will depend on real-world practice.

……

At the end of January, after returning to Germany from Spain, Mainz immediately faced the third round of the German Cup.

We were lucky in this draw, drawing Freiburg from the 2. Bundesliga.

Freiburg is currently ranked 3rd in the 2. Bundesliga.

The first match of the second half of the season is a single-elimination cup game, and considering the team's current situation, they really need a victory to boost the team's morale.

Therefore, before the match, Klopp specifically sought out Wang Shuo to discuss this matter and arranged for him to start.

"The team's situation is really dangerous right now."

"Both Mainz and I need you to step up and take on more responsibility."

"Whether it's on a competitive level or a mental level."

As it turns out, Klopp's concerns were correct.

Playing away from home, Mainz played terribly throughout the first half.

The players lacked a unified strategy and rhythm, and their morale and fighting spirit were inferior to Freiburg's. On several occasions, Freiburg almost broke through their defense.

It must be said that Bongett's performance was quite good.

However, the first half ended in a 0-0 draw.

During halftime, the atmosphere in the entire locker room was very tense.

The Bundesliga leaders playing against a 2. Bundesliga team, even though it's an away game, is really not a good look.

Klopp's eyes were practically murderous!

In the second half, Wang Shuo put pressure on Freiburg's defensive midfielder and center-back from the very beginning.

Moreover, it's the kind of continuous, rapid sprinting shuttle run.

Just two minutes into the game, under pressure from Hajnal's combination play, defensive midfielder Froome's hasty back pass caused center-back Kelmas to fail to control the ball with his first touch.

Wang Shuo suddenly rushed forward at extremely high speed, rushing ahead of the penalty area and cutting between Kermas and the ball. In a very short time, he touched the ball twice in succession, taking control of it and dribbling into the penalty area.

Facing goalkeeper Lange, Wang Shuo calmly poked the ball into Freiburg's goal.

1 is better than 0!

“GOALLLLLLLLLLLL!!!”

Goal!

"Wang Shuo, it's Wang Shuo's goal again!"

"After a terrible first half, Wang Shuo opened the scoring for Mainz just two minutes into the second half!"

"This would be a very good start for Mainz."

"Hopefully, this mid-season champion can shed the pressure and play with ease!"

After the first goal, the game gradually opened up.

In the 65th minute, Wang Shuo moved to the right wing again, received the ball, and made a dribbling breakthrough. After a series of dribbling attacks, he attracted the attention of several defenders and created a corner kick opportunity on the right side of the penalty area.

Hainaul calmly took the corner kick, and Bungert headed the ball into the net, giving Mainz another goal.

2 is better than 0!

However, with consecutive goals scored, the defense also repeatedly showed problems.

Finally, in the 71st minute, Kermas, who had just made a mistake that led to a goal conceded, pulled one back for Freiburg from a corner kick.

1 is better than 2!

In the 81st minute, Mainz's Wang Shuo dropped back, pulled away the defenders, and then Calhanoglu made a diagonal pass behind the defense. Schürrle sprinted at high speed and broke through Freiburg's goal again.

3 is better than 1!

This score remained unchanged until the final whistle.

Mainz defeated Freiburg 3-1, advancing to the fourth round of the German Cup, which is the quarterfinals.

……

The bumpy German Cup Round of 16 knockout stage did not open up a new chapter for Mainz in the second half of the season.

Four days later, the Bundesliga resumed.

In the 18th round home game against Wolfsburg, Wang Shuo once again delivered an excellent performance.

Magath even assigned someone to closely mark Wang Shuo one-on-one during this match.

Even so, in the 34th minute, Wang Shuo still managed to seize an opportunity and deliver a brilliant pass.

Calhanoglu opened the scoring for Mainz with a late run-in shot.

But in the 73rd minute, Grafite scored to equalize for Wolfsburg.

If it weren't for goalkeeper Wach's outstanding performance, the defense would have conceded another goal.

The two sides ultimately drew 1-1.

But after the match, Wang Shuo earned another 2 points from Bild.

"He was the only Mainz player who posed a threat to Wolfsburg's defense during the match."

Bild reports that Klopp's Mainz is currently experiencing a cold spell.

They even gave this situation a name.

Klopp Syndrome!

……

In the 19th round of the Bundesliga, Mainz will play away against Eintracht Frankfurt.

Mainz, who performed poorly in the last round, showed no improvement in this round as well.

In the 33rd minute of the first half, a defensive error during a corner kick allowed Bungert to miss his man, allowing Frankfurt's center-back Russ to head the ball into the net.

Mainz remained sluggish throughout the first half.

After the break in the second half, under the attack of Frankfurt, Heller sent a long diagonal pass from the right wing. Wang Shuo quickly moved forward, got ahead of the center-back Chris, controlled the ball, and then dribbled straight in to break through Frankfurt's goal.

1 is better than 1!

The most demoralizing thing was that just five minutes after Wang Shuo equalized, Frankfurt's young player, Feining, scored again for the home team.

2 is better than 1!

While everyone was still focused on conceding the goal, Wang Shuo continued to work hard in the attacking third.

In the 72nd minute, Wang Shuo retreated to the left side of the center circle and raised his hand to ask for the ball.

When Feulner passed the ball to Wang Shuo, he suddenly stopped the ball, turned around, and easily got rid of Fink's marking.

"A beautiful turn!"

"Wang Shuo chooses to dribble the ball alone!"

"He charged into Frankfurt's defenses single-handedly."

"One-on-one, face Ruth!"

As soon as the two sides met, Wang Shuo used a stepover at 1.2x speed to quickly get past Russ and broke through the middle with the ball.

"They've gotten past the second person!"

"A spectacular solo performance!"

"Wang Shuo continued to dribble forward, and there were no defenders in front of him."

Chris chased after them desperately.

"Wang Shuo suddenly collapsed!"

"what happened?"

As Wang Shuo lunged forward, Eintracht Frankfurt's number 29 center-back, Chris, immediately raised his hand to indicate his innocence.

But the referee still blew his whistle.

"We can see from the slow-motion replay that Chris made a pushing motion."

"Red card!"

"The referee gave a straight red card!"

"Wang Shuo relied on his individual ability to create a glimmer of hope for a comeback for Mainz in the attacking third."

"He was constantly encouraging his teammates."

"Mainz has been suffering from Klopp syndrome recently."

This free kick in the attacking third failed to result in a goal.

Young Roman Neustädter's header hit the crossbar.

But just two minutes later, Wang Shuo dropped back to receive the ball and then turned and delivered a brilliant through pass.

Schürrle made a quick run forward, received the ball, and broke into the penalty area, breaching Frankfurt's goal.

2 is better than 2!

But Mainz failed to break through Frankfurt's defense again until the end of the match.

The two sides ultimately drew 2-2.

Mainz have drawn their second consecutive game.

After the game, Wang Shuo once again scored a game-high 2 points.

……

After the 19th round of the Bundesliga, the national team played a friendly match midweek.

When many national team players returned to the team and Mainz faced their 20th Bundesliga match this weekend, their form was even worse.

Mainz surprisingly drew 0-0 with Karlsruhe, who were in the relegation zone, at home.

Wang Shuo did not perform well in this game, scoring only 3 points.

The reason is that Karlsruhe adopted a defensive strategy.

This puts Wang Shuo at a great disadvantage.

He wasn't physically strong to begin with, so once he got into close combat, he immediately found himself in a tough fight.

His teammates didn't provide him with any better assistance, which often left Wang Shuo alone in the encirclement.

In this situation, Wang Shuo is unable to leverage his advantages at all.

However, his overall performance was still recognized by the media and fans.

The picture reported that he got 3 points.

"This 18-year-old was limited in Karlsruhe's tough forest, but he still showed his skill with a few flashes of brilliance during the match."

In the post-match summary, Wang Shuo achieved his highest passive value ever, 12 points.

……

Allianz Arena, Munich, afternoon of February 21.

In the 21st round of the Bundesliga, Mainz will play away against Bayern Munich.

In the 83rd minute of the second half, the score on the scoreboard was 0-1.

In the 22nd minute of the first half, the away team Mainz took the lead thanks to a brilliant dribbling breakthrough by Wang Shuo, who dribbled past Demichelis and Van Buyten.

Mainz held onto that score for the rest of the game.

Until now.

Ribery's long-range shot after cutting inside from the left wing hit a defender and went out of bounds, creating a corner kick.

Altintop, who came on as a substitute, stood at the penalty spot on the right side of the field.

Except for Wang Shuo, everyone else from Mainz retreated into the penalty area to participate in defense.

"Bang, bang, bang! Be careful, everyone stay alert!"

Klopp shouted loudly at his players from the sidelines.

Uncle Beard wants to take a victory at Allianz Arena!
"Nico, Nichols, keep your eyes on your targets and stay focused!"

"Milorad, watch out for that Dutchman!"

Klopp called out the names of the Mainz players one by one, indicating that they should all keep their eyes on their targets.

Van Buyten, Demichelis, and the Dutchman Van Bommel, as well as the Italian center forward Luca Toni, and Germany's best header Klose...

All of this made Mainz's defenders feel extremely threatened.

Wang Shuo did not hear the head coach calling his name.

But he and Klopp exchanged glances.

He knew his mission.

He wants to stay in the attacking third.

As soon as his teammate heads the ball out, he must be ready to counterattack immediately.

"Everyone, cheer up and hold on to this round!" Wang Shuo shouted loudly.

It's been 83 minutes already, just one last push away.

Referee Lafati quickly blew his whistle.

Altintop quickly took the corner kick.

The football arced through the air and landed inside Mainz's penalty area.

By this time, the penalty area was already in complete chaos.

Wang Shuo was positioned at the bottom of the center circle in his own half, keeping a close eye on the situation inside the penalty area.

The moment he saw the ball fall and a strong red figure leap up, he realized: Oh no!

Immediately afterwards, the entire Allianz Arena erupted in cheers!
Nearly 7 fans cheered wildly.

Van Buyten excitedly rushed out of Mainz's penalty area and ran straight to the sidelines to celebrate his goal.

1 is better than 1!

In that instant, Wang Shuo felt as if all his strength had been drained away.

They held on for 83 minutes, led for an hour, but ultimately conceded a goal.

At this point, it's pointless to worry about who missed Van Buyten.

……

Mainz ultimately secured another draw.

Four consecutive draws!

The Klopp syndrome continues!

Everyone can clearly see that Klopp's team's performance after the winter break is significantly worse than in the first half of the season.

The players' condition, morale, and mental outlook are all significantly different from the first half of the season.

Wang Shuo is the only exception.

Because he has always performed consistently well.

Stable and excellent!
In the match against Bayern Munich, he once again earned a high score of 2 points.

Bild believes that "Wang Shuo is in no way inferior to Ribery in the same match".

What's even more interesting is that even though Mainz suffered four consecutive draws, after 21 rounds of matches, Klopp's team is still at the top of the Bundesliga table!
Yes, that's right.

With 42 points, Mainz remains at the top of the table.

But Hoffenheim and Hertha Berlin have already caught up from behind.

Both teams currently have 40 points.

Bayern Munich earned 38 points.

Both Bayer Leverkusen and Wolfsburg have 36 points.

Who would have thought?

This is the Bundesliga this season!
But Mainz's championship dream came to an end.

In the 22nd round of the Bundesliga, which followed closely, Wang Shuo opened the scoring for Mainz in the 15th minute of the first half against Bielefeld, a team aiming to avoid relegation. He received an assist from Hajnahl.

1 is better than 0!

Mainz then maintained their lead, while Bielefeld remained on high alert.

During halftime, Hainaur complained of muscle soreness and was substituted by Amri.

In the 65th minute of the second half, Klopp substituted Schürrle for Heller on the right wing to strengthen the attack on that side.

But no one expected that just 3 minutes later, veteran Calhanoglu was injured again.

Kirschhofer came on as a substitute.

With less than 70 minutes into the game, Mainz had already used all of their substitutions.

Less than two minutes after Kirchhoff came on, Bielefeld's Zambian striker Katongo broke through on the edge of the penalty area and entered the box to equalize for Bielefeld.

In the 84th minute, center-back Bongert made a clearance error, and Polish veteran striker Wichniarek seized the opportunity in the penalty area to score another goal for Bielefeld.

2 is better than 1!

Mainz suffered a devastating home defeat!

Ultimately, this score remained until the final whistle.

Mainz has gone five games without a win!
In this round, Hertha Berlin defeated Borussia Mönchengladbach 2-1 at home, staging a comeback to climb to the top!

Bayern Munich drew 0-0 with Werder Bremen away from home.

After the match, Klinsmann faced a barrage of criticism.

Werder Bremen's center-back Naldo was sent off with a red card in the 15th minute of the first half.

Who would have thought that, despite such a huge advantage, Bayern Munich still couldn't break through Werder Bremen's defense?

Hoffenheim, meanwhile, drew 0-0 with Borussia Dortmund away from home.

After leading the Bundesliga for a long time, Mainz has finally relinquished its league leadership!
The moment the final whistle blew, the entire Bruchweg Stadium fell silent.

……

knock knock knock.

Wang Shuo stood at the door of Klopp's office and gently knocked.

"Please come in," came Klopp's voice from inside.

Wang Shuo opened the door and went in.

"Boss, are you looking for me?"

"Your Majesty, come and sit down." Klopp's smile was somewhat forced.

It's clear that he's been in a very bad mood lately.

"The chairman and the general manager just called me over."

Wang Shuo was taken aback. "What...did they say?"

Klopp felt a warmth in his heart from Wang Shuo's concern, and said, "It's alright, the team's current situation is not beyond our expectations."

After a pause, Klopp chuckled, and this time it seemed like a genuine laugh.

"Actually, the situation is much better than we expected."

After a pause, he revealed a look of reminiscence, "The year we were relegated, the situation was much worse than it is now."

Wang Shuo heard about it.

At that time, they suffered a series of crushing defeats.

Not only is Klopp in a bad situation, but Hoffenheim is also in a terrible situation right now.

Bayer Leverkusen isn't doing much better either.

Strange to say.

Several teams that performed well in the first half of the season have all slumped in the second half.

Ironically, Magath's Wolfsburg is performing the best right now.

After a 1-1 draw against Mainz in the first round of the second half of the season, they went on a four-game winning streak.

However, we shouldn't just focus on Wolfsburg's winning streak; we also need to consider the more than 30 million euros they invested last summer.

Money is worthless; without money, football simply cannot function!
"You've seen the current situation of our team, what are your thoughts?"

Wang Shuo looked at Klopp intently, hesitant, unsure whether he should speak.

Not all head coaches are willing to listen to advice.

Many conflicts arise from this.

"Speak freely, I'd like to hear your opinion."

Mainz's performance was lackluster, but Wang Shuo was the only exception.

Wang Shuo's performance in the past few games has been outstanding.

In fact, they could have done even better if they hadn't been dragged down by Mainz.

Wang Shuo scoffed, "Then let's make it clear first, no getting angry!"

"I won't get angry even if you insult me," Klopp laughed.

He is also somewhat at a loss right now.

Just like last season when we were in the 2. Bundesliga.

With so few people at his disposal, how many tricks can he possibly pull off?

"I think you're being conservative!"

Wang Shuo's words were like a bolt from the blue, leaving Klopp completely stunned.

Was I, Klopp, too conservative?
Are you kidding me?
"Don't rush to refute me, listen to me. I don't understand, Schürrle was clearly performing quite well, so why use the combination of Heller and Hoglund on the right wing?"

"Didn't you notice that when I retreat, the only player truly capable of exploiting the gaps I create is Schürrle!"

Wang Shuo wasn't trying to elevate his best friend.

This is a fact!

Schürrle's speed, his keen sense of positioning, and his tacit understanding with Wang Shuo made their teamwork excellent.

More importantly, once Schürrle comes on, he can stretch the defensive line on the right flank.

His speed is very lethal on the flanks.

At that time, the pressure on Wang Shuo's side will be greatly reduced.

Why is Klopp considered conservative?

Because from the second half onwards, his right flank consisted of Heller in front and Hoglund behind.

Let's play it safe!
Wang Shuo's situation is understandable.

Given the team's overall poor form and their status as league leaders, Klopp still harbors some ambition.

Also, there's the rotation of Bungert and Neustädter to fill the position left by Subotic's departure, plus Wang Shuo.

There are indeed too many young players.

In conclusion, although it may seem that only Subotic left, the impact has been significant.

This is only at the tactical level.

What about the spiritual level?
"Do you think Schürrle would be better off up there?" Klopp asked with concern.

"I think that if we try to hold on, we might not be able to hold on at all, so we might as well go all out and fight!"

Klopp nodded deeply.

This matches his impression of Wang Shuo.

Young people have no worries.

Although the head coach is the one who formulates the tactics, the actual execution still depends on the players.

No one understands the execution of tactics better than the players on the field.

Therefore, Klopp felt that Wang Shuo's opinion was still worth taking seriously.

"Alright then, I'll discuss your opinion with Zelik and Kramny."

Wang Shuo nodded.

As a player, there's only so much he can do.

He gave his opinion, but how the coaching staff considered it was beyond his control.

"king."

Just before Wang Shuo was about to leave, Klopp suddenly called him back.

"keep it up!"

"Now, Mainzby and I need you anytime!"

Wang Shuo felt trusted, needed, and relied upon.

"Don't worry, I will."

Wang Shuo gave a confident smile.

(End of this chapter)