The God of Football starts with passive skills

Chapter 89: Iduna the King! Arsenal's Rise to Power! A Battle of Horses at the Start! Wang Shuo's First Long-Range Shot!
On the morning of the 19th, at the Kearney training ground in the north suburbs of London.

Recently, Wenger has been arriving at work earlier than usual.

Especially after the humiliating 1-4 defeat to Barcelona in the Champions League away game on the 6th.

The first thing he does every day after arriving at the training base is to read the newspaper.

In the UK, those working in football media generally have their own stance.

As the team's head coach, understanding their stance allows you to glean more clues and gather more intelligence and information from their reports and comments.

For example, the fat guy named Martin Samuel from the Daily Mail, he was originally from The Times, but was poached by the Daily Mail with a salary of £25 a year, and he has always been a Chelsea supporter.

He has a very good relationship with Terry, Lampard, and others, and knows a lot about the inner workings of the Chelsea dressing room.

Martin Samuel's arch-rival, Henry Winter, the Daily Telegraph's top writer, was a staunch Liverpool fan, a die-hard Gerrard supporter, and a close friend of Dalglish.

That's why Martin Samuel and Henry Wenger had a heated argument when the English media were hyping up the midfield duo of Gerrard and Lampard in the national team.

There's also Alan Hansen, a contracted commentator for The Daily Telegraph, who is also a die-hard Liverpool fan.

Sean Costis, the fat commentator for The Sun, was Ferdinand's number one lackey, and he stood up to defend Ferdinand when he missed a drug test.

Sean Costis has an older brother named Neil Costis, who is also a commentator for The Sun.

Both brothers are from Newcastle and have a very good relationship with magpies.

But not all media outlets can succeed.

For example, the Manchester Evening News.

This local media outlet has a rather strained relationship with Manchester United, especially with manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

It mainly refers to events from the Beckham era.

Wenger may have doubts about Ferguson's coaching ability, but his connections and resources off the field, especially in the football and media circles, are truly unparalleled.

Two words: I admire you!

Major media outlets like The Times also employ many commentators. Evans is a die-hard Liverpool fan, but his relationship with Liverpool soured because of the American takeover of the club.

But he had a good relationship with Benitez and even helped Benitez call Ferguson an English mafia gang!

Wenger wholeheartedly agrees with this.

That old bastard Ferguson is a gangster!

Every media outlet, and even every media professional, has its own network of contacts, stance, and channels.

They often have intricate connections with the clubs.

Give the simplest example.

What if Wenger wants to poach a player from Newcastle, but is unsure if Newcastle wants to sell?
The answer is to give Neil and the Sean brothers an exclusive interview.

From them, Wenger can obtain intelligence about Newcastle.

Of course, intelligence should not be taken at face value; therefore, it should be verified through multiple channels.

That's a different matter altogether.

Different media outlets have different stances, and therefore say different things.

After a humiliating 1-4 defeat to Barcelona away from home, Arsenal lost all their title races except for the Premier League early in April, and in a disastrous way.

In the League Cup, Arsenal suffered a humiliating 0-3 defeat to Manchester City.

They lost 1-3 to Stoke City in the fourth round of the FA Cup.

如今，欧冠8强在主场2比2，客场1比4惨败给了巴萨。

Even in the Premier League, after 33 rounds, Arsenal is only in 3rd place, 3 points behind Chelsea and 1 point behind Manchester United in 2nd place.

What followed was a series of tough battles, and the situation was not particularly optimistic.

Regarding the team's current situation, Wenger made a comment at the post-match press conference in Barcelona.

"There are no exciting players in the current European football transfer market, and we will not spend more than £5000 million on transfers, as that is not in line with our Arsenal business philosophy."

In this statement, Wenger meant that there are currently no players in European football worth Arsenal's £5000 million transfer fee.

However, after the news spread, the interpretations from different parties were clearly different.

For example, some media outlets have accused Wenger of being stingy, saying he is unwilling to spend more than £5000 million on transfers.

Some people say that Wenger was pleading poverty to the management.

Some people even say that Wenger is stingy and miserly, asking why Arsenal doesn't make any signings when they have plenty of money in their accounts.

Wenger was already used to this kind of thing.

What's frightening is that even many players within Arsenal think this way.

For example, Cesc Fabregas.

Arsenal captain has long been linked with Barcelona.

Arsenal's crushing defeat to Barcelona has reignited Catalan media speculation that Cesc Fabregas will amount to nothing at Arsenal and should return to the then-dominant Barcelona.

The player didn't explicitly state his thoughts, but he kept sending messages that he was finding Arsenal's unambitious team-building strategy increasingly unacceptable.

The long trophy drought has led to a decline in morale within Arsenal.

This kind of demoralization can be extremely fatal at crucial moments when vying for the championship!

Thinking of this, Wenger sighed helplessly.

The winner is the king and the loser is the bandit!

Why did he always clash with Ferguson?
Because it was Ferguson who squandered Arsenal's chance to rise!
This is something that very few people know.

Many media outlets are joking about Wenger's poor signings, but in reality, Wenger's biggest regret is not missing out on Ibrahimovic, not missing out on Yaya Toure, or anyone else.

Wenger's regret was missing out on Cristiano Ronaldo in 2003!
In fact, Wenger had already reached an agreement with Sporting Lisbon back then. Ronaldo was originally scheduled to travel to London after playing the friendly match against Manchester United to sign with Arsenal. He had even bought his plane ticket.

Wenger even reserved the number 9 jersey specifically for Ronaldo.

But after that match, Ferguson intervened.

He knew Wenger wanted to sign Ronaldo and saw Ronaldo's potential, so he didn't even leave Lisbon. He immediately negotiated with Sporting Lisbon through his agent Mendes and signed the player, bringing him to Manchester.

At the time, Arsenal and Sporting Lisbon agreed on a maximum transfer fee of 800 million euros.

Ferguson offered €1900 million upfront, plus an additional €150 million commission to the agent.

By the time Wenger received the news, Cristiano Ronaldo had already put on a Manchester United jersey and started playing for the team!
It only took four days from the warm-up match to Ronaldo playing for Manchester United.

Fuck it!

Without Ferguson, Ronaldo would belong to Arsenal.

Given Arsenal's dominance in 2003, Ronaldo's arrival would surely have created a glorious Arsenal dynasty!
But Ferguson prevented it from happening.

As for the claim that Manchester United players persuaded Ferguson to sign Ronaldo in the locker room after the pre-season friendly, that's all nonsense.

Can Manchester United players influence Ferguson's decisions?
At most, I'll offer some suggestions or ask for your opinion.

But Arsenal have completely lost a superstar!
Wenger has spent a lot of money over the past few years.

From Reyes to Hleb to Walcott, and the constantly injured Van Persie...

In addition to the construction of a new stadium, Wenger had to change the club's transfer strategy.

Every time Wenger thinks about this, it feels like his heart is being shot again and again by Ferguson's pistol.

That's so damn heartbreaking!

If Cristiano Ronaldo had joined Arsenal in 03, Wenger and the Gunners would have had a completely different situation.

But there are no ifs in this world.

Wenger sighed and began to read today's newspaper.

The Independent reported on last night's Europa League quarter-final match, in which Borussia Dortmund thrashed Benfica 6-0.

Wang Shuo...

what?
Wang Shuo achieved a quadruple victory?

Wenger's eyes lit up!
Has the number of goals scored in a single Europa League season surged to 18?
Below is another report about Wang Shuo, which gives the young Chinese striker extremely high praise.

"He's scored so many Bundesliga goals this season?"

Wenger was taken aback.

Arsenal has been plagued by misfortune lately, and Wenger has had no time to pay attention to anything else.

Moreover, Germany and England are arch-rivals, and British media do not report much about the Bundesliga.

He put down the Independent and picked up the Times next to him, which also had coverage of the match.

They also wrote a special report about Wang Shuo.

The Sun, The Daily Telegraph, The Daily Mail, The Daily Mirror, The Times, The Guardian...

Wenger went through them one by one and found that every British media outlet had reported on the match, and all of them spoke highly of Wang Shuo.

"This kid's progress is too fast!" Wenger was a little taken aback.

……

At almost the same time, in Carrington, a suburb west of Manchester, Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson summoned his younger brother, Martin Ferguson, to his office.

"Did you do the task I gave you before, which was to maintain contact with Wang Shuo and Thomas Essien?"

Ferguson got straight to the point and asked.

"Uh……"

Martin Ferguson hesitated for a moment, "He's already joined Dortmund, and his agent team has been making changes recently, and they've been in talks with Dortmund about a contract extension."

"How was the conversation?"

"I don't know, it should be going smoothly, but it hasn't been signed yet."

Ferguson's eyes flashed with anger. "Then you'd better go and find out the details before you come back to me."

Martin Ferguson nodded dismissively: "Why are you suddenly concerned about him?"

Ferguson can't very well say that he only remembered the Bundesliga striker after seeing today's news, can he?

“Listen carefully, arrange for people to follow him closely, and keep in touch with his agent. I need to know his every move in Dortmund.”

“He’s not cheap now,” Martin Ferguson cautioned.

“I know. Just go ahead and do it. As long as Dortmund is willing to sell, even if Manchester United is poor, we can still scrape together the money.”

"okay, I get it."

After a pause, Martin Ferguson added, "By the way, Rooney's side has also started to make moves."

Ferguson sighed and nodded.

Rooney's agent is also restless and wants to give the player a raise.

The reason is that the top salaries offered by teams like Manchester City and Chelsea have now surpassed Rooney's.

As the Premier League's top player, Rooney deserves more.

These are all being communicated and relayed privately; the outside world is unaware of them yet.

This is also a very troublesome area.

Ferguson had great faith in local players, and he also consistently implemented a team-building strategy of using high-level foreign players to drive the development of local players.

After Ronaldo and Tevez left, Manchester United's current foreign player level is a bit poor.

Conversely, Manchester City is on the rise, and Chelsea is now very aggressive.

"I'll handle these things. You keep a close eye on Wang Shuo. I need to know his every move!"

“Okay,” Martin Ferguson agreed.

……

What happened in the northern suburbs of London and the western suburbs of Manchester also happened on that luxury yacht in London's Canary Wharf, where Chelsea's Abramovich also began to show interest in the Bundesliga striker.

In Madrid and Barcelona, ​​two of Spain's top clubs, Wang Shuo is also showing increasing interest.

Even Andrea Agnelli, who recently decided to take over Juventus and revitalize the Italian powerhouse, has taken notice of this young Chinese striker.

Not to mention within Germany itself.

Bild, Kicker magazine, Ruhr News, Westdeutsche Zeitung, Süddeutsche Zeitung, and other media outlets all reported on it.

Kicker magazine even used the Arabic numeral 18 on the cover of its midweek special edition.

One of the articles featured Wang Shuo.

Bild newspaper even used the headline "King of Iduna" on its front page, praising Wang Shuo's four-game winning streak.

Because Wang Shuo broke Klinsmann's legendary record, Bild even went so far as to interview Klinsmann, who is currently unemployed at home in the United States, after the match.

Klinsmann said he was very impressed with Wang Shuo.

“Even when he was still playing for Mainz, I knew he would be a different kind of player.”

Klinsmann stated that Bayern Munich had also considered signing him, but failed for various reasons.

"I am very disappointed by this."

Klinsmann congratulated Wang Shuo on breaking his own record in the UEFA Cup.

However, he denied that Wang Shuo resembled him.

Why do people say Wang Shuo looks a lot like Klinsmann?
Some media outlets even gave him the nickname "Black Bomber," which came from Klinsmann's "Golden Bomber."

Both players are officially listed as 1.81 meters tall in the Bundesliga.

This is also what the media loves to do.

Argentine players who are 1.7 meters tall or shorter are the next Maradona.

The Brazilian striker, just over 1.8 meters tall and incredibly fast, was none other than Ronaldo II.

But Klinsmann said that Wang Shuo is nothing like him.

"Due to modern football tactics, Wang Shuo is more well-rounded than me. His speed, explosiveness, and footwork are all far superior to mine. Most importantly, he has a speed of movement that someone who is 1.8 meters tall does not possess."

As a player around 1.8 meters tall and a former world-class center, Klinsmann said that what surprised him most about Wang Shuo was his speed of movement.

"In my career, I have encountered many forwards who can run, as well as forwards with excellent skills and speed, but I have never seen a 1.8-meter tall player with such a fast movement speed as him."

Klinsmann believes that Wang Shuo is already excellent enough.

"I completely agree with Beckenbauer's assessment that Wang Shuo will become the world's top football superstar after Kaká, Ronaldo, and Messi, but the prerequisite is that he shouldn't leave the Bundesliga too early!"

why?
Klinsmann stated that Wang Shuo is still immature.

Their physical strength is not strong enough, and their competition experience is still somewhat lacking.

But most importantly, he is currently in a phase of rapid improvement.

"The most important thing at this stage is a stable tactical environment!"

Klinsmann stated that he left the Bundesliga at the age of 24 to take on a new challenge in Serie A, which was known as the "Little World Cup" at the time, but players nowadays mature much earlier.

"I suggest that he stay in the Bundesliga for at least two more years, and at the very least finish playing in next season's Champions League."

Klinsmann stated that the current atmosphere at Dortmund is excellent, and the team is also very strong.

There are still some shortcomings in the lineup.

If the team makes targeted adjustments when recruiting players after this season, Dortmund should be able to achieve great things.

When Bild published this report, they also sent a fax to Wang Shuo privately and left Klinsmann's contact information.

Wang Shuo then politely called Klinsmann to thank him for his recognition.

After all, Klinsmann is praising him now.

Besides authoritative media outlets, many German media outlets have also exaggerated the reports.

Some media outlets have even pointed out that Wang Shuo's current market value is 4500 million euros.

However, any team that wants to poach Wang Shuo from Dortmund will have to pay at least 9 million, or even 1 million euros, in transfer fees.

He is arguably the hottest rising star in European football right now!

However, the Westdeutsche Zeitung warned Dortmund that, given their performance this season, selling Wang Shuo would reduce the team to a second-rate squad.

"After this season's matches, I believe no one will have any doubts."

"With or without Wang Shuo, Borussia Dortmund is like two different teams!"

The day after Borussia Dortmund thrashed Benfica 6-0, at noon, in the draw held at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, Dortmund was drawn against Atletico Madrid from La Liga in the Europa League semi-finals.

Incidentally, of the four teams that reached the Europa League semi-finals this season, besides Borussia Dortmund, the other three are Atletico Madrid, Liverpool, and Fulham.

Borussia Dortmund will play Atletico Madrid, and Liverpool will play Fulham.

The first leg of the semi-final will be played on April 22nd, with Borussia Dortmund hosting Atletico Madrid.

But neither Wang Shuo nor Borussia Dortmund had much time to consider this issue.

After playing Benfica on the evening of the 8th, they will make some adjustments on the 9th and 10th.

They will face Mainz away from home on the afternoon of the 11th.

Because the Europa League match is on Thursday night, Borussia Dortmund's Bundesliga match in Round 30 will be the last one to start.

Prior to this, Bayer Leverkusen drew 1-1 with Bayern Munich at home.

Therefore, Klopp adopted a strategy of significant rotation.

……

What would it feel like to return to Bruchweg Stadium?
How will Mainz fans treat him as their "opponent"?
Wang Shuo had thought about it many times.

Even as he walked out of the players' tunnel, he couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.

He was greeted with applause from the fans at the stadium.

He did not start in this game.

But as he walked out of the players' tunnel and headed toward the away team's bench, more than 2 fans in the stadium were chanting his name.

"No, tell me, how could they be so biased?"

Sitting on the away team's bench, Feulner felt very resentful.

"We three came together, so why do they only call you by your name?"

In the end, Feulner sounded like a resentful, abandoned woman.

Wang Shuo and Subotic couldn't help but burst into laughter.

“It might just be because of his looks,” Wang Shuo replied.

"What do you mean?"

Subotic chimed in at just the right moment: "You're too ugly!"

After saying that, Wang Shuo and Subotic laughed again, as if they had an urge to high-five each other in celebration.

Feulner was annoyed and glanced at Subotic. "Nobody calls you by your name either, and you're uglier."

"I don't care, since I haven't been playing for Mainz for very long anyway."

Both players joined Mainz in 06, but Subotic joined the youth team while Feulner went directly to the first team.

Three former Mainz players were all sitting on the bench.

I wonder if Klopp did it on purpose?
But it's normal.

Wang Shuo even approached Klopp before the match, volunteering to play.

But Klopp rejected Wang Shuo.

After Bayer Leverkusen drew with Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund's league pressure eased considerably.

Now, Dortmund's most important task is to conserve their energy and prepare for the first leg of the Europa League semi-final.

This is the home ground for the knockout stage!

If, under these circumstances, Klopp is still expected to exert all his efforts to play in the Bundesliga, then he's simply insane as a coach.

Ultimately, Dortmund lost 0-1 to Mainz away from home.

Neither Wang Shuo nor Subotic played in the match.

……

For the next week, Dortmund will focus their preparations on the Europa League match next Thursday.

Despite Atletico Madrid's current mid-table position in La Liga, their overall strength is not bad.

Especially in cup competitions.

A major reason for the poor league ranking is the turmoil this season.

At the beginning of the season, under the guidance of head coach Abel Resino, Atletico Madrid ranked 17th in La Liga after playing 8 rounds, just one step away from the bottom.

Under these circumstances, Atletico Madrid decisively changed their manager.

At the end of October, Flores took over as manager, and Atletico Madrid's performance began to improve, with their ranking rising steadily.

They are currently ranked 10th in La Liga.

However, in the Spanish Copa del Rey, Atletico Madrid eliminated strong opponents all the way to the final.

In the Europa League, Atletico Madrid also made it to the semi-finals.

Under these circumstances, Dortmund dared not be careless in the slightest when facing the Rojiblancos.

Moreover, the first leg will be played at home.

Under these circumstances, Klopp chose to continue resting key players in the league.

Several key players, including Wang Shuo, were relegated to the bench in the Bundesliga Round 31 match against Hoffenheim at home.

But just 22 minutes into the match, Sahin went down in a challenge with Gustavo.

Although the team doctor diagnosed that the problem was not serious and that he could continue playing, Klopp still substituted Sahin off the field immediately.

In the 57th minute of the second half, Grosskreutz broke through on the right wing and assisted Valdes to score from close range, breaking the deadlock for Dortmund.

However, the striker has decided to leave Dortmund at the end of the season. The reason is related to Wang Shuo.

Wang Shuo has maintained a very stable attendance rate this season and has never missed a game due to injury.

Although Valdes has been getting a lot of playing time, his performance has not been ideal.

Firstly, the players themselves are not very strong, and secondly, they have been neglecting matches, so their form cannot be guaranteed.

Under these circumstances, Valdes submitted a transfer request well in advance.

This goal was more like a consolation prize for him.

However, in the final moments of the match, in the 89th minute, substitute Ibisevic equalized for Hoffenheim.

In the same round, Bayern Munich thrashed Hannover 96 7-0 at home.

Bayer Leverkusen suffered a 1-2 defeat away to Stuttgart.

……

"Without a doubt, Wang Shuo is one of the players who can most disrupt the balance of the game when facing a defender one-on-one in this Europa League, or even in European football today!"

While Borussia Dortmund conserved their energy for the league, Atletico Madrid also did not field their strongest lineup.

They just lost 1-2 to Villarreal away in the 33rd round of La Liga.

Head coach Flores rested several key players.

The following day, they held a tactical meeting at the Majadajonda training ground northwest of Madrid to discuss the match against Borussia Dortmund.

"Messi, Ronaldo, Kaka, and Aguero..."

When Flores mentioned this name, he looked at the team's star player, Aguero.

The latter was clearly pleased that the head coach had put him alongside superstars like Ronaldo, Messi, and Kaká, and he had a smile on his face.

"Wang Shuo is in no way inferior to them!"

"Every time he makes a pass in a match, it can change the rhythm and course of the game!"

"Therefore, we must maintain our surveillance of Wang Shuo for 90 minutes!"

Flores' starting lineup is not expected to be too surprising.

They will basically still use the 4-4-2 formation that Atletico Madrid is good at.

Goalkeeper: De Gea;

Defense: Antonio Lopez, Álvaro Domingos, Perea and Ujfalusi;

Midfielders: Simão, Assunção, Raúl García, and Reyes;

Forwards: Aguero and Forlan.

This is Atletico Madrid's strongest lineup this season.

In terms of targeted defense, Flores emphasized the most how to limit Wang Shuo.

This fell to players like Domingos, Perea, Assunção, and Raúl García.

Everyone knows that Wang Shuo has a wide range of activities.

He not only moved to the flanks, but also actively retreated.

To freeze Wang Shuo's performance, the midfield and backcourt need to work together.

"Dortmund's game strategy will not change much; their greatest strength is still seizing the initiative from the start!"

In terms of the initial competition, Atletico Madrid is not as good as Borussia Dortmund.

Even in terms of control of the midfield, the Rojiblancos may not be able to gain the upper hand.

Dortmund's 4-2-3-1 formation has a strong control over the midfield.

Flores watched Dortmund play Benfica, especially the first leg.

But to be honest, Atletico Madrid can't play the kind of football that Benfica plays.

In particular, Atletico Madrid doesn't have a single Aimar.

Not to mention, in the second leg away game, Benfica tried to replicate the tactics from the first leg, but Dortmund completely ripped them apart, defeating them 6-0.

"Their advantage was in the opening, while our advantage was in the second half, especially after the 70th minute!"

Flores' game strategy is very clear.

In the first leg away game, the goal is to score an away goal and at the same time strive for a draw.

The mainstream knockout stage strategy is to secure a draw away from home, fight for away goals, and then decide the winner at home.

……

Atletico Madrid are studying tactics for their match against Borussia Dortmund.

Dortmund is also holding a meeting to prepare for the match.

At the meeting, Klopp outlined the tactics for the home game against Atletico Madrid, and also distributed a list of Atletico Madrid players' technical characteristics and playing habits to everyone.

Each person also received a USB drive containing carefully edited videos of the competition.

Wang Shuo received thicker documents and larger videos than others.

Because his activities covered too much ground and involved too many people.

During his break, Wang Shuo studied the analysis documents and watched the competition videos, gaining a lot from the experience.

As a striker, his primary focus is naturally on Atletico Madrid's two center-backs.

"Atletico Madrid's two center-backs are quite interesting."

"What do you mean?" Royce also watched the video with Wang Shuo.

He was Wang Shuo's follower and was also responsible for studying the opponent's defensive players.

“The 30-year-old veteran Perea is 1.8 meters tall, right-footed, and is characterized by his speed and agility.”

"Alvaro Dominguez is 20 years old, 1.89 meters tall, a left-footed player, characterized by his strong physique, excellent physical strength, and strong ability in high balls and one-on-one defense."

The two center-backs are the type that consists of one tall and one fast, one on the left and one on the right.

What about the two central midfielders?
The Assunção that Atlético Madrid is referring to is Paulo Assunção, not Marcos Assunção, who is known for his free kicks.

As a Brazilian player, standing at 1.73 meters tall, Assunção is characterized by his intense focus on the game, his skill in winning the ball, and his incredible running ability.

He is one of the players with the most tackles in La Liga this season.

He also has the most fouls among all players.

As a Brazilian player, Assunção's passing was quite reliable.

However, he rarely participates in the attacking play in the frontcourt.

His partner is Raul Garcia.

This player played as an attacking midfielder at Osasuna, but his position has gradually shifted deeper.

The characteristic is that they are versatile and can do any kind of job, but they are only so-so at doing them.

In the analysis report provided by Kravitz, a set of data from Raul Garcia was included.

Assunção's passing accuracy is 82%, while Raúl García's is only 69%.

Yes, you read that right. As a midfielder, and mostly a deep-lying midfielder, his passing accuracy is less than 7%.

This is a really bad statistic.

However, Raul Garcia is good at aerial duels.

In Flores's arrangement, Raúl García always stood in front of the shorter Perea.

"No wonder the boss said that the midfield should focus on intercepting Raul Garcia, the success rate is so low!" Götze figured it out.

With data, many things become clear.

Combining the data with his own experience and recalling the match video he had just watched, Wang Shuo gradually formed a somewhat immature idea in his mind.

"Everyone come here for a moment, I have an idea..."

Wang Shuo called over the people around him.

……

Since the team was on the verge of bankruptcy, Borussia Dortmund has rarely been able to participate in European competitions in recent years.

Not to mention this season, when they directly reached the Europa League semi-finals!
For a powerhouse like Bayern Munich, the Europa League is obviously a trivial matter.

But in Dortmund, it is still highly anticipated by fans.

On April 22, the Westfalenstadion was once again packed to capacity for the home game against Atletico Madrid.

Klopp once again fielded his most favored 4-2-3-1 formation in this match.

Goalkeeper: Weidenfeller;
Defense: Schmelzer, Hummels, Subotic and Owomoyela;

Midfield: Sahin and Sven Bender drop deep, Reus, Götze and Kuba advance;

Forward: Wang Shuo.

Sahin was substituted early in the weekend league match to protect himself, and his injury is not serious.

The referee for this match was Klaus Bo Larsen from Denmark.

Dortmund, who kicked off first, had Wang Shuo and Götze standing in the center circle.

Reus and Kuba were positioned on opposite flanks.

When Götze passed the ball to Wang Shuo, Wang Shuo immediately kicked it back to Sahin.

Aguero rushed towards Sahin immediately.

But Dortmund's defensive midfielder launched a long pass, lobbing it to the left side behind Atletico Madrid's defense.

That is, behind Ujfalusi.

Reus made a high-speed forward run, cutting behind Ujfalusi, catching up with Sahin's pass, and intercepting the ball on the left side of the penalty area. He then stopped the ball and passed it to the center.

Wang Shuo followed up and unleashed a powerful shot without stopping the ball.

Just 9 seconds later, the first shot of the game was taken!

Unfortunately, the shot went just over the crossbar.

Wang Shuo turned and ran back, extending his right hand to Royce who was catching up. The two shook hands and then returned to their respective positions.

Dortmund's attack was more of a probing move.

The main objective was to keep the ball in Atletico Madrid's half.

Wang Shuo's long-range shots are not only about seizing the initiative and quickly establishing momentum.

Another purpose is to familiarize myself with the rhythm of the game and the footwork.

In such high-level competitions, there are almost always many deviations in every match.

This includes differences in football, wind direction, temperature, and so on.

Once you've mastered the technique and know what you're doing, you'll be more confident next time.

Dortmund fans were aware of this, which is why they were shouting especially loudly from the stands.

……

De Gea took the goal kick, but Subotic headed it back into midfield.

The ball quickly returned to Atletico Madrid's half.

Götze delivered another diagonal pass, aiming to attack the space behind the left flank.

Reus made another high-speed forward run, caught up with the ball, and headed straight for the byline before crossing it into the penalty area.

When Wang Shuo received the ball on the left side of the penalty area, he made a sudden stop, dribbled past Perea, took a step to the side, and immediately unleashed a powerful shot with his right foot.

The entire movement was fluid and seamless, completed in one go.

Moreover, the quality of the shot was very high.

Unfortunately, De Gea was very focused and made a diving save to block the ball out of bounds.

"This goalkeeper is pretty good!" Wang Shuo thought to himself.

In just over a minute, Dortmund had two shots on goal.

But this was only the beginning of the offensive.

After winning a corner kick, Dortmund launched a set-piece attack, winning three corner kicks in a row, putting Atletico Madrid under immense pressure.

The Rojiblancos' defense is really good.

Despite completely losing control of the game, they still managed to hold their goal and thwart Dortmund's attacks one by one.

But Dortmund's attack was too fierce!
After three consecutive corner kicks, Dortmund quickly earned another free kick opportunity in the attacking third.

But he was far from the goal when Raul Garcia fouled Götze while defending him.

This was also the first foul of the game.

Sahin took the free kick, aiming to send it directly into the penalty area.

Domingos got there first, clearing the ball with a header, sending it out of bounds.

Dortmund won a throw-in on the left side of the attacking third.

Schmelzer quickly ran up, picked up the ball, and tossed it directly to Sahin, who was trailing behind.

At this moment, all three of Atletico Madrid's defensive lines retreated to their own 30-meter zone.

Fran immediately chased after Shahin, who then passed the ball across to Sven Bender.

Sven Bender dribbled the ball down the right flank and then passed it to Owomoyela.

After passing the ball, Owomoyela quickly started his run, wanting to play a combination with Sven Bender.

As a result, Sven Bender's pass was intercepted by Paulo Assunção.

Owomoyela was closest to Assunção and was the first to pounce on him.

Götze also caught up at the same time, forming a pincer attack from both sides.

Wang Shuo called out to Royce and then quickly ran back.

He was keeping a watchful eye on things, waiting for Assunção to pass the ball to Raúl García.

Raul Garcia also saw Wang Shuo and immediately ran back two steps to create some distance.

But Assunção couldn't pass the ball at all.

The Brazilian midfielder had barely stopped the ball when he was entangled by Owomoyela, and with Götze sandwiching him from both sides, he tried to dribble past the defender and push forward.

As a result, he bumped right into Sven Bender.

With three people vying for one, you can imagine how fierce it was.

Sven Bender poked the ball back first.

The ball landed in an undefended area.

Wang Shuo was the first to react, quickly chasing after the ball and taking control of it with a single kick.

Wasn't Raul Garcia trying to avoid Wang Shuo by creating distance just now in order to receive the ball?
Now, when Wang Shuo gets the ball, there's no one around.

After controlling the ball with his right foot, Wang Shuo looked up and glanced ahead.

In front of him stood Atletico Madrid's two center-backs, Dominguez and Perea, positioned at the edge of the penalty area.

One of them has a left foot, and the other has a right foot.

This is a center-back configuration favored by many head coaches, such as Van Gaal.

The Dutch have a kind of obsession with left-footed center-backs playing on the left and right-footed center-backs playing on the right, saying it makes passing easier.

However, this also has a drawback.

There is a gap that can easily appear between the two center-backs.

And this is the route Wang Shuo wants to take!
Wang Shuo dribbled the ball forward, forcing it towards right center-back Perea.

Both Perea and Domingos chose to stand still.

With no protection in front and a restricted area behind, they had no way to retreat.

Perea stared intently at Wang Shuo, watching his every move.

Wang Shuo was also watching Perea, constantly calculating the distance.

This requires very precise control, especially considering Perea's speed in intercepting the ball.

When the ball reached the edge of the penalty area, Wang Shuo dribbled it out.

This gave Perea a glimmer of hope.

I can get that ball back!
The Colombian center-back decisively pressed forward, heading straight for the ball.

Although it was a spur-of-the-moment decision, Perea was no pushover.

He knew he couldn't let Wang Shuo break through from his right side, so when he went for the ball, he leaned slightly to his right to avoid being broken through from that side if he couldn't get the ball.

As for the left side, there's also his teammate Domingos.

Just as Perea was about to press, Wang Shuo suddenly sped up, his left foot moving exceptionally fast, and he preemptively flicked the ball to his right, avoiding Perea's challenge.

Wang Shuo made a series of quick, small adjustments, shifting his direction to the right and catching up with the ball.

During the time he was chasing the ball, Wang Shuo glanced at Domingos.

The Atlético Madrid center-back is a left-footed player, and his first instinct was to come over and block him.

However, at 1.89 meters tall, he is slightly slow, and he is a left-footed player.

And then there's goalkeeper De Gea.

He kept changing his position based on Wang Shuo's dribbling.

The current position is close to the right side of the goal.

Through [Insight] and [Eagle Eye], all the information flooded into Wang Shuo's mind in an instant.

[Self-reliance] immediately deduced the next step.

If Wang Shuo were to dribble forward into the penalty area himself, he probably wouldn't be able to, as he would be blocked by Dominguez at the edge of the penalty arc.

The other party would use their body to directly block Wang Shuo, forcing him to be unable to take another step forward.

The two center-backs at Atletico Madrid do indeed have excellent teamwork.

But Wang Shuo made a faster choice.

Long shot!

When he created a gap by getting past Perea, he could clearly see De Gea and the goal.

His position was approximately 23 meters from the goal.

How did Wang Shuo know this?
Because he spends all his time training free kicks.

He has taken many free kicks from this position and is quite confident in his ability to do so.

But long-range shots and free kicks are different.

When taking a free kick, you need to consider the wall of players and make sure to curve the ball out.

But not for long-range shots.

Its requirements are force, speed, and accuracy.

Wang Shuo extended his left foot and firmly stepped into the grass.

With this step, he tilted his whole body into a very comfortable angle, which also made it easier for him to shoot with his right foot.

This is the function of [coordination]!

[Foundation] allowed him to channel all the power in his body into his right foot in a very short time.

With the combined boost of speed and ball control, Wang Shuo unleashed a powerful shot in a very short time, accurately hitting the ball and transferring all his power into it.

He could even feel the ball deform in that instant.

Then, with a bang, the football shot out at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye.

De Gea reacted very quickly.

The instant Wang Shuo took the shot, he turned sideways and lunged to the left side of the goal, trying to block the ball with one hand.

Just like how he saved Wang Shuo's shot just now!
But this time, the ball was moving way too fast.

Wang Shuo's shot was like a bolt of lightning, instantly piercing through Atletico Madrid's goal.

De Gea's diving save failed to reach the ball, and he landed heavily on the grass.

"GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!"

"Just five minutes into the game, Borussia Dortmund broke through Atletico Madrid's defense!"

"A long-range shot from outside the penalty area by Wang Shuo!"

"A very powerful shot, and at a very tricky angle!"

"From the right side of the edge of the penalty arc, the ball was blasted directly into the left side of Atletico Madrid's goal."

"1 to 0!"

After scoring, Wang Shuo excitedly turned around and rushed off the field.

Before this match, his idea was to take advantage of the fact that neither Assunção nor Raúl García were good at positioning themselves, and to exploit the fact that the two center-backs were positioned on the left and right, to create opportunities between Atlético Madrid's two defensive lines.

As for whether to take a long-range shot or dribble past the defender, he didn't think that much about it; it was purely a matter of improvisation.

And now it seems that his idea worked!

When he rushed to the sidelines to celebrate his goal, the Dortmund players all chased after him and hugged Wang Shuo.

"My idea is feasible, everyone should pay attention!" Wang Shuo said confidently.

The others all nodded in agreement.

(End of this chapter)