Chapter 44: Chapter 28: Wang Shuo, Again and Again

Wang Shuo had noticed the problem since the first half.

Kaiserslautern was using a 4-2-3-1 formation. Aside from their left-back, Lamprecht, their defenders were all 1.91 meters tall.

Their two defensive midfielders, Kotitsch, stood at 1.88 meters, and while Bellinghausen was only 1.82 meters, he was well-rounded in both offense and defense with excellent physical prowess.

Faced with such a defensive lineup in the midfield and backline, Borja unwisely chose to engage them in close-quarters physical battles.

The result was predictable.

During the first half, Wang Shuo sat on the sidelines watching the game, feeling puzzled. He thought Borja was simply too caught up in the moment to see clearly.

But during halftime, Klopp had already reminded Borja about it in the locker room.

At the same time, he had subbed on Elgin Soto to strengthen the breakthroughs and passing on the left flank.

But when the second half started, the situation remained unchanged.

’Is Borja an idiot?’

Gradually, Wang Shuo began to understand the reason.

It wasn’t that Borja was stupid, nor that he was letting the pressure get to his head. He was simply incapable of playing any other way!

What he excelled at most was scoring goals.

Therefore, his threat came from being close to the goal.

This made Wang Shuo think of the Argentine scorer Crespo, and the Dutch center-forward Van Nistelrooy.

’Shouldn’t scorers like them be inside the penalty area?’

Digging deeper, Wang Shuo realized that, in the end, it was because their technical skills were not comprehensive enough.

The center-forward was definitely the most difficult position to play on a football pitch.

The more well-rounded a player was, the more options they had, and the harder it was for defenders to stop them!

As a young man with a cheat ability, Wang Shuo decided that he must develop into a completely versatile, all-around player.

’When that time comes, let’s see who can stop me!’

…

“Wang, get warmed up! Now!”

As Wang Shuo was sitting on the sidelines pondering, Assistant Coach Buvac walked over, shouted at him, and waved him over.

The other players on the bench, like Boakye and Jovanovic, immediately looked on with envy.

With the help of the staff, Wang Shuo took off his jacket and quickly ran toward the sideline.

He didn’t forget to glance at the scoreboard: 65 minutes.

Klopp had given Borja more than enough time.

Unfortunately, he ultimately failed to prove himself.

For Wang Shuo, this was an opportunity.

If he could get on the pitch and break the deadlock, there would truly be no place for Borja in the future.

At this thought, Wang Shuo ran even faster, sprinting with more urgency.

At the 68th minute, Wang Shuo reached Klopp’s side.

“Sorry, Wang. We need you now!”

Wang Shuo didn’t gloat at Klopp’s predicament. Instead, he nodded with a serious expression.

“You’ve been watching from the sidelines for a long time. Any thoughts?”

“They’ve figured out we’re going to attack Lamprecht’s flank,” Wang Shuo replied.

In other words, Kaiserslautern’s left side.

Klopp’s eyes lit up, a flash of appreciation in them.

’This kid really is perceptive and very smart.’

’So much better than Borja, who only knows how to charge ahead blindly!’

“So what’s your plan?” Klopp tested him further.

Wang Shuo had already thought it through. “I’ll make those tall guys run. I’ll drop back, then surge forward. They won’t be able to stop me!”

He spoke with immense confidence.

Klopp immediately nodded several times. “I’ll have the others support you. Go!”

As Wang Shuo walked toward the pitch, Klopp watched his back for a long moment before sighing.

“If only he were a bit more mature, it would be even better.”

Buvac understood what Klopp meant.

Seventeen years old was indeed a bit young.

“But he’s highly moldable, and he’s smart,” Buvac praised with a smile.

…

“They’re finally putting Wang Shuo in!”

“I knew it! Without Wang Shuo, Mainz can’t score.”

“If you ask me, this Mainz coach has his limits. Wang Shuo is in such good form, but he insists on starting that Bor-whatever guy. It makes me so mad.”

“Tell me about it. No wonder even Bayern looked down on him and chose Klinsmann instead.”

“Go, Wang Shuo! Let’s ride this momentum and score another one!”

As Wang Shuo stood on the sideline, the sports forums back in China were already exploding with activity.

With Wang Shuo’s rising popularity, more and more fans were watching the live broadcasts, and the forums were raking it in.

When Wang Shuo substituted for Borja, he saw dejection and frustration on the Ecuadorian’s face.

Borja knew perfectly well that after being subbed off this time, it would be difficult to get a starting position again.

As he walked back to the bench and took a jacket from a staff member, he couldn’t help but complain to his teammates.

“Kaiserslautern’s defense is too solid, it’s airtight! There’s simply no chance!”

“Truly worthy of being the tightest defense in the 2nd Bundesliga!”

Boakye, Jovanovic, and the others just smiled.

If they were sent on, they might have done even worse than Borja.

But Borja’s seat on the bench hadn’t even warmed up when he saw Mainz execute a play on the pitch.

On the left flank, Elgin Soto attempted a breakthrough on the dribble, and when that failed, he sent a diagonal pass.

Wang Shuo dropped back from the front line, receiving the ball in the left half-space with his back to the goal.

He received it in open space, under no defensive pressure.

He controlled it well, then immediately laid it back to Amri with a single touch.

Just as the Kaiserslautern center-back, Owatarra, closed in, Wang Shuo, like a slippery eel, spun around and glided past him.

The moment he was past, he burst into a sprint.

The three defenders around him, plus the deep-lying midfielder, were all tall guys around 1.9 meters.

Whether in a contest of turning or a contest of speed, how could they possibly catch Wang Shuo?

Amri was ready for it. The instant Wang Shuo laid the ball back, Amri sent a chip pass over the top, lofting the ball directly into the penalty area behind the defensive line.

Having been on the pitch for less than two minutes, Wang Shuo and his teammate had already executed a brilliant combination play.

The entire Bruch Road Stadium let out a collective gasp of astonishment.

Wang Shuo surged forward at high speed. Just to the left of the penalty area line, he turned sideways, chested the ball, and brought it down perfectly.

The Kaiserslautern goalkeeper, Seipel, rushed out from his goal, and his timing was excellent.

But he never expected that after Wang Shuo controlled the ball with his chest and steadied his balance, his left shoulder would dip slightly.

Seipel thought Wang Shuo was about to feint past him and immediately dove to the side.

If Wang Shuo had knocked the ball forward, Seipel was confident he could smother it.

But what he didn’t expect was that the shoulder dip was just a feint from Wang Shuo.

His right foot was faster. He used the outside of his boot to knock the falling ball, immediately turned, and cut inside.

Seipel dove desperately to his left, watching helplessly as Wang Shuo cut inside, then calmly sent the ball with his right foot into the empty net.

“GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!”

“Wang Shuo!!”

“It’s Wang Shuo yet again!!”

“He’s scored in three consecutive matches!”

“The wonder kid from China has saved Mainz once again!”

“He’s only been on the pitch for less than two minutes!”

“Absolutely incredible!”

“I can’t believe my eyes!”

Klopp also never imagined that Wang Shuo would score less than two minutes after coming on.

It made the stubbled German manager punch the air in excitement on the sidelines.

All the Mainz fans in Bruch Road Stadium leaped from their seats, cheering for Wang Shuo as he sprinted across the pitch.

Thanks to Mainz’s recent winning streak, the attendance at Bruch Road Stadium today had actually surpassed 20,000, reaching 20,300!

This was the highest attendance record of the season!

At this very moment, they were all roaring for Wang Shuo, who was celebrating by the sideline!

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep