Chapter 54: Chapter 35: Fooled Again

Wang Shuo’s assist and Balik’s goal brought the match back to a deadlock.

Although Cologne had the upper hand, they failed to break through Mainz’s goal again.

The first half ultimately ended in a 1-1 draw.

But the players had expended a tremendous amount of energy in the match.

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

Klopp followed the players in. Before they could even get back to their seats, he forcefully slapped the small blackboard behind him.

“Find your seats and sit down! Not a sound! Listen to me!”

Everyone felt the head coach’s intimidating presence and immediately returned to their spots.

“First off, we played terribly in the first half. It was a mess.”

Klopp pointed at the players, his expression severe, looking like he was just one step away from unleashing a torrent of curses.

“I told you, Cologne’s greatest strength is on the two flanks, especially on Ozat’s side. But what happened?”

The locker room fell deathly silent.

No one wanted to make any excuses, but Klopp’s reaction remained intense.

“Don’t you dare make any excuses! Nothing, not even unexpected incidents, can be used as a reason. You are professional players, and what’s more, you’re professional players preparing to enter the Bundesliga!”

With the head coach speaking like that, who would dare say another word?

Wang Shuo, however, suspected Klopp understood the situation perfectly but was powerless to change it.

These were the cards he’d been dealt.

Demetraz was a right-footed player playing on the left wing, Gunkel was also right-footed, and while Foyelner was two-footed, his dominant foot was also his right. This put Mainz’s left flank at a great disadvantage when defending against Ozat.

A right-footed player on the left flank facing a left-footed opponent running down the line—one could just imagine how troublesome that was.

But Klopp wasn’t wrong, either.

He only had so many players. What could he do?

Could he say at a time like this, ’I understand, it’s okay to make mistakes’?

’That would be suicide!’

“Our midfield and attack, with the exception of Wang Shuo, all performed poorly. That includes Balik, who scored the goal. All of you need to take a good, hard look at yourselves.”

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

Ever since Wang Shuo started playing for the first team, he had never been criticized by Klopp. On the contrary, he was praised time and time again.

Many players couldn’t help but want to ask, ’Are you Klopp’s godson or something?’

But Wang Shuo’s performance was there for all to see.

“Foyelner, Balik, I’ve told you repeatedly that when Cologne attacks, their full-backs overlapping is a major threat! You have to hold them off! But what did you do?”

The two wingers’ duties were actually quite heavy.

When defending, they not only had to contain the overlapping full-backs but also had to constantly track back.

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

For the Mainz players, these demands were a bit too high.

Even a player as strong as Foyelner wasn’t doing a very good job.

Of course, they hadn’t made any major mistakes, and they were working very hard.

In the entire first half, only one yellow card was issued between the two teams, and it went to Balik.

The head coach’s tactics were correct, and his ideas were good, but the players’ ability and execution could only go so far.

If Marco Rose had been on the back line, Foyelner’s defensive pressure would have been much lighter, and he would have been able to contribute more to passing and attacking.

The help he could provide to Wang Shuo would have been greater.

But as things stood, Wang Shuo could barely get the ball up front.

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

He had to face the two powerful center-backs, Mackenna and Muhammad, and even had to watch out for the tracking back of holding midfielders like Suyasu, Pezzoni, and Broich.

When the midfield couldn’t get the ball forward, he had to drop back to receive it.

When defending, he had to be the first to press the opposing center-backs to relieve the pressure on his own defense and midfield.

This was also incredibly draining for him.

If it weren’t for the support of his Regional Level [Breathing] skill, he would have been just as exhausted as the others.

“Boss, how’s Marco doing?” Captain Nowitzki asked with a concerned look.

Everyone in the locker room turned to look at Klopp.

As a veteran, Marco Rose had already suffered quite a few injuries this season.

Before the season started, he had broken a metatarsal and didn’t play for the team again until late October.

Everyone present was a footballer, and seeing him being stretchered off the field, they couldn’t help but feel a sense of dread.

It looked serious.

Klopp looked at everyone, hesitated for a moment, and replied, “A severe tear of his knee ligament.”

HISS!

Wang Shuo clearly felt the atmosphere in the locker room instantly turn cold.

He himself was shocked.

’Just from that one sprint, out of nowhere, he tears his knee ligament so severely?’

’This is a career-threatening injury!’

Especially for Marco Rose, who was about to turn 32, this was practically a death sentence for his professional career.

Recalling how just before the match, Marco Rose had been excitedly talking with everyone about returning to the Bundesliga, a bitter taste filled everyone’s mouths.

Injuries are the natural enemy of a professional player!

Wang Shuo thought to himself, ’Thank goodness I have the [Damage Reduction] buff.’

“He’s a meritorious servant of the club. I’ll speak with the higher-ups and get his contract renewed.”

In the European football scene, clubs usually purchase insurance for their contracted players.

A very important part of that is injury coverage.

Although Wang Shuo hadn’t signed a formal contract yet, he also had insurance through the youth team.

One of the more important clauses in the insurance was that for the first six weeks of recovery, the club would continue to pay the player’s salary.

In other words, they’d receive their full pay.

After six weeks, the insurance would kick in, but it would only cover 80% of the salary.

This was a kind of safety net that came with the commercialization of football in the European football scene.

So, when a player was injured, the existence of insurance meant the club’s financial losses in terms of salary were actually controllable, and often not very large.

The real loss was on the competitive side.

Of course, if Mainz were to renew Marco Rose’s contract while he was injured, the club would certainly incur some losses.

But considering Marco Rose’s years of contribution, this investment was still very necessary.

At the very least, upon hearing this, the players in the locker room felt much better.

Klopp then rallied them, “The earliest Marco can return is next season. He will definitely want us to be playing in the Bundesliga by then, not still stuck in the 2nd Bundesliga!”

“I’ll say it again: we must take down Cologne today, no matter what!”

On a normal day in the locker room, Marco Rose, though a man of few words, had always been well-liked.

And he was always extremely diligent in matches and training.

Everyone was fired up after hearing Klopp’s words.

’For our injured teammate!’

Klopp’s initial strategy was to go on an all-out attack in the second half.

He was certain that Cologne wouldn’t adopt a conservative strategy either.

More importantly, for Mainz, even a 1-1 draw was as good as a loss.

To return to the Bundesliga, Mainz had to win!

So, the key was how to break through Cologne’s defense.

This came down to how the midfield would move the ball forward.

In Mainz’s entire attack and midfield, there wasn’t a single player who could consistently receive the ball with his back to the goal and then turn.

Their individual skills weren’t particularly outstanding either.

“I can drop back more, receive the ball in the gaps in the center and the half-spaces, and act as a transition,” Wang Shuo suggested.

“If you drop back, will you have time to get forward again?” Klopp asked with concern.

“I’ll manage the timing myself. No problem.”

Wang Shuo had battled Cologne’s center-backs for 45 minutes and had a clear understanding of their respective speeds and skill levels.

Especially the Lebanese international, Muhammad.

As long as he timed it right, he was still confident.

Klopp was not one to hesitate.

He glanced around the locker room and immediately made his decision.

“Alright, then. Everyone, pay close attention. As soon as you win the ball back, the first thing you do is look for Wang’s run.”

This meant the offense would be built around Wang Shuo!

At a time like this, unless someone was braver and more skilled than Wang Shuo, there would certainly be no objections.

…

Joseph Muhammad was only 1.82 meters tall, but his heading ability was excellent, and he was very explosive.

Since arriving in the 2nd Bundesliga in ’04 to join Freiburg, he had always performed well on the back line.

In the summer of ’07, Dom bought him from Freiburg to join Cologne, specifically to rebuild Cologne’s defense.

And his partner was Mackenna, who had dual Canadian and Scottish nationality and had joined from Cottbus.

Mackenna was over 1.9 meters tall, a typical tall, white center-back.

Cologne’s center-back pairing, just like their two strikers up front, was a classic “big man, fast man” combination.

Muhammad had been exceptionally eye-catching in the 2nd Bundesliga this season, and his market value had already soared to 3.5 million euros.

Don’t be fooled by his 1.82-meter frame; he wasn’t intimidated in the slightest, even when facing tall center-forwards over 1.9 meters.

He could even use his own explosiveness and agility to gain an advantage.

Aggressively pressing forward to tackle was his specialty.

But in the first half, he had been completely played by that 17-year-old youngster from Mainz.

This left the Lebanese international simmering with frustration.

When the second half began and Mainz once again launched a wave of attacks, with Wang Shuo frequently dropping back to receive the ball, Muhammad followed him every time to press.

And for the most part, he didn’t let Wang Shuo get the better of him.

He even intentionally fouled Wang Shuo from behind twice as he was receiving the ball, tripping him.

Another time, during an aerial duel, he beat Wang Shuo to the ball and headed it clear.

Mainz’s wave of attacks was quickly suppressed.

But in the 57th minute, after winning the ball in their own half, Mainz launched a counter-attack.

Wang Shuo dropped even deeper, receiving a pass from Gunkel in his own half. Just before Suazo could intercept, he distributed the ball to Foyelner on the left flank, then turned and surged forward.

Foyelner, understanding perfectly, passed the ball forward into the path of the advancing Wang Shuo.

Once again, Wang Shuo received the ball head-on and charged into Muhammad’s defensive zone.

One-on-one!

Muhammad held his defensive position, a fierce glint in his eyes.

’You’re not getting past me so easily this time!’

Wang Shuo was also staring intently at Muhammad.

He slowed down, continuously dribbling the ball as he approached Muhammad.

It looked just like the play from the first half.

Just as he entered Muhammad’s defensive zone, he quickly stepped out with his left foot, dipped his left shoulder slightly, and leaned his whole body to the left, looking like he was about to break through on that side.

Besides watching Wang Shuo’s movements, Muhammad was also focused on the ball at his feet.

’The man moved, but the ball didn’t!’

’A fake!’

Muhammad instantly made his judgment and didn’t fall for it.

’The same trick he used in the first half, and he’s trying it again in the second. I’m not falling into the same trap twice!’

But just as Muhammad prepared to block Wang Shuo’s cut inside, he suddenly saw Wang Shuo explode with speed, continuing his momentum to break through on the left.

After stepping out with his left foot, he used the instep of his right foot to hook the ball and knock it forward.

Pushing off with both feet, he shot past Muhammad’s side like a sharp arrow.

’Fuck! I fell for it again! It was real this time! What a goddamn surprise!’

Muhammad was completely caught off guard. He immediately turned and gave chase.

Mackenna, who had been covering as the last man, immediately closed in, blocking Wang Shuo’s path into the penalty area.

But Wang Shuo simply took a large stride, knocking the ball toward the byline.

Near the byline, he suddenly came to a screeching halt, stopping the ball with his right foot and pulling it back.

Mackenna had been chasing for dear life. How could his tall, bulky frame stop on a dime like Wang Shuo’s?

After shaking off Mackenna, Wang Shuo took a series of quick, small steps to adjust, baiting the hastily arriving Muhammad into closing in on him as well.

Wang Shuo spotted a gap between Muhammad’s legs and sent a horizontal pass with his right foot.

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

At that moment, the overlapping Foyelner arrived at full gallop, getting to the ball before Suazo and tapping it into Cologne’s goal.

2-1!

A comeback!

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep