The God of Football Starts With Passive Skills-Chapter 220 - 62: Hat-trick! Cruyff Turn! The Future Fourth Superstar! As the Team Anthem Plays, Mainz Are the Champions

Chapter 220: Chapter 62: Hat-trick! Cruyff Turn! The Future Fourth Superstar! As the Team Anthem Plays, Mainz Are the Champions

’So this is what a superstar is like.’

Wang Shuo sat on his seat in the locker room, a thick bath towel draped over his head.

The rain outside was coming down harder and harder, and everyone was soaked to the bone.

Back in the locker room, the first order of business was to quickly dry off, change into dry clothes, and get warm.

After all, there was still the second half to play.

But Wang Shuo was lost in thought, replaying that display of individual brilliance from Ribery just before the end of the first half.

Wang Shuo had seen similar clips online.

Even lots of highlight reels.

Not just of Ribery, but also of Messi, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Kaka, and others.

But none of those could compare to the breathtaking impact of seeing it live with his own eyes.

’This is what a superstar is!’

Back in the locker room, Bungert immediately apologized.

He really hadn’t meant to commit the foul.

But Ribery was just too fast. By the time he committed to the tackle, Ribery had already shifted, and he ended up kicking him.

Wang Shuo understood Bungert’s experience all too well.

Because he often did the same things Ribery did.

Someone moving at 1.2 times the speed versus someone at normal speed—it was like they were playing in a different dimension.

Demichelis probably felt a similar frustration.

Of course, players like that were often on the shorter side and at a disadvantage in physical confrontations.

Like Ribery and Messi.

Wang Shuo also possessed that kind of quickness.

’If Ribery can do it, so can I!’

...

"They’ve completely figured out our game plan."

"Bayern is tougher than we imagined. They’re more difficult to handle than any opponent we’ve faced before."

"So, we have to adjust our strategy for the second half."

Klopp took the blame himself.

He felt the team’s first-half tactics hadn’t been successful.

Even though we scored two goals, we also conceded one.

Furthermore, his opening tactics hadn’t panned out.

He suspected that in the second half, Bayern would turn up the pressure and stop giving Mainz so much time.

Bayern’s attacking system was very well-rounded.

Luca Tony was extremely dominant in the box; he was tall, strong, and great with headers.

Although Klose wasn’t a tall target man, he was also exceptionally good with headers, and his shooting ability was top-notch.

With Ribery on the left and Altıntop on the right, Bayern excelled at both breaking through on the wings and cutting inside.

Then there were the late runs from deep.

On set pieces, they also had a terrifying presence like Lucio.

You could say that Bayern’s lineup was incredibly strong.

Of course, they weren’t without their weaknesses.

In their 4-4-2 formation, Bayern had revealed issues more than once during the first half.

Both Klose and Luca Tony were getting older, and their range of movement was limited.

They weren’t doing a good enough job of pressing the area occupied by Mainz’s deep-lying midfielder.

"In that area, Van Bommel and Schweinsteiger’s responsibilities still aren’t well-defined. They make frequent mistakes, sometimes even leaving a man completely free."

"Miroslav, you can exploit this. Pull their two holding midfielders out of position!"

In fact, Mainz’s second goal was created when Kalhan got the ball in open space.

Once one of their two holding midfielders is pulled out, we have to figure out how to best use the resulting space.

"Give me the ball!"

Wang Shuo reached up, yanked the bath towel off his head, and looked straight at his coach, Klopp.

The locker room instantly fell silent.

Everyone stared at Wang Shuo in surprise.

As far as they could remember, this was the first time Wang Shuo had ever so directly shown his ambition.

"Give the ball to me. I’ll do what Ribery did and put it in Bayern’s net!"

Everyone in the locker room was even more stunned.

Klopp, Buvac, and Kramny exchanged glances, all taken aback.

But they were also pleased and gratified.

Ever since Wang Shuo had arrived in Germany and joined Mainz, he had always kept a low profile.

Every step he took was measured and stable. Every choice he made was impeccable. He always followed the rules, as if terrified of putting a foot wrong.

In truth, Klopp understood Wang Shuo very well.

Because deep down, they were cut from the same cloth.

But Klopp also knew that this version of Wang Shuo wasn’t enough.

To become a better player, you absolutely have to have a fiercely competitive spirit.

On the soccer pitch, nice guys don’t get very far.

And Wang Shuo had been growing all along.

From the moment he joined the Mainz first team, he started shouldering more responsibility, gradually daring to voice his thoughts and show his ambition. He was constantly changing.

This was the first time he had proactively stepped forward to make his intentions clear.

He would be like Ribery!

This was an excellent start.

’Next time, he’ll want to do even better than Ribery!’

"Okay, that’s the plan!"

Klopp made the decision on the spot, without a moment’s hesitation.

Hearing this, Wang Shuo looked up and gave his coach a grateful glance.

Klopp simply smiled and nodded back at him.

Neither of them said a word, but they both knew what the other was thinking.

It was a form of tacit understanding.

More than that, it was trust.

...

When the players from both teams returned to the pitch, they found the rain was coming down even harder.

The drainage system at the Olympic Stadium Berlin was excellent, so there was no standing water, but the pitch was still extremely slick.

The second half kicked off.

Just as Klopp had predicted, Bayern changed their first-half strategy and went on the offensive.

After Mainz kicked off, Luca Tony and Klose immediately charged into Mainz’s half to press them.