The God of Football Starts With Passive Skills-Chapter 50 - 32: The Most Crucial Person (Part 2)

Konides’s analysis prominently highlighted that both of Mainz’s wingers preferred to play on their inverted foot.

Marvin Matip, who had Cameroonian heritage, was a right-footed player who could play center-back as well as full-back.

A right-footed player at left-back was the perfect counter to Balik on his inverted foot.

Dom had another trick up his sleeve with this arrangement: Ozat.

The Turkish player was someone Dom had become familiar with during his time coaching in Turkey. At 1.85 meters tall, he was a versatile player, capable of playing on the left, in the center, or on the right.

Why?

Because he was proficient with both feet.

Although he primarily played on the left, his dominant foot was actually his right.

Only those who knew him well were aware that his right foot was even stronger than his left.

Moreover, he was Cologne’s leading assist provider for the season.

Cologne’s greatest strength this season lay in their two forwards.

Patrick Helmes and the Slovenian international striker, Milivoje Novakovic.

Both were among the top three goalscorers in the 2nd Bundesliga and had been performing exceptionally well.

In Dom’s opinion, as long as they could withstand Mainz’s frantic pressing, it was only a matter of time before his two forwards breached Mainz’s goal.

"In the upcoming training sessions, have Helmes replicate that 17-year-old kid. It’ll help Mackenna, Muhammad, and the others adapt ahead of time."

"We have to win this match, no matter what!" Dom declared with unwavering resolve.

This wasn’t just about promotion to the Bundesliga; it was about the manager’s seat at Dortmund!

Rumor had it that Dortmund had approached Klopp, but his response was that he would only consider Dortmund if Mainz failed in their bid for promotion.

For the proud and arrogant Dom, he wanted to use this victory to send a message to Dortmund: ’I’m better than Klopp!’

’When I was leading Stuttgart to a championship, who the hell even knew where that Klopp guy was playing?’

As for the Dortmund job, Dom was dead set on getting it.

In his entire life, there were three people he despised above all others.

Hennes, Heynckes, and Rehhagel.

In Germany, only by coaching a major club like Dortmund or Bayer Leverkusen would he get his chance for revenge!

...

While Christopher Dom and his assistants were dissecting Mainz, Klopp was holding a meeting with all his players, accompanied by Zeliko Buvac, Peter Krawietz, and others.

The meeting began with video analyst Benjamin Weber presenting an analysis of Cologne’s season using edited clips, helping the players get a better understanding of their opponents.

Dom was a very passionate head coach.

Beckenbauer had once praised him for "possessing a passion that burns like a raging fire."

His coaching style was centered on aggressive offense. It retained the traditional German emphasis on physical strength and confrontation while also prioritizing teamwork and cohesion. At the same time, he was fond of using technically gifted players, especially those from Brazil.

While Cologne supposedly played a 4-4-2 formation, it actually looked more like a 4-3-1-2.

Four defenders, three holding midfielders, a number 10, and a two-striker front line.

In this system, the two wider holding midfielders were highly mobile, capable of pushing forward, tracking back, and drifting out to the flanks.

The number 10, their attacking midfielder, was Loda Antal from Lebanon.

He was the first Asian player ever to score a hat-trick in a top-tier European league.

Standing 1.87 meters tall, he was a well-rounded player who excelled at making late runs from midfield to score.

The two forwards up front complemented each other perfectly.

Novakovic, at 1.92 meters, was a heavyweight striker with a strong aerial presence. His footwork wasn’t bad either, and he had a keen poacher’s instinct in front of goal, making him a formidable Eastern European center forward.

Helmes, at 1.82 meters, also possessed an excellent poacher’s instinct and scoring ability, but his greatest strength was his off-the-ball movement.

It was precisely the presence of these two great strikers, combined with Antal’s late runs from deep, that had allowed Cologne to perform so brilliantly in the Second Bundesliga this season.

Mainz’s two center-backs, Subotic and Nowitzki, were both tall defenders, standing over 1.9 meters.

They might not have much trouble against Novakovic, but what about the highly mobile Helmes?

Klopp made sure to emphasize this point.

"Dom is a renowned coach who is very flexible with his tactics and tailors his approach specifically to his opponents."

"The 4-4-2 system he designed for Cologne is very strong on the flanks, thanks to their full-backs. Ozat, in particular, is like their version of Gary Neville."

Wang Shuo sat in the audience, listening intently.

As he listened to Klopp, he began to turn things over in his mind.

’Novakovic and Helmes really do complement each other. One is like a tank, crashing through the front line, while the other plays like a guerrilla fighter around him.’

’Trying to defend them with just two center-backs is going to be incredibly difficult.’

’Their one-on-one skills are just too strong.’

’And for a pairing of two tall center-backs like ours, it’s an even tougher matchup.’

’So, should we use three center-backs?’

’Drop back into a five-man backline when defending?’

’But what about the midfield then?’

’Can’t forget about Antal.’

’More importantly, if we go to a five-man defense, their full-backs would be unleashed, especially Ozat with his incredible crossing ability.’

’They’d be free to whip in crosses from the flanks, and Cologne would have three targets in the middle: Novakovic, Helmes, and Antal.’

Just thinking about it made Wang Shuo’s head ache. It was a daunting prospect.

It all came down to a question of trade-offs.

Many teams facing Cologne chose to sit back and consolidate their defense first.

But Klopp’s Mainz couldn’t do that. So, he opted to fight fire with fire.

But even as they prepared to go on the offensive, he gave strict and repeated instructions to Marco Rose, Hogland, and Pekovic.

The full-backs were to be mindful of helping the center-backs, while the midfielders had to be wary of Antal’s late runs.

The beauty of football lies in its balance.

Cologne’s attack was incredibly strong.

But there are only eleven players on the pitch.

When a team is that strong offensively, its defense is often prone to problems.

Wang Shuo’s mission was to find and exploit those problems and weaknesses.

Whether it was the gaps left by the advancing full-backs or the space in the half-spaces outside the penalty area.

"This match is the single most important one of our season!"

"If we want to fight our way back into the Bundesliga, we have to beat Cologne."

"Against a team like Cologne, our defense is the absolute first priority."

"Novakovic and Helmes are both top-three goalscorers in the league, and that’s not even mentioning Antal."

"If we can’t hold them off, we’re dead in the water playing away from home!"

Everyone felt the deadly seriousness in Klopp’s tone.

And more importantly, his determination.

"But just defending won’t be nearly enough. That alone won’t get us promoted to the Bundesliga."

"We have to win! We have to take all three points on the road!"

"So, Wang, the outcome of this match, the success or failure of our entire promotion campaign this season... you are our most critical player!"

With Klopp’s words, all eyes in the room turned to focus on Wang Shuo.

Each person’s gaze held a different emotion.

Acknowledgment, support, sympathy, doubt, jealousy... and even hostility.

With the atmosphere built to a crescendo, Wang Shuo didn’t hesitate, rising straight to his feet.

"I will absolutely score against Cologne!"

Klopp was pleased with Wang Shuo’s declaration.

Whether he could actually do it was anyone’s guess.

But the fighting spirit was what mattered!

"So, now all the pressure is on our midfielders and defenders."

Klopp made a rare attempt at humor, and everyone broke into laughter.