The God of Football Starts With Passive Skills-Chapter 56 - 36: Bundesliga, Here I Come

And what about Wang Shuo?

He didn’t really have a good solution either.

Although Cologne had set up their defensive line around the edge of the penalty area, they weren’t pressing high up the pitch, and their formation was very tight.

Every time Wang Shuo made a run, Cologne’s center-backs and defensive midfielders would chase after him.

Klopp had moved Foyelner to the center to improve the midfield’s ability to play the ball out.

But so far, the effect had been mediocre.

Facing three ravenous defensive midfielders, Foyelner couldn’t even hold onto the ball, let alone make a pass.

But Wang Shuo had his own plan.

’You like to follow me, don’t you?’

’Fine, then follow me!’

’Let’s see who can last until the end!’

And so, Wang Shuo ran nonstop.

Naturally, Cologne’s center-backs and defensive midfielders had to run with him.

And his range of movement was huge.

The left wing, the right wing, dropping back, surging forward...

Wang Shuo ran whenever he saw an opportunity, constantly draining the stamina of Cologne’s defenders.

When the 80th minute arrived, Wang Shuo saw Klopp making gestures at him from the sideline. He deliberately waved back, signaling that he was fine.

And Klopp actually believed him.

No substitution!

This, in turn, completely baffled Dom in front of the home team’s coaching bench.

He had seen Borja frequently running out to warm up, but Klopp still hadn’t made a change.

Especially after the 80th minute, with the match nearing its end.

"Isn’t Klopp planning to make a substitution?" Roland Koch found it strange.

It was this late in the game; if he didn’t make a substitution now, it would be too late.

Even though Dom was a famous coach in Germany, renowned throughout the European football scene, he couldn’t understand this decision.

"Could it be... he’s planning to gamble everything on the final few minutes?"

But the flow of the match soon disproved Dom’s guess.

Past the 85th minute, Klopp still hadn’t made a substitution.

Borja didn’t even go out to warm up anymore, sitting right back down on the away team’s bench.

It was obvious the Ecuadorian knew he wouldn’t be playing.

"He’s given up?" Koch breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

Dom glanced at Klopp, finding him inscrutable. "It seems so, but... this isn’t Klopp’s style."

Everyone in the German football scene said that Klopp was like a boxer.

You either knock out your opponent, or you get knocked out.

In Klopp’s brand of football, there was no surrender!

...

On the pitch, the pace of the match grew slower and slower.

The stamina of both teams was being increasingly depleted.

Even players like Amri and Schauneberg, who had come on as substitutes later, were panting after just a dozen minutes of intense play.

That’s how it was in such a high-intensity, fierce match.

After the 70th minute, it was as if Wang Shuo, up at the very front, had been completely frozen out by Cologne.

"It could also be that his stamina is nearly gone. After all, he’s only 17," the TV commentator speculated.

As the match entered its final stages, almost everyone concluded that Klopp had really given up.

Or rather, he had no better options and could only choose to trust the players on the field. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

In the stands, the Cologne fans were already eagerly preparing to celebrate.

The opponent’s apparent surrender and the fans’ cheering roars also spurred on the Cologne players on the pitch.

Especially after their defensive line had stabilized, they began to want to kill the game off directly.

A single point at home?

That would still leave some suspense for the final round.

But if they got three points, Cologne would directly lock in their qualification for the Bundesliga!

Whoever helped the team take down Mainz would be the hero of their promotion!

Ozat wanted to be that hero.

He had already orchestrated two of Cologne’s attacks.

When the match reached the 87th minute, Ozat saw his chance. He charged rapidly down the right flank, received a pass from Pezzoni, and looked to launch another attack on the dribble.

Amri tracked back the whole way, sticking tightly to Ozat.

Gunkel also ran over to block him at the earliest opportunity, joined by Nowitzki who had shifted to the wing.

Three of Mainz’s defenders converged on him at once, completely pinning Ozat near the sideline.

When the Cologne defender tried to make a pass, it deflected off Nowitzki’s body.

Gunkel got to the ball first, sending a pass into the space behind the defending Amri.

The ball traveled forward along the left sideline, and as Amri turned to chase it, he drew Suazo over to him.

But at the same time, he also saw Wang Shuo up ahead, running over and calling for the ball.

Amri had no time to think. Just before Suazo closed in, he sent a straight pass forward.

The ball traveled forward from the left sideline.

Wang Shuo was running from the center toward the left, but the center-back, Muhammad, was right behind him.

"A quick counter-attack from Mainz."

"The defense is tight. Let’s see how Wang Shuo handles this."

As Wang Shuo made his run, he kept glancing back to check Muhammad’s position.

At the same time, he was trying to guess Muhammad’s intentions.

The Lebanese center-back had a very precise plan: the moment Wang Shuo received the ball, he would get tight and use his physical advantage to overpower him.

Ideally, he would make Wang Shuo lose the ball.

If that failed, he would at least prevent him from turning.

But...

’It’s not that easy!’

Wang Shuo steeled himself.

Before he had obtained the Regional Level [Ball Sense], Wang Shuo really wouldn’t have had a solution for this.

But now, it wasn’t difficult for him.

Just as the ball arrived in front of him, Wang Shuo suddenly took a step forward, extended his right foot, and flicked the oncoming ball with the outside of his boot.

When the ball made contact with the outside of his foot, it didn’t pop up high. Instead, it slightly changed direction, flying past Wang Shuo on his right side and into the space behind him at an even greater speed.

After his right foot touched the ball, Wang Shuo’s body came to a momentary halt. Then he suddenly spun around, moving to his left to get past Muhammad.