The God of Football Starts With Passive Skills-Chapter 116 - 47: European Golden Boy Award! Is He Really Wang Shuo? The Bundesliga’s Biggest Change in a Decade
’It’s only been half a year. Has his progress been this fast?’
’Is it possible?’
Mulling over what the three young players were thinking, Friedrich gave a deep cough.
"Judging by Wang Shuo’s performance, we have to take him very seriously."
"That’s only because Mainz built their attack around him, which makes him look good. If..."
Pasu trailed off, not daring to finish his sentence.
At 1.9 meters tall, Pasu held a distinct advantage over his peers.
He had a powerful build, surprising speed, and most importantly, his skills on the ball were solid.
Unfortunately, at Bayer Leverkusen, the two starting center-forwards, Kiesling and Helmes, were homegrown talents.
If Bayer Leverkusen were to build their offensive tactics around Pasu, perhaps he too could have performed exceptionally well.
After listening to the three academy prospects and glancing at Friedrich, Rolfes immediately stepped in.
"Alright, that’s enough arguing. For tomorrow’s match, I need to focus my energy on Hainauer, so I’ll leave marking Wang Shuo to Manuel and Enrique."
"We all need to work together and fight for a win in this home game!"
In head coach Labbadia’s plan, the second half was the decisive moment against Mainz.
...
On the afternoon of October 24th, at the BayArena.
Bundesliga Matchday 9, Mainz away to Bayer Leverkusen.
From the first minute of the match, Bayer Leverkusen’s defenders realized Wang Shuo was nothing like what they had anticipated.
On one occasion, the young Chinese player dropped back for the ball. He trapped it, spun around, and slipped past Rolfes. As he charged forward, Friedrich knocked him down just outside the penalty area.
The referee didn’t blow the whistle.
Bayer Leverkusen took possession.
But that single moment was enough to tell them: Wang Shuo was absolutely not the kid Pasu and the others described, the one who couldn’t even stick with the Bayer Leverkusen U19s half a year ago.
If that were true, then the Bayer Leverkusen U19s must be incredibly strong!
As the match progressed, this feeling grew stronger and stronger.
Rolfes, wearing the captain’s armband, even felt the urge to run up to the stands, drag the three young punks down to the pitch, and let them get a taste of defending Wang Shuo for themselves. He wanted them to see if this was really the same young Chinese player they had been talking about.
But that was obviously impossible!
From the first second of the match, Wang Shuo never stopped running.
And it wasn’t a steady jog; his running was interspersed with sudden bursts of acceleration.
For the defenders tasked with marking him, this was a true nightmare.
Follow him?
The stamina drain was immense.
Wang Shuo was 1.8 meters tall.
Bayer Leverkusen’s two center-backs, plus Rolfes, were all at least 1.85 meters tall.
Their stamina couldn’t hold out!
Don’t follow?
Wang Shuo would instantly find space, and the moment he received the ball, he became a threat.
Bayer Leverkusen’s players were also very experienced in defense.
They tried to handle him by assigning defensive zones, taking turns marking him.
Friedrich, Enrique, and Rolfes formed a triangular cage, trapping Wang Shuo inside.
But the cunning Chinese player quickly found the gaps in their zonal defense.
In the 17th minute, just as Bayer Leverkusen was initiating a counter-attack near the left of the center circle in their own half, Gunkel suddenly pressed and successfully dispossessed them.
But the ball still ended up at Rolfes’ feet.
Hainauer immediately rushed toward Rolfes, giving him no time to react.
The Pharmacy captain immediately passed it forward again, looking for Augusto.
But as soon as he made the pass, Foyelner appeared.
Foyelner blocked the ball, sending it high into the air.
Rolfes jumped for the header, knocking the ball away.
But Gunkel charged in as well, getting to the high ball that Rolfes had headed toward the halfway line and sending it right back behind Rolfes.
Foyelner surged forward, turned his body, and controlled the ball into his path with one touch before charging ahead.
The most important aspect of Labbadia’s coaching style is stability.
This 4-1-3-2 formation, while it does emphasize pressing in the midfield and forward line...
It was especially designed to completely unleash the hard-running Vidal.
But the defensive line was still quite solid.
Right-back Castro appeared just in time to block Foyelner’s path.
Wang Shuo charged from the Arc Top District toward the penalty area.
The two center-backs, Friedrich and Enrique, stuck to him like glue, flanking him on both sides.
Seeing Foyelner slow down, Wang Shuo guessed that he wouldn’t be able to get past the defender.
Wang Shuo glanced left and right, then immediately chose to run horizontally into the open space on the right side of the penalty area.
Castro was outside the right corner of the penalty area, blocking Foyelner, which left the right side of the box wide open.
While running, Wang Shuo raised his hand and shouted, "Marcus!"
Foyelner understood immediately. After a feint, he sent a diagonal pass straight into the right side of the penalty area.
After making the pass, Foyelner himself cut diagonally toward the top of the penalty arc.
The ball arrived, and so did he!
It wasn’t that Foyelner’s pass was perfectly timed, but that Wang Shuo had deliberately controlled his speed to keep Enrique pinned firmly behind him.
Inside the penalty area, an opponent wouldn’t dare make any unnecessary moves, not even physical contact.
Wang Shuo controlled the ball with the inside of his right foot, stopping it directly in front of him. He turned his body slightly, positioning himself perfectly between the ball and Enrique, making it impossible for the Brazilian center-back to get a touch.
’Weak in physical confrontations?’
’You don’t always need a physical confrontation!’
Although his back was to the goal, Wang Shuo could clearly see he had two passing options.
