The God of Football Starts With Passive Skills-Chapter 171 - 55: Devil’s Footwork! Tricking Neuer! That Saucy Ball Trap! He Saves Mainz Again
"Did he really say that?"
After seeing Wang Shuo out, Klopp immediately summoned Buvac, Kramny, and Peter Krawietz to his office.
The four of them were the final decision-makers for the Mainz first team.
Klopp nodded. "What do you all think?"
Buvac and Krawietz couldn’t help but fall silent.
As the team’s top star, Wang Shuo’s opinion definitely had to be taken seriously.
But Klopp also had his own ideas.
Besides, Klopp could be quite stubborn at times and wasn’t always willing to listen to advice.
Even though they were good friends and capable assistants, they still had to be careful with their words at a time like this.
It was part of how they maintained their long-term working relationship.
Kramny, however, glanced at Buvac and Krawietz, thought for a moment, and was the first to speak up.
"In my opinion, Wang is an honest guy. Given the team’s current situation, anyone else would have spoken out long ago."
"Up to now, he’s been very respectful of the head coach and the coaching staff."
If the star player were the first to stand up and criticize the head coach’s tactics, it would be extremely troublesome.
Just like Klinsmann’s current situation at Bayern.
Klopp had also been a player, and a legendary one for Mainz at that, so he knew Kramny was right.
Wang Shuo had always respected him immensely.
Especially when Klopp revealed he had been summoned by the chairman and general manager, the concern Wang Shuo showed was definitely not fake.
"I trust Wang Shuo unconditionally!"
Klopp set the tone for the entire matter.
"We developed him. We watched him grow from an unknown youngster to where he is today. His own hard work and diligence were the most important factors, of course, but we contributed too."
"So, I believe that what he said came straight from the heart."
In that case, the next step was simple.
Klopp and Wang Shuo trusted each other, so they could discuss the matter on its merits.
"Wang Shuo is currently running nearly 12 kilometers per match on average. His involvement in the game is the highest of any player in the entire Bundesliga. His contribution..."
At this point, Peter Krawietz gave a wry smile.
"To be honest, I can’t even quantify it."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Not long ago, Kicker Magazine published an article titled "Mainz’s Sisyphus."
It was about Wang Shuo.
In the second half of the season so far, Mainz, plagued by the Klopp Syndrome, had been in poor overall form, and their tactical execution had suffered greatly.
Wang Shuo was like Sisyphus pushing the boulder up the mountain, repeatedly hoisting the team to the peak of victory through his individual performances.
Only for it to roll back down again and again.
The Kicker Magazine article resonated with many German football fans.
Nowadays, Wang Shuo’s name was becoming more and more famous in the German Football Scene.
"Personally, I think we can give it a try."
Buvac also gave his opinion.
"I’ve always felt that Wang Shuo’s ability to read the game is exceptional, which makes his off-the-ball movement very intelligent. He also has incredible stamina. The key problem is that our current team can’t build a competitive lineup around him."
"In the past few matches, how many times has he received the ball up front, only to find no one nearby to support him in time?"
Buvac’s words left Klopp and the others speechless.
It was the truth.
But one also had to consider that the players on Mainz were a group whose transfer values were not even one million euros.
They might do alright playing in the 2nd Bundesliga, but in the Bundesliga, especially in the title race, it was simply a joke.
Klopp had actually fought back.
He had threatened Heidel with his resignation to prevent the sale of Wang Shuo.
And when Subotic was sold, he had hoped the club would free up some money for the transfer market.
At the very least, to strengthen the squad and boost morale.
But Heidel had said that of the 7 million euros, the down payment was only 2 million, with the rest to be paid in installments.
Why are Bundesliga teams still inclined to sell players to Bayern, even when they know it will strengthen their rival?
It’s the security!
At the very least, Bayern won’t default on their payments!
If you sell to a Serie A, Premier League, or La Liga club, after the installment plan is set, they use the player while the transfer fee remains outstanding.
Sometimes, the player might even be sold by the buying club before the original transfer fee is fully paid.
"Next, we have two consecutive matches against Schalke 04. We’ll rest our key players for the cup match and let Bancé play. For the league match, we’ll give it a try!"
Klopp was a decisive man.
Just as Buvac said, Wang Shuo’s ability to read the game was strong, and his understanding of it was thorough.
That meant his suggestion was worth a shot!
’It’s a desperate measure.’
’But what if it works?’
...
"Wang, did the boss really say that?"
In the players’ lounge, Schürrle got all excited after hearing Wang Shuo recount the discussion from Klopp’s office.
"Would I lie to you?"
Wang Shuo said this, then turned to look at Foyelner and Hainauer. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎
"If the boss goes with my suggestion, then over the next few days, we need to really work out how to coordinate well."
"Wang, just tell us what to do. We’ll listen to you," Foyelner said, having no objections.
"I’ll give you my full support," Hainauer also declared.
After playing together for this long, they were all completely convinced by Wang Shuo.
Without Wang Shuo, could Mainz have finished the first half of the season at the top of the table?
"Then just watch my positioning and my hand signals."
Wang Shuo’s idea was actually quite simple.
He would be responsible for pulling defenders out of position and running into open space.
