The God of Football Starts With Passive Skills-Chapter 214 - 61: A Solo Run! Hunter Wang Shuo! Klopp’s Gambit Fails! Bayern’s Most Feared Opponent
Unfortunately, he couldn’t intercept the ball.
However, Lucio’s powerful clearance sent the ball straight out of play on the left sideline in Mainz’s half.
A Throw-In for Mainz.
Just ten seconds had ticked by on the clock.
The Mainz fans in the stadium broke into enthusiastic applause.
Even Klopp on the sideline was clapping in approval.
Wang Shuo’s repeated top-speed sprints had forced a Throw-In for his team in their own half.
Taking advantage of the Throw-In, Mainz started to push forward, advancing deep into Bayern’s half.
Bayern was obviously well-prepared for this situation.
In terms of strength, they held an overwhelming advantage.
So the Bundesliga titans weren’t the least bit flustered, methodically maintaining their own rhythm.
It was the kind of confidence that belonged to a powerhouse team.
Wang Shuo could understand Klinsmann’s intentions as well.
As long as Bayern remained stable and kept a clean sheet, it wouldn’t be long before Mainz’s own formation would crumble.
At that point, the match would be Bayern’s for the taking!
Gamblers are, more often than not, people without much capital to begin with.
One particular sequence perfectly illustrated Bayern’s mindset.
When Mainz’s first wave of attack up front failed and the ball was cleared by Bayern, it eventually landed at the feet of a Mainz center-back near the edge of the center circle in their own half. Even then, Bayern’s forwards didn’t press aggressively.
On one hand, given Luca Tony’s and Klose’s height and age, they didn’t have the legs for it.
On the other hand, it wasn’t necessary.
Rather than get into a war of attrition with Mainz now, it would be better to conserve energy. Wait until Mainz ran out of steam, then Bayern could turn the tables and launch a direct assault. Wouldn’t that be better?
As a result, Mainz smoothly seized the advantage right from the kickoff.
In the 3rd minute, after bringing the ball under control up front, Wang Shuo passed to Hainauer.
Hainauer unleashed a long-range shot from just left of the top of the arc, but it struck a defender and deflected out past the byline.
A corner kick.
Yet just two minutes later, Wang Shuo was at it again. He linked up with Foyelner in the left channel and made a quick run to receive Foyelner’s chipped pass over the defense. As he attempted to charge into the penalty area with the ball, Lucio tackled it out past the byline.
Another corner kick.
In the 8th minute, Wang Shuo was involved yet again. He drifted out to the right flank, received a pass from Helle, and drove to the byline. He aimed a cross into the penalty area for Hainauer, but Demichelis, who had tracked back diligently, blocked it out.
Yet another corner kick.
Three consecutive corner kicks in less than ten minutes.
To a certain extent, this showed that Mainz’s high press was putting considerable pressure on Bayern.
But conversely, it also showed that Mainz was unable to create any direct threats on Bayern’s goal.
This was especially evident in the 9th minute.
Wang Shuo made a series of sharp turns and feints outside Bayern’s Arc Top District, trying to create an opening.
Hainauer quickly played a through ball, trying to find Wang Shuo, but Demichelis suddenly appeared and intercepted it just in time.
...
"That damn Argentinian center-back has a ton of flaws, but he’s got a brilliant football mind!"
Assistant Coach Buvac said, shaking his head.
Klopp nodded repeatedly. But he didn’t have time to reply; he strode to the sideline and yelled at his players, warning them to watch out for a Bayern counter-attack.
When Mainz committed players to a high press, their backline was inevitably left exposed.
But strangely, Bayern wasn’t committing many players to their counter-attacks. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢
Take this latest instance, for example.
After Demichelis won the ball, Bayern quickly launched a counter-attack.
Their players were individually skilled and technically sound. With just two or three passes, they moved the ball directly to the right wing.
Hamit Altıntop received the ball on that flank and began to surge forward.
Lővér tracked back in time to mark Hamit Altıntop.
But the problem was, there were surprisingly no other Bayern players nearby to offer support.
Klose and Luca Tony were both waiting in the center.
The end result was that Hamit Altıntop hit a low cross that had just entered the penalty area when it was cleared away by Nowitzki.
"Do you think that was Klinsmann’s instruction? Or just poor coordination from the Bayern players?"
Klopp walked back to the dugout, his brow furrowed in confusion.
"Probably a bit of both," Buvac said.
"Based on the first ten minutes or so, Klinsmann’s intention is crystal clear. He wants to hold the line, control the tempo of the game, and slowly wear us down. For them, it’s the safest bet."
Because Bayern had an overwhelming advantage in terms of strength.
"Also, have you noticed? Since the kickoff, both of Bayern’s counter-attacks have gone down the right flank, on Altıntop’s side."
"Ribery on the left wing has barely touched the ball so far."
’Is it because Mainz is doing such a good job of shutting Ribery down?’
’Unlikely.’
’That can only mean Bayern isn’t even playing seriously yet.’
"So, in other words, Klinsmann has already seen right through our strategy."
Klopp let out a helpless sigh.
’Everyone in the world knows that you, Klopp, only have those first few opening gambits. And Klinsmann is like a spectator. He’s pulled up a stool, grabbed a beer and some peanuts, and is just sitting there, watching Mainz run through its entire playbook. Once we’re done, our energy will be just about spent. And that’s when the Bayern show will begin.’
That’s why, since the kickoff, Bayern’s pressing against Mainz’s midfield and defense, and even their commitment on the counter, all seemed somewhat half-hearted.
Because they were focusing all their energy on defense.
