The God of Football Starts With Passive Skills-Chapter 189 - 57: The Secret Weapon Worked! A One-Sided DFB-Pokal Semi-Final! No Dark Horses in the Second Half of the Bundesliga

Chapter 189: Chapter 57: The Secret Weapon Worked! A One-Sided DFB-Pokal Semi-Final! No Dark Horses in the Second Half of the Bundesliga

They conceded a goal 16 minutes into the first half.

Then, in the second half, they conceded two more goals in the 55th and 71st minutes.

Klopp didn’t bring Wang Shuo on for the entire match.

The match showed everyone that Mainz’s squad was too thin; they simply didn’t have the depth to compete on two fronts.

With both Hamburg and Hertha Berlin winning their matches, Mainz’s league position dropped to fifth place.

After a three-game losing streak, Mainz was tied with Hertha Berlin at 52 points.

Hamburg, meanwhile, had 54 points.

Behind them was Stuttgart with 51 points.

Hoffenheim, which had earned 38 points in the first half of the season, had only managed to reach 45 points so far in the second half.

Aside from their star striker Ibisevic being sidelined for the season with a serious injury, Rangnick’s team was also in terrible form. Compounded by a lack of squad depth, they simply couldn’t keep up their performance in the second half of the season.

Their situation was identical to Mainz’s.

The only difference was that Mainz had ridden a wave of brilliant performances from Wang Shuo to a three-game winning streak; otherwise, they would have been in the same boat as Hoffenheim.

...

On the evening of April 21st, Mainz faced Bayer Leverkusen away in the DFB-Pokal semi-final.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Arena Television’s live coverage of the first semi-final match of the 2008/09 DFB-Pokal season."

"Bayer Leverkusen hosts this season’s Bundesliga dark horse, Mainz."

"This is a match that has captured the attention of countless fans."

"We’re broadcasting live for you from the Sjie Sports Stadium in Dusseldorf."

"Bayer Leverkusen’s home ground, the BayArena, has been undergoing renovations this season, with a second tier being added to the stands. So, apart from some Bundesliga league matches, they’ve chosen to hold their more important fixtures here in Dusseldorf."

"As we can see, the match has drawn a crowd of over 50,000 fans."

"Looking at the broadcast footage, the stands are almost entirely filled with Bayer Leverkusen supporters."

"The Pharmacy is clearly determined to win this match!"

"Before the match, Bayer Leverkusen’s head coach, Labbadia, said his team would defeat Mainz, just as they did in their league encounter two weeks ago."

"Mainz, on the other hand, has been very low-key in the lead-up to the game."

"As we all know, the team’s recent form hasn’t been great; they’ve just suffered a three-game losing streak in the Bundesliga."

"It’s a truly awful situation."

"We now have the starting lineups for both teams."

"Since both sides rested some players during their league matches last weekend, they’re fielding their strongest lineups tonight."

"First, let’s take a look at the home side, Bayer Leverkusen. They’re coming out in their trademark 4-4-2 formation."

Goalkeeper: Adler

Defense: Kadlec, Friedrich, Sinkywitz, and Castro

Midfield: Tony Kroos and Renato Augusto on the wings, with Rolfes playing a holding role and Vidal pushing forward.

Forwards: Kiesling and Helmes.

"And now for Mainz’s starting lineup."

"Klopp is once again going with his preferred 4-4-1-1 formation."

Goalkeeper: Dimo Wahe

Defense: Lővér, Nowitzki, Bungert, and Helle

Midfield: Foyelner, Pekovic, Kalhan, and Schürrle, with Hainauer playing just behind the striker.

Forward: Wang Shuo.

"This is the strongest possible lineup that Mainz can field at the moment."

"It must be said, in terms of squad strength, Mainz is clearly outmatched by Bayer Leverkusen."

"You can see that just by looking at the total market value of the two squads."

"With the rise of young talents like Wang Shuo and Schürrle this season, Mainz’s total squad value is now around 30 million euros."

"Bayer Leverkusen’s total squad value, however, is a staggering 120 million euros."

"Also worth noting is that Bayer Leverkusen’s defensive stalwart, Friedrich, is a former Mainz player—and their former captain, no less."

"Of course, a difference in market value doesn’t necessarily translate to performance on the pitch."

"But it certainly highlights the gap between them."

"But of course, we are all eager to see if Klopp’s team can pull off another legendary underdog performance."

"Especially the young star from China, Wang Shuo."

...

"To deal with Wang Shuo, we’re sticking to the same tactics we used two weeks ago."

"Simon, you need to watch him carefully when he drops deep."

The captain, Rolfes, nodded in agreement at Labbadia’s words.

At that moment, the only sound in the Bayer Leverkusen locker room was Labbadia’s voice. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"We’re using the same game plan as two weeks ago. From the very second the first whistle blows, I want every single one of you pushing up, pinning Mainz down completely!"

"Our opponents are in big trouble right now. They’re still deploying the two veterans, Pekovic and Kalhan, to anchor their midfield because they’ve got no one else!"

"That’s our opportunity!"

"Our wingers can be more aggressive. At the same time, we need to make full use of our two center forwards."

"Tony."

Labbadia turned and pointed at Tony Kroos.

"You did a brilliant job in the match two weeks ago. Your passing was lethal. I want more of that in this game—keep feeding the ball in and let our center forwards dominate inside the box!"

Tony Kroos nodded.

’He started out as a number 10, an attacking midfielder.’

’After joining Bayer Leverkusen, the number 10 role was taken by the Chilean midfielder, Vidal.’

’So, Tony Kroos found himself playing mostly on the left wing.’

’He was skilled with both feet, but his right was dominant.’

’Playing on the left wing allowed him to cut inside and unleash his most dangerous inswinging crosses.’