The God of Football Starts With Passive Skills-Chapter 51 - 33: Klopp Panicked

May 11th, Matchday 33 of the 2nd Bundesliga. Mainz faced Cologne in an away match.

This was the largest football stadium Wang Shuo had ever been in.

It had a capacity of a full 50,000 people.

It had two tiers of stands, with the player tunnels located in the four corners of the stadium.

As they stepped out, the roar from the fans in the stands crashed down on them, overwhelming and all-encompassing.

Cologne’s stadium didn’t have much standing room—only in the two lower-tier stands behind the goals, holding an estimated total of less than ten thousand people.

The rest of the stadium was all seating.

A layer of VIP boxes was sandwiched between the two tiers of stands.

When the Mainz players took the field, the Cologne fans across both the upper and lower tiers formed a massive TIFO display.

It was a striking display of Cologne’s jersey colors and team crest.

Standing on the pitch and looking up, it was an absolutely stunning sight.

"What’s the matter? Your legs gone soft?"

Subotic gave Wang Shuo a gentle push from behind, asking teasingly.

Wang Shuo snorted in annoyance. "I’m not you, you chicken!"

"Who are you calling a chicken?" Subotic quickened his pace to catch up, wrapping a powerful arm around Wang Shuo’s neck in a friendly headlock.

"And I wonder who it was that said their own legs turned to jelly the second they stepped into Bayern’s Allianz Arena, only to have five goals scored on them," Wang Shuo retorted, not backing down.

Even better, Gunkel and Kalhan, who were walking nearby, proved to have the perfect instincts to play the straight man, asking in unison, "Who was it?"

Subotic immediately surrendered, begging Wang Shuo to stop.

He was just short of kowtowing and calling him Godfather.

This exchange immediately gave the few players who had just joined this season a tacit understanding of what had happened.

In the final match of last season’s Bundesliga, with their top-flight status on the line, Mainz had suffered a crushing 2-5 away defeat to Bayern.

It had been Subotic’s first start for the Mainz first team, playing on a world-class stage like the Allianz Arena.

He had secretly told Wang Shuo that his legs had turned to jelly the moment he stepped onto the pitch.

"Actually, you can’t blame Neven for that game. He did a good job defending against Makaay," Marco Rose chimed in, the memory stirring for him as well.

After he spoke, Marco Rose let out a long sigh. "Overall, we actually played pretty well in that match."

"We just fell into chaos twice. In the first half, starting from the 30th minute, Bayern scored three goals against us in the span of just eight minutes."

"Makaay didn’t score, but St. Cruz, Scholl, and Van Bommel did."

"In the second half, I assisted Amri to pull one back, and the team’s performance improved significantly. But then Karim and Pizarro each scored, and we conceded two more goals within ten minutes."

Everyone listening was a footballer.

Just by hearing Marco Rose’s account, they all basically understood what had happened.

Besides the disparity in squad quality and strength, there’s another crucial factor that separates strong teams from weak ones: mental fortitude.

The players chosen by powerhouse clubs are, without exception, the cream of the crop.

Their transfer fees might be high, but they are all battle-hardened and have fought their way to the top. Whether it’s physical conditioning, technical skill, or mental toughness, they are truly one in a million.

When a team like Mainz is outmatched in strength, it’s easy for them to get rattled and lose their composure.

"I came to Mainz in ’02. I’ve watched this club with my own eyes as it transformed from a weak 2nd Bundesliga team into a strong one, then made a historic breakthrough into the Bundesliga, performed outstandingly there, and was finally knocked back to where it started, returning to the 2nd Bundesliga."

Marco Rose was indeed one of the few players on the team who had personally experienced that entire journey.

This gave him a deeper emotional attachment to Mainz than anyone else.

"When we were relegated, all of us cried. We were filled with regret, and many of us were completely disheartened."

"But that’s an unchangeable fact!"

Marco Rose paused, took a deep breath, and looked at his teammates, his eyes filled with earnest sincerity.

"But today, I hope that none of you leave this stadium with regrets, the way we did last year!"

Marco Rose was not usually a man of many words in the locker room.

But that was precisely why his words now carried so much weight.

"Don’t worry, Marco. We’ll definitely win this match!" Captain Nowitzki declared loudly.

"That’s right, we won’t lose!"

"Come on, Marco!"

One after another, his teammates voiced their encouragement for Marco Rose.

When it was Wang Shuo’s turn, he said nothing, simply smiling as he gave his teammate a hug.

’He would prove it with his actions!’

...

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the live broadcast of Matchday 33 of the 2007/08 Second Bundesliga season."

"We are coming to you live from the Rhein Energie Stadion in Cologne for this key matchup."

"Today’s match is between Cologne, currently second in the 2nd Bundesliga, and Mainz, who are sitting in fourth."

"The outcome of this game will directly impact the promotion spots for this season, so it promises to be an intense battle."

"Let’s take a look at the starting lineups for both teams."

"Cologne will be sticking with their preferred 4-4-2 formation."

"In goal is Colombia international Farid Mondragon."

"The back line consists of Matip, Mackenna, Muhammad, and Ozat."

"We can see that Ozat is playing on the right flank today."

"Ahead of them are Thomas Broich, Kevin Pezzoni, and Menno Suazo, with Loda Antal playing in front of them."

"The two forwards are Helmes and Novakovic."

"This is also Cologne’s strongest available starting lineup this season."

"You could say both sides are fielding lineups that are at full strength."