The God of Football Starts With Passive Skills-Chapter 70 - 40: Flexing Muscles, Fighting for a Starting Spot! Wang Shuo: "Coach, I’m Desperate to Score!
Next, the players from Huairun Football School were also going to have trials abroad. Learning more skills to have under their belts would be a great help for them to stay in Europe.
Wang Shuo also hoped that this group of teammates of his could all get the opportunity to play in Europe.
That was why Wang Shuo took his training so seriously. Whenever he didn’t understand something, he would ask about it immediately.
Kramny was also very fond of Wang Shuo, patiently explaining and guiding him every time. He held nothing back, sharing everything he knew.
After the morning training session, Wang Shuo felt he had benefited immensely.
But it also gave him a clearer understanding of the vast gap between Chinese football and European football.
The senior teams were just the end result.
The real gap began to form right from the youth development stage.
...
The most important match before the European Cup was the Champions League final, held in Moscow.
Ferguson’s Manchester United against Grant’s Chelsea.
After "The Special One" Mourinho was sacked, Chelsea, ironically, made it to the Champions League final.
It was certainly an interesting turn of events.
Wang Shuo had specifically taken the night off to watch this Champions League final.
Right from the kickoff, he noticed something interesting.
"Look, Ronaldo’s playing on the left wing this match, partnering with Evra. It looks like that’s Manchester United’s main avenue of attack, but actually, the right side with Rooney and Wes Brown is more active."
As Wang Shuo pointed this out, Subotic noticed it too.
"Essien’s at right-back, so Grant has set up a targeted defense on that side."
This became especially apparent during a Manchester United Throw-In, when Ronaldo received the ball in the final third and was surprisingly double-teamed and brought down by Drogba and Essien.
Ronaldo was complaining to Drogba.
But it seemed the two superstars were on decent terms.
Later, Rooney played a long, diagonal ball from the right, and Ronaldo made an incredibly fast late run from the left to launch a counter-attack, creating a very dangerous play.
"Ronaldo’s so fast!" Schürrle exclaimed in admiration.
He was a speed-based player himself.
"We could pull off that kind of play, too. Wang’s speed is a huge advantage, but we lack a playmaker."
Subotic shook his head. "Rooney can deliver a long diagonal pass like that. Do you think Balik could manage it?"
Wang Shuo and Schürrle both chuckled.
Tactics are only as good as the players executing them.
Ultimately, it was an attack down the right wing from Manchester United, with Wes Brown assisting a header from Ronaldo to open the scoring.
Wang Shuo stared wide-eyed, sighing in admiration, "Ronaldo is flawless!"
"You’re not so bad yourself!" Schürrle said, clapping Wang Shuo hard on the shoulder.
"When it comes to looks, you’re not a step behind him. You’re our Mainz Ronaldo."
Subotic couldn’t help but laugh.
Wang Shuo was speechless. "I was talking about his skills."
"And I was talking about looks."
"Scoring, dribbling, headers, free kicks... there’s nothing he can’t do. And on top of it all, he’s so physically dominant."
’That’s the kind of player I want to work hard to become!’ Wang Shuo thought.
"For a superstar at his level, his ability to hold up the ball and his first touch are still a little lacking. That’s why he can’t play as a central striker. I know how to defend him," Subotic said, full of confidence.
It wasn’t long before Chelsea equalized.
Drogba charged forward, distracting Manchester United’s center-backs, and Lampard made a late run to seize the opportunity, firing a shot past Van der Sar’s goal.
That’s the impact a center forward can have!
Wang Shuo was impressed by Drogba, but his attention was mostly on Tevez.
The Argentinian "Beast" wasn’t tall—he was short and stocky—but his hold-up play and strength in physical challenges were excellent.
Of course, Tevez was more likely to move into open space to receive the ball, unlike Drogba, who seemed to relish getting into physical brawls with the opposing center-backs.
They were two different styles of play, each with its pros and cons.
A player like Drogba posed a direct threat to the opposition, but he was also injury-prone and almost never went a season without one.
For a match at the highest level like the Champions League final, fans might have seen the intensity and excitement, but Wang Shuo and the others saw the harsh reality of it.
For instance, there was Vidic cramping up in the final moments.
Then there was the penalty shootout, where Ronaldo, taking the fifth penalty, hesitated and missed.
"The pressure is just too much!"
Wang Shuo couldn’t imagine the mountain of pressure Ronaldo was under.
The moment Ronaldo tried to feint Cech and failed, Wang Shuo knew he was probably going to miss.
In the psychological battle, Ronaldo had lost.
He had lost to himself as much as to Cech!
The Portuguese star’s expectations for himself were too high, and the pressure he was under was just too great.
"It seems all the great players have to go through something like this," Wang Shuo said with a wry smile.
But thankfully, the subsequent Manchester United players were all composed and converted their penalties, and then Terry missed his.
Van der Sar dove the wrong way, but Terry himself hit the post.
At that point, the outcome of the match was becoming clear.
Manchester United then converted their next two penalties, and Anelka missed his.
The French striker had never been known for his mental fortitude.
The instant Anelka missed his penalty, the television cameras showed everyone from Manchester United erupting in celebration.
The three of them watching the TV, Wang Shuo included, all breathed a sigh of relief.
They felt a genuine admiration for every player from the two powerhouse clubs who had competed in the match. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂
These guys were the best football stars in the world!
"Do you guys think we’ll ever get the chance to be like them and play on the stage of a Champions League final?" Schürrle asked, his voice filled with yearning.
"I want to play in the Champions League final, and then represent Germany in the World Cup and the European Cup!"
Wang Shuo noticed that when Schürrle mentioned the World Cup and the European Cup, Subotic’s expression fell.
It had struck a nerve.
