Chapter 326: Chapter 77: Bellwether Wang Shuo; The Great Bundesliga Revolution; The Strongest Passive Skill: Foundation; Dortmund’s New Captain

The normal winter break used to be six and a half weeks, but this year it was only three and a half.

According to *Bild*, this was the shortest winter break since 1978.

With the winter break shortened, teams had to start their training camps earlier.

Teams like Freiburg, Borussia Mönchengladbach, Stuttgart, and Nuremberg all started gathering as early as the 27th.

This would have been unimaginable in the past.

Of course, it was surely even tougher for leagues like the Premier League, which had no winter break at all.

Dortmund, like most teams, chose to assemble on New Year’s Day.

This gave them two weeks for winter training.

Just like in previous years, seven Bundesliga teams, including Dortmund and Mainz, chose the southern coast of Spain for their winter training camps, while four teams chose to go to Turkey.

Bayern and Werder Bremen both received invitations for exhibition matches, so they went to Dubai.

VfL Wolfsburg, meanwhile, was invited to South Africa.

Hoffenheim, Bayer Leverkusen, Hannover 96, and Bochum chose to stay in Germany.

However, many teams worried that playing matches so early, especially in harsh weather conditions, might lead to a higher risk of injury.

The period around Christmas was always a busy time for the release of various annual rankings and awards.

This year was no exception.

*Kicker Magazine* published some key statistics from the first half of the Bundesliga season.

For example, the past half-season had seen the fewest shots in the Bundesliga in nearly 20 years.

They interviewed numerous head coaches, including Lővér, Klopp, Rangnick, Labbadia, and Magat.

Almost all of them agreed that the tactical style of German football was undergoing a massive transformation.

If last season saw Klopp’s Mainz, Rangnick’s Hoffenheim, and Labbadia’s Bayer Leverkusen act as spoilers and dark horses breaking the established order...

...then this season, the tactical style they championed was becoming the mainstream in the Bundesliga.

High-intensity pressing, followed by launching fast and decisive counter-attacks immediately after winning back possession.

This tactical philosophy was becoming the prevailing trend in the Bundesliga. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

In the first half of last season, 462 goals were scored in the Bundesliga, but this season there were only 418—a full 10% decrease.

*Kicker Magazine* attributed this change to the new tactical trend.

Fewer goals and fewer shots. Did that mean the matches had become dull?

No, quite the opposite.

*Kicker Magazine* provided a very detailed collection of fan interviews from various regions and teams, along with their own analytical summary. They all unanimously concluded that although shots and goals were down, the matches were not dull. On the contrary, this style was receiving high praise.

"Bundesliga fans absolutely love this passionate tactical style."

"Dortmund, in particular, has won the support of most neutral fans!"

"The Westfalen Stadium has become a venue that the vast majority of neutral fans are eager to experience in person."

"The fervent atmosphere and electrifying football have turned the Westfalen Stadium into a new cathedral of the sport!"

But there were exceptions.

Namely, Bayern.

Münster University published a research report on the football industry, focusing on the current Bundesliga season and the European football scene as a whole.

It highlighted a key point: the positive interaction between fans and players was disappearing.

This was manifested when fans began to boo their own team when it was trailing or even losing!

This is a huge blow to any team.

The result was a gradual erosion of the home-field advantage.

In the 153 matches of the first half of the season, home teams recorded 58 wins, 48 draws, and 47 losses.

This was the lowest home win rate and the highest away win rate in Bundesliga history.

The most typical example was Bayern.

Van Gaal had been consistently booed by the fans at Allianz Arena right from the start of the season, something that would have been unimaginable in the past.

While other Bundesliga teams were committing to high pressing and rapid transitions, Van Gaal’s Bayern still clung stubbornly to a philosophy centered on offense and possession.

"Of course, a powerful, high-quality squad gives Bayern the confidence to make a completely different choice from the other Bundesliga teams!"

A consequence of the intense competition was that the situation for veteran players was becoming increasingly bleak.

Before 2010 even arrived, the 32-year-old Italian center-forward, Luca Tony, announced his transfer to Rome.

His conflict with Van Gaal was certainly a reason, and the arrival of Gomez was the catalyst.

But the most important factor was still his age.

The reason this news caught Wang Shuo’s attention was that after the transfer, Luca Tony’s annual salary had shrunk from 10 million euros to just 1.8 million euros.

Then there was Real Madrid’s Van Nistelrooy.

It was no secret that Real Madrid wanted to sell him and that Van Nistelrooy wanted to leave.

But the biggest obstacle was his annual salary of 5 million euros after taxes.

No club was willing to pay such a high annual salary for a 33-year-old center-forward.

’Was it because the clubs didn’t have the money?’

Not really.

The authoritative financial magazine *Forbes* had just published its global club value rankings, which evaluated clubs based on factors such as historical achievements, revenue, star player market value, and fixed assets.

Among the top 10 were three football clubs: Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Arsenal.

’Even though the Gunners seemed to be fighting for fourth every year and were always selling their captain, it looked like they weren’t that poor after all.’

Only one Bundesliga club made it into the top ten of that list: Bayern.

The Bundesliga behemoth was ranked 5th among all football clubs.

This also made Wang Shuo feel the cruel, unforgiving nature of professional football.

The powerhouse clubs are permanent, but the star players are just passing through.