Chapter 339: Chapter 79: Unrivaled in Europe! Back-to-Back Braces! A True Leader! He Single-handedly Broke Through a Defensive Line

A True Leader!

Following Dortmund’s 5-1 thrashing of Hamburg at home, Germany’s Kicker Magazine immediately published its post-match commentary.

In the article, Kicker lavished praise on Wang Shuo’s performance.

It highlighted that in the two consecutive matches since the winter break, Wang Shuo had worn the captain’s armband, and Dortmund had secured back-to-back major victories, continuing the peak form they had shown last December.

In the article, Kicker Magazine mentioned that Dortmund had actually been on the verge of falling off a cliff.

"When Hamburg pulled a goal back, Labbadia showed unprecedented boldness, substituting on two attacking players at once."

"Hamburg began to apply frantic pressure and launch a fierce offensive against Dortmund." 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

"In that moment, the entire Westfalen Stadium was trembling."

"The 3-1 lead didn’t give them any sense of security, because they were facing Labbadia’s team."

"Klopp, on the sidelines, could no longer contain his anxiety."

"This young, homegrown manager from the Black Forest has never hidden his desire for the championship. He wanted to maintain their position as league leaders and protect their current lead."

"But he knows Labbadia very well, and he knows this Hamburg team very well!"

Kicker believed that under such dire circumstances, if Dortmund had failed to withstand the pressure and allowed Hamburg to score again, the consequences would likely have been a complete collapse.

With both the captain and vice-captain injured, and with Tinga and Sven Bender also out due to injury, everyone was worried: was the Klopp Syndrome about to reappear at Dortmund?

"At this moment, when morale was shaken, Wang Shuo, wearing the captain’s armband, stepped up."

"When he chose to drop back outside his own 30-meter area to receive the ball from Hummels, the German center-back stated in a post-match interview that in that moment, he felt a sense of relief, ’like seeing a light in the darkness.’"

"Relying on his individual skill, Wang Shuo beat three Hamburg players in a row. In the end, despite being heavily contained, he still managed to pass the ball and assist Götze for the winning goal!"

"Hamburg’s head coach, Labbadia, said after the match that Wang Shuo’s two goals in the first half were a huge blow to Hamburg."

"But what completely changed the game was his assist after dribbling past three players."

"Labbadia believed that, given the situation at the time, if Hamburg had been given a little more time, the Northern King would have definitely been able to break through Dortmund’s defense."

Kicker stated that it was an incredibly brutal match.

Klopp and Labbadia have very similar coaching styles. Both teams are full of passion, play with great aggression, and are very assertive, which is why a total of 12 yellow cards were issued during the match.

One can only imagine the intensity.

"With this match, Wang Shuo proved his value to Dortmund to everyone!"

"He doesn’t just score goals. More importantly, he can use his own performance to drive the entire team to keep pushing forward!"

Kicker noted that Wang Shuo’s improvement this season has been plain for all to see.

Especially in the last two matches, numerous details have showcased Wang Shuo’s development.

For example, when playing against Hamburg, facing the physical challenge from Thomas Lincon, Wang Shuo not only withstood the pressure but also used his 1.8-meter height advantage to, in turn, shoulder Thomas Lincon off the ball.

This was something rarely seen from him in the past.

There was also his long-range shot from outside the box in the previous match.

Wang Shuo is becoming more and more well-rounded.

Kicker Magazine stated that both the previous match against Cologne and this one against Hamburg have witnessed Wang Shuo’s growth and progress.

He is now truly Dortmund’s leader!

...

Bild also published its post-match commentary immediately after the game.

Moreover, it published two articles about Wang Shuo at once, one of which was titled: The King of Efficiency!

Thanks to his recent form, scoring a brace in two consecutive matches, Wang Shuo has now scored 24 goals in the Bundesliga so far this season.

Twenty-four goals in 19 matches—a scoring rate that can only be described as astonishing.

"The day before this match, in La Liga, many media outlets were praising Messi because he had scored 15 goals in 16 matches, an average of 0.94 goals per game."

"In the Premier League, Manchester United’s Rooney has scored 19 goals in 22 appearances, an average of 0.86 goals per game, while Drogba has scored 14 goals in 18 league matches, for an average of just 0.78."

"And in Serie A, Diego Milito has only scored 12 goals in 18 league matches."

"After Ronaldo joined Real Madrid and Eto’o transferred to Inter Milan, their scoring rates also saw a significant decline."

"But in the Bundesliga, at Dortmund, Wang Shuo has scored 24 goals in 19 league matches—an average of 1.26 goals per game, the best in the entire European Football Scene!"

"He is the undisputed King of Efficiency in European football!"

Bild noted that before this season, many in the media were baffled by Dortmund’s decision to sign Wang Shuo for 20 million euros.

Some were even worried.

This was because the transfer broke the Bundesliga record for a player under the age of 23.

"But now, surely no one would question this transfer anymore!"

"On the contrary, everyone has to admit that Dortmund made an incredibly shrewd deal."

Bild also mentioned another transfer from last summer.

Bayern had signed Mario Gomez from Stuttgart.

"At the time, choosing between the 20-million-euro Wang Shuo and the 30-million-euro Mario Gomez, Bayern went with Gomez—a move that all Bayern fans and media considered a shrewd piece of business."