Free Web NovelChapter 496: Chapter 101: Worldie! Domain Skill: Controller! The Glass Man’s Sorrow! The Rookies’ First Champions League Match
Narrowing the defense, reducing the distance between players, effectively compresses the opponent’s passing lanes and prevents through balls.
How to break through it?
Tuchel had already provided the answer.
When an opponent played a penetrative pass, the VfL Wolfsburg defenders would immediately track back and cover the space.
This is where you’d need a player with exceptional speed, like Schürrle.
But that wasn’t the main point.
The crucial question for the match was: how could one play a penetrative pass through VfL Wolfsburg’s compact, deep-lying defense?
After two rounds of the Bundesliga, most experienced coaches had identified VfL Wolfsburg’s problem.
Or rather, this problem had already been exposed when McLaren was coaching Twente.
A high press in midfield inevitably creates gaps between the midfield and defense, making it difficult to maintain formational integrity.
Opponents would certainly exploit these gaps.
Dortmund had a similar problem.
And the solution was the same.
A holding midfielder like Kael or Sven Bender would sit in front of the defensive line, acting as a shield.
At Twente, that man was Tiote.
At VfL Wolfsburg, that role was given to Josue and Cicero.
But both of them had their shortcomings.
Josue, at 1.69 meters and only 63 kilograms, was on the shorter side and lacked physicality.
Cicero, on the other hand, was 1.8 meters tall and 72 kilograms. He was decent in physical challenges and good at winning headers, but his defensive work rate wasn’t high enough, and he lacked positional awareness.
This was a common failing among many Brazilian players.
Klopp intended to exploit this very weakness in VfL Wolfsburg’s lineup.
Wang Shuo had just acquired the Domain Skill [Controller], and this match against VfL Wolfsburg was the perfect opportunity to test its power.
...
By the 50th minute of the second half, Dortmund was struggling to move the ball forward under the pressure of VfL Wolfsburg’s midfield press.
Wang Shuo immediately dropped back to receive a pass.
The moment the ball from Shahin reached Wang Shuo’s feet, he was surrounded by four players within a five-meter radius.
Behind him were the two center-backs, Barzagli and Kjaer, and in front were the two defensive midfielders, Josue and Cicero.
As Shahin made the pass, Josue, the quickest to react, immediately rushed toward Wang Shuo.
Kjaer, positioned behind him, also pressed forward simultaneously.
Wang Shuo had no time to deliberate on his next move.
In that instant, his Intercontinental Level [Breathing] kept his mind perfectly clear.
At the same time, he could feel the Domain Skill, [Controller], activating within him.
It was a mysterious sensation, impossible to describe in words.
But he could clearly sense the incoming pass from Shahin and perceive the movements of the defenders around him.
With his back to the goal, he suddenly took a step forward. He used the inside of his right foot to trap Shahin’s pass, directing it to his left as he immediately pivoted in that direction.
Startled, Kjaer instantly moved to block him.
But Wang Shuo stepped out with his left foot, shielding the ball with his body to block Kjaer, as the football came to a halt in the exact spot he intended.
His first touch was nothing short of perfect!
After blocking Kjaer, Wang Shuo planted his left foot, placed his right on the ball, and dragged it to the right, looking as if he were about to turn that way and break free.
Kjaer had first rushed in for a tackle and was now shifting his weight to block. Faced with Wang Shuo’s sudden feint, he was completely wrong-footed.
If he let Wang Shuo get past, a simple Marseille Turn would see him break through completely.
After coming to an abrupt stop, the Danish center-back immediately changed direction, attempting to block him.
But just as he mustered all his strength to block Wang Shuo, he saw Wang’s footwork change. Instead of dragging the ball, he cut it back—it was a reverse elastico, performed with his back to the defender.
Wang Shuo himself pivoted back to the left once more.
After knocking the ball forward, he took a quick step and cut it back with his right foot again, neatly evading the onrushing Josue.
He then smoothly knocked it forward with his left foot, executing a skilled, accelerated La Croqueta.
After skillfully dribbling through the gap between Kjaer and Josue, Wang Shuo immediately performed a lightning-fast stepover. Just as he baited Barzagli into an attempt to block, Wang Shuo suddenly poked the ball diagonally forward.
The ball shot straight through Barzagli’s open legs.
It was at that moment that Götze, making a run from behind Barzagli, latched onto Wang Shuo’s pass. Completely unmarked, he fired a shot into the VfL Wolfsburg goal.
"GOAL!!"
"Dortmund breaks the deadlock in the 50th minute!"
"Wang Shuo!"
"My God! Surrounded by four defenders, Wang Shuo used his deceptive feints and masterful ball control to slice right through the pack."
"Look at the slow-motion replay."
"Wang Shuo’s control and Dribbling were like a dreamlike waltz. His movements had a graceful rhythm that sent the three defenders scrambling, yet he remained perfectly composed and handled it all with ease."
"It’s absolutely incredible!"
"Those three VfL Wolfsburg defenders were utterly helpless against Wang Shuo’s ball control."
"Every one of their movements seemed to be half a beat too slow.
"Of course, we all know that’s impossible."
"Wang Shuo’s movements were just so fast that it made the defenders look like they were in slow motion."
"And that final nutmeg for the assist was a stroke of genius!"
"1-0!"
As Wang Shuo ran to the sideline to celebrate the goal with Götze, the fans in the South Stand weren’t chanting the goalscorer’s name, Götze. Instead, they were all shouting for Wang Shuo.
