Free Web NovelChapter 521: Chapter 105: The Record Reaper! The War for Wang Shuo! The Best Start in History! Even God is Helping Dortmund
From the very start of the match, Mainz leveraged their home-field advantage to relentlessly pressure Dortmund.
Tuchel’s tactics also placed a heavy emphasis on high-pressing and pressure.
Everyone said that for Tuchel’s team to be able to keep pace with Dortmund, they must be doing something right.
It was plain to see.
So what exactly was it?
The answer was hidden in Mainz’s starting lineup.
For this match, Mainz was using a 4-3-1-2 formation, with a midfield of three defensive midfielders.
They were Elgin Soto, Polanski, and Caliguri.
Holtby was in the number 10 role.
The forwards were Schürrle and Alage.
Both forwards were the type of players with impressive individual skill, excellent speed, and a strong ability to execute tactical instructions.
Holtby, meanwhile, was an exceptionally well-rounded number 10.
He could pass and assist, dribble past defenders, make late runs into the box to score, and even had decent defensive capabilities.
This allowed Mainz’s front three to form a highly complementary attacking combination.
But the real transformation lay with the three defensive midfielders.
During Klopp’s era, Elgin Soto played on the left wing and could also fill in as an attacking midfielder.
But under Tuchel, he had been converted into a defensive midfielder.
Polanski, from La Liga’s Getafe, was highly skilled at both playmaking and ball control.
Caliguri started his career as a defender but was also adept at ball control and passing.
These three players all shared common traits: excellent technique, strong passing ability, and superb defensive skills.
When transitioning from defense to attack, Soto and Caliguri would rapidly advance along the flanks.
Mainz’s tactic would then shift to a 4-4-2 with a diamond midfield, or even a 4-1-3-2 formation.
This had another benefit: if they lost the ball in the final third, Mainz would have a numerical advantage up front to immediately launch a counter-press.
This was one aspect where Tuchel was very similar to Klopp.
But at his core, the young Mainz manager was a believer in Guardiola.
Although he also employed a high press and emphasized active movement from his players, he placed even greater importance on possession.
As a result, Mainz’s build-up play was relatively slow.
Dortmund, in contrast, would basically just pass the ball straight forward after winning it back.
After kickoff, Mainz proactively pressed forward.
They created a corner kick opportunity in less than a minute, causing chaos in Dortmund’s penalty area.
After that, Mainz pushed forward in numbers.
Even in the final third, they demonstrated skilled passing combinations.
This allowed Mainz to continuously create chances up front.
In the first five minutes, Mainz earned two corner kicks, three free kicks in the attacking half, and one Throw-In, all within Dortmund’s side of the field.
The pace of the match was maxed out from the very beginning.
Facing this style of play from Mainz, Dortmund’s midfield and defense were under constant pressure, frequently committing fouls while defending.
Their midfield, in particular, was completely overwhelmed.
Whenever a pass crossed the halfway line, it almost never reached Wang Shuo’s feet.
Grosskreutz and Kuba were forced to track back frequently to support the midfield.
This, in turn, left Wang Shuo isolated up front, caught in a "love triangle" with the old captain Nowitzki and Bo Svensson.
During a break in play, Wang Shuo walked over with a wry smile and patted the old captain Nowitzki on the shoulder.
"Captain, you don’t have to mark me so tightly. I can’t even get the ball."
Nowitzki eyed Wang Shuo warily.
"It’s for the best that you don’t get the ball. That tyrant said the two of us have only one mission today."
"What’s that?"
"To shut you down!" Bo Svensson chimed in with a grin.
Wang Shuo was exasperated. "Relax, let’s all just relax a little."
’Relax?’
’Who the hell would dare to relax?’
Nowitzki and Bo Svensson exchanged a glance, both complaining internally.
’Wang Shuo was still Wang Shuo.’
’Old friends meeting again, and he still talked the same way.’
’His attitude hadn’t changed from his days at Mainz.’
’But what defender would ever dare to relax when facing Wang Shuo?’
’Did they have a death wish?’
Wang Shuo could see it now. Tuchel’s Mainz team was younger than Klopp’s team from back in the day.
Therefore, their running ability was also extremely strong.
And they also had the advantage in passing and ball control.
In terms of overall strength, Dortmund was a notch above.
But it was hard to cope with a team that could press and run, and crucially, could also pass the ball well.
Dortmund, on the other hand, was frequently making passing errors under Mainz’s intense pressure.
For example, in the 6th minute, after winning the ball just outside their own penalty area, the players on the right flank tried to pass their way out of the high press.
Sven Bender wanted to pass the ball to Piszczek.
But he accidentally kicked the ball out of bounds.
The ball they had worked so hard to win back was immediately given back to the opponent.
What’s more, it was a Throw-In for Mainz on the right flank, deep in Dortmund’s territory.
In similar situations, Mainz’s pass completion rate was much higher.
That was why in the opening phase of the match, Mainz held an overwhelming advantage.
Dortmund, however, was struggling to cope and couldn’t seem to mount any effective attacks.
In the first eight minutes, Wang Shuo did a lot of running but only touched the ball once.
And even then, he was caught in an offside trap.
Nowitzki, Bo Svensson, and the number 7 in front of them, Polanski, formed a triangle that tightly boxed Wang Shuo in, following his every move.
This was the cage Tuchel had designed specifically for Wang Shuo!
Both Wang Shuo and Dortmund were long accustomed to this kind of situation.
Especially Wang Shuo.
Through [Insight], he could see the entire picture of Mainz’s formation and interpret more information from it.
The home team’s advantage was built on the foundation of their high-intensity pressing and rapid transitions between attack and defense.
