novelraw Chapter 280 - 70: National Derby! Van Gaal Is Crazy! The Germans’ Dream Is Shattered! A Great Comeback in the Making?
Chapter 280 - 70: National Derby! Van Gaal Is Crazy! The Germans’ Dream Is Shattered! A Great Comeback in the Making?
Bayern had also lent a helping hand in the past, which eased the tensions between the two clubs.
That was why Hummels was loaned to Dortmund.
But with the arrival of Klopp and Wang Shuo, Dortmund began to show signs of a resurgence.
This season, the term "National Derby" had once again appeared in the German media’s reports.
Bayern was very supportive of this narrative.
From the perspective of club management, they knew very well that the Bundesliga couldn’t thrive with only Bayern at the top.
If Bayern won the title every year, who would be interested in the Bundesliga?
Fierce competition and passionate matches—that’s what the fans wanted to see.
But over the past few years, although the title had occasionally gone to another team, Bayern’s dominance was plain for all to see.
If Dortmund, as a fallen giant, could stage a strong comeback, it would certainly be a good thing.
Of course, in the plans of Rummenigge, Hennes, and the others, the revitalization of the Bundesliga was still predicated on Bayern continuously winning matches and titles.
They welcomed Dortmund becoming a worthy challenger to Bayern.
And what did "worthy" mean?
It meant that in the end, the challenge would fail, and the championship would still belong to Bayern!
But judging from their performance in this match so far, Dortmund’s development had exceeded Rummenigge and Hennes’s expectations.
"Perhaps we were truly wrong!"
Hennes said to Rummenigge, who was sitting beside him, with a deep sigh.
The mistake he was talking about was clearly not just about Wang Shuo.
It was also about Klopp!
If they had chosen Klopp back then instead of Klinsmann; if they had chosen Wang Shuo this summer instead of Gomez, would Bayern be in this situation now?
A trident attack force of Ribery, Wang Shuo, and Robben—how astonishing would that have been?
Van Gaal had conflicts with Gomez, but would he have clashed with Wang Shuo?
Obviously not!
Because everyone said that Olic was a low-end version of Wang Shuo.
If even the low-end version earned Van Gaal’s high praise, what about the premium version?
Van Gaal would probably have been just like Klopp, cherishing him and taking the utmost care of him.
But it was too late!
Wang Shuo went to Dortmund, Gomez came to Bayern, and Thomas Müller also made it to the first team...
It was all too late!
Just as Klopp would now never coach Bayern.
Rummenigge said nothing.
He maintained the last of his stubborn pride with silence.
On the pitch, Van Gaal came to the sideline to direct the team.
He had also noticed that Dortmund had specifically assigned Tinga, their hatchet man, to neutralize Schweinsteiger.
Xiao Zhu had never been the kind of player who could hold up the ball in the number 10 or even the number 8 position.
Otherwise, there wouldn’t have been so much controversy back in the day about which position he should play.
After Van Gaal came out to make adjustments, Schweinsteiger dropped back to avoid Tinga.
Dortmund, in turn, began to press forward aggressively.
But this also signaled that the fast-paced back-and-forth of the first twenty-odd minutes was coming to an end.
Bayern trailing 3-1?
That had never been a problem.
"The real showdown should be in the second half," Hennes said, not without a hint of worry.
Rummenigge had also been a great player and was very experienced. He immediately understood the hidden meaning in Hennes’s words.
If Gomez didn’t start performing well, Van Gaal would make a substitution in the second half.
Olic would replace Gomez!
"I believe Gomez is the future of our team!" Rummenigge finally spoke.
"The best German players should play for Bayern. That has always been our tradition!"
Hennes nodded.
But there was a question in his mind that he didn’t ask aloud.
’Does that include players from East Germany?’
From Ballack to Tony Kroos, players from East Germany never seemed to do very well at Bayern.
They weren’t even highly regarded.
Ballack was already in the past.
But the mere thought of Tony Kroos gave Hennes a headache.
...
The first half ultimately ended with a score of 3-1.
In the first 23 minutes, the two teams scored four goals, producing the most exhilarating opening to a Bundesliga match this season.
It also left the more than 80,000 Dortmund fans in the stands mesmerized.
The fans in the South Stand, in particular, had been jumping and singing for the entire first half, having an absolute blast.
As a result, the atmosphere inside the stadium was electric.
But after Van Gaal made his on-the-fly tactical change, having Schweinsteiger and Van Bommel drop back, Bayern gradually slowed the pace.
Although Dortmund pressed forward, after 23 minutes of high-tempo play and with a 3-1 lead, Shahin was also repeatedly calling for his teammates in midfield to slow things down.
During the halftime break, Klopp gave his team’s first-half performance extremely high praise.
"This is the best half we’ve played all season!"
But the second half was the key.
The Klopp Syndrome had always been a reality.
Even though this was only the fifth round of the league.
After the 60-minute mark was when Dortmund would be in the most danger.
Furthermore, Van Gaal would definitely make adjustments in the second half.
"Gomez’s performance in the first half was terrible; he couldn’t even hold onto the ball. I’m guessing if there’s no improvement in the second half, Van Gaal will probably sub him off around the 60-minute mark."
"That will be the signal for Bayern to launch an all-out counterattack!"
Why 60 minutes?
How should one put it?
It’s a kind of unwritten rule, a tacit understanding.
It’s like how, barring injury, a head coach would rather lose the game than make a substitution in the first half.
Why?
Because you have to consider the player’s morale and dignity.