The God of Football Starts With Passive Skills

Chapter 292 - 72: Absolute Domain! The 11th Passive Skill! Klopp Syndrome Is Back! This Is the Ruhr Derby

He was even the core and soul of the entire team!

"Good work, Wang!"

"You were amazing, Wang, keep it up!"

"We’re the leaders now, Wang, haha..."

"Woohoo, woohoo, we’re going from leaders to champions!"

The coaches and staff on the sidelines, as well as his teammates on the bench, all looked ecstatic.

After shaking hands or hugging each of them, Wang Shuo went over to Klopp.

"How’s De De?"

Wang Shuo asked with concern.

Klopp sighed and shook his head, looking completely helpless.

"A torn meniscus in his left knee. He’ll be hospitalized for a while to let the inflammation go down, then he’ll have surgery."

Hearing this, Wang Shuo’s heart sank.

"How long will he be out for?"

"Three months at the very least," Klopp said with a frown.

’Three months?’

’For a veteran who’s about to turn 32, after a meniscus surgery and three months on the sidelines, how much of his old form will be left when he comes back?’

The answer to that question was obvious.

"We shouldn’t have let that South Korean guy go this summer." Klopp was starting to regret it.

In reality, Lee Yongsoo hadn’t made many appearances for Dortmund.

Last season, Dortmund had three left-backs: De De, Lee Yongsoo, and the young Schmelzer.

De De was the starter, but he was sidelined for most of the first half of last season with a torn cruciate ligament.

At that time, the inexperienced Schmelzer was the team’s starter.

The veteran from South Korea, Lee Yongsoo, rotated with Schmelzer, and together they held down the fort until De De recovered from his injury.

But who would have thought that De De would get seriously injured again this season?

"Don’t worry, you’ve still got me, don’t you?" Wang Shuo said with a smile, raising an eyebrow at Klopp.

Hearing this, Klopp felt a complicated mix of emotions.

Dortmund’s recent situation was far from ideal.

The players’ adaptation to the new tactics was one problem, and Kael’s serious injury destabilizing the midfield was another.

Fortunately, during this time, Wang Shuo’s performance had been as outstanding as ever.

So far this season, through six Bundesliga matches, he had already scored nine goals.

You could truly say he was single-handedly dragging Dortmund forward.

This made Klopp recall the time he broke the rules to promote Wang Shuo to the first team back at Mainz.

’Back then, who could have ever imagined this day would come?’

But in the end, Klopp’s thousands of unspoken words boiled down to just two.

"Thank you."

...

De De had already returned to Dortmund ahead of the team.

This cast a somber mood over the bus ride back from Hanover.

For professional players, injuries were always the most terrifying thing.

Klopp also decided that for the DFB-Pokal away game against Karlsruhe on Wednesday, he would field a lineup of substitutes and young players.

Because that weekend, they had to face a Schalke 04 coached by Magat.

If Mainz had been last season’s dark horse miracle, then Magat’s VfL Wolfsburg was the ultimate comeback story.

Their performance in the first half of the season had been terrible, but they relied on a second-half surge to ultimately claim the Bundesliga title.

After winning the title, Magat left Wolfsburg to coach Schalke 04.

Many people were stunned. Why would he leave?

The reason was actually very simple: Schalke 04 offered more.

At VfL Wolfsburg, he was the sporting director and head coach, with full control over athletic affairs.

But at Schalke 04?

Board member, general manager, sporting director, and head coach.

Schalke 04 was currently in a difficult situation and hoped that Magat could lead the club through a complete reform.

If the so-called "Klopp Syndrome" led to frequent player injuries and made the team prone to injury crises, it was nothing compared to Magat.

For one thing, Klopp’s tactical style at least still valued possession of the ball.

Uncle Mustache emphasized high pressing and fast-paced transitions between offense and defense, but he also placed great importance on ball possession.

Therefore, training sessions involved a lot of work with the ball.

And Magat?

Well, he was famous for his extreme physical conditioning, claiming he wanted to build iron-willed players with incredible stamina reserves.

His specialties were mountain climbing and weight-bearing exercises.

And mind you, this wasn’t just any mountain climbing—it was *snow* mountain climbing.

Also, at the slightest disagreement, the punishment was running laps.

Klopp, at least, would often call players over for a heart-to-heart, to talk things over, just like a friend.

But Magat?

He was known for being strict and disciplinarian.

In comparison, Klopp was much better.

In the current German Football Scene, opinions on Magat were actually quite polarized.

For example, Hennes from Bayern had once said that Magat’s almost insane training methods challenged the very limits of a player’s physical endurance and were extremely damaging to their bodies.

While it might bring short-term success, it was a disaster for a club’s long-term development.

This represented one point of view.

Of course, many people felt that Bayern was certainly in a position to say that.

But for the vast majority of teams in the Bundesliga, success was a distant, almost unattainable dream.

Magat’s coaching certainly had its drawbacks, and his management style was undoubtedly harsh, but as long as it brought success, it was worth it!

Just look at VfL Wolfsburg: they had started investing heavily in ’07, accumulating a staggering 120 million euros in spending just to win a single Bundesliga title.

Schalke 04 had also invested a fortune, but with no results to show for it. Instead, they were facing massive financial losses.

Wang Shuo wasn’t about to pass judgment on who was better or worse, Klopp or Magat.

But based on the information he had, if he had a choice, he definitely wouldn’t want to play for Magat.

Playing for Klopp might be more tiring, but at least the man himself was a good person.