[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-god-of-football-starts-with-passive-skills":3,"chapter-the-god-of-football-starts-with-passive-skills-the-god-of-football-starts-with-passive-skills-chapter-209":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","The God of Football Starts With Passive Skills",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},483945,734,"Chapter 209 - 60: Game-Changing Upgrade! Mainz’s Most Powerful Weapon! We Will Take Down Bayern","the-god-of-football-starts-with-passive-skills-chapter-209",209,"\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As preparations for the DFB-Pokal final began, there was one question that needed to be addressed first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How should they play against Bayern?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if Pekovic returned from injury, and even if all the Mainz players were back in top form, could Klopp’s team last for the full 90 minutes?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The answer was obvious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the 60th minute, or the 70th minute at the latest, their stamina would definitely give out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What would they do then?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"For this DFB-Pokal final, we don’t have 90 minutes!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Klopp set the tone for the matter right at the start of the team’s tactical meeting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If we can’t build a big enough lead within 60 minutes, we will definitely lose this match.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone present knew why.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The problem was, Bayern was so powerful that beating them in 90 minutes was already an incredibly difficult task for Mainz.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was it even possible to settle the match in 60 minutes?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We have no choice. This is our only path. What can we do? We’re the weaker team,\" Klopp said with absolute resolve.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The strong have the luxury of choice; the weak have no escape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Klopp’s choice was not surprising in the least: an all-out attack from the start.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was Mainz’s specialty, their ace in the hole.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the fatal problem was that Klinsmann, no matter how clueless, would surely know and anticipate Mainz’s tactics.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Shuo now understood what it meant to charge straight at a tiger, knowing full well it was there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because they had no other choice, they had to burn their bridges.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Klopp began to focus on how to use their opening blitz to establish dominance on the pitch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And, more importantly, how to convert that dominance into goals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The former wasn’t difficult; the true challenge lay in the latter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Based on their performance throughout the season, Klinsmann would almost certainly stick with a 4-4-2 formation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The goalkeeper would probably be Butt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lensing, once hailed by all as Kahn’s successor, had now been completely cast aside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was even rated lower than Craft.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The veteran Butt, on the other hand, had claimed the starting spot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The back line, from left to right, was currently Lahm, Demichelis, Lucio or Van Bitten, and Oddo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Argentine Demichelis was quite an interesting player; he faced a lot of criticism and had made many mistakes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Klinsmann had always entrusted him with great responsibility.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In contrast, Lucio and Van Bitten were often rotated for one position.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There had been constant rumors that Lucio would be leaving Bayern this summer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The midfield was the most predictable part of the lineup.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two defensive midfielders would be Van Bommel paired with Schweinsteiger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ribery would be on the left, with Hamit Altıntop or Jose Sosa on the right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The veteran Zé Roberto was a very mobile and versatile player. He could play in Ribery’s position, Lahm’s position on the left, either of the two defensive midfield spots, or even fill in as a right midfielder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Bayern changed formation to use a number 10, he could even play as an attacking midfielder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The crazy thing was, this Brazilian player seemed to get better with age, and his performances were ridiculously good.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And there was no need to even mention the two forwards.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luca Tony was a definite starter, with the other spot going to either Klose or Podolski.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a completely asymmetrical match.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ribery’s valuation on the German transfer market was 50 million euros.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The entire Mainz squad was worth only 30 million euros combined.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could they even compare?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, after analyzing all these aspects of Bayern, Klopp shook his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Right now, almost everyone out there is saying we don’t stand a chance.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After saying this, Klopp himself started to laugh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"When I look at Bayern’s starting lineup, even I think to myself, how can we win? What do we have that can beat them?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was what most of the Mainz players were thinking at that very moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Germany, when you faced Bayern, you’d already lost half the battle in morale before the match even started.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was really nothing to be done about it!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We have no advantages. In terms of players, tactics, squad depth—what can we possibly bring to the table to beat Bayern?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his heart, Wang Shuo agreed with Klopp’s assessment, but at this moment, he had to refute it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, he stood up directly from his seat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We’re hungrier than Bayern!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Shuo said this loudly, and the room fell silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Klopp gave Wang Shuo an appreciative glance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had spoken with Wang Shuo before, hoping he would be the one to step up at this moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That’s right! We are hungrier than Bayern!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That is our greatest weapon as we step into the Olympic Stadium Berlin!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And that is why we will win!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Klopp stared at the players before him, almost grinding his teeth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Because in the entire German Football Scene, no one is hungrier than us!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Because when we were still in the 2nd Bundesliga, this hunger is what drove us all the way here!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Shuo clapped his hands forcefully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other players around him also began to clap enthusiastically.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A wave of thunderous applause filled the meeting room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Klopp’s motivational speech could stir the players’ emotions, but a match couldn’t be won on passion alone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So the team needed a very detailed plan for how to play, how to attack, and how to defend.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「May 30th」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The vast city of Berlin was brimming with the atmosphere of the final.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though it was just the DFB-Pokal final.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But in Germany, any match involving Bayern drew immense attention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the match, the management of the Olympic Stadium announced that all 73,000 tickets had been sold out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Walking through the streets of Berlin, you could see fans wearing the two teams’ jerseys everywhere.\u003C\u002Fp>",979,"2026-05-30T11:12:32.829Z","2026-06-01T04:31:05.348Z",1,"novelbin.me","9c2b5b5eb0bd7dcfa6c09d8212f0555f827cdc58d1ea57f1725e8668cd02dea9","the-god-of-football-starts-with-passive-skills-chapter-210","the-god-of-football-starts-with-passive-skills-chapter-208",400,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-god-of-football-starts-with-passive-skills-cover.jpg"]