Chapter 170 - 54: Major Upgrade! Secret Weapon! Winter Transfers and War of Words! Klopp Syndrome! The Championship Dream is Shattered

After leading the Bundesliga for so long, Mainz had finally surrendered its spot at the top of the league table!

The moment the final whistle blew, the entire Bruch Road Stadium fell silent.

...

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.

Wang Shuo stood outside Klopp’s office and knocked lightly on the door.

"Come in," Klopp’s voice sounded from within.

Wang Shuo opened the door and walked in.

"Boss, you were looking for me?"

"Wang, come, have a seat." Klopp’s smile was a little forced.

It was clear he had been in a terrible mood recently.

"The chairman and general manager just called me in."

Wang Shuo froze for a moment. "What... did they say?"

Klopp felt a warmth in his chest at Wang Shuo’s concern. "It’s nothing. The team’s current situation isn’t outside of our predictions."

After a pause, Klopp chuckled. This time, it seemed genuine.

"In fact, our situation now is much better than we expected."

After another pause, a nostalgic look crossed his face. "The year we were relegated, things were much, much worse than they are now."

Wang Shuo had heard about that.

Back then, it was one crushing defeat after another.

It wasn’t just Klopp who was in a tough spot; Hoffenheim’s situation was terrible, too.

And Bayer Leverkusen wasn’t doing much better.

It was strange.

The teams that had excelled in the first half of the season were all struggling in the second half.

The team performing the best right now was, ironically, Magath’s VfL Wolfsburg.

After their 1-1 draw with Mainz in the first match of the second half, they’d gone on to win four straight games.

But you couldn’t just look at Wolfsburg’s winning streak; you also had to consider the more than thirty million euros they invested last summer.

Money is a bastard, but without it, you can’t get anywhere in football!

"I’m sure you’ve seen the state of the team. What are your thoughts?"

Wang Shuo gave Klopp a long look, hesitating, unsure if he should say what was on his mind.

’Not all head coaches were receptive to opinions.’

’That was how a lot of conflicts started.’

"Go on, speak freely. I want to hear your opinion."

Mainz’s performance was in a slump, but Wang Shuo was the sole exception.

In the last few matches, Wang Shuo’s performance had remained outstanding.

In fact, if he wasn’t being held back by the team, he probably could have been even better.

Wang Shuo chuckled. "Alright, but let’s agree on one thing first: you can’t get angry."

"I wouldn’t get angry even if you cursed me out," Klopp laughed as well.

He was at a bit of a loss himself.

It was just like last season in the 2nd Bundesliga.

With the players he had, how many more tricks could he possibly pull out of his hat?

"I think you’re being too conservative!"

Wang Shuo’s words struck Klopp like a bolt from the blue, leaving him completely stunned.

’Me? Klopp? Conservative?’

’What a joke.’

"Don’t be so quick to argue. Just listen. I don’t understand. Schürrle has been playing well, so why are you using the Helle and Hogland combination on the right wing?"

"Haven’t you noticed? When I drop back, the only player who can really exploit the space I open up is Schürrle!"

Wang Shuo wasn’t just hyping up his best friend.

It was a fact!

Schürrle’s speed, his instinct for finding space, and the chemistry he had with Wang Shuo made their partnership incredibly effective.

More importantly, when Schürrle pushed forward, he could stretch the opposition’s defense on the right flank.

His speed was lethal on the wing.

That would relieve a lot of the pressure on Wang Shuo.

Why did he say Klopp was being conservative?

Because since the second half of the season began, he’d been using Helle up front and Hogland in the back on the right side.

He was playing it safe!

Wang Shuo could actually understand why.

The team was in poor form, and as league leaders, Klopp naturally had ambitions.

Then there was the fact that Bungert and Neustadter were rotating to fill the spot Subotic had left, plus Wang Shuo himself.

That was a lot of young players.

All in all, while it seemed like only Subotic had left, the impact of his departure was huge.

And that was just on a tactical level.

What about the mental side of things?

"You think things would be better with Schürrle playing?" Klopp asked, concerned.

"I just feel that if we try to play defensively, there’s no guarantee we can hold on anyway. We might as well just go for broke and attack!"

Klopp nodded slowly.

This fit his impression of Wang Shuo perfectly.

Young, fearless, and with nothing to lose.

A head coach may devise the tactics, but it’s the players who have to execute them.

No one understood how the tactics were working out on the pitch better than the players themselves.

Therefore, Klopp felt that Wang Shuo’s opinion was worth taking seriously.

"Alright then. I’ll discuss your suggestion thoroughly with Zeliko and Kramny."

Wang Shuo nodded.

As a player, there was only so much he could do.

He had given his opinion. What the coaching staff decided to do with it was beyond his control.

"Wang."

Just as Wang Shuo reached the door, Klopp suddenly called out to him again.

"Keep working hard!"

"Right now, Mainz and I need you more than ever!"

Wang Shuo felt a surge of being trusted, needed, and depended upon.

"Don’t worry," Wang Shuo said. "I will."

He gave a confident smile.