Chapter 360 - 82: Smashing the Bayern Myth

After the match ended, the fans began to leave.

Everyone from Dortmund boarded the bus for the return trip.

With a 4-1 away victory under their belts, everyone was in a relaxed and cheerful mood.

But as Wang Shuo boarded the bus, he saw Head Coach Klopp with a dark expression, looking as if he’d suffered a terrible injustice.

"Zeliko, what’s wrong?"

As the team’s temporary captain, Wang Shuo did a head count before boarding. Once on the bus, he gestured with his chin toward Klopp and asked Assistant Coach Zeliko Buvac.

’We just had a huge 4-1 win, so why does he look like we lost?’

"It’s nothing. Just got disgusted by Bayern," Buvac said, unable to hold back a laugh.

Wang Shuo was completely confused.

’What does he mean, "got disgusted by Bayern"?’

The other players on the bus had either noticed earlier but didn’t dare to ask, or were only just realizing it now. In any case, their attention was now focused on the exchange.

Klopp still commanded a great deal of respect in the locker room.

"What exactly happened?" Wang Shuo pressed, concerned.

Everyone else was also very curious.

Buvac shook his head. "After the match, someone from the management office at Bayern’s Allianz Arena came to us demanding compensation."

"Compensation?"

Everyone on the bus was surprised.

"Compensation for what?" Wang Shuo blurted out.

Hearing this, Klopp immediately jumped up. "Exactly! Compensation for what? They’re just doing it to piss me off!"

At this, Klopp turned to Wang Shuo, looking like he had a bellyful of grievances to air.

"So what if I smashed one of their tables during halftime? What’s the big deal? Who knew their table was so flimsy? I just slammed my hands on it, and it broke."

"I suspect they did it on purpose, using some shoddy, counterfeit product to set me up!"

Wang Shuo and the others now understood what had happened.

’So that powerful slam on the table during halftime actually broke it?’

’Holy shit, that’s some serious power!’

’Just what you’d expect from someone who practices boxing.’

"How fucking ridiculous! I smashed the table at halftime because I wasn’t satisfied with the team’s performance in the first half."

"Yes, we were leading 3-0 at the time, but I strive for perfection! I felt we could do better. I smashed that table out of passion! But Bayern?"

Klopp looked at Wang Shuo and held up his right hand. "The football they played today, especially their defense, was just like that table in the away team’s locker room—fragile and utter trash!"

"We have an old saying in Germany: even the things I break, I break with passion."

"They’re just envious, just jealous! They lost so badly they didn’t even have their shorts left, so all they can do is fuss over a stupid, broken table, carefully calculating the cost. And they still have the nerve to demand compensation from me?"

"Hmph!"

Klopp almost flipped them the bird right then and there.

Everyone on the bus understood now and found the situation hilarious.

It had to be said, Bayern’s handling of this was indeed a bit petty.

They were definitely doing it just to spite Klopp!

"It’s just a broken table. Pay them. We won the game, let’s not haggle with them over petty things!"

Wang Shuo declared on the spot, "With Bayern’s kind of petty-mindedness, they deserved to lose!"

On this matter, Wang Shuo was firmly on Klopp’s side!

’It’s just a table, isn’t it?’

"Exactly! So I said right then and there, ’How much is it? I’ll pay!’"

After a pause, Klopp started grumbling again.

"But you know what? That one broken table costs nearly 1,000 euros! What the hell!"

"How much? Nearly 1,000 euros? Is that table gold-plated or something?" Wang Shuo cried out in disbelief.

"Ridiculous, right? I think it’s ridiculous too. Aren’t they just treating me like a rich fool to be ripped off?"

Klopp looked like he was about to hold up a sign on his forehead that said, ’I’m not a sucker!’

"The stadium manager at Allianz Arena said the table was custom-made," Buvac explained from the side, trying to stifle his laughter.

"Custom-made my ass! It’s cheap junk they picked up at a flea market!" Klopp exploded again.

"If you ask me, we should be the ones demanding compensation! It’s because of Bayern’s trashy, broken-down defense that we couldn’t even play comfortably in the first half! That’s why I had to smash something at halftime to vent my frustration. My hand still hurts!"

"According to the rules of the Ruhr District, if you make a fool of yourself, you can’t be afraid of being mocked."

"Bayern lost the match, and they still have the nerve to demand compensation?"

"So, did you end up paying?" Wang Shuo asked the question on everyone’s mind.

Buvac nodded and laughed out loud.

Klopp was also speechless. "I paid. I told them to send me the bill. I also told them that today, Bayern’s so-called ’Bayern-Dusel’ was just like that table in the locker room—smashed to smithereens by us."

"From now on, Bayern shouldn’t even think about holding their heads high in front of us!"

After hearing the story, Wang Shuo also found it amusing.

The whole incident wasn’t a big deal from start to finish.

If Bayern had won the match, they probably wouldn’t have even asked for compensation.

But now, having lost so badly, they naturally wanted to save some face.

It might not have even been something Rummenigge and Hennes ordered.

After all, Klopp really did break the table.

The reason Klopp was so furious was because he felt they were being deliberately nasty.

This was never about a table or a thousand euros.

Besides, once the bill arrived, the Dortmund office would probably pay it without a fuss.

’Would they really ask Klopp for the money?’

As Klopp sat back down, still grumbling under his breath, the bus slowly started up and pulled away from the Allianz Arena.