Football: Starting from the Ronaldinho template

Chapter 74 The opponent in the Europa League knockout stage is...
“Boss, Qin has been appearing too frequently lately. You have to remember he’s only 17. You can’t use him like that.”

After Qin Ming walked into the player tunnel, Thorn Lockhoff couldn't help but say something.

“I know. I was too anxious before. Seeing Bayern scoring points and Qin performing like that, I overlooked his age.”

Dieter Black Gold was also a little scared.

Fortunately, it was discovered early enough; otherwise, he would have felt terribly guilty.

"Let's focus on defense first. This time of year is a huge turning point for every season."

Dietrich sighed silently: "Whoever can get through this safely will be qualified to compete for the league title, but unfortunately our squad depth is not as good as Bayern's."

"We'll see if we can buy more players in the winter transfer window; this season is our best chance."

There seemed to be a light in Thorn-Lockhoff's eyes.

By the time Qin Ming returned after showering, the game had entered stoppage time. Wolfsburg, with their all-out defense, was indeed strong; at least Paderborn had no way to break through.

Beep-beep-beep!
Thus, Wolfsburg secured a hard-fought victory at home, earning three crucial points.

However, their condition has caused concern among many fans.

There are two more matches before the winter break, one against Borussia Dortmund and the other against FC Köln.

"Dortmund. They just lost to Hertha Berlin, right?"

The next day, in the Wolfsburg cafeteria, Qin Ming asked questions while eating.

"Yeah, I don't know what's wrong with them. Are they focusing all their energy on the Champions League and neglecting their core league business?"

De Bruyne was also puzzled.

With the Bundesliga season nearing its halfway point, Borussia Dortmund has fallen directly to the second-to-last relegation zone.

Keep in mind they were runners-up last season!
However, they made great strides in the Champions League, topping their group and then being drawn against Juventus.

Are they going to follow in the footsteps of Inter Milan in 1994, who won the UEFA Cup while only being one point above the relegation zone in the league?
"Speaking of the Champions League draw, the Europa League draw is done too, right?"

Qin Ming then remembered that the draw for the Europa League knockout stage last night was held in Nyon, Switzerland.

"Don't you know yet?"

Perisic was very surprised.

"I had a bit of a cold yesterday, and I slept until now. I'm feeling a little better now."

Qin Ming took out a tissue and blew his nose.

“Then take care of yourself. When I first came to Germany, I always caught a cold in the winter.”

After Perisic finished speaking, his face turned bitter: "We qualified as group winners, but we were drawn against Tottenham, who finished second in the group."

Tottenham Hotspur?

Qin Ming gasped, thinking that Wolfsburg was really unlucky.

So many weaker second-placed teams were not drawn, how come they were drawn by Tottenham Hotspur, a strong Premier League team?

This season, with Pochettino taking over at Tottenham, he has instilled a high-pressing philosophy in the players. Although Tottenham has yet to strictly implement it, they have achieved some results.

Their ranking on the league table is not good. At the beginning of the season, they were frequently held to draws by weak teams and were heavily beaten by strong teams, such as Manchester City, which resulted in them being ranked ninth.

The current Premier League standings are quite interesting: Chelsea are first, Southampton are second, Manchester City are third, and Arsenal are fourth.

Oh, fourth again, still fourth.

Perhaps this is destiny.

Liverpool finished seventh, and Tottenham ninth.

As for Manchester United, managed by Van Gaal, they ranked tenth.

They've completely lost all sense of shame.

"Let me take a look at their lineup."

Qin Ming opened his phone and searched for Tottenham. "Harry Kane, Eriksen, Paulinho, Kyle Walker... they are quite strong." Especially Harry Kane, who is currently second in the top scorer list, only behind Manchester City's Aguero.

There's also Kyle Walker, whom Qin Ming had often heard about before his time travel, known for his ability to stop the supercar Mbappe.

It is said that he has a very fitting nickname: Whip Defender.

Of course, jokes aside, Kyle Walker is incredibly fast, not in that sense, but on the court.

"This puts a lot of pressure on me."

Qin Ming said that, but his eyes were full of anticipation.

He was eager to see just how good Kyle Walker was at stopping Mbappe.

As for speed, he never relies on speed to outpace others, but rather on skillful and agile footwork.

"Alright, the Europa League is next February, let's think about how to play against Dortmund."

Captain Benaglio interrupted the discussion.

The day before the match against Dortmund, Dieter Hecking called the team together for a tactical meeting.

"This summer, due to the departure of the team's main striker Lewandowski, Klopp chose a 4-4-2 formation based on the existing personnel."

"Among the two forwards, one is Immobile, a target man, and the other is Aubameyang, a penetrator. The former's role is to suppress the opponent's defense, while the latter's role is to use his speed to find gaps."

"Therefore, when we defend, we should pay attention to the depth of our defense, not leave too much space behind the defensive line, or create offside traps in advance."

After discussing the defensive issues, Dietrich first addressed the offensive aspects: "Dortmund has been in poor form recently, especially their goalkeeper, Weidenfeller. His save percentage this season is only 65%, and I think you all know what that means."

"Long-range shots. The frequency of long-range shots from outside the penalty area can be increased, and more set pieces should be created in the attacking third."

"Also, there is a clear disconnect between their defense and midfield, which is probably a consequence of Reus' injury and absence. Shinji Kagawa is unable to connect the front and back lines effectively."

"Qin, you can be bold and break through now. As long as you cross the opponent's midfield line, you will have enough time to adjust. You can either continue to break through or pass the ball."

Dieter Black Gold looked at Qin Ming at the end of his sentence.

Qin Ming's cold a few days ago gave him quite a fright, and he immediately had the team doctor conduct a thorough physical examination.

Fortunately, nothing serious was found; it was just a minor cold, and I recovered yesterday.

Actually, he originally wanted Qin Ming to rest, but Caligiuri's shoulder muscle strain hadn't healed yet.

We have no choice but to let Qin Ming play one more game.

"Okay, boss."

Qin Ming nodded.

Meanwhile, Dieter Hecking found De Bruyne and gave him some instructions on things to be careful about.

2014 12 Month 18 Day.

Snowflakes are falling.

In Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

The bus, bearing the Wolfsburg team logo, slowly drove towards the magnificent building in the distance.

Westfalenstadion.

It is one of the most famous and notorious stadiums in the world, capable of holding more than 80,000 fans, and its attendance rate ranks among the top three in Germany.

It has also become a nightmare for many teams thanks to the madness of Borussia Dortmund fans.

“Every time you step into this stadium, it feels like you’re reborn. When you walk out of the players’ tunnel, it feels like the world is about to explode.”

This is Klopp's assessment of it.

Sure enough, Qin Ming heard loud singing even before he entered the stadium. The Dortmund fans on the side of the street were like a yellow and black wave, densely packed and stretching as far as the eye could see.

(End of this chapter)