Chapter 405: Chapter 88: King of Iduna! Battling Atletico Madrid, Seizing the Initiative! Wang Shuo’s First Long Shot

After the match against Benfica on the evening of the 8th, the 9th and 10th were for a short rest.

At noon on the 11th, they had an away match against Mainz.

Because the UEFA Europa League match was on a Thursday night, Dortmund’s 30th Bundesliga matchday was the last to be played.

Before their game, Bayer Leverkusen had drawn 1-1 at home against Bayern.

Therefore, Klopp opted for a heavy rotation strategy.

...

’What would it feel like to return to Bruch Road Stadium?’

’How would the Mainz fans treat him, their opponent?’

Wang Shuo had wondered about this many times.

Even as he walked out of the players’ tunnel, he couldn’t help but feel a little anxious.

But he was greeted by the applause of the home fans.

He wasn’t in the starting lineup for this match.

But as he walked out of the players’ tunnel and toward the away team’s bench, all 20,000-plus fans in the stadium were shouting his name.

"Seriously, how can they be so biased?"

Foyelner grumbled from the away team’s bench, feeling quite aggrieved.

"The three of us clearly walked out together, so why are they only shouting your name?"

By the end, Foyelner sounded like a jilted lover.

Wang Shuo and Subotic couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

"Maybe it’s just my good looks," Wang Shuo replied.

"What do you mean?"

Subotic chimed in at the perfect moment. "It means you’re too ugly!"

Wang Shuo and Subotic burst out laughing again, looking like they were about to high-five in celebration.

Foyelner sulked. He shot a look at Subotic. "Well, no one’s shouting your name either. You’re even uglier."

"I don’t care. I didn’t play for Mainz that long anyway."

Come to think of it, both had joined Mainz in ’06, but Subotic was on the youth team while Foyelner went straight to the first team.

All three former Mainz players ended up on the bench.

’I wonder if Klopp did that on purpose?’

Still, it made sense.

Before the match, Wang Shuo had even gone to Klopp specifically to ask to play.

But Klopp refused.

With Bayer Leverkusen drawing against Bayern, the pressure on Dortmund in the league had eased considerably.

Now, the most important thing for Dortmund was to rest up and prepare for the first leg of the UEFA Europa League semi-final.

This was the home leg of a knockout tie! 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

If he still made them go all out in the Bundesliga under these circumstances, then as a manager, Klopp would have to be crazy.

In the end, Dortmund lost 1-0 away to Mainz.

Neither Wang Shuo nor Subotic made an appearance.

...

Over the next week, Dortmund shifted their entire focus to preparing for the UEFA Europa League match the following Thursday.

Although Atletico Madrid was currently mid-table in La Liga, their overall strength was not to be underestimated, especially in cup competitions.

Their poor league ranking was largely due to the turmoil they’d experienced this season.

Early in the season, under manager Abel Resino, Atletico Madrid found themselves in 17th place in La Liga after eight matches, just one spot away from the bottom of the table.

Under these circumstances, Atletico Madrid decisively changed managers.

Flores took over at the end of October, and Atletico Madrid’s performance began to pick up, with their ranking steadily climbing.

They were currently 10th in La Liga.

In the Copa del Rey, however, Atletico Madrid had eliminated one formidable opponent after another to reach the final.

And in the UEFA Europa League, they had also made it to the semi-finals.

Given the circumstances, Dortmund didn’t dare underestimate the Sheet Army in the slightest.

What’s more, the first leg was at home.

With that in mind, Klopp chose to continue resting his key players in the league.

Several key players, including Wang Shuo, were on the bench for the 31st Bundesliga matchday, a home game against Hoffenheim.

But just 22 minutes into the match, Shahin went down after a challenge with Gustavo.

Although the team doctor said it wasn’t serious and that he could keep playing, Klopp substituted him off immediately.

In the 57th minute of the second half, a breakthrough from Grosskreutz on the right wing led to an assist for Valdes, who scored from close range to break the deadlock for Dortmund.

However, the forward had already decided to leave Dortmund at the end of the season.

The reason had to do with Wang Shuo.

Wang Shuo had been remarkably consistent this season, never missing a single match due to injury.

Although Valdes managed to get a decent amount of playing time, his performances were never quite ideal.

For one thing, the player himself wasn’t exceptionally skilled. For another, his lack of consistent match time meant his form was unreliable.

As a result, Valdes had submitted a transfer request early on.

For him, this goal was more like a consolation prize.

However, in the 89th minute, substitute Ibisevic scored a last-gasp equalizer for Hoffenheim.

In the same round of matches, Bayern thrashed Hannover 96 7-0 at home.

Meanwhile, Bayer Leverkusen suffered a 2-1 comeback defeat away to Stuttgart.

...

"Without a doubt, Wang Shuo is one of the most decisive players in one-on-one situations in this season’s UEFA Europa League—perhaps in the entire European football scene right now!"

While Dortmund was resting players in the league, Atletico Madrid was doing the same.

They had just lost 2-1 away to Villarreal on the 33rd La Liga matchday.

Manager Flores rested several of his key players.

The next day, they held a tactical meeting at the Mahadahonda Training Base, northwest of Madrid, to discuss the match against Dortmund.

"Messi, Ronaldo, Kaka... and Aguero..."

As Flores said this name, he looked over at his team’s number one star, Aguero.