Capítulo 44: Stunning Dortmund
After the game began, Dortmund, as usual, intended to use high pressing and vigorous running to deal with Werder Bremen.
But unexpectedly, Werder Bremen showed no fear and engaged them in an attacking match.
The pace on the field was fast-paced, with the ball rarely staying more than ten seconds at the player's feet before being snatched away.
This unusual situation unsettled Coach Klopp.
He looked in bewilderment at Werder Bremen's bench and saw the opposing coach, Thomas Schaaf, calmly seated without any reaction to what was happening on the field.
It seemed to be their planned tactic!
They want to attack? Hehe, Werder Bremen probably doesn't know the word 'defeat'!
A team daring to engage in an attack against Dortmund would undoubtedly face a miserable outcome.
Thinking this, Klopp signaled to the players to further accelerate the pace of the match.
You want to attack? I'll assist you!
Seeing Dortmund's players pick up the pace, Schaaf didn't show any anxiety but rather revealed a smug smile.
Klopp was indeed fooled!
Picking up the pace? Picking up is right!
Today, Schaaf made some adjustments to the team's starting lineup. He brought in Lukimya in the defensive line, replacing Papastathopoulos, and the young player Kroos in the forward line.
These two shared a common characteristic: they were tall, physically fit, and had a high level of aggression.
Evidently, their introduction was to enhance the team's physical confrontation and pressing capabilities.
Werder Bremen's players were indeed not strong in technical ability, unlike Bayern Munich.
But can Dortmund match Bayern?
Dortmund's success is due to their aggressive play on the field, running all over the place like they've had chicken blood shot into them, utilizing the physical stamina and vigorous rush of their young players to exhaust and overpower their opponents.
If we talk about technique, can Dortmund compare to Bayern Munich?
However, Dortmund's ability to defeat Bayern thrice last season is proof of the effectiveness of Klopp's tailored tactical approach for Dortmund!
If it were a full game, even if Werder Bremen substituted all their young players, they wouldn't be able to keep up with Dortmund.
But they only have to compete for the first five minutes, during which Werder Bremen's players can certainly match Dortmund's rhythm.
The situation on the field did not change after Dortmund accelerated.
Dortmund still couldn't hold on to the ball, and neither could Werder Bremen.
Both sides frequently committed fouls in the midfield, with each team's players being knocked down, including Lin, who was brought down twice within a short span of two minutes.
Given Lin's significant role in Werder Bremen's victory against Bayern Munich in the last game, Dortmund's players were clearly aware of his threat.
So, Dortmund closely marked him and fiercely contested, using various means like physical confrontation and fouls, to ensure he didn't comfortably receive the ball.
Lin rubbed his legs, feeling a bit sore from being kicked, and couldn't help but remark to himself: "What kind of football match is this? It feels like bullfighting in Spain!"
In this fast-paced combat, Dortmund, with greater coordination and familiarity with this style of play, seemed to gradually gain the upper hand.
In the third minute of the match, Bittencourt dribbled up to the edge of the penalty area.
Just as he was about to pass, Werder Bremen's center-back Lukimya intercepted the ball, using his physical advantage to push aside the opponent and take the ball from him.
After a successful tackle, Lukimya immediately passed the ball to the captain, Fritz. Dortmund's midfielders immediately marked Fritz.
Being unable to hold the ball, Fritz immediately passed it as soon as he received it, delivering it to Elia on the wing before the opponent's pressure.
Elia ran with the ball, heading towards Dortmund's half.
Seeing the opposition launching a counterattack, Dortmund's players didn't need to be reminded; they quickly fell back in defense, showing a seamless and organized retreat!
Truly superb tactic execution! On the long side, Schaaf, with some wariness, looked at Klopp.
This guy somehow managed to train this group of young people like a disciplined army.
After receiving the ball, Elia ran a dozen meters until he was halted by Dortmund's full-back Kehl, who restricted his options. At that moment, two Dortmund players swiftly closed in to press Elia.
This is Dortmund's tactic, using more aggressive running to outnumber the opposition in specific areas and pressing the ball-holding player anytime and anywhere.
If you can't outrun them, it's impossible to launch a counterattack, and if caught under pressure, unless you have Messi-like breakthrough and dribbling ability, you'll surely be dispossessed by the opponent.
Of course, Elia didn't have that ability, so he didn't dare to keep the ball and directly passed it to his teammate De Bruyne.
De Bruyne hadn't even received the ball when the opposition player charged toward him.
He saw the opponents closing in, so he swiftly combined the act of receiving and passing to get the ball to the forward, Arnautovic, before the opponents could block it.
It was a beautiful piece of ball handling.
Dortmund's players can indeed run well.
But no matter how fast they can run, their speed can't match that of the ball.
So, when they pressured Elia and De Bruyne, less defensive players were naturally around Werder Bremen's other players.
"Nice play!"
"It's no wonder De Bruyne, who was scouted by the Champions League-winning team, handled the ball so skillfully!"
On the CCTV commentary box, upon seeing De Bruyne's clever lob pass that not only bypassed the opponent's pressure but also found the open teammate, Marcy Tiwan couldn't help but praise him.
On the side, Hussk Baker added, "Let me explain a bit to some viewers here. De Bruyne is a midfield player who Chelsea bought from Genk Club for £8 million during the winter break in January this year. He's only 21 years old and has great potential for growth. If he develops in the future, he might just be able to fill Lampard's shoes!"
Marcy Tiwan, however, responded, "Lampard is a box-to-box midfielder, while De Bruyne seems more like an attacking midfielder or perhaps a winger. He doesn't have the same defensive coverage as Lampard, so they may not necessarily be in a successor relationship."
In the penalty area, after receiving the ball, Arnautovic held off Dortmund's defender Hummels's challenge and passed the ball to his advancing teammate.
The 19-year-old young player, Füllkrug, was like a speeding tank, freeing himself from the defenders' entanglement outside the penalty area and scored a close-range sliding shot, putting the ball into Dortmund's goal.
The speed of the ball was so fast that Dortmund's goalkeeper didn't have time to make a save; he could only watch the ball go into the net.
The score on the field became 1:0, and at that moment, only four minutes had passed since the start of the game!
The massive Westfalenstadion fell into an instant silence, as if it had been silenced by a magic spell.
The Dortmund fans were shocked, and couldn't believe their eyes.
Just four minutes into the game, their team was already behind at home?
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