Chương 61: Winger? Attacking Midfielder?
On September 22nd, the fourth round of the Bundesliga matches began.
In this round, Werder Bremen hosted Stuttgart for a challenging match at home.
Thanks to the team's excellent performance, there were 48,000 fans in attendance, nearly filling the massive Weserstadion.
The Werder Bremen fans sang their team song, waving green flags eagerly awaiting the performance of the team's dynamic duo on the field.
Since Werder Bremen's decline, the club hadn't seen such a vibrant fan atmosphere, surprising everyone from the top down, with even the club president, Fischer, contemplating keeping these two young talents on the team.
However, it remained a mere thought as the current value of these two players was already high and would only increase in the future, making it challenging for Werder Bremen to afford them.
Furthermore, talented players often seek bigger stages, and Werder Bremen might not offer that platform.
Apart from regular fans, several scouts were present in the stands for this game.
"That seems to be a scout from Atletico Madrid, and that guy, though wearing sunglasses, I recognize him; he's Everton's scout!" George noticed several colleagues in the stands.
These scouts had different intentions; some observed De Bruyne, while others focused on Lin.
The young winger, who had crossed paths with George before, was gradually gaining attention from major clubs.
George was a bit annoyed, as he had spotted him first. However, the information he submitted to Chelsea was ignored as Abramovich preferred established stars like Shevchenko and Torres over young talents.
Werder Bremen and Stuttgart, while not traditional powerhouses, both had an attacking style of play.
In this match, both teams provided the fans with an entertaining goal-filled spectacle.
Just 13 minutes into the game, De Bruyne opened the scoring with a free kick.
In the 24th minute, Stuttgarts Harnik equalized, bringing both teams back to level terms.
In the 34th minute, Lin suddenly broke through on the right, combined with teammates through a wall pass into the penalty area, finally receiving De Bruyne's pass to score, putting Werder Bremen back in the lead.
This goal impressed many scouts, who noted:
- His dribbling and breakthroughs are sharp, displaying strong individual skills.
- He excels in teamwork, not recklessly taking solo actions.
- His passing vision is broad, his technique delicate, fitting his La Masia academy background.
George Evans, despite watching Lin play in several matches, couldn't help but marvel at the goal:
"This guy is incredibly smart; his thinking seems quicker than players who've played for years. From facing early high marking and foul tactics in the Bundesliga, opponents limited him. I thought he'd face trouble and underperform, but he quickly found a solution!
As opponents strengthened their defense against him, he created opportunities for teammates, preferring cooperation over solo attempts. He thought on his feet to utilize teammate space effectively."
However, in the coach's view:
"This guy is a winger, right? Why does he play like an attacking midfielder?"
Upon observation, Lin's position on the field was flexible. While he started as a right winger, his movements covered the entire attacking midfield and front, often interchanging with Werder Bremen's center midfielders and moving into the center.
This left Stuttgart's left-back perplexed, torn between marking Lin or keeping position. If not coordinated, teammates risk allowing sudden attacks to disrupt the defensive formation, leading to defensive gaps and goals.
Stuttgart's coach Keller glanced at Werder Bremen's coaching area in confusion, but Schaaf showed no sign of revealing their tactics.
Indeed, a sly fox! Keller inwardly cursed, planning defensive strategy adjustments.
The second half began, and following halftime adjustments, Stuttgart's defense improved with stronger coverage between the box and the wing.
However, Lin's change of tactics surprised Stuttgart; their full-backs couldn't contain him, forcing them to allow him successive crosses into the box.
While their aerial defense was sturdy, Werder Bremen struggled to find clear goal-scoring chances.
Both teams maintained attacking pressure, with goals continuing.
In the 66th minute, Stuttgart's striker Kačar seized an opportunity in the box, equalizing the score.
In the 78th minute, Werder Bremen's attack caused chaos in Stuttgart's penalty area.
After passing the ball to a teammate, Lin immediately moved towards the penalty area to find a chance to get in.
Once inside the penalty area, he saw the goalkeeper make a save after his teammate's shot, and the ball rolled to his feet.
What luck! Without hesitation, Lin took a chance and shot directly as the Stuttgart goal was unguarded, with the goalkeeper still on the ground.
Lin thought this was sure to be a goal, but unexpectedly the ball hit Stuttgart's winger Harnik's arm and bounced out!
Werder Bremen's players saw the handball and immediately gestured to the referee, prompting the referee to show a yellow card to Harnik. Since it was his second yellow, he was sent off the field with a red card.
Harnik was almost in tears and quickly explained that it was unintentional. He just happened to be there and didn't intend to commit a handball when he saw Lin's shot.
However, the referee didn't see it that way. He believed it was an intentional handball, as he thought Lin's shot would likely have gone in if Harnik hadn't blocked it.
After the penalty was awarded, Lin and Harnik both felt frustrated. While a direct goal would have been better than retaking a penalty, Lin calmly scored from the penalty spot.
With Stuttgart down to 10 men after the red card to their attacking core, they struggled to build an effective attack.
Ultimately, Werder Bremen won 3-2 at home against Stuttgart, securing their first three consecutive wins of the new season.
This round of matches also saw last season's defending champions, Borussia Dortmund, lose to the second-to-last team in the standings, Hamburg. This surprising result raised doubts about Borussia Dortmund's form and their chances of defending the title.
After four matches, Borussia Dortmund had one win, two draws, and one loss, with only 5 points, trailing league leaders Bayern Munich by a significant margin of 7 points.
Considering Bayern Munich's dominance in the Bundesliga, it almost seemed like Borussia Dortmund's title defense was destined to fail.
Another noteworthy performance came from newly promoted Eintracht Frankfurt, who, like Bayern Munich, secured their fourth consecutive victory by defeating Nuremberg 2-1 away from home.
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