The God of Football Starts With Passive Skills

"To all our fans and friends watching at home, this is London Wembley Stadium."

"We are broadcasting live from the 2010/11 UEFA Champions League Final."

"The two teams facing off are the Bundesliga double champions, Dortmund, and the La Liga champions, Barcelona."

"Tonight’s match referee is Victor Caser from Hungary."

"The players from both teams are now entering the pitch, led by Caser."

"We can now see the starting lineups for both teams."

"Dortmund are sticking with their preferred 4-2-3-1 formation."

Goalkeeper: Weidenfeller;

Defense: Schmelzer, Hummels, Subotic, and Piszczek;

Midfield: Gundogan and Sven Bender as the two holding midfielders, with Reus, Götze, and Kuba ahead of them;

Forward: Wang Shuo.

"Just yesterday, at the press conference, Barça’s manager Guardiola mentioned Wang Shuo."

"He believes that Dortmund’s most threatening player is Wang Shuo."

"How to defend against Wang Shuo will be Barça’s biggest challenge in this match."

"Now let’s look at Barça’s starting lineup, which is, as expected, their trademark 4-3-3 formation."

Goalkeeper: Valdes;

Defense: Abidal, Pique, Mascherano, and Alves;

Midfield: Iniesta, Busquets, and Harvey;

Forwards: Villa, Messi, and Pedro.

"If Wang Shuo is Dortmund’s core fighting force, then on Barça’s side, the most crucial player is Messi."

"The showdown between these two superstars is undoubtedly the biggest highlight of this Champions League final."

"In terms of team lineup and bench depth, Dortmund is undoubtedly at a disadvantage."

"But Klopp’s team has faced all sorts of formidable opponents on their journey this season."

"From AC Milan to Chelsea to Real Madrid, and now they face Barça in the final."

"Dortmund’s run has been of the highest quality."

"But with two teams of similar styles meeting in the Champions League final, can Dortmund continue their excellent run of form against Barcelona?"

...

As soon as the referee, Caser, blew his whistle, Wang Shuo sprinted toward Busquets at top speed.

At the same time, Reus and Kuba both made forward runs into the two half-spaces of Barça’s defense.

Before Wang Shuo could even get close, Busquets immediately passed it back to Pique.

As Pique received the ball, Wang Shuo positioned himself right between Busquets and the center-back.

But he didn’t press any further forward.

Instead, as Pique held the ball, Wang Shuo moved laterally to his right, toward Barça’s left flank.

By this point, Barça’s entire formation had spread out completely.

When the ball was passed to Mascherano, Wang Shuo promptly shifted over to the left side.

Wang Shuo’s positioning had a single purpose: to cut off the connection between Busquets and the two center-backs.

So, when Mascherano passed the ball horizontally back to Pique, and Wang Shuo once again ran back to the right, Pique hit a medium-range switch to Alves on their own right flank.

But at that moment, Reus immediately closed down on Alves.

Wang Shuo also suddenly accelerated, rushing into the left half-space.

Reus went to press Alves.

Wang Shuo was responsible for cutting off the passing lanes between Alves, Mascherano, and Busquets.

Götze also immediately sprinted toward the right touchline.

Gundogan was marking Harvey.

In just eight short seconds, the two teams had already engaged in their first direct tactical confrontation.

Barça’s strength lies in the fact that their players run a lot and are excellent passers.

Alves didn’t dare pass back. Instead, he sent the ball forward along the right touchline to a dropping Pedro, who then laid it off to Harvey with a first-time pass.

Harvey passed forward to Messi, who then laid it back to Iniesta.

The entire sequence was one-touch passing.

When Iniesta tried to pass forward to Villa, he was promptly challenged by Piszczek and forced to pass backward.

Dortmund’s overall formation was also shifting very quickly.

By the time the ball returned to Busquets’s feet, Wang Shuo had already dropped back in front of the Barça holding midfielder, forcing Busquets to pass back to Pique once again and reset the attack.

And Wang Shuo once again moved past Busquets, positioning himself between the center-backs and the holding midfielder.

Just like at the start of the game.

Behind him, Subotic was already clapping enthusiastically, encouraging his teammates.

To the fans, those ten-odd seconds might have seemed mundane and even dull.

But for those actually on the pitch, the process was fraught with danger.

If even one Dortmund player failed to execute their role perfectly, or if the team’s collective movement was just a second or two too slow, Barça would have immediately penetrated their lines.

The Barça center-backs got the ball and once again tried to build an attack.

But it was the same as before.

This time, they only made it to midfield before being forced to pass back.

Busquets immediately chose to drop back, falling all the way into the center-back position.

Pique and Mascherano immediately split wider, while the full-backs pushed even further forward.

Wang Shuo remained unfazed, continuing his lateral movements between the defensive line and the midfield.

No matter where the ball was, he was always there in time!

This was the specific counter-tactic that Klopp had designed for the team.

Dortmund wouldn’t fight Barça for possession, but they would not allow Barça to control the ball in the midfield or the final third.

While the team maintained its overall shape, Wang Shuo’s primary focus was to shut down the number 4 position.

Note: the number 4 position, not Busquets himself.

So, when Busquets dropped back into the defensive line, Wang Shuo didn’t follow him.

Dortmund’s stance was clear: Barça was free to possess the ball all they wanted among their central defenders.

But try to pass it forward? Sorry, but you’d be swarmed immediately!