The God of Football Starts With Passive Skills

Although the aggregate score was 3-3, Inter Milan eliminated Bayern on away goals.

All three Bundesliga teams in the Champions League made it to the Round of 16, but in the end, only Dortmund advanced, storming into the quarter-finals with a 4-0 aggregate score.

After their match against AC Milan, Wang Shuo and his teammates were showering and changing in the locker room when they received the latest news.

Van Gaal had been sacked!

In just two short days, after two Champions League matches, two renowned managers had been sacked!

After Van Gaal was sacked, assistant coach Junker would lead Bayern for the remainder of the season.

When Wang Shuo heard the news in the locker room, he was quite calm at first.

But as the implications sank in, his mind was in turmoil.

Inter Milan, the very team responsible for Van Gaal’s sacking, had already changed managers themselves.

Benitez had been sacked too!

Their current manager was Leonardo.

Wang Shuo had always heard that being a manager was a high-risk profession.

He had never really thought much of it.

But in that moment, it became starkly clear.

In just two short days, two renowned managers were out of a job!

And it wasn’t as if Magat and Van Gaal were just any ordinary managers.

Putting aside their fame, let’s look at the practical reality of their situations.

Who was Magat?

At Schalke 04, he simultaneously held several key positions: board member, general manager, technical director, and head coach.

To put it bluntly, to get him, Schalke 04 had given him nearly absolute power!

And what about Van Gaal?

The power he wielded at Bayern was also unprecedented.

Many said he was the most powerful manager in Bayern’s history.

That was why he had the authority to clash with Hennes and Nillinger.

And yet, even renowned managers like them were dismissed just like that.

Overnight, they went from wielding immense power to being utterly cast aside.

Was it cruel?

Very cruel.

Was it realistic?

Brutally realistic.

Getting sacked for poor results was to be expected.

But was it fair?

Wang Shuo wasn’t so sure.

Schalke 04 had long-standing issues. The club was rife with problems well before Magat’s tenure; otherwise, they never would have granted him so much power in the first place.

It was the same story at Bayern.

It was like a department head taking over a failing division—failure was hardly a surprise.

So why did Wang Shuo feel it was unfair?

Take Van Gaal, for example.

He never really liked Gomez; his preferred player was Olic.

But the Bayern board had forced Gomez on him, giving him no choice but to play him. That was what caused all the drama last season.

If their results last season hadn’t been decent enough to keep the pressure off, Van Gaal would have been sacked long ago!

Magat was the type who couldn’t handle the power he was given; when the situation collapsed, he lost control.

And what about Benitez at Inter Milan?

He seemed truly blameless in the matter.

Taking over a treble-winning side is already a monumental task, but Inter Milan gave him virtually no support in the transfer market. This led to a situation where Benitez was clearly a poor fit.

This made Wang Shuo think of Ancelotti at Chelsea.

Rumor had it his position wasn’t very secure, either.

And what about Mancini at Manchester City?

Was his job secure?

In that moment, Wang Shuo had a sudden realization. ’Making a transfer is an incredibly high-risk proposition!’

...

"Wang, we’re the last Bundesliga team standing. Who do you want to draw next?"

Götze asked as he sidled up.

The news of Bayern’s manager getting sacked didn’t have much of an impact on the Dortmund players.

Wang Shuo noticed that the others didn’t seem to be thinking about it as deeply as he was.

To them, aside from when they were playing against Bayern, none of this really mattered.

"What about you?"

"Either Tottenham Hotspur or Shakhtar Donetsk," Götze replied.

"Why?"

"They’re the two weakest teams left in the quarter-finals," Götze replied.

"I think Inter Milan would be a good draw, too," Reus chimed in.

"I watched a replay of Inter Milan’s home game against Bayern. I think we’d have a really good chance against them. They’re not even as strong as AC Milan."

"Marco’s right. It’s best to avoid the Premier League and La Liga teams for as long as possible," Kuba added with a laugh.

"Dude, we’re in the quarter-finals. How is that ’as long as possible’?"

"The later the better, of course."

"What about you, Wang?" Götze tossed the question back to Wang Shuo.

The others stopped their chatter and all looked over at him.

There was clearly no avoiding the question.

"If we’re just talking about who I want to play, without considering if we can win or not... I want to face Real Madrid!"

"Real Madrid?"

Everyone was stunned; some even gasped.

What kind of nerve did it take to actually want to play Real Madrid?

"Wang, even though they’ve been called the ’Round of 16 regulars’ for the past few years, they’re actually incredibly strong. And now their manager is Mourinho. They already broke that Round of 16 curse this season..."

"It has nothing to do with any of that. It’s not even about wanting to advance. I just purely want to play against them."

"Why?" Everyone was bewildered.

Joining Real Madrid was a tempting prospect for any player, but facing them on the pitch was a terrifying one.

Seeing the looks on their faces, Wang Shuo was suddenly struck by a frustrating thought.

"Have you all forgotten the 5-0 loss back in ’09?"

The moment Wang Shuo said this, the expressions of everyone in the locker room changed.

Some had a flash of realization, some grew pensive, others looked confused, and a few just seemed completely lost.

Most of them had probably forgotten.

But Wang Shuo remembered it clearly.