The God of Football Starts With Passive Skills

But everyone could see that Dortmund had expended a tremendous amount of energy in that match.

This was just as Wang Shuo had said in a joint interview with multiple media outlets, including *Bild* and *Ruhr News*, after returning to Dortmund.

"The Champions League knockout stage is a completely different level of intensity from the group stage, especially when you’re up against a team from Italy."

German media outlets relayed reports from their Italian counterparts.

After the match at the San Siro, players like Nesta and Thiago Silva gave interviews to the Italian press.

As defenders, they all brought up Wang Shuo.

Nesta, in particular.

The Italian center-back even repeated to the reporters what he had said to Wang Shuo after the match.

No one had expected Nesta to compare Wang Shuo to Ronaldo!

And according to intelligence gathered by the scouts Dortmund had left behind in Milan, Nesta was indeed injured.

But it was still unclear whether he would be fit for the second leg.

After all, there were still three weeks to go.

After returning to their Bundesliga campaign, Dortmund faced St. Pauli over the weekend.

Klopp made extensive rotations to the squad for this match.

He had no other choice.

They were about to play back-to-back matches against Bayern, and every single one would be a tough fight.

Two matches against Bayern in four days.

One in the Bundesliga, and one in the DFB-Pokal semifinal.

Logically speaking, the DFB-Pokal semifinal was obviously more important.

A loss in the Bundesliga was just a loss. Dortmund had such a commanding lead that they could afford to drop points.

But that was only in theory.

What about in reality?

Losing the first match would severely impact their confidence for the second, casting doubt on their ability to win.

The two matches seemed to be on separate fronts, but in reality, they were inextricably linked.

That was why, for the match against St. Pauli, Klopp rotated nearly the entire starting lineup.

In the end, however, a 39th-minute goal from Lewandowski secured a 1-0 home victory over St. Pauli.

...

"Wang Shuo’s performance this season has been impressive."

"He is the most sensational striker to emerge in the European football scene in years!"

"Ronaldo and Messi? They’re both wingers, not strikers."

"I don’t want to talk too much about goal-scoring records. I’ve never cared about that sort of thing."

"In my opinion, all records are made to be broken, even one that has stood for forty years."

"I just want to say that at Allianz Arena, my players and I will put on a brilliant performance to prove our worth."

"We will use a victory to show our opponents that this is Munich!"

"This is Allianz Arena!"

This was the preview for the upcoming match, given by Bayern head coach Van Gaal on the afternoon of February 25th in a packed press conference hall on Sebena Avenue.

The Dutchman declared that his team would definitely defeat their opponents at home.

He also displayed his lofty ambitions.

This was despite a reporter from *Ruhr News* reminding him that Dortmund was already 22 points ahead of second-place Bayer Leverkusen, and a whopping 25 points ahead of Bayern.

From any angle, this season’s Bundesliga title belonged to Dortmund.

But Van Gaal refused to back down, remaining adamant that his team could defeat their rivals at home.

"Every record has its day to be broken. The goal-scoring record is no different, and neither is an undefeated streak!"

The implication was clear: Bayern would be the ones to shatter Dortmund’s 23-match unbeaten streak at home.

Interestingly, after interviewing Van Gaal, the reporters then went to get a comment from Gerd Müller.

The legendary player currently works with Bayern’s youth academy.

In his interview, Gerd Müller stated, "I’m not at all surprised that Wang Shuo is breaking the goal-scoring record I set back in the day. He nearly did it last season."

Gerd Müller, who had worked for Bayern his entire life, added, "I believe that the boys at Bayern will defend our temple of football and not allow anyone to desecrate it."

"The record isn’t important to me anymore. If Wang Shuo really does score that historic goal during the match, I will be genuinely happy for him."

"But I believe our boys at Bayern will secure a victory at home. They will turn Allianz Arena into Dortmund’s graveyard!"

Meanwhile, Uli Hennes gave a joint interview to several media outlets from his office at Bayern’s headquarters.

The Bayern legend first reminisced about Gerd Müller’s legendary season.

"I was right there beside him back then. We fought side-by-side, and I contributed to some of his forty goals."

Hennes stated that, at the time, almost everyone felt that "this goal tally could never be surpassed."

It was simply too high!

In a Bundesliga season with only 34 matches, scoring 40 goals was an astonishingly efficient feat!

"In fact, since the 40-goal record was set, besides Gerd Müller himself, countless outstanding players over the past forty years have tried, but none have ever even come close."

Hennes couldn’t hide the wistful look on his face.

"For Bayern Munich, this record is like an insurmountable monument. It has always stood there, inspiring countless strikers to strive for it, one after another. It became the benchmark that everyone chased."

"Some people say this record isn’t important. I don’t agree!"

"I believe that, in a way, it’s like a spiritual totem for Bayern. It represents our history and our legacy."