Chapter 1 When in Doubt, Pass it to the Back of the Heel

When Borussia Dortmund broke through Bayern Munich's goal, it wasn't just the Bayern Munich players who were surprised, but also the commentators.

They thought that, like the first half, Borussia Dortmund's offensive was just a last-ditch effort.

They didn't expect the caged beast to put up such a fight, actually managing to take a bite out of Bayern Munich!

They equalized!

The TV broadcast replayed the goal just now.

What everyone was most interested in was how Zhou Yi managed to pass the ball to Reus's feet under such tight defense.

He was forced by Martínez to turn around, protecting the ball with his back to the direction of the attack.

At this moment, everyone, like Martínez, Boateng, and others, felt that Borussia Dortmund's attack would have to slow down for a while.

But just as they thought so, the ball was suddenly passed from Zhou Yi's feet to Reus.

It was so sudden, without any warning beforehand.

Normally, when passing the ball, people would look up to observe, but Zhou Yi was focused on fighting with Martínez the whole time, basically not looking up at all. So how did he know that after he flicked the ball out with his heel, his teammate would be there to receive it?

The slow-motion replay didn't answer everyone's questions; on the contrary, it made everyone feel even more incredible.

Because in slow motion, Zhou Yi really didn't observe, but he passed the ball out so decisively. If he didn't have absolute confidence, this kick would have been no different from an irresponsible, random pass, simply handing over possession.

But Zhou Yi really passed the ball to Reus's feet, and Reus really did run to the open space to receive the ball.

"Zhou Yi's pass... is really whimsical! And it was successful! No one knows if he guessed it or did it on purpose... It doesn't matter, what matters is that because of his assist, Borussia Dortmund has equalized the score!"

The TV broadcast took the time to give a close-up of Guardiola, who looked incredulous that Borussia Dortmund had actually equalized the score.

But what actually made him show an incredulous expression wasn't Reus's goal, but Zhou Yi's pass.

That pass was extremely difficult.

Guardiola used to be the coach of Barcelona, and Barcelona wasn't short of passing masters. Whether it was Xavi or Iniesta, their passing was excellent.

So Guardiola would naturally compare the players he had worked with to Zhou Yi, and then discover that Zhou Yi's passing ability had even surpassed Xavi and Iniesta... And Zhou Yi is only twenty-two years old this year. To have such strength and achievements at such a young age, as long as he isn't plagued by injuries in the future, his potential is simply limitless...

Guardiola only found out later about Zhou Yi coming to Barcelona to participate in youth team matches and being valued by La Masia. If he had known about this at the first moment, what would have happened? Unless Guardiola knew about Zhou Yi's future achievements, probably nothing would have changed.

A sixteen-year-old boy who had never received professional football training actually wanted the club to guarantee him playing time in the first team in the future... That's thinking a bit too far ahead. Even Guardiola couldn't agree to this condition. Even Messi hadn't enjoyed such treatment!

Besides, even if he got to the first team, how could he compete with Xavi, Iniesta, and Busquets? Later, Barcelona was interested in Zhou Yi because Xavi was getting old and they wanted to find a successor for him.

However, until Guardiola left Barcelona, Xavi hadn't found a suitable successor and could only continue to shine.

Then, Guardiola came to Bayern Munich and became Zhou Yi's opponent once again.

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Reus's goal allowed Borussia Dortmund to equalize the score, and it also boosted the morale of the Borussia Dortmund players.

In the first half, they besieged Bayern Munich for more than ten minutes without scoring, which made many players doubt the effectiveness of this tactic.

In the second half, with the same tactic, they scored a goal, and the players' confidence in the tactic immediately returned.

So when the game started again, the Borussia Dortmund players continued to launch a fierce attack on Bayern Munich's goal.

With the cheers of the home fans, their offensive really threatened Bayern Munich's goal.

Faced with such a severe situation, Guardiola planned to make adjustments.

He asked assistant coach Hermann Gerland to tell Götze to get up.

Götze knew that he was going to play. He looked at Guardiola, thinking that his idol would chat with him for a few words and give him some instructions. But Guardiola didn't do this. He stood on the sidelines, with his back to Götze, closely watching the situation on the field.

The specific tactical arrangements were left to "Tiger" Hermann Gerland.

The old coach Hermann, with a head full of white hair, saw that Götze's gaze was focused on Guardiola, so he coughed to remind Götze to come back to his senses.

Hearing his cough, Götze withdrew his gaze.

Hermann held a tactical board and said to him, "I know this game has a different meaning for you, Mario. But when you come on the field, you still have to concentrate on the game. Your task is very important..."

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After Hermann finished the tactical arrangements, he took Götze to the sidelines and arranged for him to come on as a substitute.

Seeing Götze standing next to the fourth official, everyone realized that he was about to play.

So a huge boo echoed in the Westfalenstadion. It stunned the players on both sides who were fighting on the field.

Zhou Yi passed the ball out, then turned his head and glanced at the sidelines. He saw Götze standing there, wearing Bayern Munich's red jersey.

"Götze in a red jersey, it's really a bit unaccustomed..." Duan Xin said with emotion.

When commentating on Borussia Dortmund's games in the past, Götze was always wearing a yellow and black jersey. Whether it was Borussia Dortmund's home, away, or second away jersey, there was no red color scheme. So the current Götze is indeed a bit unfamiliar.

"The booing is so loud, so loud that I can hardly hear my own voice!" Marcel Reif said, raising his voice. "This is the 'gift' that Borussia Dortmund fans have carefully prepared for Götze! The former Borussia Dortmund hero, now returning to the Westfalenstadion, has become a Judas in the eyes of Borussia Dortmund fans. It's really sighing... I wonder what kind of performance Götze, who is coming on as a substitute in such an unfriendly environment, can put on?"

When a dead ball situation occurred on the field, the fourth official raised the substitution sign on the sidelines.

Götze was about to come on, and the player he was replacing was another former Borussia Dortmund player, center forward Lewandowski.

Lewandowski missed several opportunities in this game, and his performance couldn't be considered very good. I don't know if he was affected by the unfriendly atmosphere...

When Lewandowski had the ball on the field, he could also hear boos aimed at him. Although when he left Borussia Dortmund this summer, it was the Borussia Dortmund club that was more unreasonable. But hardcore fans are magical creatures. They often don't care about right and wrong, and care more about absolutely not allowing the interests of the club they support to be harmed. Lewandowski's actions angered them.

Lewandowski thought that he should be an unpopular figure at the Westfalenstadion, but when he was replaced by Götze, he realized how wrong his previous thoughts were...

Overwhelming, wave-like boos came at them, such terrible boos that he had never felt during his time playing in the game.

Compared to the boos that Götze was experiencing, his little bit of booing suddenly felt like tickling him.

When he used to play for Borussia Dortmund, he was proud and excited by the Borussia Dortmund fans' fanaticism and their support. But now, after changing his identity, the Borussia Dortmund fans' fanaticism has become a headache-inducing trouble for them...

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Götze ran onto the field under the huge boos. He looked unchanged and unaffected by the boos.

But who knows if he was just pretending to be calm?

Those neutrals cast sympathetic glances at Götze. They naturally thought that competing in such an environment would be a huge pressure for anyone, and it was bound to be pitiful and worthy of sympathy.

They believed that Götze's was just a normal transfer, like a company employee changing jobs. He made his own choice and shouldn't be treated like this.

Many people on the internet criticized Borussia Dortmund fans for being too narrow-minded. When they booed Götze, they completely forgot that they had once cheered for Götze. Their contradictory actions were simply a great irony.

Unlike those fans who lamented Götze's fate, the professional commentators were now more concerned with the fact that after replacing Lewandowski with Götze, Bayern Munich no longer had a proper center forward. How were they going to break through Borussia Dortmund's goal?

Could it be that Guardiola was going to play a strikerless tactic at Bayern Munich?

That really is Guardiola's style...