Dear Gua
Chapter 117 The Wheel of History Turns! (Slice of Life, Careful if You Mind!)
There's an old joke about German football: if Magath and his disciples were on the Titanic, they could all swim back to Southampton.
Many players probably couldn't outswim him.
After all, when Old Magath played, he was a top-tier champion midfielder in Europe.
After becoming a coach, his nickname was "Devil Coach." He emphasized players' physical fitness and discipline.
His aggressive personality meant he didn't stay at wealthy clubs for long, but he repeatedly led "grassroots" teams to slaughter them.
...
Olympic Stadium.
The Hertha Berlin players were a little confused.
They thought it was going to be a delightful, all-out attacking battle.
They were sharpening their knives, ready to end the game in the most brutal way possible.
But Bayer Leverkusen chickened out?
Falling back across the board?
"Coach Toppmöller's tactics are very conservative!"
"Understandable, the pressure of three games in a week is huge. Key midfielders Kramer and Bender can't play due to injuries."
...
The scene was dull.
The cheers of tens of thousands of fans at the stadium grew quieter and quieter.
Hertha Berlin's "strong when facing the strong, weak when facing the weak" phenomenon had a simple cause:
They weren't good at positional attacks with possession.
Against strong teams, they could use fierce pressing, frantic running, and intercept the ball completely, then launch a counterattack threat in a few passes.
Against weak teams, in a positional warfare situation of chickens pecking at each other, they didn't know how to play.
Especially in the current scenario, Bayer Leverkusen gave up possession, their formation retreated to the thirty-meter zone, leaving only Son Heung-min up front.
Magath couldn't solve this problem.
Hertha Berlin's players were all a bunch of "losers," their value was right there for all to see.
Positional attacks with possession require creativity.
The crushed mineral water bottle in his hand couldn't hide the Hertha Berlin coach's anxiety.
"Damn Toppmöller, so shameless!"
On the other side.
Dino was discussing the game against Bayern with the coaching staff.
Old Toppmöller sat upright on the coaching bench, his mind drifting to the upcoming winter transfer window.
Bayer Leverkusen was willing to take out most of the broadcast revenue and invest it in winter signings.
What type of defensive player should they strengthen?
That was a difficult question.
And they could only find players who hadn't been registered on the Champions League list this season!
...
15th minute of the match.
Weiser received a pass from Darida near the baseline.
With a dashing cut, he easily shook off Borges' entanglement.
As a Bayern castoff, it was still easy for him to outplay a Brazilian wonderkid who was strong on offense but weak on defense.
After creating space, he looked up for a moment to observe.
His instep hit the lower left of the ball.
Thwack!
The ball lifted off the ground, arcing through the air, straight into the Bayer Leverkusen penalty area!
"A very high-quality cross."
"Haraguchi Genki!"
...
The little Japanese player didn't know when he'd cut into the penalty area!
As a former J-League prodigy, he was very accurate in his judgment of the ball's path!
His feet stomped hard on the grass!
He leaped high!
Thump!
Kießling adjusted his position in small steps, didn't jump! And headed the ball out first!
"This clearance is key! Haraguchi Genki's height and jumping ability aren't suitable for this type of attack."
"Kießling's role on the defensive end is also very obvious!"
"Look at the second ball!"
....
The ball bounced outside the penalty area!
Kalou quickly grabbed the spot!
Time flies, the former Chelsea youngster was already thirty years old this year.
As Drogba's former substitute, he wasn't afraid of physical confrontation.
Thump!
Before the ball landed.
A black-haired figure cut off his position in advance!
A close-up shot revealed intense sounds of physical struggle.
"Drogba's little brother" was squeezed to the ground!
Lee Kang easily unloaded the ball and pushed out a short pass!
"Time passes so quickly, Kalou, who's in his prime, has physical qualities and speed far inferior to what he used to."
"Look at Bayer Leverkusen's counterattack this time!"
"The crowd is too dense, they didn't look for Son Heung-min directly!"
The ball skimmed through the gaps between the Hertha Berlin players.
At the end of the trajectory.
A thin figure appeared.
Çalhanoğlu!
Although he had many important flaws such as poor character, bad luck, low EQ, reckless talk, weak body, etc... his long-range passing was definitely among the best of the younger generation.
*Maxing Out Passing at the Start!* (novel title)
The ball rolled towards his dominant foot, gradually slowing down.
Did he still need to think?
His body leaned back!
His arm swung!
He kicked!
Thump!
Accompanied by a crisp sound!
A beautiful rainbow was outlined in the sky above the Olympic Stadium!
....
On the sidelines.
Old Toppmöller suddenly put down the mineral water bottle and asked, "I've sorted out the list of candidates, Sevilla's Nzonzi, Southampton's Romeu, Monaco's Mbappé, Lyon's Umtiti... Rennes' Dembélé..."
Dino shook his head: "Mr. Völler is very racially prejudiced, especially against French and Dutch blacks, he would rather... God! Boss! We're going to score!"
On the other side.
Magath's expression was calm.
"The Asian kid's pause made us very passive."
....
The Hertha Berlin center-backs, who originally wanted to create an offside trap, were dumbfounded!
They didn't have time to turn around!
Son Heung-min had already left the last line of defense far behind!
The ball landed on the grass.
The Korean forward took the ball smoothly, with one touch!
And charged towards the Hertha Berlin penalty area!
"Not offside!"
"A one-on-one!"
"Son Heung-min! Too fast!"
Bayer Leverkusen fans cheered wildly!
Hertha Berlin fans booed madly!
....
Goalkeeper Jarstein was a very aggressive goalkeeper.
How aggressive?
He'd beaten coaches and teammates many times when he was young.
He was once the goalkeeper with the most red cards in the Norwegian league.
Looking at the oncoming Son Heung-min.
He couldn't help himself.
Who has time to judge the receiving distance and the attacker's route!
Just attack!
In front of the Hertha Berlin penalty area!
The two figures intersected!
Son Heung-min was brought down! The ball slowly rolled out of the baseline!
Bip!
The whistle sounded!
The referee rushed to the foul spot and pulled out a yellow card!
"What a pity!"
"Bayer Leverkusen gets a good free-kick opportunity!"
"The referee's penalty standard is relatively lenient, he didn't give a red card!"
...
On the sidelines.
Old Toppmöller and Dino helplessly raised their hands.
"Boss? That should be a red card! We're going to complain to the fourth official!"
"Don't move, calm down, their second goalkeeper is Kraft, I don't want to leave Berlin with a draw!"
A red card was jokingly called a "ruby war god card" by many fans!
It didn't mean that a team would immediately collapse if it had one less player!
In the top five leagues, after a mid-to-lower team gets a red card, if the score is still a draw, they usually choose to retreat across the board, without leaving a single counterattacking point up front!
On the other side.
Magath stood with his hands behind his back, his expression calm.
The slightly mediocre Hertha Berlin players couldn't allow him to set off a magnificent attacking frenzy like he did during his time at Wolfsburg and Bayern.
Fortunately, the pre-match preparations were very thorough, he had a clear understanding of Çalhanoğlu and Lee Kang's set-piece characteristics!
.....
The referee took out the foam spray and drew a "u" shape at the foul spot.
Since the 2014 Brazil World Cup, the top five leagues had begun to widely use this new technology.
The foam would disappear 1-2 minutes after use and wouldn't have any impact on the grass.
But the inventor of this technology sued FIFA, demanding a fine of $1.5 per game for football matches that had used foam spray technology.
....
Çalhanoğlu struggled for a long time, and was dragged to the wall by Bellarabi.
"Hakan, don't think about it, your right foot doesn't work well for free kicks in this position, don't affect Lee's performance!"
The Hertha Berlin players had firm expressions, and the coaching staff concluded: Lee Kang's set pieces focused more on angle, and wouldn't launch a heavy cannon shot! And the ball wasn't fast in the rising process!
The two sides arranged the wall.
Jarstein was on high alert.
Lee Kang looked at the goal, and the shadow in his brain spread wildly.
Two phantoms appeared in his vision at the same time.
Ballack and Mihajlović!
An arc cannon and a Boguowei missile!
He didn't use the cheat when playing Arsenal, but he used it when playing Hertha Berlin...
He began to retreat...
The Hertha Berlin wall couldn't help but shudder, and covered their crotches.
"The free kick spot is too close to the goal, it may not be a good thing!"
"The angle of the shot is smaller, and when the ball goes over the top of the wall, there isn't enough distance to fall, if you pursue the angle too much, it's easy to shoot high!"
"Coach Toppmöller's set-piece tactics were very rich back then, Lee Kang may not choose to shoot directly!"
"Is he still retreating? This run-up distance!"
....
On the sidelines.
Old Toppmöller wondered: "How many kinds of free kicks has Lee mastered?"
Dino shook his head: "I don't know, he practices set pieces every day!"
.....
After retreating more than ten meters.
Lee Kang began to run up!
Gradually accelerating!
The two phantoms of Ballack and Mihajlović gradually merged.
With each step he took.
The power gathered in his feet grew greater!
In God's perspective, a dotted line wrapped in billowing black smoke lit up.
Tens of thousands of Berlin fans at the scene held their breath.
They seemed to see a heavy cannon, aimed at a wall that isolated consciousness.
...
Thump!
Accompanied by an explosion that echoed through the night sky.
The football deformed violently!
Lifted off the ground.
And bypassed the wall at an unbelievable speed!
An exaggerated arc to the extreme!
Gradually transformed into a black shadow in the air!
Carrying the force of thunder!
It blasted open the door of Hertha Berlin!
The goal frame continued to shake violently.
Jarstein's eyes were dull, his feet trembled, as if he had personally experienced a disaster!
0:1!!!
The Olympic Stadium was silent for two seconds.
Then, a tidal wave of applause erupted!
....
"Beautiful!"
"This ball went in!"
"Lee Kang's ranking on the Bundesliga scorer list has risen again! He helped Bayer Leverkusen take the lead in Berlin!"
"This kind of power! This kind of arc! Reminds us of Real Madrid legend Carlos!"
"Powerful Vajra Leg!"
Live broadcast room.
There weren't many barrages, but they were very rational.
On weekend game days, most fans were more concerned about the games of top-tier wealthy clubs.
-[Xuan Tie Heavy Sword! Waiting for the ball speed report to come out!]
-[So annoying, either licking La Masia, or licking Real Madrid!]
-[Lee Kang is currently ranked fourth on the Bundesliga scorer list, the top three are Lewandowski, Aubameyang, and Müller!]
-[No way, I remember Lee Mingdeng scores in almost every game!]
-[He played two fewer games at the beginning of the season, and Bayer Leverkusen rarely scores four or more goals in a slaughter, not as brutal as Bayern and Dortmund!]
-[I feel like he's very detached from personal honors, he can squeeze into fourth place casually...]
......
On the sidelines.
Old Toppmöller and Dino were stunned.
"Boss, I've thought of a terrible tactic!"
"Well... not practical!"
On the other side.
Magath trembled, and tried to remain calm.
As a famous coach who had seen great storms.
He couldn't imagine... a 17-year-old "kid" being able to launch such a domineering nuclear free kick!
Was this a product of La Masia?
In a trance.
He looked at the back of Bayer Leverkusen's number 10, and vaguely remembered... remembered my ass! Among the talented disciples he had promoted, there was no model similar to Lee Kang!
'Bayern still wants to win the mid-season championship?'
....
Lee Kang bent down, pressed his knees with both hands, as if all his strength had been drained.
From the existing modules, comprehensive analysis.
The Ballack phantom liked to appear the most, and was also the worst.
His arc cannon had low shooting accuracy.
After all, the treasure chest level was right there.
But when it appeared with other modules at the same time, it always had a wonderful chemical reaction!
His teammates hadn't recovered from the shock.
Lee Kang symbolically ran to the corner flag area, ready to make a celebratory gesture.
Although he only felt a trace of joy when he broke through the gates of Camp Nou.
But Völler had earnestly said: you are now the most dazzling rising star in Europe, it's best to celebrate goals and assists, otherwise the FIFA underage protection agency will conduct endless investigations.
Balotelli doesn't celebrate after scoring goals, but he still poses and lifts his shirt!
"Lee! That's the Hertha Berlin grandstand!"
.....
Hertha Berlin's club culture had a high tolerance for young players, even if they were enemies.
What's more, before Lee Kang could celebrate, he was pulled to the other grandstand by Son Heung-min.
The fans of the Blue and White Legion were never stingy with their applause!
...
The game continued.
The Hertha Berlin players, who were one goal behind, seemed a little impatient.
Magath's training methods and diet made it difficult to cultivate a calm and resourceful midfield general.
They weren't good at positional attacks with possession, and couldn't pose any threat to Bayer Leverkusen's defense at all!
Shoot from distance to break the bus?
One high shot after another flew to the stands!
Wide-range passing?
The personal ability of the opposing players was too strong!
And there was also Lee Kang, who had a wide coverage area and strong sweeping ability.
"I thought it was going to be an all-out attacking battle!"
"Bayer Leverkusen has a difficult schedule, rotation adjustments and conservative tactics are inevitable!"
"Coach Toppmöller wants to win the game in the easiest way possible!"
....
30th minute of the match.
Haraguchi Genki's sudden dash in the middle came to an abrupt end.
Another little Japanese player fell under the crotch of Lee Mingdeng.
The turf of the Olympic Stadium was like a blade had slashed across it.
Hertha Berlin's midfield and defensive lines were fragmented!
"Bayer Leverkusen's counterattack is here again!"
"Lee Kang's ground long pass is unique!"
"Son Heung-min! Another one-on-one!"
.....
Son Heung-min didn't need to look back to know that Lee Kang would pass the ball over!
His awareness was very strong, and he would judge when Lee would choose to pass and when he should run based on changes in the opponent's formation!
He once again shook off the two Hertha Berlin center-backs!
He rushed to the forty-meter zone.
The ball happened to roll to the Korean winger's right foot!
He was a very different player, his natural dominant foot was his right foot, but his left foot was more accurate when shooting!
A bit similar to Morata's situation...
'Lee's pass is so comfortable! I must cherish this opportunity!'
'I can't lose the one-on-one!'
'I haven't scored in several games in a row, I need to reflect, I definitely can't meet with Xiao Ying recently...'
....
Thump!
A close-up shot revealed intense sounds of physical struggle!
"Oh! Son Heung-min was half a beat too slow! Jarstein blocked the angle, and he couldn't speed up anymore!"
"Stark chased up and brought down the Bayer Leverkusen forward!"
"Recently, a Korean brokerage company claimed that its artists were dating Son Heung-min."
"Off-field factors will more or less affect a player's performance!"
"Ah! The referee's whistle signaled a foul!"
"Bayer Leverkusen gets another free-kick opportunity!"
.......
Son Heung-min got up, turned his head and gave Lee Kang a thumbs up.
The Hertha Berlin players surrounded the referee, frantically explaining.
Being scored on was one thing!
But if they were hit in the crotch or face by Lee Kang's cannon!
The consequences were unimaginable!
Jarstein looked bitterly at the bench.
He really didn't want to taste Bayer Leverkusen's number 10's heavy cannon again!
The substitute goalkeeper, Kraft, was known as "Kahn's successor", could he let him play?
....
A moment later.
The chaos subsided.
Lee Kang came to the vicinity of the free kick spot.
He had practiced free kicks in his usual training, but it was according to the most traditional and simple textbook-style kicking method of German youth training.
Perhaps it was because the Hertha Berlin wall was too targeted, the phantom of Mihajlović loomed, stagnated for two seconds, and then began to dissipate.
Even the top free kick masters couldn't be 100% accurate.
"Lee Kang walked to the right side of the kick spot, two meters away!"
"This is the most common free kick method for German players!"
"The player, the ball, and the goal form a right triangle!"
Jarstein breathed a sigh of relief, and vaguely heard Old Magath calling him!
He glanced at the command area!
Magath frantically gestured: according to the original plan! Don't be fooled!
The Hertha Berlin coaching staff had analyzed Lee Kang's free-kick weakness: a bit similar to Mihajlović's early career, the speed of the ball's ascent was too slow! At the moment of the penalty, our side wall rushed forward, and there was a high probability that they could destroy the ball!
The wall was arranged to target the shooting habits, blocking the far corner!
The goalkeeper blocked the near corner!
Everything was ready!
.....
Accompanied by the referee's whistle!
Lee Kang began to run horizontally!
Came to the ball!
Swung his arm!
Kicked!
His waist and abdomen exerted force!
There were no strange phenomena in the world!
There was no explosion!
The football kicked up grass!
And flew towards the goal of Hertha Berlin!
The strength was average.
The ball speed was average.
The arc was very small.
It was mediocre.
It was unremarkable.
An unexpected scene happened!
The Hertha Berlin wall actually rushed forward inexplicably!
From the perspective of the audience: were these guys deliberately dodging?
Jarstein was dumbfounded!
The ball slowly fell into the center of the goal!
0:2!!!
"Hey? This can go in... beautiful."
"A brace of free kicks!"
"Young player Lee Kang, helped Bayer Leverkusen extend the lead!"
"A very standard textbook-style kick!"
"..."
Duan Xuan and He Wei were a little speechless!
It was really hard to praise.
How could they praise this unremarkable free kick?
The key was that the wall's operation was too confusing!
The goalkeeper's attention seemed to be focused on the near post position!
....
Live broadcast room.
-[I can do this kick of Lee Mingdeng too!]
-[I can afford all the products he endorses, except for supercars!]
-[If he scores another free kick, will he be able to tie the record in football history... that no one has been able to break so far?]
-[Let me popularize: In the Lazio 5:2 Sampdoria game on December 13, 1998, Mihajlović scored 3 direct free kicks, staging an unprecedented free-kick hat-trick, and this record has not been broken to this day.]
-[Damn! Are we going to witness a historic moment today?]
.....
On the sidelines.
Old Toppmöller and Dino were excited and waved their fists excitedly!
"Boss... I think Lee predicted Hertha Berlin's prediction!"
"What the hell are you talking about?"
Magath was unsteady, and tightly covered his chest with his right hand.
"Too cunning...."
.....
Lee Kang didn't understand.
Why was the performance of Hertha Berlin's wall and goalkeeper not as good as the human-shaped obstacles in the training base?
His teammates swarmed up frantically!
Bayer Leverkusen fans cheered excitedly!
At this moment.
Everyone seemed to be looking forward to the next free kick!
.....
45th minute of the match.
Jonathan Tah's big black leg poked the ball away from Stocker's feet!
Çalhanoğlu sent a long pass!
This time, Hertha Berlin's defense had learned to be smarter, and didn't press too far forward!
After receiving the ball near the center circle, Son Heung-min took advantage of the situation to burst through, and drove straight in!
Olympic Stadium.
Was silent for a few seconds.
Thump!
When Beerger tripped Son Heung-min in the thirty-meter zone!
The whole stadium erupted with a landslide of cheers!
"..."
"The more than seventy thousand spectators at the scene are cheering for Beerger's wonderful defense!"
"If you don't look at the score, most of the first half was very anxious!"
"Hey! The whistle sounded! The referee pulled out a yellow card! Signaling Beerger's foul!"
"The third free kick!"
...........
Jarstein's face was ashen, he vaguely felt that he seemed to be about to become the background board of a famous scene... with a spread comparable to that of Joe Hart's level...
Magath slumped in his seat on the bench.
His expression was numb.
Old Toppmöller and Dino were extremely excited!
If Lee Kang... could score the third free kick...
.....
Two minutes later.
Accompanied by the ball entering the net!
Olympic Stadium!
Applause thundered!
"A free-kick hat-trick!"
"Bayer Leverkusen's 17-year-old youngster! Tied Mihajlović's 17-year record!"
"He was born in 1998! The first free-kick hat-trick in history was born in 1998!"
"The reincarnation of history!!!"