’How could we possibly have a chance against the high and mighty Bayern?’
"I still rember it very clearly."
Klopp smiled as he looked at Wang Shuo. "It was December 22, 1999. Back then, Bayern still played at the Munich Olympic Stadium—the open-air one. Allianz Arena hadn’t been built yet."
"The head coach of Mainz at the ti was my ntor, Wolfgang Frank, and the match was a DFB-Pokal quarterfinal."
"I was on that team, playing right-back. So were Kramny, and Neustadter, who played center-back."
"Buvac had already left Mainz by then."
"The fact that us old-tirs are still around tells you sothing. We had a pretty old team back then, with an average age of 28, and we got thrashed 3-0 by Bayern in an away ga."
"We conceded the first goal very early on—an own goal scored by our left-back, Herzberg. It was forced by Bayern’s Babel."
"After that, Yangkel got a goal and an assist, and St. Cruz scored as well."
"After that ca my first season as coach after our promotion to the Bundesliga. We lost 2-4 away, and then 2-4 again at ho."
"The second season, we lost 1-2 away and drew 2-2 at ho. In between, we also had another DFB-Pokal quarterfinal, once again at Bayern’s ho stadium. This ti it was Allianz Arena, and we lost 2-3."
"The third season, we lost 0-4 at ho and 2-5 away."
"And then ca this season."
As Wang Shuo listened, he couldn’t help but feel the topic was getting heavy.
Mainz and Bayern were simply not opponents on the sa level.
That was why almost every encounter ended in a crushing defeat.
The best they had managed was a draw.
It was a despair-inducing matchup, a rivalry with no hope in sight!
It was true that Bayern wasn’t in top form this season.
But the question was, had Bayern really been in perfect form all those years?
Their pedigree was such that even when not in top form, Bayern could easily crush Mainz.
anwhile, Mainz had to go all out, giving their absolute everything, just to score a single goal against Bayern.
"Do you know why I hate Bayern so much?"
Klopp asked, practically grinding his teeth.
Wang Shuo shook his head. He could feel the intensity of Klopp’s emotions.
"I still rember, after I got the call from Hennes, the very first person I told was Christian Heidel."
"Back then, Christian told without a mont’s hesitation, ’Go, Jurgen! This is a life-changing opportunity. You have to take it. The club will release you unconditionally; you can go whenever you’re ready.’"
"That once-in-a-lifeti opportunity turned out to be nothing more than a casual joke to Hennes."
"There were two Jurgens, and they chose the ’respectable’ one—the one in the suit!"
By the end of his sentence, flecks of spittle were flying from Klopp’s mouth.
With his full beard, he admittedly looked scruffy, not "respectable" enough.
But Bayern had been the one to approach him. It wasn’t as if Klopp had gone groveling at their door.
And yet, even so, they had kicked him to the curb like a stray dog.
Who wouldn’t harbor a grudge after that?
Wang Shuo hadn’t experienced it firsthand, but surprisingly, he found himself empathizing with Klopp.
His agent, Thomas Essien, had told him that in his own dealings with Bayern, they always ca across as arrogant and superior.
For instance, they wanted Wang Shuo to join them but refused to promise any playing ti. They wouldn’t even offer him a pay raise.
Their reasoning was that Bayern had many talented young prospects like Wang Shuo. They worried that giving him a raise would lead to others demanding one too, and that just wasn’t the "Bayern way."
The line they repeated most often was, "Rember, you’d be joining *Bayern*!"
Perhaps, in Germany, most people would consider it an honor to join Bayern.
But Wang Shuo was definitely not one of them!
Klopp, apparently realizing he’d lost his composure, quickly cald himself and pulled the conversation back on track.
"Besides the DFB-Pokal final, we still have the league to think about."
"We absolutely cannot keep losing like this. Otherwise, we’ll fall apart before we even make it to the DFB-Pokal final!"
Klopp explained that he and the coaching staff were considering adjusting the team’s tactics.
Simply put, they wanted to reduce the amount of running the players had to do and adjust their high-pressing defensive strategy.
The match against Bayer Leverkusen had made them realize that in the final against Bayern, they could face a similar situation where they were completely pinned down by their opponents.
This ant the team needed to organize a much tighter defense.
Bayern was far stronger than Bayer Leverkusen.
They had Ribery on the left flank, and world-class center-forwards like Luca Toni and Klose in the middle.
When the ti ca, the pressure on Mainz would be even greater.
Wang Shuo understood.
His hatred for Bayern was making Klopp willing to temporarily abandon so of his principles in favor of more pragmatic tactics.
"In the coming weeks, we desperately need soone to step up and be a leader in the locker room. Soone to help stabilize morale, get the team back on track, and inspire confidence in everyone."
"I believe, Wang, that you are the best man for the job!"
"So, I need you to step up."
Klopp’s request took Wang Shuo by surprise.
It was a sign of recognition, a show of great faith in him.
Normally, this was a job for the captain, Nowitzki.
But now Klopp was entrusting it to him.
This was the ultimate vote of confidence.
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