After the international break ended, the players gradually returned to their clubs.
Dortmund's schedule is quite interesting; including friendlies, they will have to play five consecutive away games!
Next, they will travel to Mainz to face them, and then travel to Baku, Azerbaijan to play against Kabala.
Kabarra became the first team to win a match in the UEFA Europa League group stage.
On the 16th, Tuchel was preparing for a pre-match tactics session in the conference room.
Andy sat in his seat, carefully reviewing the Mainz information.
Sure enough, there were two familiar faces.
One of them is Japanese striker Yoshinori Muto!
He has performed well since joining Mainz this season.
He quickly scored his first goal and even scored twice!
His dribbling skills are outstanding, and he can often draw fouls in key positions.
However, the disadvantages are also obvious, which is a common problem among Asian players – short stature and lack of physical strength!
The other player is starting goalkeeper Karius!
As the youngest goalkeeper to ever represent Mainz in club history, his performance this season has reached its peak.
Currently ranked second among Bundesliga goalkeepers, only behind Neuer!
As a former successful coach of Mainz, Tuchel is very familiar with their tactical style!
Therefore, the tactical design was completed quickly.
Tuchel then announced the match roster.
Andy is firmly on the bench!
But Park Joo-ho, who was originally "out of favor," has surprisingly become a starter!
Tuchel did not offer any explanation for this.
He's the head coach, and everyone has to follow his orders.
But Andy guessed the reason!
Tuchel, who has been the longest-serving head coach of Mainz, calls the city his second home.
Mainz was also the starting point of Park Joo-ho's overseas career!
The master and apprentice returned to their old employer, where the atmosphere of human relationships was very strong.
On the other hand, since Tuchel took over, he has changed Dortmund's previous more direct long-ball attacking style, emphasizing short-pass penetration and midfield control.
Andy's tactics lean more towards crossing, so the tactical changes are still underway.
Finally, this arrangement also carries a protective connotation.
The season is long and the schedule is very packed.
If players are constantly playing, fatigue can easily accumulate.
As the youngest player in the team, Andy is someone Tuchel doesn't want to fall ill so soon after joining the first team.
While increasing tactical flexibility, it is also important to maintain healthy competition within the team!
Seeing that none of the team members had any questions, Tuchel nodded in satisfaction and walked out of the meeting room.
Park Joo-ho was overjoyed to be back in the starting lineup, but his limited German meant he could only watch his teammates chatter amongst themselves.
All I can do is look down at my phone screen!
As fellow Asian players, Shinji Kagawa is far superior to him in terms of interpersonal skills.
Even Andy couldn't help but marvel that the Japanese were several levels above the Koreans in terms of feigned humility.
They're almost catching up to me!
At the pre-match press conference, reporters were very interested in Tuchel's return to his former club.
This also raises the question of whether Dortmund can bounce back after their winless streak.
"I know Mainz, but the new head coach, Schmidt, is a tactical genius, so we still need to be fully prepared."
During this time, a member of the media stood up to ask a question.
"Mr.Tuchel, I see that South Korean player Park Joo-ho has started again.Compared to the Chinese players, you trust Park more, right?"
Tuchel frowned."As long as you perform well, everyone will have a chance to start.It's not about who I trust more!"
The spokesperson took the microphone and said, "Andy is a key player the club is developing!He needs consistent growth!We won't risk having an 18-year-old playing continuously."
The reporter gave an awkward smile and sat back down.
Meanwhile, at the Mainz press conference.
After the head coach answered the questions, Yoshinori Muto, who accompanied him, expressed the team's determination to win to the media.
"Everyone knows what Tuchel's name means to the club; he's a legendary coach."
"Therefore, we will definitely face him in the best possible competitive condition.I hope I can score against an opponent like Dortmund."
As soon as the news broke, Asian sports media went into a frenzy of self-congratulation!
Japan will be the first to be affected!
Yoshiki Muto VS Shinji Kagawa!
The buzz surrounding it is off the charts!
DAZN, a major Asian sports broadcasting platform, changed the headline of its football section to:
[Yoshinori Muto's sharpness VS Shinji Kagawa's ingenuity—a duel between the core players representing Japan!]
Then, a front-page article from South Korea was reprinted:
[The beginning of a legend!South Korean player Park Joo-ho is given a prominent role and starts again!]
After a brief exchange between fans from both countries, someone mentioned Andy.
As one of the most outstanding players against Bayern Munich, he gained many fans in Asia after the last match.
Of course, there are fewer in South Korea.
However, someone soon posted a comparison of Park Joo-ho's and Andy's career statistics.
Park Joo-ho, who has many years of Bundesliga experience, won decisively!
[Tuchel made the right choice!Andy is behind Park Joo-ho in all statistics!]
The South Korean fans on the forum were now extremely excited!
[Park Joo-ho was personally trained by Tuchel; how can Andy compare to him?]
[That's right, his performance against Bayern was actually quite average; his relentless pressing allowed Bayern to capitalize on many opportunities!]
I think Park Joo-ho will most likely be poached by Bayern Munich in the future (smiley face)!
[Haha, I think Tottenham might choose to sign Park Joo-ho after seeing Son Heung-min's performance!]
I remember last time someone from China said on YouTube that Andy was better than Park, that's the funniest thing I've ever heard.[A joke (covers face) ~]
Some Chinese football fans active on the forum were furious when they saw this!
But I can't find a good way to refute it.
After all, Son Heung-min just broke the transfer fee record for an Asian player!
When it comes to football, it's hard to argue with the Koreans.
However, some people still remained true to their original intentions and made classic provocative comments:
[Son Heung-min and Shinji Kagawa are inferior to Son Heung-min and Shinji Kagawa.]
(Son Heung-min is far inferior to Shinji Kagawa!Extremely poor!)
Later, someone left a comment under a post where Japanese fans gathered!
(Son Heung-min is the best striker in the world; Shinji Kagawa and Yoshinori Muto shouldn't even be mentioned!)
The comments immediately attracted a large number of Japanese and South Korean fans!
The entire Asian sports sector is in chaos!
The Chinese fans, having successfully retired, watched the screen, smiling without saying a word.
At the same time, a glimmer of hope rose in my heart:
Andy!
That's all I can do.I hope you can replicate your miracle against Bayern!