twojebook Chapter 449 - 94: The Transfer Market Opens! Dortmund’s Connection
Chapter 449 - 94: The Transfer Market Opens! Dortmund’s Connection
With Ribery out, Van Gaal had Hamit Altıntop play on the left flank for Bayern, but positioned more centrally.
The left-back Badstuber pushed forward, forcing Eto’o to track back.
At the same time, Inter Milan also had to commit more defenders to the central and right-wing areas.
More importantly, Van Gaal successfully contained the highly potent attacking threat of Maicon.
Watching this, Wang Shuo had to admit that the tactical battle between these world-class managers was truly fascinating.
But he gradually began to notice other things as well.
For example, as the match progressed, Inter Milan was gradually dropping deeper.
Meanwhile, Bayern, after steadily building their advantage, began to push further forward.
This was a huge problem.
Wang Shuo had played against Van Bitten and Demichelis. Both of them were slow to turn and lacked agility. If they pushed up into a high line and had to face a direct frontal attack, it would be extremely dangerous.
Sure enough, after a little over half an hour, Inter Milan seized an opportunity, and Diego Milito and Sneider tore Bayern’s defense apart.
And just as Wang Shuo had predicted, it was a frontal attack!
When Wang Shuo saw the moment Diego Milito scored, his biggest impression was that the Argentine striker wasn’t even that fast!
Despite being a goal down, Bayern hadn’t actually lost the match at this point; they still had a chance.
What truly cost Bayern the match were Van Gaal’s substitutions.
First, in the 63rd minute, he brought on Klose for Hamit Altıntop.
As Wang Shuo had just noted, playing Hamit Altıntop in that position was definitely one of Van Gaal’s masterstrokes.
It could even be called the key move that allowed Bayern to suppress Inter Milan.
Of course, in terms of individual ability, Hamit Altıntop wasn’t particularly outstanding.
But from a tactical standpoint, he was truly vital.
Before the substitution, Bayern held an overwhelming advantage on the pitch, even pinning Inter Milan inside their own penalty area.
Wang Shuo guessed that Van Gaal’s intention with the substitution was to bring on Klose to bolster the team’s scoring ability inside the box.
But the problem was, after taking off Hamit Altıntop, Bayern’s midfield completely lost its advantage.
With the pressure eased on Maicon’s flank, Inter Milan began to focus on shutting down Robben’s side.
Bayern’s attack lost all its threat!
Then, in the 70th minute, on a counterattack, Eto’o made a diagonal pass. Diego Milito, with what looked to Wang Shuo like a sluggish dribble, broke into Bayern’s penalty area and slotted the ball into the net.
2-0!
At that moment, the tide had turned against Bayern for good!
Van Gaal must have realized his mistake, because he made another substitution, one that could only be described as bizarre.
He brought Gomez on for Olic.
What to make of this substitution?
Throughout the entire past season, Van Gaal had staunchly supported Olic while sidelining Gomez.
But at this moment, the team’s most critical do-or-die juncture, he chose to contradict himself.
Wang Shuo couldn’t fathom Van Gaal’s thoughts, but seeing the match play out this way, he felt that Van Gaal was the number one culprit for Bayern’s loss in the final!
He had led Bayern to the Champions League final, but he had also lost it for them.
The world of football is just that bizarre sometimes!
...
Bayern loses the Champions League final, the dream of a double is shattered!
When the news reached Germany, it immediately caused a huge uproar across the country.
Both were 2-0 scores!
Dortmund defeated Liverpool to win the UEFA Europa League title.
Meanwhile, Bayern had lost the most important final of all.
The voices criticizing Van Gaal grew loud once again.
But amidst the wave of criticism, Bayern’s top brass came out in staunch support of Van Gaal.
At the same time, Bayern sounded the horn for a round of squad updates.
For example, Demichelis had been placed on the transfer market.
Van Bommel would be leaving on a free transfer.
And Bayern announced that they had signed Brazilian midfielder Luis Gustavo from Hoffenheim for a hefty price of 17 million euros.
The player had joined Hoffenheim in ’08 for a transfer fee of 1.5 million euros.
In two years, his market value had multiplied more than tenfold, which was nothing short of astonishing!
For the past two seasons, Gustavo had been one of the best holding midfielders in the Bundesliga.
After joining Bayern, he, along with Schweinsteiger and Tymoshchuk, would form Bayern’s formidable defensive midfield!
Dortmund’s transfer business, on the other hand, had started early.
But unlike the big-spending Bayern, Dortmund’s recruitment focused more on cost-effectiveness.
The team targeted the relegated Hertha Berlin for its first signing.
Zorc announced that the team had signed Polish right-sided player Łukasz Piszczek from Hertha Berlin on a free transfer.
The 25-year-old Polish player started his career as a winger.
After joining Hertha Berlin in ’07, he mostly came on as a substitute, frequently playing as a left winger, right winger, or forward, but his performances were average at best.
In the ’08/’09 season, he suffered a serious injury that kept him out for over half a year, causing a sharp decline in his pace.
After recovering from his injury, he began to play at right-back. It took him only the last five rounds of the season to completely win everyone over.
By last season, Piszczek was playing at right-back in almost all of Hertha Berlin’s matches, and his performances were outstanding.
Piszczek’s current market value was 2.5 million euros, but because Hertha Berlin was relegated, he, like many of his teammates, was able to leave on a free transfer.
As the Bundesliga champions and a team set to compete in the Champions League next season, Dortmund successfully attracted the Polish defender, who was in his prime.