July 21, 2018.
City Derby: Hamburg II vs. St. Pauli II.
St. Pauli and Hamburg are the most famous rivals in Hamburg, and even at the II team level, the derby naturally carries a strong scent of gunpowder and extra pressure.
What made it even more difficult was that this was an away game, to be held at the St. Pauli training base.
The St. Pauli training base's pitch isn't large, so fans are closer to the field, and even with fewer numbers, their overwhelming boos could clearly reach the players' ears.
Inside the locker room.
Schweinsteiger was setting up tactics: “St. Pauli II is a team that emphasizes high-pressing; everyone will come up to pressure like mad dogs.”
“Our positioning needs to be tighter, ensuring at least three people are supporting each other.”
“We need to break through their defense with precise passes. Once we regain possession, the opponent will surely press, so it’s crucial to quickly find the attacking players in the front field at that moment.”
Schweinsteiger looked at Betz (the deep-lying playmaker): “Betz, you will initiate the attacks from the back. Once possession changes, quickly find the players making runs in the front field. If you hold the ball for more than three seconds, you will certainly be pressed.”
“Yes, Boss!” Betz nervously rubbed his thigh, hoping to calm down.
The main defensive midfielder, Gideon, was called up to the first team, so the starting spot fell to this 17-year-old.
As a technical defensive midfielder, Betz's defense wasn't outstanding, but his ability to orchestrate play made him a 'genius' in the media's eyes, and this city derby was his chance to prove himself.
Schweinsteiger continued to elaborate: “Fan Tao, as the pivot in the front field, you must constantly pay attention to your teammates' runs. Once an opportunity arises, don't hesitate; pass quickly!”
“Amari and Joshua, you two must participate in defense on the wings. The midfield will be a grinder in this match, so you must always provide support.”
“Yes, Boss!”
Tactical arrangements completed, the players gradually entered the field.
Hamburg II 4-2-3-1 VS St. Pauli II 4-3-3
The whistle for the match sounded, and St. Pauli II kicked off.
“Crush them! Crush those Hamburg bastards!”
“Fight for the ball! Make those young masters bleed a little!”
“Hofmann, bite them to death!”
“A bunch of relegated trash!”
Various cheers and insults came from the stands. St. Pauli fans, as representatives of rebellious spirit, intensely disliked Hamburg's elite demeanor, which led to the irreconcilable animosity between the two teams.
St. Pauli II's central midfielder, Knight, advanced with the ball.
Defensive midfielder Betz was very active, rushing to intercept. Knight subtly elbowed Betz in the chest; the force wasn't great but the effect was excellent.
Betz fell to the ground, his face pale, but the referee ignored it.
“Scheißen (shit), that was a foul, are you blind?” Schweinsteiger yelled at the referee, spewing every swear word he knew in his life.
The fourth official immediately stepped forward to intervene: “Coach Schweinsteiger, please mind your language and return to the technical area.”
First verbal warning.
“I mind your mother!” Schweinsteiger redirected his anger, furiously ranting at the fourth official: “Didn't you see that bastard maliciously injure him? That's at least a yellow card! Is the main referee blind?”
The fourth official frowned, quickly notified the main referee, who came over to Schweinsteiger and showed him a yellow card.
“You piece of shit!”
Schweinsteiger was about to curse again when assistant coach Otto quickly grabbed him, covering his mouth and forcibly dragging him to the substitute bench.
“Schweinsteiger, calm down. The lads still need you; you can't be sent off with a red card!”
Hearing this, Schweinsteiger finally calmed down, crossing his arms and gritting his teeth as he watched the field.
As Betz went down, defensive midfielder Kinsombi immediately covered.
Hamburg II was down one defensive midfielder, allowing Knight to calmly pass the ball to another central midfielder, Bala.
Bala is a B2B midfielder, good at long-range shots.
(Note: B2B midfielder refers to an all-round midfielder whose range of activity covers from their own penalty area to the opponent's penalty area, playing a core role in both offense and defense.)
He dribbled directly to the top of the box, and Hamburg II defender Kreyer quickly covered.
Bala pulled the ball back, creating half a body's worth of space, and shot from long range!
The ball whistled towards the top left corner. Mateisha made a diving save.
He missed!
Fortunately, the ball thrillingly hit the crossbar and bounced out of bounds.
Mateisha breathed a sigh of relief; if they had conceded a goal within three minutes of the start, he would have been cursed to death.
Team captain Kreyer ran to Betz to ask about his injury. Luckily, it was just some superficial injuries, with a slight bruise on his right chest, and he could continue playing.
Betz also stood up and signaled to the head coach that he could continue the match; he didn't want to give up this rare starting opportunity.
The match continued, 8th minute.
St. Pauli II took the initiative. Their three-midfielder setup turned the midfield into a meat grinder, and the physically superior St. Pauli players clearly had the advantage in this physical clash.
“Fan Tao, get involved in defense!” Schweinsteiger was sweating profusely on the sidelines, instructing Fan Tao to drop back into midfield.
Fan Tao jogged to St. Pauli's defensive midfielder Hofmann, held his ground, and stared intently at him.
Hofmann looked at Fan Tao's slender body and sneered: “Your coach sent this yellow-skinned monkey to defend me?”
Fan Tao smiled faintly: “My defense is the weakest, so I came to defend you.”
Hofmann frowned, a fierce glint in his eyes: “Are you saying my offense is weak?”
Fan Tao calmly stood in front of Hofmann, cutting off his connection with the other two midfielders, while continuing to taunt: “Who's the monkey now? Can't you understand human language?”
“You brat!!!”
Hofmann was about to retort when St. Pauli II lost possession. Defensive midfielder Kinsombi made a great contribution!
Kinsombi, following the predetermined tactics, passed the ball to Betz.
St. Pauli II's central midfielder Knight quickly covered, lunging into a fierce tackle towards Betz!
Betz skillfully pulled the ball and dodged, directly getting past Knight, then quickly located Fan Tao's position.
At that moment, Fan Tao came to Hofmann's side, lightly hooked his arm around his waist, and then instantly burst forward!
The psychological tactic worked. Hofmann momentarily didn't realize the change in possession and was caught off guard by Fan Tao, who had gained the advantage and sprinted away. At this point, he couldn't reach out to pull him back, or he would surely get a yellow card.
Betz made a precise long pass to Fan Tao, and the ball landed at his feet.
“Damn it!”
Hofmann desperately chased back. His speed was better than Fan Tao's, and in just 3 seconds, he collided with Fan Tao's body, continuously applying pressure with his arms and body, slowing down Fan Tao's advance.
Fan Tao made a feint, shaking off the defense.
Walk 3 minutes, accuracy +30%.
No! Fan Tao hadn't found a suitable attacking route yet.
He had no choice but to follow the tactics, quickly locating Joshua, who was making a run on the right wing, and sent a through ball.
The ball reached Joshua's feet, and the right wing was wide open.
At this point, the left-back Zander, who was covering for Hofmann, yelled angrily: “Hofmann, you idiot, how could you be so easily beaten!”
Despite his yelling, Zander desperately chased back. Hamburg II's right winger was the player he was supposed to mark; if he hadn't been covering for Hofmann, he wouldn't have let him get through.
Hofmann's face was also flushed, and he didn't dare to retort. This play was entirely his mistake!
Joshua wouldn't let such a rare opportunity pass. He went straight to the byline, preparing to cross.
In the center, Bollas sprinted quickly. The opportunity was right in front of them!
“This idiot!”
Joshua cursed in his heart. Bollas ran too fast and was in an offside position, so he couldn't pass the ball to him now.
He had no choice but to look for the next passing option. Fan Tao was tightly marked by Hofmann, so he had to make a long pass to switch from the right side to Amari's feet on the left.
When left winger Amari received the ball, St. Pauli II's players had already recovered defensively, and the defensive gap was no longer there.
“Damn it!”
Amari had no choice but to loft the ball into the penalty area. Bollas tried to contest the header at that moment, but was directly sent flying to the ground by St. Pauli II defender Vogel, who jumped up, and the ball was cleared.
There was nothing to be done; Bollas's physique wasn't strong, and challenging defenders physically wasn't realistic.