Hoffenheim really can't afford to lose anymore and now they have to hold their ground when they still have some initiative, and they need to withstand the pressure in the next games to secure their hard-earned top spot.

On February 21, 2009, the 21st round of the Bundesliga had seven matches played at the same time, and in a key battle, Stuttgart sat at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium to face the super dark horse Hoffenheim at the top of the standings! Neither side managed to win in the previous round, with Stuttgart drawing 3-3 with Hannover and Hoffenheim losing 4-1 at home to Bayer Leverkusen, so this game will be crucial for both sides; Hoffenheim will be looking to retain their top spot and Stuttgart will be looking to push further in the table for European qualification.

Hoffenheim coach Rangnick made a number of changes to the starting lineup, Haas replaced the injured Hildebrand as the main goalkeeper, Sanogo sat on the bench this round, and Rangnick changed to 4-2-3-1 to strengthen the midfield to improve the stubborn problem of poor attack after the winter break.

There are no changes at the back, with two midfielders Gustavo and Tebel; The three major attackers of Salihovic, Eduardo and Weiss are in charge, and Xiao Qing, who has scored 19 league goals, is a lone striker at this time, and all Hoffenheim's attacks will revolve around him. Xiao Qing completely conquered the head coach with his performance, and he has the ability to become Hoffenheim's reassuring and terrifying scorer!

Hoffenheim started the game with a counterattack, and in the sixth minute, Salihovic entered the front field and fired a long-range shot from 20 meters away that was blocked by the opposing defender; Remember that Salihovic took a tactical corner and Baker's cross was confiscated by Stuttgart goalkeeper Lehmann. In the ninth minute, Stuttgart counter-attacked, and Caux broke through the defense of three Hoffenheim players and fired a long-range shot from less than 20 yards. Hoffenheim goalkeeper Haas confiscated the ball. Twelfth minute. Osorio crosses from the right. Comper showed up in time to clear the siege.

In the first ten minutes of the game, both teams attacked with ferocity, and they did create some threats on their own; But at this time, Hoffenheim's most threatening attacking point, Xiao Qing, was almost invisible, and he was hardly involved in the team's attack.

Because he is only a single striker, Xiao Qing is a little uncomfortable; Don't say that Hoffenheim has basically been a three-striker this season, that is, in the Bundesliga last season, they were dominated by a combination of two strikers; Now all of a sudden, Xiao Qing found himself a little alone in the front court, he didn't have enough helpers, and now he could only fight alone. And as a single arrow. Especially in the previous game, Xiao Qing's hot state made their opponents definitely take care of him. So at the beginning of this game, it was really difficult for Xiao Qing to find more opportunities, he seemed a little unsuitable for the one-arrow tactics, and it was difficult for him to show his ability in the opponent's encirclement and interception.

Stuttgart's strength is actually not rough, Stuttgart at home can boldly attack Hoffenheim, and they are confident that Hoffenheim's goal will be in-law when Hoffenheim's morale is low.

In the twentieth minute of the game, Stuttgart defender Boca combined with Simmak; Simak suddenly switched positions and started to go down the wing, his cross was disrupted by a Hoffenheim defender, but Baker made a mistake in the box; Kacau crosses back to Simmak, whose left-footed shot goes wide of the post, and Stuttgart misses the best chance to score after the opening!

Hoffenheim's players are in a state of reluctance. This time they almost conceded a goal, they almost fell behind again. Hoffenheim really can't afford to be left behind. They can't let their opponents control their destiny, they can't be passive again and again in the game.

Xiao Qing began to work harder at this time, because he was restricted, so although the team's midfield is very threatening, they still lack the ability to make a final decision, without the support of the striker, just relying on the long-range shots of the midfielders, this is really not an efficient offensive option. Although Xiao Qing at this time may not be able to adapt to the new tactics, although the current Xiao Qing is still strictly guarded by the opponent; But the opportunity is earned by yourself, as long as you put in more effort, then maybe you can still have more opportunities.

Although it has fallen into layers of blocking, although it is difficult for Xiao Qing to have a relatively sufficient vacancy now, it doesn't matter, it's a big deal not to use some small jishu for the time being; Now there is no room for breakthrough, so Xiao Qing will not break through by himself, he just needs to be an excellent shooting machine, the current Hoffenheim's three midfield attackers can send enough shells to themselves, which is indeed a good way to make those who think that as long as they block their own activity space, the defensive measurement fails!

In the twenty-fourth minute of the game, Hoffenheim finally took the lead after a long attack, and the smooth cooperation of the three midfielders enabled them to bring the ball forward very efficiently, as for Xiao Qing at this time, he was very simply just moving near the penalty line, seeing the team's offensive momentum, he was very resolute to enter the penalty area to contain, or in the face of the opponent's bag blocking, Xiao Qing is now more willing to use himself as a center.

Hoffenheim full-back Beck caught Stuttgart's players off guard with an assist that broke down the flank and crossed with his feet, while Hoffenheim midfielder Eduardo showed the general spirituality and imagination of Brazilian players; Although the Stuttgart defenders at this time blocked the space for his shot and limited his passing route to the maximum, when the ball fell, Eduardo's instep jerked up, and he didn't wait for the ball to hit the air to hang the ball into the goal!

Xiao Qing came to strength at this time, relying on his strong explosiveness, although he couldn't completely shake off the defenders, Xiao Qing still raised his feet to unload the ball; Although Xiao Qing looked like a waste of time to stop the ball, it also gave Stuttgart defender Bora Luz a chance to complete the block. But at this time, Xiao Qing suddenly slammed the ball, and then half turned around and raised his foot to shoot!

Xiao Qing's shot was sudden, and it wasn't after dribbling after most of his goals, which did catch Stuttgart goalkeeper Lehmann, who had worked on some of Xiao Qing's jishu styles and habits before the game. Lyman has long passed his prime, and although his consciousness is still there, his physical state can't keep up at all. Although his fingertips touched the ball, it slowly rolled into the net!

Xiao Qing roared loudly after the goal, and Xiao Qing, who clenched his fists and raised his arms and shouted, was very excited, not because his league goals had exceeded 20, but because this goal made the current Hoffenheim finally occupy the initiative, and they were all chasers in the score in the previous two consecutive rounds, which was definitely an uncomfortable thing.

And in the subconscious of Hoffenheim's players, as long as they take the lead, then there is basically no such thing as a reversal; This means that the current Hoffenheim players have more confidence, they now seem to have found the feeling of winning, and now they are temporarily out of the shadow of the previous heavy defeat!

Xiao Qing is very happy, helping the team score gives the team a good chance to get three points in this game and continue to hold the top position in the standings; Especially now Hoffenheim has a five-point advantage in hand, although it is not a huge gap that cannot be crossed, but now there are only fourteen rounds left in the league, as long as it can ensure enough excellent play in the next games, then it is not impossible for Hoffenheim to create a miracle this season!

Xiao Qing was a little proud, although he was now a single arrow, and his opponents did take targeted care of him. Although Stuttgart is fully prepared, he Xiao Qing is not completely unaware of flexibility, he can still have a fairly good self-adjustment ability in the game, and he can choose the options that are beneficial to the team as much as possible in the game.

Despite taking the lead, Hoffenheim's joy seemed to be difficult to last long; Stuttgart equalised in the 28th minute, less than five minutes after Hoffenheim scored.

Maybe it's because I tasted the sweetness of inserting an assist, or maybe it's because I'm a little proud to be a new international; Hoffenheim defender Beck wanted to continue to insert the assist with the ball in the backfield, but the ball at his feet was broken, and more importantly, in the backfield! Cacau received a direct pass from Gomez on the left and scored with a long drive, Hoffenheim was overjoyed and sad, and the lead was less than five minutes before the opponent pulled back the gap!

Hoffenheim's players were a little dumbfounded, although they more or less complained about Beck's rashness, but they would not have such a thing as infighting on the pitch now; This was a common problem among the players of the previous year, and it was definitely a bit of a flurry to get more attention, and after some good results, they thought they could be ahead of everything. Especially after just tasting the sweetness, Baker obviously still wants to continue to be in the limelight, but it's a pity that he has become a sinner after playing big!

Although it is frustrating to be equalised, now is not the time to feel sorry for oneself, let alone look for sinners, what Hoffenheim need now is to regain confidence, and now they need to work together, because there is still an hour before the end of the game, and Hoffenheim still have a chance to re-establish their advantage during this time!

Xiao Qing kicked the turf under his feet, and he took advantage of the fact that the Stuttgart players were celebrating the goal and basically stepped on every piece of turf in the position he was good at in the penalty area; The more familiar you are with the pitch and in the penalty area, the more sure you are of scoring! (To be continued......)