Chapter 012: First Start
The match against Mainz will definitely be quite difficult, because Mainz are good at the moment, they are third in the table, and Hoffenheim are only in the middle and lower reaches of the table; Hoffenheim have only just been promoted to the Bundesliga, while Mainz have been relegated from the Bundesliga.
Hoffenheim's players are working hard to prepare for a game, and Xiao Qing is the same; As for sending books to Mainz, it is probably to seek psychological comfort, so that the players are more sure, so Xiao Qing still went to send books, this time it was not so exaggerated to send five books, after all, Mainz's strength is quite good, and it is better to keep a low profile in this game.
Both teams are arguably almost the most in form, although Hoffenheim have midfielder Selite. Gerber, Radek Szpiracek and Michael Lundeo at the back have suffered minor injuries in training, but they are not a regular in the squad for the time being, so the impact on Hoffenheim is not fatal. As for Mainz, they have also had some injuries in their squad, the biggest of which has been the main goalkeeper Dimo. Wach is injured and will miss this game.
Diemat. Hope Stadium is only a small stadium with only 5,000 spectators, although the results of Hoffenheim in recent rounds have been good, but this is only a small village with about 3,000 residents, so although there are also some Mainz fans who come to the away stadium with the team, but Diemat. Hope Field still didn't fill up.
"Man, take it easy, show the form you were in training, we can win this game, we believe in your quality!" Hoffenheim's captain Per Nelsson smiled and patted Xiao Qing on the shoulder, looking at Xiao Qing, who had been in the team with a big grin, Xiao Qing would also be nervous when facing the first start, Per Nelsson smiled and comforted Xiao Qing, he also came from this step, he naturally knew the meaning of the first start for many players.
"Captain, don't comfort him, you should comfort the others, like Vader. Ibisevic; That guy has a good relationship with Shaw, but now he is the one who hurts the most, because he used to be a substitute like Shaw, but now that Shaw has played his first start, poor Viddad is still on the bench. "Carlos. Eduardo, like most Brazilian players, is a cheerful and joking man, and now, he is also joking about Xiao Qing.
"Carlos, don't forget that you've only just started and haven't played a few games." Xiao Qing looked at Eduardo with some unhappiness, this is indeed his first start, but this does not mean that he has locked in a qualification to be a starter. Xiao Qing naturally knows that he can't sit back and relax now, because his progress is very obvious, when the team needs to rectify, his huge progress naturally becomes the embodiment of hard training, so Xiao Qing, who has been established as an advanced, has also rarely obtained a starter qualification.
For Hoffenheim, goalkeeper Daniel Haas, Matthias Jaisler, Gottricha, Christoph Jankel and Pell at the back. Nelson; In midfield, Carlos Eduardo, Francisco Copado, Seyad Salihovic and Isaac Vosa; On the forward line, Xiao Qing and Edu partnered. This is also Hoffenheim's attacking formation, with the exception of Isak Wosa, who can play as a midfielder, and the other three midfielders are all attacking midfielders.
As for Mainz, they didn't relax in this game; Goalkeeper Christian. Witclaw, defenders Bo Svensson, Kirchhoff, Nevin Subotic and Hogaland lined up; In midfield, Miroslav Calhan, Lil Simfitt, Pekovic, Marcus. Foyerna; Up front, Felix Borga and Ruvin in the front line.
The two teams coincidentally put on a 4-4-2 formation, and the determination of both teams to score goals and win is quite obvious; Although it is a 4-4-2 formation with a relatively balanced attack and defense, the on-field formation of both teams is more offensive, and the formation of both teams is stronger in attack than in defense.
When the players of both teams entered the field, when in Diemat. When Hope Stadium introduced the main lineups of the two sides, when the on-site commentator introduced Xiao Qing, Hoffenheim's home stadium resounded with sporadic cheers; Although Xiao Qing is indeed a home team player, the Hoffenheim players are really not very impressed with Xiao Qing, maybe Xiao Qing did appear in Hoffenheim's first win of the season and scored a goal, but this does not mean that Hoffenheim fans have introduced him, and can sound some sporadic cheers on the field, which is basically because this is the home field, which is just the politeness of the fans.
Xiao Qing was not surprised that there was no loud cheer, and he did not feel uncomfortable; Competitive sports are quite brutal and realistic, where the winner is more likely to be king, and only those players who can bring victory to the team are the most popular; As for the fact that he is just a player who has just been in the team for a short time, or even a player who has not been famous at all, it is not surprising that fans do not know him.
Xiao Qing is indeed eager to be cheered by the fans in the stadium, but he also knows that such a thing must be fought for by himself, and he needs to use his performance to get the cheers of the fans. Xiao Qing believes that he can get the cheers of the fans, and even in a bigger stadium, he can still conquer the ability of the fans! Now, it is just the beginning for Xiao Qing, the first start is just a starting point for him, he believes that he can do better, he believes that after he gets the starting position, he will definitely work hard to seize the opportunity to become better! Xiao Qing is confident.
When the referee's whistle sounded, Xiao Qing also started his work; Hoffenheim got the ball and now it's Hoffenheim's chance to attack, so Xiao Qing needs to work hard to get more chances, and he needs to start putting pressure on the Mainz defenders to get more chances for his teammates.
Xiao Qing is tall and strong, his speed is fast, and the striker Edu who is partnered with Xiao Qing is also a tall and fast striker; When Hoffenheim's two starting strikers began to run in unison to pull space, Mainz's defensive pressure began to increase step by step, because several of Hoffenheim's midfielders had good individual attacking ability.
Eduardo is arguably Hoffenheim's best player at his feet, and although he has only been mentioned in the starting line-up for a short time, he is now gradually becoming the heart of the team's midfield; Eduardo unhurriedly controlled the ball and pressed towards the front, when Mainz midfielder Marcus . When Foylner suddenly stepped up, Eduardo suddenly smashed the ball and dodged Marcus. Foyerner's steal.
Seeing Eduardo break through Marcus with ease. The fans of Foylner and Hoffenheim began to get excited; Eduardo's quick mid-pitch dribbling forward did put some pressure on Mainz's defence. At this time, in the forward line of Hoffenheim, Xiao Qing squeezed near the penalty area for the first time to contain Mainz's defense and look for opportunities; Edu retreated to the right side of the penalty area to further open up space.
Hoffenheim's forward activity also puts some pressure on Mainz's defence, as they not only need to keep an eye on Hoffenheim's forwards, but also to help defend Eduardo's breakaways at all times. Just when the defenders of Mainz were a little nervous, Xiao Qing, who was originally at the top of the penalty area, suddenly ran back and stabbed towards the penalty area; At this point, Eduardo stabbed the ball forward in a breakaway, and then a beautiful through ball went straight into the box from the unstoppable Mainz defender.
This is a bitter pain for Mainz's nineteen-year-old central defender Nevin Subotic, if he doesn't work hard to chase at this time, then Xiao Qing is likely to form a single knife; But Nevin Subotic, who is more than 1.9 meters tall, can't compare with Xiao Qing at all. In the cheers that suddenly erupted at Hope Field, Xiao Qing quickly entered the penalty area, and he quickly chased the ball.
Xiao Qing's speed is very fast, but his stopping still needs to be improved; In the face of Eduardo Liliang's somewhat big through ball, Xiao Qing failed to control the ball at the first time, and when Xiao Qing narrowly won the ball, Nevin Subotic had already chased the defense in place, and Xiao Qing lost the opportunity to attack.
Leaning on the taller and heavier Nevin Subotic, Xiao Qing obviously does not have an advantage; After a slight wrestling with Nevin Subotic, when he saw that Mainz's defense began to retreat, Xiao Qing suddenly slammed the ball towards the right side of the penalty area, and Hoffenheim striker Edu got a good opportunity to keep up, and there were basically no defenders around him.
Amid the regretful sighs of the home fans, Edu was in a hurry as his shot flew over the crossbar into the stands. Although the attack was put to an end this time, the morale of the Hoffenheim players was instantly high, because it was only Hoffenheim's first attack, but the team had already created a good threat, and it was enough, and the Hoffenheim players believed that as long as they continued to work hard, then they had a good chance of scoring in one go!
As for Xiao Qing, although he failed to grasp the opportunity more this time, he is still in a good mood now, because he has found the feeling of the game, and he feels that he is really not too far away from scoring a goal!