Chapter 93: Creator of Disaster [Fourth Update Subscription Request!]
Lin Quan watched the live broadcast of this match at home.
When the final score froze at 6-1, he was actually quite shocked.
Teams that participate in the Champions League are all top-ranked teams in their respective leagues and are not pushovers.
Even if there is a gap in strength between these teams, such a lopsided scoreline is rare.
In a Champions League-level match, a difference of five goals is already considered a disaster!
But seeing this scoreline with Bayern Munich in the 2012-2013 season, it's not that difficult to understand.
After all, Bayern is known as the creator of disasters!
It had to be them! Bayern!
They really went all out!
Out of curiosity, he went online and found that many were discussing this match.
"Wow, Bayern's attacking firepower is just too fierce!"
"Robben and Ribéry didn't even play, yet they thrashed the opponent. If those two had been fit to play, I wonder how exaggerated the scoreline would have been!"
"Why do I feel like a certain team is going to face Barça or Bayern again this year?"
"Although you didn't say who, I instantly understood..."
"Haha, the 'guaranteed fourth place' syndrome. Start strong, lose focus mid-season, collapse in the second half, then get knocked out in the Champions League group stage by Real Barça Bayern."
"Three years of Barça, five years of Bayern, Gunners' fixed draw. I even suspect UEFA is targeting our club!"
"Hehe, if Arsenal could finish first in the group, they could avoid these strong teams, right? In the end, it's because the Gunners are just not good enough!"
"Poor Nana, being forced to a draw by Schalke. Otherwise, they could have topped the group standings and escaped this cursed fate!"
...
Initially, online discussions revolved around Bayern's terrifying firepower, but somehow the topic veered toward Arsenal.
Lin Quan didn't fully agree with the online banter about Arsenal.
Arsenal's core strength isn't that strong, and their players are too young.
It's well known that young players' mentality is prone to issues, and Wenger should be aware of this, relying on these young talents to make a mark.
But Arsenal's annual investment in the transfer market is so low; they can't afford star players and can only buy relatively unknown talents at low prices.
In such a low investment scenario, Wenger leading Arsenal to the Champions League every year, and even consistently making it out of the group stage, is already remarkable.
Of course, luck hasn't been on their side either...
While Arsenal fans lamented online, in a corner unnoticed by many, Werder Bremen fans were also lamenting.
After watching this match, many fans who had previously been confident in the team felt that their game against Bayern would be tough.
Bayern's form is visibly improving, and it's very difficult to play against a team on the rise.
Moreover, their opponents' core strength is already superior!
German teams continue to excel in the Champions League this season.
After this round of group stage matches, three German teams remain undefeated.
Schalke 04 drew 2-2 with Arsenal at home, with two wins and two draws in four games, accumulating 8 points to top the group, in a promising position to advance.
Borussia Dortmund, in the group of death, topped Real Madrid, also with two wins and two draws, accumulating 8 points to lead the group.
Real Madrid, in the same group, has two wins, one draw, and one loss, with 7 points, ranking second, while Ajax has one win, one draw, and two losses, with 4 points, ranking third.
Manchester City, despite heavy investment, performed poorly in the Champions League group stage, with two draws and two losses, ranking bottom and essentially eliminated.
It seems that having money alone isn't enough; City's rise requires finding the right players and the right coach, which will take a long time.
The Bundesliga has performed exceptionally well in this season's Champions League group stage, with three teams boasting 7 wins, 4 draws, and 1 loss in four rounds. Apart from Bayern's loss, the other two teams remain undefeated and have all topped their groups, boasting the best overall record in Europe.
This has made countries across Europe realize the strength of the Bundesliga, and attention to the league has been increasing.
Some elite clubs have even begun to send scouts to scout talented players in the Bundesliga, intending to buy them at a bargain during the winter transfer window.
As the Bundesliga's second-ranked team in points, Werder Bremen has also attracted considerable attention.
During their training sessions, scouts from unknown clubs could often be seen observing them from outside the training base.
Lin Quan and De Bruyne received the most attention. Lin Quan's €5 million buyout clause and his contract expiring in just half a year make him very attractive.
All teams want to try their luck, but Lin Quan ignores them. To avoid harassment, he has been living in the club's dormitory most of the time and rarely goes out.
As for De Bruyne, he even publicly stated that he would never leave Chelsea, determined to return to Stamford Bridge and prove himself.
Unable to acquire them, many scouts have shifted their focus to other players.
For example, Fielkrog, who is very young but has performed exceptionally well in the Bundesliga matches this season.
He has already scored 5 goals this season, and his estimated value in the transfer market is €3.5 million.
For a substitute, to score so many goals in just ten matches, his efficiency is remarkable.
So, not only is his value not high, it's actually quite cheap.
Some top clubs might not be interested, but mid-table teams are very interested in such cheap and effective players.
As long as Werder Bremen is willing to sell, I believe many teams will be willing to shell out to take him away.
In addition to Fielkrog, Werder Bremen's Dutch international Elia has also attracted attention from many teams.
Elia was swept out of Juventus by big clubs and has always longed to return to a top club to prove his worth.
His performance this season has been decent, but taking him away would be harder than taking Fielkrog.
Because he's not interested in ordinary clubs, unless a top club invites him, otherwise, he might as well stay at Werder Bremen!
Because Werder Bremen's defense is unstable, hardly any teams are interested in their defenders.
Lin Quan is indifferent to the attention from the outside world; after all, he has no plans to transfer during the winter break.
With only half a year left on his contract with Barcelona, he will be free next year, so there's no need to complicate things during the winter break.
So, the time came to November 10th, and the 11th round of the Bundesliga began.
In this round, Werder Bremen, currently second in the league standings, will travel away to challenge Schalke 04, third in the standings.
Both teams are ranked high, and their match could likely decide the champion of this season's Bundesliga, making it the most anticipated focal point of this round of Bundesliga matches.
In the previous matches, Bayern Munich hosted and defeated Frankfurt 2-0, pushing them down in the standings while also widening the gap with Werder Bremen.
Considering Bayern's current lead in the standings, if Werder Bremen were to draw with Schalke 04 in this match, their gap with Bayern would increase to 6 points.
If they lose, Bayern's lead over the second-placed team would also increase to 5 points.
Therefore, for Bayern, a draw between the two teams would be best.
If a winner must be determined, it would be more advantageous for Schalke 04, currently in third place, to defeat second-placed Werder Bremen.
Schalke 04 is not easy to play against, although they lost to Hoffenheim in the league earlier.
But that match's penalty decision was controversial, and they were defeated by their opponent's last-minute goal.
If it weren't for that penalty, Schalke probably wouldn't have attacked so aggressively in the final stages of the match, and they wouldn't have been caught off guard by the opponent's sudden attack and subsequent winning goal.
Werder Bremen is well aware of the importance of this match. On paper, Schalke 04 is slightly stronger than them.
However, their opponents just fought against Arsenal in the Champions League, and at this moment, their physical condition may not be as good as when they didn't have European matches, and they were always conserving energy.
This match is an evenly matched contest, and the winner will depend on who performs better on the field.
Because this match is crucial for both sides, Schalke 04's home tickets are in high demand, with all 55,000 tickets sold out as soon as they were available.
(End of this chapter)