Chapter 123: Win a Championship for the Team Before Leaving!
In the 23rd round of the league, Werder Bremen made their third visit to the Allianz Arena.
Unlike the previous two lucky victories, this game proved to be the toughest for Werder Bremen this season.
Bayern Munich came into the game with full strength and firepower, scoring two goals in the first half courtesy of Robben and Martinez, securing an early lead.
Werder Bremen managed to pull one back with a goal from Lin Quan, showing some fighting spirit.
If they had continued at this pace, Werder Bremen might have lost but not as badly.
However, in the 44th minute, Werder Bremen's defender Pledl was shown a red card for a handball in the penalty area, reducing them to ten men and putting them in a difficult position.
With Ribery calmly converting a penalty, the score extended to 3-1 in favor of Bayern.
Adding insult to injury, in the 49th minute, facing Bayern's onslaught, Werder Bremen's defense made a costly mistake.
During a clearance attempt, Selaši accidentally scored an own goal, adding another goal to Bayern's tally.
Just two minutes later, Gomez struck again, making it 5-1.
Facing Bayern's relentless attack, Werder Bremen's players were completely overwhelmed.
The Bayern fans at the Allianz Arena were astonished. They expected a tough battle but ended up witnessing a resounding victory!
They celebrated as if it were a holiday, even happier than on actual holidays!
After suffering three consecutive defeats, Werder Bremen had replaced Borussia Mönchengladbach as Bayern's primary victim!
Today, they finally managed to vent their frustrations against this hated opponent at home.
Before this match, Bayern had never had an easy time against Werder Bremen this year.
They lost two cup matches directly, relinquishing two championships, and in the league, they squandered a two-goal lead to a resilient opponent, causing doubts about their confidence. Was Werder Bremen Bayern's nemesis?
This big win in the match finally dispelled their doubts.
Bayern remained the Bundesliga giant, unchallenged in their dominance.
Despite being a man down, Lin Quan and De Bruyne continued to attack.
Even if they had to go down, they would go down fighting.
In the 58th minute, Lin Quan dribbled past several opponents before passing the ball under pressure.
De Bruyne then unleashed a powerful long-range shot, scoring another goal for the team, bringing the score to 2-5.
This goal served as a reminder to Bayern that despite their massive lead, Werder Bremen was not completely powerless.
If Bayern became complacent due to their lead, they might face an unexpected turnaround.
If they let a four-goal lead slip away, then Bayern might as well throw in the towel!
In the final stages of the game, Bayern's defenders tightly marked Lin Quan and De Bruyne, leaving them surrounded.
With their team down a man and no help from teammates, their efforts to attack were futile against Bayern's solid defense.
Ultimately, Bayern Munich triumphed over Werder Bremen 5-2, avenging their past defeats and releasing pent-up frustration.
In the second half of the season, Werder Bremen lost two out of six matches, both to top teams.
During the first half of the season, they managed to hold their own against Bayern and Borussia Dortmund, even forcing them to a draw.
But in the second half, after being thoroughly analyzed by opponents, Werder Bremen's magic faded.
Perhaps against weaker teams, they could still win and even secure big victories.
But against stronger teams, victory seemed elusive.
The defeat to Bayern in the league match left both Lin Quan and De Bruyne feeling frustrated.
It made them realize the huge gap between Werder Bremen and top teams.
"I've made up my mind. After the season ends, I'm going back to Chelsea!"
De Bruyne finally made his decision, willing to take on the fierce competition ahead.
Staying at Werder Bremen might allow him to be a tactical core and even become the team's star player after Lin Quan leaves.
However, staying at Werder Bremen wouldn't help him achieve honors or continue to improve.
If he intended to use Werder Bremen as a stepping stone to a top club, then his goal had been achieved, and there was no need to stay any longer.
"What about you? Where are you going next season?"
After discussing De Bruyne's future, he turned the question back to Lin Quan.
Lin Quan smiled, "Unless something unexpected happens, it should be Bayern."
"I think Bayern is great. They have a strong squad, and your foster father is the head coach. You'll definitely have more playing time there than I do at Chelsea!"
De Bruyne said enviously, comparing his uncertain future to Lin Quan's brighter prospects.
"You make it sound like I'm freeloading. You've made me reconsider going to Bayern!"
"I didn't mean that. I really think Bayern is great. Specifically, I think Coach Guardiola is great!"
"Hmm, I didn't realize you admired him so much. You've never mentioned it before."
De Bruyne scratched his head, "You don't know. For players like us, who are technical midfielders, playing under Coach Guardiola is such a lucky thing!"
Lin Quan was very surprised by De Bruyne's words. He hadn't realized Guardiola's allure in the football world was so strong.
Upon reflection, it made sense. Like Mourinho, Guardiola had his unique style, attracting many players with similar traits.
Truly, they were the twin stars of the coaching world!
Bremen had just lost to Bayern Munich in the league, and now they drew Dortmund in the quarter-finals of the German Cup.
It's like they can't catch a break even when drinking cold water.
They felt unlucky, and Dortmund felt unlucky too.
Since beating Bremen in the 18th round of the league, Dortmund seemed cursed, with players getting injured in every game.
Players like Götze, Reus, Schmelzer, and Lewandowski were either injured or sick.
The most serious was Reus; he first twisted his ankle, then injured his knee, and before he could recover, he strained his groin.
Since joining Dortmund, Reus's injury frequency has increased significantly, revealing his fragile physique.
"Haha, Dortmund is a hospital ward, and they're about to face the challenge of the Champions League knockout stage at home. They might even consider giving up this game!"
"I'm not so sure. Last week in the Champions League, although Dortmund didn't win away, they scored two away goals. As long as they draw at home, they'll advance. The pressure isn't that high!"
"That's right. Signal Iduna Park is known as a fortress. Even Schalke couldn't beat them at home, so it's even more hopeless for the opponent!"
"On the contrary, we helped Dortmund eliminate Bayern, and now the strongest opponent left in the German Cup is us. If Dortmund eliminates us, the German Cup will be within their grasp!"
"Damn, are you saying Dortmund should be thanking us?"
Initially, Bremen's players thought they had an opportunity, but after some analysis, they realized the game would be even more difficult for them.
"Lewandowski's injury isn't serious; he should be back. Götze has flu; I don't know his current condition, but he's reportedly training with the team, so it should be okay!"
Coach Shav coughed lightly, stopping the players' discussion.
"The only confirmed absences are Reus and Schmelzer, but Nuri Sahin's return compensates for that vacancy. Last season, Dortmund played well even without Reus, and with Sahin's return this season, Reus's absence isn't a big issue."
Shav's analysis made the players start to lament.
They thought they could take advantage of Dortmund's injuries, but after the analysis, it seemed there was no advantage to exploit.
"Schmelzer is Dortmund's main left-back, so his absence will still affect Dortmund greatly!"
Seeing the players lamenting, Shav calmed their emotions.
"Anyway, don't pin our hopes of winning on the opposition's players being unavailable. What we need to do is continually improve our own strength and make the most of our advantages!"
Losing to Bayern had a big impact on the players' confidence, and Shav didn't have much hope himself.
Making it to the quarter-finals and even eliminating Bayern Munich already exceeded Bremen's expectations for the season.
With their level of ability, they should have been eliminated in the previous round.
Lin Quan and De Bruyne exchanged glances, seeing the burning fighting spirit in each other's eyes.
Neither of them could accept the result of failure and elimination.
Against the backdrop of leaving Bremen at the end of the season, this game might be the only chance for them to leave behind a significant championship trophy for Bremen this season.
So, without saying it, they were ready to give it their all!
"Lin, I want to learn from you how to shake off defenders after receiving the ball. Can you teach me?"
With five days left until the match, the whole Bremen team was in intense preparation.
That morning, De Bruyne found Lin Quan and asked him to teach him his technique of shaking off defenders after receiving the ball.
When De Bruyne was sidelined due to injury, Lin Quan played the role of organizing the attack.
Although it wasn't for long, his performance in several games was remarkable.
Later, after De Bruyne returned from injury, he started pestering Lin Quan to learn his technique of delivering 45-degree crosses during the game.
In addition to this technique, De Bruyne was also envious of Lin Quan's ability to shake off defenders after receiving the ball.
But he was shy and had not dared to ask for help before.
After all, he had already learned curved passes and chips from Lin Quan, so asking for more seemed greedy.
But now, to win the game, De Bruyne couldn't care less.
Being shameless was worth it as long as it could help the team.
"Okay!"
To De Bruyne's surprise, he thought Lin Quan wouldn't agree so easily.
But he didn't expect Lin Quan to agree so readily.
"Huh? Aren't you going to think about it?"
De Bruyne was puzzled; such an exclusive skill, and Lin Quan agreed to teach it just like that?
"No need to think about it. You're not a stranger; why be so formal between brothers!"
Lin Quan had already noticed that De Bruyne had difficulty producing threatening passes when closely marked, so he had long considered whether to teach him his shaking off technique.
But since De Bruyne didn't ask for it himself, Lin Quan didn't want to bring it up.
After spending a long time with De Bruyne, he found that this guy had a strong sense of self-esteem.
He was introverted and lonely, delicate yet sensitive, probably because of the discrimination he suffered from his foster family when he was young!
"Yeah, good brother, for life. If you need anything in the future, just ask, and I'll do my best to help you out!"
De Bruyne was deeply moved; in just a year at Bremen, he had gained such friendship, which was worth it!
Unfortunately, he already had a new home, otherwise, it would have been great to go to Chelsea with Lin Quan!
Chelsea is currently lacking a forward!
This season working together, De Bruyne felt very comfortable. If possible, he really hoped to continue binding with Lin Quan.
Which midfielder wouldn't like such a reliable forward?
Actually, Lin Quan also thought De Bruyne's passing was excellent; with him as a teammate, he felt much easier.
So, he was also looking forward to working with De Bruyne again.
It's just that he didn't know how long he would have to wait.
After five days of intense preparation, on February 28th, the quarter-finals of the German Cup began.
Bremen hosted the match against Dortmund.
This game can be said to be the most important of all the remaining games this season for them!
Whether it's all for naught or if they can lay their hands on the German Cup trophy, it all depends on this game!
(End of this chapter)