In Germany, U19 league matches are usually held around noon.
For example, the Round 19 away match where Mainz U19 played against Offenburg U19 was scheduled for 10:00 AM sharp.
The German Football Association divides the U19 league into three major divisions—South/Southwest, West, and North—to minimize long-distance travel for away games.
After all, the youth academy budgets for Bundesliga teams are limited, so they rarely stay overnight for away matches.
Even so, the trip from Mainz to Offenburg was a full 220 kilometers, a drive of over two hours even on the highway.
So, the team gathered early in the morning and departed from Mainz.
When they arrived at Offenburg’s Carl Heitz Stadium, there was still over half an hour until kickoff.
It was a very simple stadium. Only the main stand on the west side had a small roof; the rest was just a few rows of simple concrete steps.
Since it was a U19 match, there weren’t many fans present—only four or five hundred people, standing or sitting scattered around.
In front of the roofed stand were the coaches’ and substitutes’ benches for both teams, all crammed together with no privacy to speak of.
The locker rooms were located behind the main stand.
Everyone changed, went through a brief warm-up, and soon it was almost time for the match to begin.
Although U19 matches seemed very informal compared to official Bundesliga and 2nd Bundesliga games, Wang Shuo was still excited.
This was the first "official" match he would participate in for the team since coming to Germany.
He had only received his player registration the day before the match.
Kramny stuck with Mainz U19’s signature 4-3-3 formation.
After Klopp took over the Mainz first team, he initially continued to use Wolfgang Frank’s 4-4-2 formation.
But later, he adapted with the times, adjusted his tactics, and switched to a 4-3-3.
This led to the impressive performances in the following years, where Mainz achieved a historic promotion to the Bundesliga and then successfully avoided relegation.
A 17-year-old Andre Schürrle was in the starting lineup, playing as a forward.
Shouldering the team’s attacking responsibilities with him was 18-year-old Robin Medinitz.
Medinitz had joined the Mainz youth academy in ’07. He was an exceptionally two-footed player, comfortable on either wing.
Wang Shuo, on the other hand, was placed on the substitutes’ bench.
Kramny had told him beforehand to observe the game carefully, and that he would be subbed on in the second half.
As a team perennially fighting relegation this season, Offenburg U19 still employed a three-back formation, common in the German football scene.
Before the match, Wang Shuo thought, ’Even if Mainz U19 can’t defeat them easily, we should at least be able to dominate the play.’
After all, they were ranked much higher and were the youth squad of a 2nd Bundesliga club.
But to his surprise, from the very start of the match, the home side, Offenburg U19, was the one pressing Mainz U19.
This was especially true of a short player on their right wing.
He was probably a little over 1.7 meters tall, very fast, agile, and had excellent technical skill.
Every time he got the ball, he posed a huge threat to Mainz’s left flank.
"That French kid’s name is Jonathan Schmid. He’s 17, same as you, and a lot of Bundesliga teams already have their eyes on him."
The one sitting next to Wang Shuo was Kai Hoffenheim, a center forward and a product of Mainz’s direct lineage youth system.
The 18-year-old Hoffenheim was currently a substitute forward for Mainz U19, while the younger Schürrle had become a starter.
"He’s French?" Wang Shuo asked, a bit surprised.
"Yeah, probably from Strasbourg."
Wang Shuo began to understand.
Offenburg is located on the western edge of Germany’s Black Forest, right next to the French border and very close to Strasbourg.
Wang Shuo noticed something else interesting.
The Mainz U19 players seemed very accustomed to this situation.
Combining that with the fact that Schürrle and Robin Medinitz were the main attackers, Wang Shuo started to figure it out.
’Although Mainz U19’s standard tactic is a 4-3-3, in reality, they play a defensive, counter-attacking style.’
’When the two wingers drop back, doesn’t a 4-3-3 just become a 4-5-1?’
However, Offenburg U19 was also clearly guarding against Mainz U19’s counter-attacks.
Wang Shuo also noticed another interesting phenomenon.
Even though it was a U19 match, both sides were very tactically disciplined and played as cohesive units, a clear continuation of the fine tradition of the "German Tank."
But this led to a bit of a stalemate.
There was also a lot of physical contact.
Neither side was creating many chances.
’Aren’t European youth teams supposed to focus on developing talent instead of prioritizing results?’
"In the U19 youth league, if you want to see an exciting, high-scoring game, you have to watch powerhouses like Bayern or Stuttgart. Their youth academies are on another level, overflowing with talent."
Hoffenheim, noticing Wang Shuo’s confusion, explained.
"Even talents on our team like Pedro Lina and Fernando Ernesto are players that they’ve cut."
Both of those players were cut from the Bayern youth academy.
One of them, the Mexican talent Pedro Lina, Wang Shuo hadn’t even seen once in the two weeks since he joined the team.
He had reportedly been absent from training for a long time. His fate at the club was sealed, and he was just waiting for a transfer at the end of the season.
Fernando Ernesto, on the other hand, was always at training. He was said to have Angolan nationality, and his physical condition was impeccable. Crucially, his technical skills were also quite outstanding.
He was also left-footed.
As a talent from the Bayern youth academy, his skill and talent were undeniable.
But he had absolutely no desire to stay at Mainz, and his performances were very inconsistent.
When he was in a good mood, he played well; when he was in a bad mood, he’d find all sorts of excuses to take time off.