Even when he bothered to show up for training, he just went through the motions.
According to Thomas Essien, eighteen-year-olds were a real handful.
So for this away game, Kramny decided not to bring him at all.
Wang Shuo was making small talk with Hoffenheim.
It was mostly Hoffenheim talking and Wang Shuo listening.
But he was mostly focused on watching the game.
This was the first time Wang Shuo had observed a match up close since acquiring his second passive skill, Insight.
He quickly discovered that with the boost from Insight, he had a much deeper understanding of the game.
Several times, when watching Offenburg U19 pass the ball, he found he could discern their intentions even a step ahead of his own teammates on the field.
Whether they were about to make a back pass, switch the direction of attack, or change passing lanes, he could sense it instantly.
The opponents’ intentions were completely transparent to him.
’He even had a feeling that if he were playing, he could use Insight to perceive the opponent’s intentions in real-time. By running and pressing, he could get a step ahead to intercept them or disrupt their plans.’
This made Wang Shuo secretly rub his hands together, itching to get on the field and give it a try.
...
The first half ended in a 0-0 draw.
In terms of on-field performance, Offenburg U19, who were fighting to avoid relegation, were surprisingly getting the better of Mainz U19.
Mainz U19’s strengths lay in their midfield interceptions and defense.
After the teams switched sides for the second half, the state of the game remained completely unchanged.
Wang Shuo had finished his warm-up during the halftime break and spent the second half waiting expectantly.
In the 55th minute, Kramny called Wang Shuo over.
"You’re going on for Jan Kirschhoff. We need to strengthen our attack!"
"Listen, Wang, there’s a little over half an hour left. Your mission is to give it everything you’ve got. Use your running to put more pressure on the opponent, understand?"
Wang Shuo gave a solemn nod.
Soon, the defensive midfielder Kirschhoff, who stood over 1.9 meters tall, clapped Wang Shuo on the shoulder and sent him onto the pitch.
After taking the field, Wang Shuo jogged slowly toward the left wing.
Following Kramny’s instructions from the sideline, Schürrle remained in the center while Robin Medinitz took the right wing.
Mainz still maintained their 4-3-3 formation.
Having observed from the sidelines for nearly an hour, Wang Shuo had figured out some of Offenburg U19’s tactical patterns.
Since coming on, he maintained a steady pace, not in any rush to prove himself.
Offenburg U19, meanwhile, continued to dominate.
They kept trying to attack down the right flank, through their French winger, Schmid.
He was the most dangerous young player on the Offenburg team.
As they moved the ball through the center, Wang Shuo had already sensed their intent and silently moved into an ambush position.
Just as an Offenburg U19 midfielder tried to pass the ball to Schmid on the right wing, Wang Shuo suddenly burst forward. He shot out from the side and, just before Schmid could receive the pass, slid in and tackled the ball away to one of his own midfielders.
This sudden turn of events not only disrupted Offenburg U19’s attack but also caught the Mainz U19 players by surprise.
As Wang Shuo scrambled to his feet and began sprinting forward to join the counter-attack, he saw his teammate misplace the pass, losing possession.
Having just crossed the halfway line, Wang Shuo had no choice but to immediately turn and sprint back.
Glancing to the side, he could clearly see the disappointment on head coach Kramny’s face.
’What a perfect chance for a counter-attack!’
The Offenburg U19 head coach also walked to the edge of the pitch, shouting instructions to his players.
They were both professional coaches; Wang Shuo’s surprise interception had put the opposition on high alert.
The Offenburg U19 players also took notice of the Asian player who had just come on as a substitute.
But Wang Shuo wasn’t worried.
Since a surprise attack wouldn’t work a second time, he resorted to covering a wide area, openly pressing and harassing the opposition. He not only actively participated in the attack but also constantly tracked back to help defend the midfield.
...
On the sidelines, Offenburg U19’s head coach, Wolfgang Zemitischi, quickly realized something was wrong.
’Is this guy really on a youth team?’
That kind of relentless running was rare to see at the youth level.
What was even more baffling was that for the first hour of the match, Offenburg U19 had been comfortably dominating Mainz U19.
But ever since that Asian player came on, everything had changed.
His team’s ball movement had stalled.
Their passes were constantly being disrupted. Either the passing lanes were blocked, or the window of opportunity to make the pass would vanish.
Several times, they had nearly lost possession.
And every single time, that Asian player was involved.
Once or twice could be written off as a coincidence, but every time? Could that still be a coincidence?
If Zemitischi grew more and more frustrated with every passing moment, then Kramny grew more and more astonished.
In the past, he had always thought Wang Shuo was just a runner.
But watching him now, it was clear Wang Shuo wasn’t just a runner—he was a smart runner.
Unlike Zemitischi, Kramny had enjoyed a more successful playing career, so he could naturally see that Wang Shuo’s movements were anything but random.
Almost every time, he positioned himself perfectly to cut off Offenburg U19’s passing lanes, shutting down their avenues of attack.
This not only left the Offenburg players feeling stifled, but it also allowed Mainz to gradually reverse their on-field disadvantage.
Even the French player Schmid, who had been so active on the right wing for Offenburg, had been completely silenced since Wang Shuo came on.
’This kid can play this smart?’ Kramny himself could hardly believe it.
’Has Wang Shuo really turned the tide in just ten-odd minutes?’
In the 74th minute, it was Wang Shuo again. He dropped back, then suddenly burst into a sprint.
An Offenburg player was clearly passing to a teammate, but it looked more like he had passed the ball directly to Wang Shuo’s feet.
After making the interception, Wang Shuo, with his back to the goal, didn’t dwell on the ball. He immediately laid it off to a teammate in midfield.
As soon as he passed the ball, he turned and sprinted forward.
The ball was moved out to the right wing, to Robin Medinitz.
Medinitz played a diagonal through ball, looking for Andre Schürrle.
Once the 17-year-old Schürrle hit his stride, his speed easily left all the Offenburg defenders behind.
But Medinitz’s pass was poorly weighted.
After receiving the ball, Schürrle couldn’t carry his momentum into the penalty area and was forced to stop the ball just outside the top-right corner of the box.
By then, both of Offenburg U19’s center-backs had recovered their defensive positions. They converged on Schürrle, blocking his path into the penalty area.
Schürrle managed to shield the ball but couldn’t find an open passing lane.
Just as he was running out of options, he suddenly spotted a figure in a red jersey.
"Pass it here!" the player yelled, raising his hand for the ball.
He was positioned right behind the two center-backs.
Schürrle didn’t have time to think; he immediately sent a square pass across.
Only after the ball slipped between the two center-backs did Schürrle get a good look. To his astonishment, it was Wang Shuo—the very same player who had just won the ball back inside their own 30-meter zone.
Wang Shuo’s first touch took the ball into the penalty area, and he immediately chased after it.
Facing the hesitant goalkeeper, Wang Shuo coolly slotted the ball home with his right foot.
The ball nestled into the bottom-left corner of the Offenburg U19 net.