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In fact, Rangnick was not at all surprised when he heard the news that Klinsmann had been sacked by Bayern. Pen × fun × Pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 infoBecause Bayern Munich's results were really not good before this, the 1:5 away loss to Wolfsburg was the fuse, in the words of the media, it was the dignity of Bayern Munich who lost this game.

It makes sense that Klinsmann would be out of class.

Just think about the media hype about Bayern Munich and Jurgen Klinsmann in the first half of the season, and now it's a bit ironic. At that time, Klinsmann's Bayern Munich was considered to have brought a breath of fresh air to the Bundesliga, playing advanced European football with Hoffenheim, and their match against Hoffenheim was made into a textbook and engraved into a CD to promote the classic battle of the Bundesliga.

Now, the head coach of one of the sides of this classic battle has unexpectedly stepped down...... This incident was a wake-up call for Rangnick. Bayern Munich are giants and cannot tolerate defeat, so a defeat in one or two crucial games could leave a previously acclaimed manager sacked.

Hoffenheim are a promoted side, but their owners have ambitions and don't just want to get the team on the Bundesliga. If you succeed in winning the league championship this season, I am afraid that everyone will have greater ambitions. The pressure on him will inevitably be even greater. This season he relied on the momentum of Hoffenheim's newborn calf to complete a stunning performance, but also raised everyone's appetite, if Hoffenheim's performance in the future can not "win and play beautifully", then you can imagine how much criticism will be heard...... In his first two seasons at Hoffenheim, he was not under much pressure, and it was a surprise to be in the first division last season, because the original plan for Mr. Hope was to rush to the first division in five years, and he did not expect to go up in one year...... From now on, the pressure of his coaching at Hoffenheim will come one after another.

With five rounds to go, Hoffenheim, who finished second in the league, have an important game ahead of them – they travel to Wolfsburg.

Wolfsburg, who are at the top of the league, are now enjoying their glory, winning an astonishing 12 consecutive victories, holding Bayern Munich, Hoffenheim, Hamburg, Stuttgart, Borussia Dortmund and other giants firmly under them.

With the two teams currently separated by just one point, this game is crucial. A win for Hoffenheim would see them overtake Wolfsburg and return to the top of the league table. A win for Hoffenheim would be a serious blow to Hoffenheim's morale and will further widen the gap between the two teams, which will be difficult to recover from in the final rounds of the league against the likes of Bayern Munich and Schalke 04.

Coupled with the fact that Hoffenheim is playing away from home, it will be quite difficult to win at home in Wolfsburg. So Rangnick's strategy for the team is to win with a draw on the road, and as long as they can keep the draw, they will win the game.

Hoffenheim's next opponent is strong, and Wolfsburg's next opponent is not weak. In the 31st round, they played Stuttgart away, in the 32nd round, they hosted Borussia Dortmund, and in the final round of the league they played Werder Bremen at home.

So as long as the gap between the two teams is not further widened in this game, the team still has hope of turning the tables.

Although retaining second place in the league can also directly participate in the Champions League, since the championship is in sight, what reason is there to give it up?

Rangnick wants to keep the draw not because he has no ambition, but because the reality is cruel - Weiss has been suspended for accumulating yellow cards, he has always been the main force in the midfield, both offensive and defensive, and tenacious, with him, Chu's burden is smaller. And now that he is suspended, Hoffenheim's defense will be tested very much against Wolfsburg.

In addition, Teber, who replaced Weiss in previous games, was also determined to be unable to play in this game due to a calf muscle strain, while central defender Nelsson has returned home to recuperate due to the flu, and has not even participated in training, let alone participating in the game.

In addition, Ibisevic felt muscle soreness during pre-match training, and out of conservatism, Rangnick did not let him continue training, but let him go to massage therapy.

Ibisevic is currently the team's top scorer and the team's main attacking firepower, and the team has consciously passed the ball to him in attack. If Ibisevic has a three-strong and two-short, it will be a big problem for Hoffenheim. There are two people who are most indispensable to this team, one is the captain Chu Zhongtian, who is in charge of the team's offensive rhythm and is the team's offensive and defensive hub; The other person is the goalscorer Ibisevic, winning the game still needs to score goals in the final analysis, it can be said that scoring goals is the key to victory, and Ibisevic is the one who holds the key to victory.

These two people are indispensable. Ibisevic is also quite competitive, so far there are no injuries, he maintains full attendance, and he has played more minutes than Chu Zhongtian - Chu Zhongtian has been suspended for games, but Ibisevic has not.

So in the game against Wolfsburg, Ibisevic will definitely play, in order to make a mess before the game, Rangnick has to be cautious, even if Ibisevic said that it is not a big deal, he also let Ibisevic rest, just so that Ibisevic who appeared in the game against Wolfsburg is a healthy Ibisevic.

After a two-day break, Ibisevic appeared in the match against Wolfsburg.

Before the game, the media said that Ibisevic's muscles were sore in training, and the training was terminated early, and when the weekend game may not be available, Wolfsburg's head coach Magath was still a little happy, such a dangerous figure is not on the line, his defensive pressure is much lighter, and if Sanogo is on loan from Bremen during the winter break, Magath is not worried at all, the Sanogo man is called the "god of decline", and he made history by Volkswagen three times in the game with Hamburg. In the previous round against Hertha Berlin, Sanogo was substituted late and hit the post once. These four times the goalpost made him a "god of decline" known throughout the Bundesliga, and everyone now jokes that as long as Sanogo plays, he will definitely hit the goalpost, and he is actually using the method of shooting to practice the accuracy of shooting...... If Sanogo replaces Ibisevic, Magath can completely ignore this decrepit man.

When it was time for the game, seeing Ibisevic standing outside the center circle, Magath realized that this might be a suspicious tactic used by Hoffenheim.

But soon Magath's mind changed again - Ibisevic was really injured...... In the 37th minute of the game, the score of the two sides was still 0:0, and it seemed that both teams were not in a hurry. Hoffenheim is playing away, and Rangnick naturally has to choose a more secure tactic, so an away draw is a victory. And Magath's side, naturally there is also some jealousy of Hoffenheim's sharp attack, Magath does not want to attack at home, but leaves too much space for the opponent in the back line, he knows that Hoffenheim has a Chu Zhongtian, this kid's ability to catch the pass is very powerful. So he also opted for a conservative approach, anyway, for Wolfsburg, they are now ahead of Hoffenheim on points, a draw is acceptable for them, even if it is a draw, they are still ahead. As for what strong enemies will be encountered in the future...... VfL Wolfsburg were able to beat Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich 5-1 at their home stadium, and now they are bursting with confidence and have not taken those opponents seriously. What else is there to fear from a declining aristocrat like Dortmund? Bremen's results this season have also been inconsistent, and the current league table is still outside the seventh or eighth place. That is, Stuttgart is slightly threatening, but it is far less threatening than Hoffenheim in front of him.

Therefore, Magath has in his mind that going all out to deal with Hoffenheim is the top priority.

The first half of the game was not exciting because both sides played very carefully, and everyone was trying to destroy each other's football, but they couldn't afford to play their own football.

This kind of game made the Hoffenheim players, who were accustomed to attacking from the beginning of the game, very uncomfortable, but what the head coach repeatedly emphasized before the game, they did not dare to go against it, so they could only hold back and play.

Ibisevic is working hard to find opportunities to score, no matter what the team's goal is, as a striker has to score, you can't just because this game is going to be drawn, the striker doesn't try to score, what if the opponent scores first?

Ibisevic opened the scoring seven times before the game against Bayern Munich this season, winning all of them, so he has a strong ability to break the deadlock. Naturally, he also wants to break the deadlock for his team in this game.

In the 37th minute, Chu Zhongtian's long pass from the backfield was in front, and Ibisevic started to chase the ball, but just ran two steps, he suddenly stumbled and fell to the ground, while his hand covered his groin, and his expression was very painful.

"What happened on the field? Ibisevic suddenly fell without the ball and without confrontation! ”

Rangnick jerked up from his seat, staring nervously at the court.

Wolfsburg defender Barzagli (andrea_barzagli), who was running backwards with Ibisevic, looked back and saw Ibisevic fall to the ground in pain, and stopped chasing the ball, but turned around and raised his arm to signal that someone was injured.

Hoffenheim's Obasi, the closest Hoffenheim player to Ibisevic, rushed over and worried about his strike partner. fell to the ground in a state of neither seeking nor confrontation, and his expression was painful, which can only show that the injury was not light...... Chu Zhongtian was stunned for a moment, and then he also reacted and ran towards Ibisevic.

When Ibisevic felt muscle soreness in training, he was a little worried. He also told Ibi that if it really doesn't work, don't go on it, and rest for a game. At that time, Ibi also used the same injury he himself had before the League Cup final in Metz as an example, telling him that it was no big deal, just a slight soreness, and he took it up out of caution, otherwise he would not have known about it.

Unexpectedly, when it came time to compete, this muscle soreness really broke him.

He ran to Ibisevic's side, then glanced at coach Rangnick who was looking out of the dugout and made a substitution gesture.

It looks like it should be a groin muscle strain, and Ibyshevic will not be able to hold on to the match.

"Hoffenheim's captain Chu made a substitution gesture! Ibisevic, the outstanding goalscorer this season, went down injured in this crucial game and it looked like he couldn't keep the game going...... It looks like the pre-match rumours about his injury are all true! ”

When Ibisevic was carried off the pitch on a stretcher, he hid his face with his hands. Only he knows how serious the injury is this time around, and his absence will no longer be this game, and probably all the rest of the season...... Chu Zhongtian ran over and patted him on the shoulder, and said in his ear, "Recuperate in peace, Ibi." ”

Ibisevic didn't make any answer, and Chu Zhongtian could only see something faintly flickering between his fingers.

Ibisevic's injury did break the deadlock in this game. Considering Hoffenheim lost their number one firepower point and the threat to the backline laughed, Magath decided to step up the attack.

And after Wolfsburg attacked, their originally tight backline naturally appeared some gaps. How could Hoffenheim let such an opportunity go?

Perhaps there was also the reason why the first half was coming to an end, when both sides suddenly became less cautious.

They fought against each other.

The same was true in the second half, with Rangnick replacing the injured Ibisevic with Sanogo as the two sides continued to play against each other.

In the 55th minute, Wolfsburg opened the scoring line. Bosnian midfielder Misimovic (zvjezdan_misimovic) was blocked in front of the penalty area by Sanogo on a pass in midfield, and his compatriot Dzeko (edin_dzeko) shot with his left foot under the tight defense of Comper, and the ball flew into the near corner, 1:0!

The Volkswagen Arena in Wolfsburg erupted in loud cheers, and the 30,000-capacity stadium was packed today, and everyone was watching the battle for first and second place.

Seeing that their team was finally ahead, Wolfsburg fans breathed a sigh of relief.

But they didn't rejoice too soon. Ten minutes later, in the 65th minute, Hoffenheim equalised.

The midfielder broke the ball from the feet of Josue, and Chu Zhongtian, who fell to the ground, stabbed the ball to Brazilian midfielder Eduardo on the side before Misimovic came up to grab the ball. Eduardo dribbles the ball to the right side of the penalty area and crosses low to Demba in front of goal. Ba scored Hoffenheim's first goal with a right-footed push in front of the small penalty area, 1:1!

The two sides did not slow down the tempo and continued to attack. It seems that defensive football is not suitable for both teams, and it is still offensive football that they play the most skillful and exciting.

In the eighty-first minute, this time it was Hoffenheim's turn to take the lead. Sanogo picked up a pass from Salihovic on the edge of the box and shot with his feet. The ball beautifully bypassed Swiss international Benaglio, but hit the post again without any suspense...... Just before the commentator could marvel that Sanogo had hit the post again, the ball bounced back and flew right towards Eduardo, who fired a volley into the empty net. 2:1！

"Eduardo's goal! Hoffenheim lead Wolfsburg 2-1 away! If they win this game, then they will replace Wolfsburg and regain the top spot in the league! ”

Hoffenheim fans celebrate wildly in front of the TV in the stands.

The Wolfsburg players, on the other hand, fought back frantically after falling behind. No one can afford to lose this game.

It wasn't until the 88th minute that Wolfsburg's frantic attack paid off, Baker was a little scrambling in the opponent's wave after wave of attack, shoveled Fisher on the right side of the penalty area, received the second yellow card of the game and was sent off, and the referee also decisively awarded a penalty!

"Penalty! Penalty kick! Fisher has a golden opportunity for the team! ”

The commentators were excited, the Wolfsburg fans were excited, and Hoffenheim's coach Rangnick was even more excited, he was very unhappy with the referee's decision, yelling at the field and cursing in the air.

As a result, this move attracted him a red card from the referee...... He was also sent to the stands.

'Rangnick was sent off, Baker was also sent off, and Ibisevic went off injured earlier...... It's a tough battle for the top spot, and now Wolfsburg haven't taken a penalty, and even if they don't, Hoffenheim's victory will be too costly......"

How could Wolfsburg fail to score? Their top scorer, Dzeko, calmly fired a shot over Hildebrand, and the ball rolled into the back of the net from the middle.

"2:2 draw! The battle for the top spot only took off a storm in the second half, and before the game was over, the two sides had already scored a total of four goals! ”

The Hoffenheim players, who did not hold on to the victory, looked a little frustrated, and some people suddenly lost their fighting spirit when they thought of Baker being red-carded, the manager being red-carded, and Ibisevic leaving the field with an injury...... However, Wolfsburg is still desperately attacking, wanting to score another goal and win the game. In the last few minutes, Chu Zhongtian became the busiest person in the whole Hoffenheim team, he completely gave up attacking, concentrated on defense, and frequently appeared in key positions to defuse the opponent's offensive.

For Hoffenheim now, being able to take a point from the Volkswagen Arena is already a victory.

Of course, Hoffenheim did not have a chance to seal the win, and before the penalty, Sanogo had a good chance, but his shot was weak and was saved by Benaglio. Judging from the penalty kick that followed, Sanogo's kick completely ruined the team's good situation. Aside from scoring at the beginning, Sanogo has not performed well since joining the club on loan, and his days at Hoffenheim are coming to an end, and at the end of the season, Hoffenheim will certainly not buy out this declining god who will only waste opportunities.

In the end, the referee of this game, Gagelmann, blew the whistle for the end of the game, and Hoffenheim finally drew with Wolfsburg on the road, and the gap between the two teams was still one point. This is a completion of the task set by head coach Rangnick before the game. But the top scorer was seriously injured, the main right-back Baker and coach Rangnick were sent off with a red card, and they will not be able to participate in the next game, for Hoffenheim, this game has instead buried hidden dangers on their way to the championship, whether this point is a blessing or a curse for the team, no one can say at present, even the intuitive Chu Zhongtian.

(To be continued)