In the locker room, Klopp harshly criticized the team's performance in the first half.

"...This is the derby! What are you thinking? Wake up now! Anyone who's still asleep, I'll take them off!"

He was also very dissatisfied with the team's performance in the first half.

He wouldn't accept the excuse of the international break.

Because didn't the Schalke 04 players also participate in international matches? Everyone's the same, so why say they were affected?

The Borussia Dortmund players who were being scolded by Klopp didn't dare breathe. Don't think that Klopp is always friendly with the players, but that doesn't mean he's a good-natured person without principles. When he gets angry, it's just as extreme as when he loves you.

The correct thing to do when he scolds you is to bow your head and take it. Don't try to argue, and don't look him directly in the eye, or you'll die even worse.

After scolding them, Klopp began to arrange the tactics for the second half. He asked the players to run more actively. The tactics were fine, the key was execution. If everyone didn't run, or didn't run into position, all the pre-match arrangements couldn't be executed, and even the best tactics would be just empty talk.

※※※

Meanwhile, in the Schalke 04 locker room, coach Stevens was praising his players.

"...You guys did great! Run just as hard in the second half as you did in the first, and use our running to divide them, so they can't establish any connections, especially Zhou Yi! Don't let him pass the ball!"

Everyone nodded in agreement.

This was also their strategy in the first half. Active running was the main reason why they were able to take the initiative in the first half. Running allowed them to get into the game faster than Borussia Dortmund.

When Yang Muge heard the coach's arrangements, he naturally agreed. He only had one worry - would everyone's stamina hold up if they kept running like this?

His stamina was no problem, his job was to keep running, but what about the other teammates who weren't used to playing like this? How much energy would they have to support this tactic after seventy minutes of the match?

Once our stamina is exhausted, how can we maintain our advantage over Borussia Dortmund? This is Borussia Dortmund's home ground, and if they recover, Schalke 04, with their declining stamina, might collapse.

But obviously coach Stevens had also considered this point, so while asking the players to continue running actively, he also asked them to seize every opportunity they could to score more goals.

"...As long as we can score more goals and gain a big enough lead, we can win this game!"

That's right, as long as Schalke 04 can score more goals when they have the advantage, and widen the score to the point where Borussia Dortmund can't fight back, they can win this game. Then, if they shrink back and defend, they won't need to expend much energy.

※※※

The second half of the match began, and both sides took to the field with their respective goals in mind. Especially the Borussia Dortmund players, after being scolded by Klopp in the locker room, each had a fire burning in their hearts, wanting to prove themselves and defeat their opponents.

So as soon as the second half started, Borussia Dortmund launched a very fierce attack, impacting Schalke 04's defense.

In the stands, the Borussia Dortmund fans, who had been somewhat depressed in the first half, became excited. They kept cheering for their team with songs and cheers, and for a time, Westfalenstadion regained its vitality.

But the goddess of fate seemed to be deliberately antagonizing Borussia Dortmund.

Just as the entire Borussia Dortmund team was regrouping and preparing to make a comeback, only three minutes into the second half, Borussia Dortmund's main midfielder Mario Götze was hit in the back of the thigh muscle in a tackle. He immediately felt muscle soreness and couldn't continue running, and of course, he couldn't continue the match.

He could only be substituted.

The second half had just started, and Götze, a key player in the attack, was injured and had to be substituted. This was truly an unexpected situation.

"Ah, Borussia Dortmund is so unlucky! They finally seemed to be making some progress in the attack, but then Götze got injured, and it looks like he can't continue the match..."

Faced with such a bad situation, Klopp didn't swear. He frowned and muttered to his assistant coach Buvac, then Buvac turned back to the bench and beckoned to Mark Wagner, who was sitting on the bench anxiously: "Mark."

Mark Wagner wasn't a rookie sitting on the bench for the first time in the first team. He knew what this meant. He was a little surprised, but also excited and nervous. He quickly got up and ran to the warm-up area.

※※※

"Mark! It's Mark!" Mrs. Wagner on the South Stand had sharp eyes and saw her son get up and warm up at a glance. She was an old fan, how could she not know what this action meant?

So she shouted excitedly, attracting the attention of others.

Everyone followed her gaze and sure enough, they found Mark Wagner warming up in his vest.

Was Mark going to play?

This was really surprising.

They really didn't expect Mark to have a chance to play so soon, but at the same time they were also a little puzzled - Götze was injured, and Mark was coming on. His task must be very heavy, but could Mark, who hadn't played a match in more than a year, handle it?

Originally, everyone envisioned Mark's comeback after injury as first appearing in the garbage time of the match, playing for a few minutes, getting a feel for it, and gradually adapting both his body and mind.

Now, however, they were a little panicked, worried that Mark would be under too much pressure, and if he didn't perform well at that time, it would definitely dampen Mark's confidence and fighting spirit, making his road to recovery even more difficult.

The commentator had the same worries. When Marcel Reif saw Mark warming up, he was very surprised: "Is Klopp preparing to have Mark replace the injured Götze? Having a player who has just recovered from injury replace an injured player, I don't think this is a very good consideration..."

But Mark, who was warming up, didn't consider this issue at all. His mind was full of the idea that he was about to play, and these thoughts made him excited. He was so excited that he didn't bother to consider the pressure he was under.

It wasn't until he stood on the sidelines, and assistant coach Buvac stood in front of him again, and then said to him: "You go up, replace the injured Götze, and form a forward partnership with Lewandowski..." that he suddenly realized that letting him play wasn't just to experience the atmosphere, but to fight the derby opponents with real swords and guns!

He then hesitated for a moment.

Buvac pointed to the pitch, indicating where he should move after he came on. He mechanically followed his gaze, but his eyes were unfocused, and he didn't even observe where the coach wanted him to move.

He was still thinking in his head: No way? I'm encountering something like this as soon as I come on?

But when he felt confused and flustered, his unfocused eyes searched the pitch and found Zhou Yi.

Zhou Yi was concentrating on the match, shaking his head constantly, looking left and right, his eyes scanning everything on the pitch like radar.

Seeing Zhou Yi like this, Mark's heart suddenly calmed down.

He remembered what Zhou Yi had said to him in the hotel room last night.

Believe in yourself, Mark.

There's nothing to be afraid of, Mark.

Think about your debut in the first team, Mark.

Zhou Yi's voice echoed in his ears, calming Mark's flustered heart.

What if I'm appointed in a crisis?

So what if it's a derby?

It's no big deal.

I am Mark Wagner!

※※※

"Mark, do you understand?" Buvac seemed to notice that Mark's spirit was a little different, so he asked.

"Understood, coach." Mark replied decisively.

"Really understood?" Buvac looked at him suspiciously.

"Yes. Really understood, coach. After coming on, I'll move behind Lewandowski, connect Zhou Yi and Reus, and the others. If there's a chance, I'll shoot myself, and if there's no chance, I'll pass the ball to a teammate in a better position, right?" Mark repeated.

After listening, Buvac knew that Mark had really listened, and wasn't lying to him, so he nodded reassuringly: "Good, there's nothing to worry about, just play like you did before you were injured, that's the rhythm and style you're familiar with."

He was afraid that Mark would think too much and be under too much pressure.

Mark nodded. What he said before was his task before the injury. He played like that before the injury, and he always played very well.

This was something he was familiar with.

Although he hadn't played a match in a year, Mark believed that it wouldn't become unfamiliar so easily. Maybe he would need to adapt a little at first, but soon he would remember that feeling again.

It's like riding a bicycle, once you learn it, it's not easy to forget.

This was the instinct that he and Zhou Yi had developed through daily special training!

※※※

At a dead ball, the fourth official stood on the sidelines with a display board, the linesman raised his flag above his head with both hands, and the referee signaled to the sidelines for a substitution.

Because the injured Götze had already been helped off the field, Mark, who was waiting on the sidelines, didn't need to hand over with Götze, and could go directly onto the field.

After the fourth official checked his cleats, he ran onto the field.

"Borussia Dortmund is making a substitution! Klopp is replacing the injured Mario Götze with Mark Wagner. This is Mark's first appearance in a match after being injured for more than a year. I have to say that this appearance is a bit unexpected... But in any case, welcome back, Mark Wagner!" Marcel Reif said.