"Impossible! Absolutely impossible! Fuck!!!" Jürgen Klopp was like a red-eyed beast. "Hans-Joachim! I'm telling you, don't even think about it!"
"Don't get so agitated, Jürgen. I was just saying. You know me, for the club's performance, there's no way I'd sell Jin Hayes."
"I don't believe a word of it! As long as the price is right, anyone is a commodity!"
"You're misunderstanding me there." Hans-Joachim Watzke smiled sheepishly. "Don't worry, Jin is definitely not for sale! I've already tried to contact the people you mentioned, and the intentions are largely settled."
"Next season, I guarantee I'll build you an even stronger lineup!"
Klopp glared at the other man, then forced himself to calm down after a moment. "You better be."
"Of course. Even the dumbest person wouldn't be in such a hurry to dismantle the team. I'm not running a supermarket." Watzke grinned, picked up a glass, and offered it to Klopp, but the coach pushed it away in disgust.
In Klopp's eyes, Watzke was the quintessential businessman. He definitely treated Borussia Dortmund as a supermarket. It's just that the current youth storm hasn't matured yet; players like Mario Götze, Marco Reus, Mats Hummels, and İlkay Gündoğan are still rising in value.If Borussia Dortmund performs well enough next season, these players will all reach their peak market value. Klopp had no doubt about Watzke's intention to sell players.
"Mate, speaking from the heart. Can we keep the main structure of the squad for as many years as possible? Give me some time, and I'll double the club's overall value."
"Mate, I'll listen to you. You call the shots."
"Thank you."
With Watzke's assurance, Klopp was temporarily relieved. He had known about Nuri Şahin's departure for a long time, even having a long private conversation with the Turkish midfielder. Şahin was determined to go to Real Madrid, and there was no point in forcing him to stay, so it was better to let him go. Gündoğan, who was originally planned to take at least 3 years to develop, had already shown sufficient strength this season.
Passing organisation, offensive and defensive transitions, positioning and coordination, physical confrontation, and the ability to score from deep runs—Gündoğan was not inferior to Şahin in any aspect, and his future potential was even brighter than the Turkish international's.
Subotić + Hummels, Gündoğan, Jin Hayes—this central axis would be the core of Borussia Dortmund next season. Klopp would never allow Watzke to target them, at least not in the next few years.
Yesterday at Old Trafford, when shaking hands with Sir Alex Ferguson after the match, Klopp could feel the old man's trembling hands.
"Jürgen, you have a good group of young men. Try to keep them steady, and you will surely reap rewards in the coming years."
"Thank you."
Putting aside their rivalry, Klopp admired the old coach from the bottom of his heart. His tactics had actually been completely outmanoeuvred by Ferguson. If it weren't for Jin Hayes's goal bringing hope, Klopp wouldn't have thought of the tactical change of rotating positions. With Ferguson's recognition, Klopp was now full of confidence. He would do everything in his power to protect his team, to protect the young men of the Bumblebees.
...
Bundesliga Matchday 28, April 18th.
Only two days had passed since the Champions League second leg battle. The starting lineup, of course, needed rest. For the away Bundesliga match against Bochum, Klopp completely adopted a rotated squad. No matter how Jin Hayes pleaded, he was forcibly excluded from the main squad and rested.
"The first thing you need to do is prepare for the upcoming Champions League semi-finals. Playing against Barcelona might be even harder than playing against Manchester United."
"Okay, I understand."
Klopp's assertiveness made Jin Hayes give up struggling. The semi-finals would start on April 30th, about 10 days away. Borussia Dortmund, having just finished a life-and-death struggle, indeed needed rest and preparation.
For this league match, they could only trust their teammates. The good news was that direct competitor Wolfsburg was defeated 2-0 away by Cottbus. As long as Borussia Dortmund defeated or drew with Bochum away, they would extend their points advantage.
Bad news: "OHHH! NOOO…."
"Two goals ahead! Home team Bochum scored two goals in the last 10 minutes! The rotated Borussia Dortmund squad fell short, unable to withstand Bochum's strong attack!"
"It's a pity. This was a good opportunity to widen the gap. Now it seems the title race between Borussia Dortmund and Wolfsburg will continue until the third-to-last Bundesliga round, with a direct confrontation between Wolfsburg and Borussia Dortmund!"
Bochum 2-0 Borussia Dortmund.
Borussia Dortmund, led by Gündoğan, failed to secure points away from home. Since Gündoğan also participated in the big match against Manchester United, coming on as a substitute for 15 minutes at the end, back in the Bundesliga, his form had clearly not recovered, and his performance on the field was very sluggish.
"I'm sorry, this match was my fault—really, I'm sorry everyone." In the dressing room after the match, the 18-year-old was sobbing, stepping forward to apologise to the team.
"İlkay, it's not your fault." Captain Sebastian Kehl comforted the young player. "Losing is a problem for our whole team, and we can't blame it all on you."
"But—"
"No 'buts'! Who do you think you are, Jin? You're not the saviour, cut it out!"
Jin Hayes was stunned. He was getting called out for this? He quickly followed the captain's words to comfort his teammate: "The situation isn't bad. Wolfsburg also lost, so we still maintain our advantage. Now we just need to win as many games as possible, and the championship will be ours!"
"Exactly! Jin is right, there are still 6 rounds left, we'll carry the wins and losses together!"
"Together!"
The Borussia Dortmund dressing room was once again filled with passion and drive. But Jin Hayes could see that the closer it got to the end of the season, the more everyone's willpower was tested. Everyone was already exhausted, almost completely running on fumes. The pressure of the Champions League, the pressure of the league title race, almost crushed these young men.
How to win the championship, how to reasonably allocate energy and physical strength? How to manage the rotated squad? How to achieve more with the least cost?
The entire club had no experience. The last time they won a championship was in 1996, 12 years ago. The coaching staff and players were all navigating uncharted waters. The most intense period in the latter part of the season was ironically the most chaotic time.
At such a critical juncture, Jin Hayes knew it had to rely on the players themselves. Everyone working together, united as one, pushing through to the finish line. Otherwise, any hesitation or doubt would inevitably lead to failure, resulting in all efforts being in vain.
Perhaps considering the immense pressure on the team recently, Klopp did not immediately start the usual training routine that day. He casually sat on the ground and called for everyone in the team to sit down with him.
"Sit down, everyone relax, just treat it like an outing, sit wherever you like on the grass, let's chat."
The many stars of Borussia Dortmund were puzzled but had no choice but to sit on the grass with Klopp.
"The end of April, including mid-to-late May, might be the toughest period of this season."
"Everyone knows the schedule, but I still want to go over it with you."
"There are 6 league matches left, the opponents are: Hamburg, Frankfurt, Karlsruhe, Wolfsburg, Bielefeld, Mönchengladbach. There are also 2 German Cup matches, the semi-final against Werder Bremen; if we reach the final, we might play Bayer Leverkusen or Mainz. And the Champions League! On the other side, two Premier League teams are tearing each other apart. In our half of the bracket, Barcelona has already eliminated Bayern Munich and will soon face us. So here I want to know your thoughts: among these three fronts, which one do you value more? Speak freely, express yourselves. State your choice and your reason. Who wants to go first?"
The Borussia Dortmund players all looked at each other. Hummels even looked shocked.
"Holy crap!! I almost forgot, we still have the German Cup to play!"
Borussia Dortmund had already reached the German Cup semi-finals and would face Werder Bremen next week. Fighting on three fronts almost overwhelmed the entire club, from top to bottom. April 24th, Bundesliga, Borussia Dortmund vs. Hamburg; April 26th, German Cup semi-final, Borussia Dortmund vs. Werder Bremen; April 30th, Champions League semi-final, Borussia Dortmund vs. Barcelona.
Thinking about this schedule, the Borussia Dortmund players almost wanted to die. Fighting on two fronts was already excruciating, let alone with the German Cup. Making choices among them was understandable, after all, the team only had one core group of starting players. The bench depth was too shallow; it was already difficult to split forces. But the League, German Cup, and Champions League—there was a possibility of winning all three. Who could resist the temptation of a treble?
Rationally, the team should abandon two fronts and concentrate energy on one championship. Emotionally, everyone was reluctant to give up any trophy. So, after looking at each other for a long time, no Borussia Dortmund player spoke.
"What's wrong? You can say whatever you're thinking. Don't treat me like the head coach, just treat me like a friend, just a simple chat."
Hearing Klopp say this, Mats Hummels grew bolder.
"Coach, I want them all."
"What?"
"What about you guys? Do you think the same as Mats?"
"Exactly!" Jin Hayes nodded.
He was relieved to find that his teammates were on the same page as him. Even if a treble was an unattainable dream, a theoretically impossible challenge, he still wanted to try and reach it.
"This is crazy."
Klopp rubbed his forehead and shook his head. He had originally intended to do some psychological work with everyone today, to have the players take the lead and try to give up one of the championship pursuits. He had thought someone in the team would be more rational and cooperate with him to persuade everyone. He didn't expect the entire Borussia Dortmund team to be crazy. He was already crazy enough, but the players were even crazier than him.
"Jin, do you feel the same way?" Klopp had no choice but to look at Jin Hayes. He was perhaps the only relatively rational player in the team. Those familiar with Jin Hayes knew he possessed a calmness that belied his age. According to Jin Hayes's personality, he surely wouldn't want to take risks, right? But Jin Hayes looked around at his teammates and smiled softly: "Coach, I'm like everyone else; I want them all."
"What?" Klopp was on the verge of tears. How could this seemingly reliable young man also go crazy with everyone else?
"Coach." Jin Hayes continued to add. "The reason we've made it this far is because of that unyielding spirit in our hearts, our craving for victory and for championships. Since all three opportunities are before us, we have no reason to give up any championship. Even if we ultimately gain nothing, we are willing to try our best. To give it our all."
"Exactly! Jin is right!" All the Borussia Dortmund teammates present responded enthusiastically.
"But this means you'll be playing two matches a week, facing even greater hardship. Even if you don't rest well, I will still force you to play according to tactics."
"We're all ready, just assign us."
"That's right, we're ready!"
The Borussia Dortmund players spoke in unison.
"Good, good, good!"
t/n: I left this one deliberately, hope it doen't ick anyone.
Klopp brushed the grass off his pants and stood up, looking fiercely determined in the morning sun.
"Since that's the case, I won't try to persuade you anymore. From now on, every single match, give it your all. Fight for all three championships. Let Europe see what we're capable of."
Since these young men chose to be crazy, why not be crazy with them.