Just three days after Hoffenheim's UEFA Cup match with Lechner ended, they faced Dortmund in the 22nd round of the Bundesliga.
At 15:30 on the afternoon of February 28, Hoffenheim will visit the Westfalen Stadium to play away against Dortmund, which is currently ranked 8th in the standings.
Because of the double-match game in a row, Ralph also rotated some players in this game. Center forward Paljic sat on the bench, and No. 18 center forward Bobaka Sanogo, who was loaned from Bremen on the last day of the winter break, started.
Some other players were also rotated.
Hoffenheim's defense and attack lines naturally declined seriously as they rotated. Lu Wenbin did not score a single goal throughout the game due to lack of coordination with his teammates and interference from opponents.
In the entire game, Lu Wenbin hit the goal post three times in open play and free kicks, making everyone exclaim that Lu Wenbin had really bad luck today.
Not only was Lu Wenbin unlucky, the team was also unlucky and suffered another heavy blow.
Although Hoffenheim failed to score a goal and did not allow Dortmund to score a goal, the two sides ended in a 0-0 draw and Hoffenheim escaped from the Westfalen Stadium unscathed.
But just when the game was about to end, captain Salihovic was injured and fell to the ground during a fight.
After diagnosis by the team doctor, Salihovic suffered a muscle strain and needed to rest for at least two weeks.
Hoffenheim was simply possessed in the second half of the season. Players kept getting injured, and they were all main players. Now even the captain is down.
Although the score was a dull 0-0, Hoffenheim became the focus of media attention after the game because of Salihovic's injury.
After this round of the league, Hoffenheim continued to rank first in the Bundesliga with 52 points, 16 wins, four draws and two losses in 22 games, followed by Hertha Berlin with 43 points and Hamburg with 42 points. Hoffenheim is still 9 points ahead of the second place.
However, the Bundesliga has a total of 34 rounds, and there are still 12 rounds left until the end of the league.
Following Ibisevic, Obasi and Nilsson, Hoffenheim's captain and main midfielder Salihovic was also injured.
Although Obasi returned after this round of the league and can participate in team training, it is still unknown when he will be able to play and whether he can reach the game form of the first half of the season.
Many media outlets are pessimistic about whether Hoffenheim's 9-point lead can be maintained until the end of the season while fighting on three fronts.
Everyone agreed that Hoffenheim should give up the UEFA Cup and the German Cup and focus on the league. Perhaps there is still a chance to win the championship and stage the miracle of a newly promoted team winning the championship.
Based on his own thoughts and the analysis and comments from the media, head coach Ralf really wants to give up the UEFA Cup and the German Cup.
Of course, this matter must be communicated with the chairman, and Ralph cannot act on his own.
After returning to the club from Dortmund, Ralf reported the team's current situation to the club chairman Hopp and told Hopp that he wanted to give up the UEFA Cup and German Cup.
As the club chairman, Hope would be reluctant to give up any championship.
After investing in the team for so many years, Hope saw the team promoted to the Bundesliga this year and made great strides on all fronts, seemingly on the verge of winning the treble. He was excited and ready to enjoy the glory of being the chairman of the treble, but the head coach told him to give up two championships
How can this be possible
Of course, Hope was not the kind of person who would make rash decisions, so he decided to consult with more people.
Therefore, Hope did not respond to Ralph on the spot, but instead convened a meeting with the team manager, deputy manager, director of the athletic department, all members of the coaching staff including Ralph, and the three core players of the team, Gustavo, Eduardo and Lu Wenbin, as player representatives.
When Hope relayed Ralph's idea of giving up the League Cup and the German Cup and asked for everyone's opinions, the team's general manager Rothaus was the first to express his opposition.
This is as it should be.
From the perspective of the team's general manager, he, like Chairman Hope, obviously hopes that the team can win all the championships it can win, so that the team's reputation will be greatly enhanced and its value will soar.
If Hoffenheim can win the treble of the Bundesliga, UEFA Cup and German Cup, even though it won't be the Champions League, it would still be a significant achievement.
In addition, Hoffenheim has just been promoted to a newly promoted team, so creating such a miracle will surely cause a sensation around the world, and the improvement in the team's reputation and value will be immeasurable.
Rothaus's ideas were naturally supported by the deputy manager, the head of the sports department and others.
But coaches like Ralph who are on the front line of the team naturally immediately poured cold water on Rothaus from a competitive perspective, stating clearly that Hoffenheim currently does not have the strength to compete for the treble.
The team's main players Ibisevic, Obasi, Nilsson and Salihovic were injured and absent one after another, and Hoffenheim didn't even have substitutes for rotation in some positions.
If we continue to fight on three fronts like this, the players' physical strength will inevitably be drained, all three fronts will collapse, and in the end, nothing will be gained.
Therefore, it is better to give up the UEFA Cup and the German Cup and focus on the Bundesliga, as the league is the foundation for a team's survival.
Moreover, in the Bundesliga, Hoffenheim currently has a huge lead. As long as they don't distract themselves, they have a good chance of winning the Bundesliga championship.
Rothaus and others refuted the claim by saying that Obasi would soon return, while Ralph and others continued to pour cold water on the claim by saying that they didn't know what Obasi's condition would be like after his return.
Hearing the two sides arguing, Hope knocked on the table, signaling everyone to be quiet, and then asked the opinions of the three player representatives, Lu Wenbin, Eduardo and Gustavo.
Eduardo and Gustavo didn't say anything, but looked at Lu Wenbin.
Although Lu Wenbin is the youngest player on the team, his teammates have automatically ignored his age and regard him as the backbone of the team, even core players like Eduardo and Gustavo are no exception.
Lu Wenbin naturally took the initiative to explain his own views.
Just now when the coaches said they wanted to give up the UEFA Cup and the German Cup, Lu Wenbin was very anxious. Now that he had the opportunity to speak, he naturally had to express his opinion quickly.
The coaches could understandably worry about Lu Wenbin's lack of physical fitness for fighting on three fronts, but Lu Wenbin knew his own business. He was only a few hundred thousand system experience points away from reaching level 16.
At that time, there will be bonus skill points to increase physical attributes including physical fitness, strength, endurance, and confrontation, so physical fitness will not be a problem for Lu Wenbin.
As for other teammates, Lu Wenbin believes that after the 5-4 reversal against Leverkusen, everyone's willpower is extremely firm.
As for physical fitness, there are less than three months left until the end of the league, and Lu Wenbin believes that if everyone persists, they will be able to make it through.
As long as his physical fitness is fine and he can maintain his playing time, he can suppress the opponent's defense regardless of whether he scores a goal or not, thus reducing the threat to his own goal a lot.
Then, it is still possible for other teammates to take a rest in rotation and continue to fight on three fronts and eventually win the championship on three fronts and complete the triple crown feat.