Chapter 874: Top of the List

While the Hamburg team was discussing in the locker room how to divide the 5 million euro bonus, the editorial office of Kicker magazine in Nuremberg, northwest of Munich, in the southern German state of Bavaria, was in chaos.

Everyone was coming in and out of the office of editor-in-chief Rainer Holtzschuh, and everyone was busy and exhausted.

Holtzschuh paced back and forth in the office, looking very anxious.

Next to him, the secretary was holding a notebook, concentrating on recording every word of the editor-in-chief.

Today is Sunday, and the new issue of the magazine will be out tomorrow morning.

Blame the damn German Football Association.

Because, according to past practice, all important matches would be scheduled to be held on Saturdays, but this time the North-South derby between Hamburg and Bayern Munich was scheduled on Sunday.

Who made Hamburg a relegation team last season?

As the most professional and authoritative sports magazine in Germany, Kicker magazine's Bundesliga special issue is released on Monday, so they have to stay up late and work overtime tonight to quickly produce the new issue of the magazine. Otherwise, by the time the midweek issue comes out on Thursday, the magazine will be out of date and no one will read it.

As for this game, they had made sufficient preparations beforehand and had come up with many contingency plans.

However, before the game, almost everyone thought that Bayern Munich would win.

This is also recognized, because although Hamburg has performed well this season, in terms of strength, how can it be enough to beat Bayern Munich?

Therefore, Kicker magazine has even analyzed in advance how to write the analytical articles after Bayern Munich defeated Hamburg.

But who would have thought that the Hamburg team, no one knew whether they were taking drugs, but they actually defeated Bayern Munich as if they were injected with chicken blood.

Well, if you beat Bayern Munich unexpectedly, then it doesn't matter.

As a rigorous newspaper, Kicker magazine also made a plan for Hamburg's upset, but the problem is that Hamburg defeated Bayern Munich in such a way that all previous plans and preparations were useless.

What would readers like to read early tomorrow morning?

It must be an in-depth analysis and a detailed introduction to the Hamburg team's players, and it would be best if there were some exclusive interviews.

It's funny, even though Hamburg had performed well before, their players are really not well-known.

The more famous one is the African player Abubakar who has been at the top of the league's scorer list since the beginning of the season.

However, it may be difficult for fans to explain the specific origin of this player.

As for the other players of Hamburg, if you are not a die-hard fan, I am afraid few people can say a complete story about them.

But now, things are clearly different.

Hamburg defeated Bayern Munich and returned to the top of the Bundesliga after decades away.

This is a huge matter!

Previously, Bild got exclusive information on a series of explosive inside information, such as Hamburg's management being imprisoned and investors preparing to acquire Hamburg, which attracted a lot of attention and sales, making Kicker magazine very depressed.

But now, match reporting, which is supposed to be their strong point, if they cannot rely on their strengths to make a comeback, then won’t Bild continue to grow bigger and stronger?

The fans spent two euros and ended up seeing something worse than a cheap Bild newspaper?

Then forget about Kicker magazine from now on!

Therefore, Reiner Holtzsch is feeling very upset right now.

"First, contact Beckenbauer immediately. I don't care what method you use, even if you kneel down in front of him and call him grandpa, you must ask him to hand in a commentary column on the game before 12 o'clock."

Reiner Holtzsch pointed at the secretary and said very forcefully.

"He is very important in the hearts of Bayern Munich fans and German fans. His column has always been very popular, so we must make him write it quickly. If it really doesn't work, we can send someone to wait at his door to urge him!"

"Understood!" The secretary wrote quickly and wrote this down in his notebook in a flash.

The editor-in-chief's way of urging submissions is really...

"By the way, how is the progress on Heinz's side now?" asked Holzschuh.

Karl-Heinz Wilder is the chief reporter for Kicker magazine, specializing in the on-site coverage of major events.

Tonight, he will lead his reporting team to Hamburg to cover the game live.

"I just called him and he said he was still contacting the Hamburg news department."

At this point, the secretary shrugged helplessly, "There's nothing we can do. I heard that there are too many media outlets that want to interview Hamburg tonight. I heard that they also want to cooperate with an event of Sky TV, so..."

Sky is the broadcaster of the Bundesliga, so in many aspects, it has advantages that other media do not have.

Holzshuh was also helpless about this.

Although Kicker magazine is very authoritative in the field of professional football, when it comes to influence, it is inferior to Sky TV and even Bild.

"Call Heinz again and tell him to get an interview with several outstanding players of Hamburg tonight, as well as head coach Tuchel, and it would be best if we could interview some of Beiersdorf's players."

At this point, Holtzshu suddenly remembered, "I used to have some friendship with Beiersdorf. I will call him later to communicate. Tell Heinz that I have reserved space for him."

"Yes, I understand!"

Holtzshu waved his hand, signaling the secretary to leave.

After the secretary left, he walked to the back of the desk, sat down, and let out a long breath.

I haven't been so nervous and stressed in a long time, and now I'm a little overwhelmed.

It seems that I am really getting old!

Tonight is destined to be a sleepless night!

Can Hamburg really rise again because of this battle?

…………

…………

On this sleepless night, in Germany, in Europe, and even in the whole world, there are countless people, countless fans, just like Holtzschuh, staring at Hamburg, withstanding the pressure and getting through it.

Early the next morning, all major newspapers and magazines were on the market.

Readers who subscribe to multiple magazines will be quite surprised to find that the match between Hamburg and Bayern Munich appears on almost all front pages. Even if it is not the front page headline, it will definitely be in a prominent place.

Everyone was shocked by Hamburg's performance in this game, and was also surprised that Hamburg topped the Bundesliga for the first time in decades.

Because this team was still fighting for relegation in the Bundesliga a few months ago.

But who could have thought that in the blink of an eye, they would be on the league table!

But almost all media praised the performance of Hamburg players in this game and head coach Tuchel's pre-match preparation and on-the-spot command.

Bild even believed that this was a strong rebound for Hamburg after the management turmoil, and it was the greatest game for Hamburg since the new century.

Kicker magazine also gave Hamburg a very high evaluation in its report, believing that it was a miracle for this young team to top the Bundesliga.

Even Beckenbauer, the honorary chairman of Bayern Munich, praised Hamburg in his column.

The Football Emperor said that Tuchel has injected a new football element into Hamburg, which is quite different from Hamburg's traditional football in the past. This style of play is more advanced and more in line with the trend.

Beckenbauer even asserted that Hamburg had already secured relegation this season and their goal should be to secure a place in European competitions or even the Champions League zone.

"Although I didn't appear at the Volkspark Stadium because it was too cold, I could feel the enthusiasm of the Hamburg team and the power of their football."

"Compared to the relegation team last season, this is a brand new team that is full of competitiveness. As long as they can maintain their current form and momentum, they will be a strong contender for the top six or even the top four in the league."

But Beckenbauer also said that the top team to win the league title is still Bayern Munich, followed by Dortmund.

"I've heard some people think Hamburg is in the lead and has a good chance of winning, but I don't think that's realistic."

"Being the leader and being second in the league are two completely different experiences. Hamburg has never had such an experience in the past few decades. So, whether they can maintain their leading position and how long they can last is unknown."

"Besides, one of the important reasons why Hamburg are performing well is that they don't have any injuries."

"But as the league progresses, Tuchel's lineup will inevitably suffer injuries and suspensions. By then, ups and downs in results are inevitable, and Hamburg lacks the depth of Bayern Munich's bench. So, I am optimistic that Hamburg will enter the European war zone, but I don't think they can win the championship."

Regarding Bayern Munich's defeat, Beckenbauer pointed out that Ribery and Robben's poor form was a big problem.

"In this game, the two ace superstars in the team did not show the strength that superstar players should have. They did not even pose a threat to Hamburg's defense. All this is because they are too tired."

"How to reactivate Ribery and Robben's game and state has become the most important task for Guardiola and the coaching staff, because we all see that without the two wings, Bayern Munich's offensive power is greatly reduced."

"As for Guardiola, I strongly support his achievements at Bayern Munich. It is quite incredible. Many of my old colleagues in Bayern Munich who have been engaged in football for many years told me that they have never seen a head coach like Guardiola who has so many advanced tactical knowledge."

"Van Gaal might have it too, but the Dutchman rarely shows it, so who knows?"

"In this North-South derby, Guardiola's on-the-spot command also played an important role. The adjustments in the first half and the substitutions in the second half were very timely and also brought three goals to the team."

"It's a pity that in this game, Bayern Munich encountered a crazy Hamburg team. Guardiola should not be held responsible for the loss. I believe that this game will not have any impact on Bayern Munich's league title."

"Every team is going to lose, it's just a matter of time, isn't it?"

As a Bayern Munich legend, Beckenbauer's column has always been focused on commenting on Bayern Munich.

But this time, hamburgers took up most of the article, which is quite rare.

It is enough to see that this game did surprise him.

Not only him, the whole of Germany, and even the whole of Europe, were shocked by Hamburg's performance.

Could it be that this game will sound the clarion call for Hamburg's strong rise and return to the top of the Bundesliga?

If there were still people who had doubts before, then after experiencing this game and learning that Hamburg's new investor is Yang Huan, their doubts should have been dispelled.

Many people in Hamburg's press and marketing departments are from Southampton and know how to use the media to create momentum.

While the momentum of defeating Bayern Munich has not yet faded, we struck while the iron is hot and once again invited this group of reporters to the Volkspark Stadium.