When the two-week international break ended and the Mainz players on national duty returned to Bruch Road Stadium, they found their head coach's full beard looking like a cactus freshly plucked from a shrub.
Coarse and hard!
Prickly!
The look on his face was like that of a guy who'd just run into his ex-girlfriend's wedding photoshoot.
So, from the moment they stepped into the locker room, everyone tiptoed around, their movements light and gentle. They were afraid of making the slightest noise; even their Breathing became unusually cautious.
Wang Shuo sensed the atmosphere and wanted to laugh, but he couldn't bring himself to.
You really couldn't blame Klopp for pulling such a long face.
After going five matches without a victory, Mainz had clawed their way to a three-game winning streak, finally managing to recover some morale.
And now, the two-week international break had slammed the brakes on their momentum.
And that wasn't all.
