[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-football-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back":3,"chapter-football-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back-football-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back-chapter-10":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Football: At 16, Let Me Retire and Come Back?",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2299980,4499,"Chapter 10: Are You a Controlling Midfielder? I Think I Am","football-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back-chapter-10",10,"\u003Cp>At 3:00 AM Beijing time on August 9, the first round of the 2015-16 Eredivisie season featured Feyenoord versus Utrecht.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An hour before kickoff, Chinese fans had already been camping on the Royal Dutch Football Association’s website.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They wanted to see one name appear on the official team roster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it wasn’t there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Where’s Mengge? I stayed up all night just for this?】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【If Mengge doesn’t play, I won’t buy a Utrecht jersey!】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Eric ten Hag, incompetent!】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Everyone leave—Tang Ye isn’t on the roster, there’s no point watching this match】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Wait, let me check Utrecht’s quality—if they’re weak, maybe Tang Ye still gets playing time】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The match began, still in Wang Chao’s Happy Bean live stream.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eredivisie traffic was more than double that of a Dutch second-tier team’s friendly, but today Wang Chao’s stream had almost no viewers besides his loyal Bean Warriors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reason was simple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That man didn’t appear on the roster!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Damn it!】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Chao was furious—he’d just spent 599 yuan on an authentic jersey, and this is what he got?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, Wang Chao noticed one person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amrabat, who had been promoted to the first team alongside Tang Ye!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he can make the starting lineup, one day our Mengge can too!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Let’s, let’s watch this match first…】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The referee blew the whistle to start. Facing the strong Feyenoord, ten Hag instructed Utrecht to line up in a 5-3-2 formation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Five defenders—aiming for safety while seeking victory opportunities!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The camera panned to the away team’s bench, where ten Hag stared intently at the pitch, his bald head lending him an almost supernatural authority.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Beep, beeeeeep!】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Full time: Utrecht lost 1-3 away to Feyenoord.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Fuck! I knew it!】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Chao was furious—just over ten days ago, when ten Hag brought Tang Ye to the first team, Wang Chao had thought this guy was a capable manager.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you’d put Tang Ye on the pitch, even a loss wouldn’t have mattered—Chinese fans would still back you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But you dared leave my Mengge sitting in the academy?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Get ready for the online backlash!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the match, at the press conference, ten Hag, still reeling from the loss, chose a way to ease his own discomfort.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Actually, we were the real winners of this match】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【They (Feyenoord) played well, but our players missed three excellent chances】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten Hag looked at the reporter before him and said seriously: 【I believe the score should have been 3-4 or 3-5, not 3-1—we missed too many opportunities】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After hearing ten Hag, the reporter nodded and asked his next question: 【Before the season, you promoted a 16-year-old from the reserve team to the first team—a move that sparked widespread fan debate】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【At 16, joining the first team—is he a genius?】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten Hag didn’t answer immediately. He fell silent for a moment, then said: 【We almost won this match. Victory should have been ours】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【…】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three days after the match, at noon, Tang Ye finished morning training, tray in hand, and walked straight to Zakaria, who sat alone in the corner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Tang!?】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Tang Ye approach, Zakaria widened his eyes—since Tang Ye had been taken to the first team as a practice partner, he’d only seen his friend every two or three days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After setting his tray on the table, Zakaria asked suspiciously: 【Why are you eating here?】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【I’ve been late too many times—Eric won’t let me into the first team’s cafeteria anymore】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye dipped a fry in ketchup and put it in his mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Huh?】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zakaria looked as if he’d heard something unbelievable: 【Not letting you into the first team cafeteria? What about training?】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Training’s normal—I’ll head back after lunch】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye said, picking up his pineapple burger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Damn, who the hell invented burgers and fries? So fucking good!】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【…】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zakaria had been about to say eating this stuff would stunt growth, but suddenly remembered something: 【Tang, can you stand up?】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Stand up? Okay】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye set his half-bitten burger back on the tray and stood as Zakaria requested: 【Solk, what’s up?】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zakaria stood too, carefully measuring with his hands, then concluded: 【You’ve really grown taller—I’m sure of it!】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【That’s great!】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye smiled: 【Solk, you know, some idiots on the first team keep tackling me—I’ll eat more burgers, grow taller, and just crush them!】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After lunch, back at the first team, ten Hag didn’t immediately start warm-ups—he gathered everyone together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this Dutchman’s view, the afternoon was when the mind was clearest, so ten Hag preferred to review past matches in the afternoon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Do you know why we lost?】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Because we can’t pass the ball out from the back!】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fan De pulled over a tactical whiteboard; ten Hag grabbed a marker and scribbled furiously, sketching out the previous match’s situation with simple diagrams.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Utrecht’s defenders received the ball in their own half, then Feyenoord’s three forwards surged forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At such moments, Utrecht’s midfielders should drop back to receive, but neither Ramseyer nor Amrabat had the ability to control the ball.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【You can attack all you want—but you need to get the ball from the defenders to the forwards to score!】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten Hag slammed the board: 【We need midfielders to receive from the defenders and deliver to the forwards—that’s how we unlock our attack】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Why can’t we pass when their forwards press? Because we have no controlling midfielder!】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【This is why we lost!】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Losing their first match of the season had shattered ten Hag’s patience—all players present stayed silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, someone in the crowd raised a hand. Everyone turned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Uh… Mr. Eric… I think I’m a controlling midfielder】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>???\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【You’re a controlling midfielder?】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten Hag frowned: 【Are you sure you’re a controlling midfielder?】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Truthfully, ten Hag didn’t yet know Tang Ye’s exact position.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This guy who just wandered around the pitch was actually a ball-controller!?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Uh…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye thought carefully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he didn’t fully understand his role on the pitch, he’d read his scout report—it clearly labeled him a controlling midfielder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So Tang Ye gave his answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【I think I am】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1002,"2026-06-20T06:50:08.245Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","93a260b5d49c28bceab119336572097ade733910d19d1f368ae0f86e116bd487","football-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back-chapter-11","football-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back-chapter-9",918,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Ffootball-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back-cover.jpg"]