Chapter 11: Brazilian Star Treasure Box!

“I can prove that.”

Nearby, Amrabat said; he had known Tang Ye for a year.

“Mr. Merent said he’s a possession-minded midfielder!”

After hearing the two men’s accounts, Ten Hag froze.

I think I’m a possession-minded midfielder.

Mr. Merent said he’s a possession-minded midfielder.

Tang Ye not only spoke up himself, but also had his second-team coach backing him.

This actually sounds pretty reasonable?

“Wait, wait, wait!”

Ten Hag nearly got led astray by Amrabat: “Tang, give me a clear answer—are you a possession-minded midfielder? What type of player are you? Only you know best.”

“Me? Me?”

Tang Ye pointed at his own nose, looking anxious: “I don’t know…”

“OK, you win!”

Ten Hag covered his face with his hand; only now did he realize the teenage prodigy he’d brought up from the second team wasn’t just a lazy pig.

And he was also…

A stupid pig!

He didn’t even know what position he played!

“Hey!”

Amrabat elbowed Tang Ye: “You should’ve said you’re a possession-minded midfielder—that way Eric will play you!”

Tang Ye shook his head: “But I really don’t know if I am.”

Although Tang Ye seemed to have said the wrong thing, his earlier remarks had sparked Ten Hag’s curiosity about him.

In Ten Hag’s mind, Tang Ye was just a talented kid good at running and positioning, with a bit of outside-of-the-foot touch—he’d pulled him into the first team on a whim, never truly considering his overall playing style.

If that’s the case…

“Start warming up. We’ll play a 5v5 small-sided match next. The pace might be a bit fast—make sure you warm up thoroughly.”

…

The warm-up match began. Tang Ye’s Team C was assigned two midfielders and three forwards, while the opposing team had three midfielders, one forward, and one defender.

Assistant coach Fan Dejia deliberately gave Team C one fewer midfielder than Team D, aiming to give Tang Ye more possession.

You said you think you’re a possession-minded midfielder? Let’s see how you handle all this ball!

Twenty minutes later, training ended. Ten Hag picked up his pencil and began scribbling furiously in his notebook.

This was an analysis report on Tang Ye!

1. Good vision—he could find nearly all attacking gaps in the five-a-side pitch.

2. Extremely poor discipline—he dislikes eating in the first-team cafeteria.

3. Has some ball-retention ability, but not strong.

Conclusion…

When he wrote the word “Conclusion,” Ten Hag’s pen suddenly stopped.

He realized a very serious problem.

Even as head coach of a Dutch Eredivisie club, he couldn’t determine what type of player Tang Ye was!

…

Two days later, on August 16 in Amsterdam time, the second round of the Eredivisie began, with Utrecht hosting Heerenveen at home.

Thanks to Ale’s penalty, Utrecht took the lead in the first half, but in the 56th minute of the second half, Amrabat’s handball gifted the opponent a penalty, tying the score 1-1.

The sudden goal lifted Heerenveen’s spirits, and in the final seventy minutes, the away team completed a comeback.

Two straight losses! The team had bombed in both of their opening matches, and Ten Hag was thrust into the spotlight of Utrecht fans’ fury.

Of course, Chinese fans were also furious with Ten Hag.

【Utrecht’s attack is pure shit—seriously, it’s better to just let Mengge take a wild shot.】

【Amrabat, who got promoted with Tang Ye, is a genius—he handed the opponent a penalty in his second first-team game!】

That night, the light in an office at Utrecht’s training base remained on.

Ten Hag and Fan Dejia sat together, both with grim expressions.

“If we’d had a bigger transfer budget in the summer window…”

Ten Hag sighed helplessly: “If we’d had even one midfielder who could hold the ball, we wouldn’t be stuck at zero points.”

“Um… we do have a possession-minded midfielder.”

Fan Dejia, sitting across from him, whispered. Ten Hag clasped his bald head: “You mean I should put a lazy pig on the bench? Good heavens—if fans see I’ve brought a lazy pig to the first team, they’ll tear me apart!”

Ten Hag was extremely proud of his image—that’s why he always made excuses in post-match interviews after losses.

“No, they won’t. Everyone saw Tang’s two brilliant passes in the warm-up match—the second-team fans saw them, and so will the first-team fans.”

Fan Dejia explained: “Bringing a player into the first team because of two great passes is completely reasonable. You don’t need to worry about what the fans will say.”

Listening to Fan Dejia, Ten Hag didn’t immediately rebut.

The truth was, it was exactly like that.

Maybe he really should let that lazy pig play.

After all, Tang Ye was registered in the Eerste Divisie—if he flopped, Ten Hag could just send him back.

“Then… let’s try it!”

…

In the following days, Tang Ye slowly began integrating into the first-team training.

Of course, "integrating" meant on the training pitch—his coordination with the first-team teammates had grown increasingly seamless.

Their chemistry had improved, yes, but Tang Ye’s chronic lateness remained uncorrected, which was why he still couldn’t enter the first-team cafeteria even after half a month with the squad.

【At age 37, you still insist on training with the team—your skills have improved.】

【Ball Control: 69→70】

【Shooting: 44→45】

“This stuff is really hard to improve!”

Tang Ye sighed—he’d trained with the first team for half a month and gained only two attribute points!

“Beep! Everyone, gather here!”

Fan Dejia called the players together, holding a thick notebook: “Tomorrow, the 23rd, we play our third-round away match against ADO Den Haag. Mr. Ten Hag and I have finalized the squad—memorize it.”

“The lineup’s out!”

Amrabat clenched his fist—he’d handed the opponent a penalty last game; he didn’t know if he’d make the squad again.

“First, the starters.”

Fan Dejia scanned the players before him, then began reading from his notebook.

“Goalkeeper: Ruit!”

“Defenders: Nganioni, Koom, Lechert, Van der Maarel, Klebe!”

“Midfielders: Ramselaar, Jansen, Ayoub!”

“Forwards: Ale and Barazite!”

The starting eleven showed little change. Fan Dejia began reading the substitutes.

This was the tensest moment—Amrabat’s palms were sweating.

But Tang Ye had no reason to worry—Ten Hag wouldn’t even let him into the cafeteria, let alone the matchday squad.

“Defender: Cortijer—you’re the only one.”

“Forwards: Petersen, Ruwen—you two.”

“Midfielders will be a bit more.”

“Dimos, Stried, Ludwig, and Tang—yes, that’s it.”

Snap!

Fan Dejia closed his notebook. At the same moment, a familiar voice echoed in Tang Ye’s mind.

【My god, at 37 you’ve chosen to return to the Eredivisie—this is the perfect revenge against the trolls! Those hateful trolls have been calling you a lazy pig since you were 16—now’s your chance to slap their faces!】

【You’ve received the Brazil Treasure Box: Premium】

【Ding! Senior Card—your reward has been upgraded】

【You’ve received… Brazil Treasure Box: Star】

…

(End of Chapter)