Chapter 116: League Match: 1 Goal, 1 Assist; Escrivá's Contemplation (220k words updated, seeking monthly votes)

【Tang Tang Qiuwang is here!】

【Hahaha, let me see which hater said Tang Tang Qiuwang couldn't play in La Liga; haters, don't delete your accounts!】

【Buying a midfield player who can shoot for 3 million euros; Yellow Submarine really made a killing with this move.】

【The problem is that this shot lacked quality.】

【Can't you tell my fake move was normal? Even La Liga defenders were fooled!】

Tang Ye's goal caused quite a stir domestically; many fans who usually had no time to browse the news only discovered today that a Chinese player had debuted in La Liga.

And it was tm a goal on his debut!

By the 75th minute of the match, Yellow Submarine's possession rate began to drop rapidly.

Logically speaking, a single player should not be able to affect the team's possession rate to such a large extent.

But for some reason, this guy Tang Ye could do it.

Perhaps...

Perhaps this is simply the charm of I, Tang Tang Qiuwang!

Escrivá paced back and forth on the sideline: "Watch your teammates' positions! Tom, watch your positioning! Watch your positioning!"

"Don't walk! Don't walk, you can run! You're a substitute; your stamina is sufficient!"

Tang Ye took a moment to raise his hand toward the substitute bench, indicating that he understood.

Actually, his frequency of walking during this match was relatively low, but alas, his impression in the hearts of both the coach and the fans was that of a rather lazy type.

Escrivá wouldn't mind if other players walked, but the moment Tang Ye started walking, the sharp-eyed Escrivá would immediately catch him out!

Kerzhin was dribbling on the right flank, and Soriano prepared to mark him one-on-one.

Tang Ye was a man of great principles; since Soriano had helped him during the earlier goal, Tang Ye had to help him back.

He moved to the right flank to defend alongside Soriano.

Kerzhin was observing; Tang Ye followed Kerzhin's line of sight toward the center and spotted Javi Márquez running past behind him.

Oh?

As a fellow midfielder, Tang Ye naturally knew what Kerzhin intended to do, so he quickly turned around.

Sure enough, Kerzhin sent a through pass toward the center.

This ball was intended for Márquez!

Done!

Realizing his positioning was insufficient, Tang Ye decisively went to ground, sliding the ball toward his own half before Márquez could reach it.

"Beautiful!"

"A tackle from Tang Ye!"

"The timing of this interception was spot on!"

"Lukavina controlled the ball; Villarreal likely intends to launch a counterattack using this opportunity!"

Tang Ye rolled twice on the ground, then immediately scrambled back to his feet.

He was an attacking midfielder; during attacks, he absolutely had to rush back to coordinate with his teammates!

This was Villarreal's counterattack; Lukavina was extremely bold, dribbling forward himself for nearly 20 meters before passing to Bruno only when the opposing midfielders pressed him.

The moment Bruno received the ball, he immediately faced pressure from the opponent.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!"

Tang Ye hurried over, received Bruno's pass, and immediately sent it forward to Alé.

It looked simple, but because the pass was so fast, many of Granada's defenders simply hadn't reacted in time.

As an attacking midfielder, the position Tang Ye needed to occupy now was the arc at the top of the penalty area, something assistant coach Mr. Martí had often emphasized to him.

However, Tang Ye had Ji De Xiang Fa; while the opponent wasn't paying attention, he ran to the left touchline.

Noticing Tang Ye's presence, Alé slowly pressed the opponent's defensive line, then suddenly stopped the ball and yanked it sharply backward.

Passing it back to Tang Ye!

This was the coordination Tang Ye and Alé had practiced during their time at Utrecht!

"Block his right foot!"

Granada's defender rushed up, diving straight for Tang Ye's right foot.

Tang Ye was still some distance from the baseline; facing the charging defender, he planted his right foot as his support leg.

His left foot struck immediately!

【De Bruyne 45-Degree Cross Lv3: Simulation】

Proficiency: 25/100

Huh?

The Granada defender was now completely stunned.

I blocked your preferred foot, yet you directly passed with your non-preferred foot.

So showy?

The ball flew low, bounced once on the grass inside the large penalty area, and rebounded into mid-air within the small penalty area.

Bang!

Alé followed up behind, heading the ball directly into the goal!

"Gooooooaaaaalllllll!!!"

"Alé!"

"Goal! Alé scores; Villarreal leads by two goals!"

"Let's take a look at this assist from Tang Ye!"

Tang Ye and Alai, the twin stars of Utrecht, ran together toward the sidelines to celebrate as the director cut to a replay.

"Hmm, that was a cross with the left foot!"

"Yes, although he used his non-dominant foot, Tang Ye's control of that ball was truly exquisite."

"It landed in exactly the spot where the opposing goalkeeper couldn't reach it, but their own striker could!"

Damn it...

Escrivá placed his hand on his hair once again.

He had substituted in a player who would disrupt the team's overall rhythm of coordination, yet the team had scored two goals in quick succession.

You can imagine Escrivá's current state of mind.

Turning to look at assistant coach Martí, Martí spread his hands toward Escrivá.

"..."

Escrivá shook his head and sat back down on the bench chair.

"This kid is so fierce; damn it, what do we do now?"

During the pre-season preparation period, Tang Ye's extremely poor passing and ball-control coordination had disrupted Escrivá's plans.

Now that the official season had begun, Tang Ye's absurdly high offensive contribution had once again disrupted Escrivá's plans.

One player had twice in a row influenced the head coach's tactical arrangements.

The Spaniard had never encountered such a situation before.

Holy hell, why would there be a player with such extreme characteristics!!!

"Haha, Tom, fantastic!"

Captain Bruno hugged Tang Ye tightly.

Although Little Pig had lost his position during the attack just now, he had successfully helped the team score a goal.

He was not a guilty Little Pig!

On the contrary, he was a meritorious Little Pig!

【You have obtained 10 Counterattack Points】

【First La Liga assist; you have obtained an additional 10 Counterattack Points】

Raising his head to glance at the large screen hanging at the very top.

Villarreal CF: Granada CF

2:0!

Damn it, surely those trolls on Twitter can finally shut up now!

"Beep, beep-beep—!!!"

The full-time whistle blew; the Yellow Submarine had secured their first league victory of the season.

"Vamos, Tom!"

Rodri leaped over the bench chairs, came down, and directly hugged Tang Ye.

"Haha!"

Winning the match let the players of the Yellow Submarine breathe a huge sigh of relief; Escrivá walked slowly toward Tang Ye: "Well done, Tang."

"Thank you, Mr. Ferran!"

After the match ended, the team's head coach Escrivá attended the press conference.

"Ferran, in the previous friendly matches and the Champions League playoff stage, many fans and reporters believed Tom was unfit for the position of starting midfielder for the Yellow Submarine, yet in today's match, Tom achieved something astonishing..."

"That is correct."

Escrivá nodded: "I don't know why anyone would think Tang cannot handle La Liga; that is completely impossible."

A reporter's eyes lit up: "Ferran, are you subtly criticizing Ten Hag?"

"No, no, no, I guarantee I have no such intention."

Realizing his previous words were controversial, Escrivá quickly shook his head: "I understand Ten Hag's concerns regarding Tang, but I believe what he meant was not what you think; as Tang's head coach during his time at Utrecht, Ten Hag certainly understands Tang's abilities very well; I am clear on this point."

"Understood."

The reporter nodded and pulled the microphone back to his mouth: "Tom delivered an excellent performance in today's match; if not for insufficient playing time, he might even have taken the MVP..."

"In that case, will you still field him in future matches, given that Tom might disrupt the team's overall rhythm?"

Not a single football reporter is a fool; they could see the negative impact Tang Ye brought to the team.

The core of this question was whether Escrivá was willing to sacrifice the team's overall rhythm to ensure Tang Ye's appearance on the field.

"..."

Escrivá pressed his lips together.

Clearly, this was a very difficult question to answer.

After thinking for a moment, Escrivá gave his response: "I already have an answer, but I cannot say it right now."

Dong Qiudui Match Report: Yellow Submarine shuts out Granada 2-0 away; Tang Ye delivers a perfect debut with one goal and one assist.

Check Dongqiu Di Pinned Post: After the first round of the league, Tang Ye ranks first on the scoring chart with one goal, tied with Cristiano Ronaldo, and ranks first on the assist chart with one assist, tied with Messi! Could Messi and Ronaldo no longer be the Kings of Football before Tang Ye?

【Heaven-defying】

【Suggestion here is to end the La Liga season immediately; Tang Ye takes both the Golden Boot and the Assist King titles, hahaha!】

【A true King of Football is never chosen between Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi; being first on the scoring chart means nothing; my King Tang is first on both charts】

【One news item has silenced the fans of both Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi...】

【I declare the 16-17 La Liga season over; Yellow Submarine finishes second in the league and qualifies for the Champions League; Zhu Zhu Piggy Xia tops both charts】【What the hell is Zhu Zhu Piggy Xia】

After defeating Granada, Escrivá did not schedule holidays for the players on the team.

This was because their match against Sevilla was about to begin.

Due to the annoying Champions League qualification playoff, the match between the Yellow Submarine and Sevilla was forced to be moved forward by three days just to make way for the playoff.

On the training ground, Tang Ye aimed at two dummies placed upside down in front of the goal, then gave a thumbs-up to Rodri beside him: "Watch closely, Sergio!"

"What are you doing?"

Rodri was a bit bewildered.

Passing the ball to an attacking player inside the penalty area without interference—isn't that a clear-cut matter?

Before Rodri could ask, Tang Ye ran up and directly curled a shot.

Slap!

The ball traced an inverted "c" shape, slowed down after hitting the grass, rolled, and finally stopped directly in front of the two dummies.

【De Bruyne Curved Through Ball Lv3: Simulation】

!

Proficiency: 356/400

"I... damn?"

Rodri gritted his teeth.

As a midfielder, how could he not understand the quality of this pass.

Facing this situation, most midfielders would choose to play a low pass or a high ball, but both passing methods are somewhat difficult for a forward running at high speed to handle.

Tang Ye's type of pass, however, could be said to greatly reduce the difficulty for the forward to handle the ball.

Let alone Aleix, who excels in finishing; even if you pulled any youth team forward from the U19 squad over here, they could score.

"How was that, not bad right?"

Tang Ye rubbed his hands together, expecting to hear words of praise from Rodri's mouth.

Rodri's fighting spirit was also ignited; he asked the assistant coach for a ball, then imitated Tang Ye's posture.

Run-up, swing the leg...

Then curl a shot!

Slap!

Rodri's long pass successfully created an arc, but in the end, it hit the dummy's head.

"Are you passing for a header?"

Tang Ye raised an eyebrow at Rodri, while the latter held his head, obviously feeling somewhat unconvinced.

"Wait, wait a moment!"

Rodri asked for another ball.

He placed it in front of himself, stepped back, and began his run-up!

Slap!

Another long pass; this time Rodri's control of the ball speed was slightly better, but alas the spin wasn't quite enough, and the ball smashed onto the position near the right-wing baseline.

The commotion of the two playing games quickly attracted several midfielders within the team.

"Let me try!"

Captain Bruno volunteered to step up, performing the same motion.

Just like Rodri, Bruno's first attempt also failed to succeed.

"Wait, wait, Tom, watch closely!"

Bruno pointed his index finger at the ball on the ground in front of him, telling Tang Ye that this shot was bound to succeed.

As a result, not until the seventh kick did Bruno finally get the ball in front of the dummy, but he just couldn't kick out that feeling of deceleration like Tang Ye.

"Bruno, you're applying too little spin."

Tang Ye reminded him.

"It's all the same, it's all the same, look, didn't I kick it out?"

Bruno patted his own thigh.

"Not bad!"

Escrivá slowly walked over: "Bruno, you can also practice this passing method more; coincidentally, you and Tang have different preferred feet, so when taking set pieces later, both sides can be covered."

Currently in La Liga, there are no teams with outstanding set-piece capabilities; the Yellow Submarine might become the only one.

However, just at this moment, Tang Ye suddenly said: "I can kick it with the other foot too."

Hm?

Bruno, Escrivá, and Rodri all looked at Tang Ye simultaneously: "You can kick this with your left foot too?"

"Either way works, either way works."

Tang Ye said, placed the ball properly, and then began to step back.

Looking down at his two feet, Tang Ye suddenly stopped moving.

"Haha, Tom, hurry up!"

Rodri urged.

Right now everyone was expecting Tang Ye to execute a curved through ball with his non-preferred foot.

What's the situation with you suddenly stopping?

Tang Ye lifted his head: "Which side was the left again?"

Huh?

Escrivá and Rodri exchanged a glance; the latter lifted the thigh on his left side: "This side, this side. You didn't mix up left and right, did you? I know you can kick with your right foot, but..."

Before Rodri could finish speaking, Tang Ye took a running start and lashed out with his left foot.

Slap!

【De Bruyne Curved Through Ball Lv3: Simulation】

Proficiency: 357/400

After switching feet, the curve goes the opposite way, but the effect is the same.

"Damn..."

Rodri stretched his neck out long, looking at Tang Ye with the same surprise one would feel if a wild boar suddenly burst into the base.

How can someone's left and right feet be this balanced?

"..."

Escrivá walked up to Tang Ye, his eyes sizing Tang Ye's body up and down.

Tang Ye felt somewhat nervous under Escrivá's gaze and unconsciously took a few steps back.

"Mr. Fei, Mr. Ferran?"

"Lift your left foot so I can see it."

Tang Ye lifted his left foot.

Then, thinking that something seemed off, he lifted his right foot as well.

Escrivá:...

"So you can't tell left from right, is that it?"

"Uh, I guess so?"

Tang Ye put his foot back on the ground.

It seemed he had just lifted his right foot.

But it didn't matter anymore.

A left foot and a right foot are both just feet.

What's the difference?

No difference at all!

"Impressive."

Escrivá gave Tang Ye a thumbs-up.

He knew some people were born unable to distinguish left from right, but this was his first time meeting a professional athlete who couldn't.

Did that mean Tang Ye couldn't understand when he shouted "left" or "right" from the sidelines?

It was hard to imagine how this guy had made it to one of the top five leagues.

Escrivá pointed at Tang Ye: "You are the most outrageous player I've ever seen; absolutely outrageous, the sky has freaking exploded."

"Mr. Ferran, are you praising me?"

"... Think whatever you want."

Escrivá waved his hand, silently noting in his mind that Tang Ye could not distinguish left from right.

This made things a bit troublesome.

Without using left or right, Escrivá could only shout "run to the far end (from the bench)" or "run to the near end (from the bench)."

Uh...

But actually, saying it that way seemed perfectly fine?

After training ended, the players, having received massages to relax, went to Daoshitang for dinner, where Tang Ye showed off his super-high FIFA game proficiency to his new teammates at the table.

"Holy crap, amazing!"

"Can you control yourself to dribble? I think you should put yourself in the squad."

"Ale? Sebastian, haha, Tom put you in his game squad!"

"Shoot, shoot already! Sergio, what are you playing at!"

The first-team players of Yellow Submarine gathered in a circle around Tang Ye's table.

Tang Ye and Rodri were playing a one-on-one match, but Rodri was about to lose.

"Our new signing is quite popular."

Martí and Escrivá sat together; watching the noisy first-team players in the distance, they laughed.

Escrivá shrugged his shoulders and gave a helpless bitter smile: "That guy is indeed very interesting; you know, he can't tell left from right."

"For real?"

Escrivá's words made Martí's eyes widen instantly: "No way, then how did he become a professional player?"

"I was curious at first too, but if you think about it carefully, during a match you don't actually need to distinguish left from right; he just needs to figure out which way to run and where to pass, it's just that sometimes he can't follow commands."

Escrivá said slowly: "Actually, I don't know what to do now either; his passing talent is truly strong, and apart from not keeping up with the rhythm everything else is fine, but I certainly can't change the team's style of play for just one person; that's absolutely impossible."

"If I did that, what kind of coach would I be?"

"Players should prioritize the team."

Martí ate the macaroni on his plate; what Escrivá said was exactly the major problem Yellow Submarine was currently facing.

Escrivá did not have an instruction manual for using Tang Ye!

"Oh, right!"

Suddenly remembering something, Escrivá asked Martí: "Do you have Ten Hag's contact information?"

PS: 22,000 words updated; with this, the daily 20,000-word task for the 10 days since going premium is fully completed.

Next, it will still be 20,000 words daily, plus paying off the debt owed for extra chapters based on monthly tickets (10,000 words per 500 monthly tickets).

Please vote for monthly tickets; we are already quite close to first place in the sports monthly ticket rankings and have a chance to overtake them.

(End of chapter)