Chapter 138: Poor Form? The Blue-Black Legion Strikes Back!

【Tang Ye!】

【That pass was rock solid; this definitely wasn't luck, it's pure skill.】

【I, King Ball Tang, have never relied on luck, okay? You haters need some shame.】

【Offensive core!】

【Isn't Tang Ye's positioning a bit too advanced? But never mind, scoring goals is what matters.】

"Booooo!!!!"

"Boooo——!!!!"

Conceding a goal before the ten-minute mark directly sent the home fans in the stands into a red-hot rage.

These boos were directed at head coach Frank de Boer.

Speaking of which, De Boer is quite pitiable; last season at Ajax, he was double-killed by Utrecht, and Tang Ye was already in Utrecht's starting lineup back then.

This season in the Europa League, they drew Villarreal.

Good heavens, Tang Ye is in the starting lineup again!

Could it be that he's about to get De Boer fired for the second time?

De Boer is already starting to feel the pressure!

Besides De Boer, there is another person under immense pressure in this match.

That is Escrivá!

Escrivá was already struggling to control his team, and after switching the formation to 4-2-3-1, he became even more bewildered!

Actually, Escrivá originally did not intend to give Rodri a starting spot this early.

But he had no choice; he knew that once the 4-2-3-1 formation was set, Tang Ye would definitely play with fire up front.

Villarreal needed a defensive midfielder to clean up Tang Ye's mess.

And the young, stamina-rich Rodri fit this requirement perfectly!

He is Tang Ye's nanny!

"Villarreal!"

"Villarreal!"

The away fans were chanting their team's name.

Scoring a goal in the seventh minute meant that, logically, this match should be a high-scoring victory for the Yellow Submarine.

However, despite Inter's poor form, their foundation remains intact.

Seeing Villarreal's fierce attack, De Boer immediately ordered his team to compress their defensive line, transforming the original 4-3-3 into the current 5-3-2.

It was precisely because of this change that Villarreal's offensive momentum was directly suppressed.

The first goal came in the seventh minute, yet now, at the thirtieth minute, the second goal of the match has still not appeared.

Just past the thirty-minute mark, the broadcaster displayed possession statistics compiled by a data company.

INT: 39%

VCF: 61%

Just as the fans' eyes could see, Villarreal's possession rate in this match remained leading.

High possession is closely related to scoring, but it is absolutely not directly proportional.

Slap!

Slap!

Rodri passed the ball back and forth in the rear field with Musacchio and Ruiz.

Among Inter's three forwards, except for Icardi, the other two exerted little pressure on Villarreal, allowing Rodri to cooperate very comfortably with the defenders.

Continuing to pass like this indefinitely would certainly not work.

Rodri was searching for an opportunity.

An opportunity to launch an attack!

However... he had not found one yet!

Tang Ye wandered around the front field, and after resting sufficiently, he actively dropped back.

Medel and Nkoulou were both positioned quite far forward; making his decision, Tang Ye ran between the two of them and shouted to Rodri: "Hey!"

!!

Medel guessed what Tang Ye intended to do, so he quickly moved toward Nkoulou's position.

He could not allow Rodri to thread the ball through the gap between them to reach Tang Ye.

However, Medel was too naive; noticing the opponent changing direction, Tang Ye suddenly moved in the opposite direction of Medel.

Medel:?

Rodri:!

Boom!

Rodri struck a low, long pass with the inside of his foot, aiming directly at Tang Ye.

Haha!

Found the chance!

Excited, Tang Ye stretched out his foot to control Rodri's rapid long pass, then immediately flicked it sideways to Bruno.

"Villarreal has played the ball out from the back!"

"This is an opportunity; Villarreal can launch an attack while the opposing players haven't tracked back into position yet."

"Currently carrying the ball is Villarreal's captain, Bruno!"

"Bruno's speed isn't particularly fast."

"Tang Ye... hmm, Tang Ye is drifting toward the left flank; what does this mean? Is he planning a crossing run with Ale?"

Tang Ye's behavior was so bizarre that not only the CCTV commentators were confused, but the Inter Milan players on the field were baffled as well.

He had been marking Tang Ye, but now that Tang Ye had run out to the wing, should he follow or not?

Brozovic's hesitation gave Yellow Submarine an opportunity.

Tang Ye had now found a brief opening!

A perfect opening!

He signaled for the ball!

But he absolutely could not shout!

If he shouted, the opposing players would notice him!

Now it all depended on whether Bruno could spot him.

Bruno, currently dribbling, didn't look up, but his right foot was pointing toward the left flank.

!!

Tang Ye realized it instantly; Bruno had definitely seen him!

He kept moving forward!

Slap!

A long pass from the backfield; Tang Ye sprinted toward Ale.

"Control it for me!"

Huh?

Okay, okay!

Realizing what was needed, Ale quickly turned, extended his right foot to cushion the ball, then gently pushed it forward.

Tang Ye took possession!

This is what you call teamwork!

This is teamwork!

Tang Ye knew his ability to control long passes was poor, but he also knew that Yellow Submarine had many players with excellent ball sense!

He dribbled toward the penalty area!

"Wow!!!"

"Beep beep beep!!! Beep beep!"

Fans in the stands made noise, trying to distract Tang Ye.

However, Tang Ye was not a player easily affected by the crowd!

"Damn it!"

Escrivá Zhou frowned.

The attack had developed well, but Tang Ye was pretending to be a striker again.

Why pretend to be a striker?

You don't even have the shooting ability...

On the stadium's big screen, Tang Ye combined with the making a forward run Soriano, eventually receiving the ball inside the penalty area.

Facing the goalkeeper head-on!

A simple push shot!

Tang Ye wasn't deliberately aiming for a specific angle.

He only needed to ensure the opposing goalkeeper wouldn't have time to react!

"Goal!"

"Goal!"

"Tang Ye!"

"Beautiful! A goal by Tang Ye!"

"A perfect one-two combination; before Soriano's through ball, Tang Ye had already arrived in the penalty area to prepare!"

He Wei gave Tang Ye the praise he deserved.

It was just unclear whether Tang Ye's previous move demonstrated exceptional off-the-ball movement or superb instinct in front of the goal?

【You have gained 15 Counterattack Points】

"Wuhu!"

Tang Ye jumped up and violently swung his right hand upward.

To be honest, the feeling of providing an assist still isn't as satisfying as scoring a goal!

Ale, positioned near the left touchline, waved at Tang Ye, who quickly ran toward the left flank.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh!

The classic three-stripe knee slide was delivered!

The quality of the turf at San Siro Stadium was indeed excellent!

"Wow, impressive!"

Escrivá clapped his hands, then sat down on a chair on the substitutes' bench.

Reaching up to touch his hair, Escrivá let out a bitter laugh.

That familiar feeling had returned.

Why!

Why exactly is this happening!

Could it be that he's reached the age where he's supposed to start losing his hair?

Absolutely not!

"Over here!"

"Come here!"

"Everyone, come here!"

Taking advantage of the Lei Wa players' celebration, De Boer loudly shouted for his players to gather.

Santon ran at the very front, followed by Brozovic and Medel.

The Inter Milan players on the field were moving toward De Boer, but they all shared one common trait: their speed was painfully slow.

Fans watching the match thought the Inter Milan players had been beaten by Lei Wa into submission, losing all fighting spirit.

But De Boer could see a deeper problem beneath the surface.

The team's results were so poor that these players had already begun to lose trust in him!

"Mark your men! You must mark your opponents when defending!"

De Boer pointed at Tang Ye, who was currently exchanging shouts with fans at the far end: "I know some of their players have strange positioning, so when you defend, you must never chase the ball; if you follow the ball, you'll fall right into their trap!"

"Mark your man, keep him covered! The ball isn't that important!"

Glancing around at the Inter Milan players surrounding him, De Boer saw no reaction on the faces of these jersey-clad fellows.

A few of them weren't even looking in De Boer's direction at all!

This was truly terrible!

The team's results were poor, and the players were unwilling to listen to the coach.

If they didn't listen to the coach, tactical instructions couldn't be executed, and the team's results would become even worse.

Inter Milan had fallen into a vicious cycle!

A vicious cycle that would lead to their slow death!

The camera cut to the away stand; although fewer than 3,000 Lei Wa supporters had traveled to this away match, these die-hard fans still possessed immense momentum.

They had somehow turned the Inter Milan home stand into a sea of yellow.

The camera zoomed in on a Spanish female fan holding a sign with a message written in both Spanish and Italian, conveying the same meaning in both languages.

【Tom, please sack De Boer again!】

"Boooo——!!!"

"Beep beep beep beep!!!"

The match resumed, and fans from both the home and away stands began arguing fiercely.

It couldn't be helped; with the home team performing so poorly, the fans' state of mind was naturally terrible.

The mockery from the away fans had completely enraged the Italians!

Arriving at the 43rd minute, the final moments of the first half, Inter Milan gradually carved out an attacking opportunity; Medel's through-pass successfully tore open Lei Wa's midfield defense.

Damn it!

Rodrigo locked onto Cedric, who was beside him, and accelerated immediately to chase back.

Rodrigo successfully contained Cedric, but he was only one man after all; immediately after controlling the ball, Cedric passed it out.

To Icardi!

There was not a single defending player around Icardi!

We're done for!

This was the drawback of the 4-2-3-1 formation; the position was too advanced, preventing Tang Tang Qiuwang from showcasing his exceptional tackling ability!

"Woww!!!"

The fans suddenly erupted with excitement as Icardi dribbled the ball forward at high speed.

Musacchio and Ruiz hurriedly retreated to compress the defensive line.

"Push up!"

Asenjo shouted loudly.

Musacchio had retreated too far; if Icardi took a long-range shot, he wouldn't be able to handle it.

OK!

Receiving the goalkeeper's cue, Musacchio moved forward, preparing to block Icardi's shooting angle.

Icardi swung his right leg out!

Musacchio dropped to the ground rapidly!

But it turned out to be a fake shot by Icardi!

Musacchio quickly turned his head to look, only to find that Ruiz was not behind him.

Bang!

Icardi unleashed a powerful long-range shot; Asenjo jumped with both feet simultaneously, but his reaction was still a beat too slow.

Duang!

The ball struck the crossbar, bounced onto the grass, and then rolled into the net.

Goal!

This was Icardi's breakthrough!

Inter Milan pulled one back!

"Damn!"

Tang Ye, rushing back in haste, cupped the back of his head with both hands.

So infuriating; the opponent's attack came a bit too fast, leaving Tang Ye no time to retreat and defend!

"Pazzainter! (Crazy Inter Milan)"

"Solo l'Inter (The One and Only Inter Milan)"

After Icardi scored, the home stands suddenly erupted.

Fans are like this; for the team they support, seeing even a sliver of hope ignites immense passion.

If Icardi can score one goal, he can score a second.

If he can score a second goal, then Inter can force a draw against Yellow Submarine!

"Nerazzurri! (The Blue-Black Warriors!)"

"Nerazzurri!"

Now, the singing in the Meazza/San Siro stadium gave the fans the illusion that Yellow Submarine was the side trailing.

This was the most direct manifestation of home-field advantage!

The first half ended, and players from both sides slowly walked back to the locker room.

"Damn, I should have run back earlier for that ball!"

In the player tunnel, Tang Ye looked somewhat dejected.

The first half should have ended with a score of 2-0.

Not 2-1!

That goal by Icardi should never have existed!

"You definitely wouldn't have made it in time for that position."

Bruno said, "Medel's pass was too accurate; I didn't anticipate his intent, otherwise I certainly would have marked Icardi. Damn it!"

Bruno pushed open the locker room door; the substitute players had already been waiting inside for a while.

"Damn!"

Musacchio punched the locker room door panel, pointing at Ruiz and shouting, "I got shaken off; you should have covered! Why were you on the flank? There was no one on the flank!"

Musacchio was clearly referring to Icardi's long-range shot.

He thought Ruiz would run behind him, but Ruiz made a mistake and did not do so.

Scolded by Musacchio, Ruiz felt too embarrassed to speak and sat silently on the bench.

"It's fine, it's fine, a small issue."

Tang Ye planted his left foot on the ground and stepped on his own spot with his right, rummaged two sticks of gum out of his bag, and tossed one each to Musacchio and Ruiz.

Professional players often like to chew something during matches as their stamina depletes; neither Musacchio nor Ruiz refused Tang Ye's gum.

"Snap."

Escrivá came in last, and Rodri shut the locker room door.

"The opposition is gaining momentum; you can feel it. I know their form isn't good, but their tactical coordination is actually excellent; they just haven't executed it yet. The second half will be even harder than the first."

Escrivá spoke very fast; Ale, who had only recently learned Spanish, actively sat down beside Tang Ye, needing Tang Ye to translate Escrivá's words into Dutch for him.

"What did he say?"

Ale looked at Tang Ye beside him; the latter squinted and thought carefully for a moment.

"Milan's form is poor."

Mm...

Hm?

Ale had thought Tang Ye had much more to say, not expecting him to have already finished.

"Ferran said more than just that, right?"

Tang Ye scratched his head: "The problem is, I can't remember it all either. Sebastian, just remember this; I feel this is the core point. Trust me."

"That works too."

Ale nodded.

Between good friends, few words are needed; of course, he placed his complete trust in Tang Ye!

"4-2-3-1 and 4-3-3 are very different; we must press, press our opponents as much as possible!"

Escrivá moved the magnetic flags representing Yellow Submarine's players forward on the tactics board: "The midfield must help the forwards press; we are playing a high defensive line. Ideally, we shouldn't let the opponent kick the ball past the halfway line. I know this is very difficult, but you can do it."

While speaking, Escrivá deliberately glanced in Tang Ye's direction.

"You need to get running, but remember, unless the situation is particularly good, do not go out to the flank again; your role in the center is much greater than on the wing!"

Yellow Submarine needed a player stationed in the center to constantly create threats for the opponent, and Tang Ye was the best candidate for this.

As for the flanks, Yellow Submarine had many wingers with excellent ball sense and dribbling ability, but they were all currently waiting on the substitute bench.

Forwards who liked to show off individually had no chance of playing at Villarreal!

The second half began; the stands at the Meazza stadium remained extremely lively.

The home fans' instincts were very sharp.

They had a premonition.

The great Inter Milan would equalize the score in the second half!

By then, the Villarreal players would be weeping on the turf of the Meazza stadium!

"Inter Milan is maintaining a very fast attacking tempo... however, we can see their attacks are not as fluid as the away team's."

"Brozovic!"

"A through ball to Eder; Eder starts driving down the right flank!"

"Oh! Inter's attack is developing!"

"On the flank, Ruiz is already closing in; Soriano is dropping back!"

This was a two-on-one!

Soriano took on the main defensive duties, with Ruiz providing support beside him.

It all depended on how Eder would handle it.

A reverse pass back to Medel!

Medel lofted the ball into the penalty area.

"Get up there!"

Asenjo was already starting to feel nervous!

Icardi!

He headed it straight out!

Smack!

Asenjo reacted incredibly fast, slapping the ball away with one hand.

Just when everyone thought the danger had been averted, Asenjo's save struck Edreiwa directly.

Edreiwa controlled the ball with his abdomen, stepped back to create space.

Then unleashed a close-range volley!

"Il gol! (Goal!)"

Edreiwa's body was fully extended, and the volley he struck was incredibly fast.

Asenjo was completely helpless!

"Oh my god, what just happened!"

"We can see that after falling two goals behind, Inter Milan's rhythm suddenly picked up!"

"Icardi's long-range shot, and now Edreiwa's volley!"

"Inter Milan has equalized the score!"

Immediately after scoring, Edreiwa sprinted toward the corner flag, slid on his knees, and knocked over the flag planted in the grass.

Crack!

The corner flag was snapped off by Edreiwa; the Inter attacker would receive a yellow card for this action.

But none of that mattered anymore.

They had equalized the score!

"Pazza Inter amala! (Crazy Inter, fall in love with her!)"

"Che dura una vita! (Joy that lasts a lifetime!)"

"Woww!!!"

The home fans chanted Edreiwa's name while head coach De Boer raised both hands.

Only heaven knew how much mental pressure he had been under when trailing by two goals.

But fortunately, they had now equalized the score!

Looking at Tang Ye on the field, who was clutching his buttocks with both hands and at a loss for what to do, a long-overdue smile appeared on De Boer's face.

You managed to get me fired once.

Could you possibly get me fired a second time?

This was Inter's second goal!

But not the last one.

Their objective was... to take the lead!

(End of chapter)