Chapter 149: Far-Corner Curling Shot Lv4, Shooting Attribute Increases!

"Hiss..."

On the other side, Tang Ye had naturally also seen this news regarding Ten Hag.

A prison sentence of three years and two months!

After Ten Hag's secret extra training sessions with Tang Ye were exposed, Tang Ye had always assumed Ten Hag would only spend a few more days in the detention center.

But now the situation seemed a bit different from what Tang Ye had expected?

Tang Ye liked to skip possession play and directly pass balls behind the defense.

Ten Hag was much the same; he had simply skipped the step of the detention center and sprinted straight to prison.

Sitting before his computer, Tang Ye hesitated for a moment, but ultimately took out his phone and sent a message to Ten Hag via WhatsApp.

【Mr. Eric, are you going inside?】

Tang Ye had just put his phone down when Ten Hag replied.

【Impossible, absolutely impossible】

"Phew..."

He breathed a sigh of relief.

With Ten Hag so confident, it seemed there would be no problem.

Mr. Eric was safe!

He pulled open his drawer and took out an envelope.

Tang Ye reached inside and pulled out a photograph.

It was a nude photo of Ten Hag.

Thinking back to last season, he had intended to use this photo to counter Ten Hag, but now that was clearly unnecessary.

Putting the photo back into the envelope, Tang Ye tossed the envelope into the trash bin at his feet.

"..."

Forget it.

Shaking his head, Tang Ye picked the envelope out of the trash bin and put it back into his drawer.

The post-match rest day ended, and Tang Ye rode his bicycle to the training base for the morning session.

He checked his skill proficiency.

【De Bruyne Far-Corner Curling Shot Lv3: Simulation】

Proficiency: 194/200

Only 6 more proficiency points were needed to level up.

Parking his bicycle next to Allé's AMG, Tang Ye entered the pitch in high spirits.

He had a premonition.

That his 【Far-Corner Curling Shot】 skill would complete its leap from Lv3 to Lv4 today.

At that time, his shooting attribute would see an increase.

Entering the next Europa League match with brand-new shooting attributes, Tang Ye believed he would breach Inter Milan's goal!

"Go!"

Rukavina delivered a cross from the baseline, and Allé charged forward first.

Indeed, after two weeks of rest, Villarreal's star striker was ready to play again!

Slap!

Using the inside of his foot to control the ball, Allé adjusted his step and fired a push-shot into the dead corner.

"Wow, beautiful!"

Applause rang out across the training ground.

When Allé shot, Tang Ye was standing right behind him; based on Tang Ye's judgment, Allé's shooting attribute should be around 85-86.

As long as he adjusted his center of gravity well, his shots were almost always dead corners.

Truly impressive!

"Next!"

Martí shouted, and Tang Ye's eyes lit up as he quickly stepped forward: "Me, me, over here!"

Slap!

Rukavina delivered the cross.

The ball was a bit high; Tang Ye jumped up and headed it directly!

Boom!

The ball flew over the crossbar.

"Damn it!"

Tang Ye held his head in his hands and sighed, while Bruno's laughter came from behind: "Didn't ask for a header, just control the ball!"

"Huh?"

Martí soon walked over: "Control the ball first before shooting, no need for a header."

That Tang Ye couldn't head the ball was something the entire Villarreal squad knew.

Tang Ye was naturally an attacking midfielder, and specifically a two-footed set-piece attacking midfielder.

He spent a vast amount of time on set-piece and long-pass training, so it was quite normal that he couldn't head the ball.

Rukavina's high cross wasn't meant to make things difficult for Tang Ye; he just wanted Tang Ye to control the ball with his chest or thigh before linking up with a shot.

"We need to simulate actual match situations."

Matí explained: "When you're grabbing points inside or around the restricted area, you'll often receive very uncomfortable passes; that's where your ball-handling ability comes into play."

Matí stepped behind Tang Ye and signaled with a raised hand to Lukavina, who was positioned near the baseline: "Let's do it again!"

Smack!

The cross comes in!

The ball's trajectory is still a bit too high!

"I've got it!"

Tang Ye shouted loudly, judging the ball's landing spot.

Smack!

He controlled the ball with his chest, keeping it at his feet.

One adjustment step!

Two steps!

One more adjustment!

Matí: "Shoot!"

"I know, I know."

Using an outside-of-the-foot flick to push the ball right, Tang Ye unleashed a curled shot.

【De Bruyne Far-Corner Curled Shot Lv3: Simulation】

Proficiency: 194.5/200

The ball sailed steadily into the net.

"That was a great shot, but your adjustment speed must be faster."

Matí pointed out Tang Ye's earlier mistake: "One adjustment step is enough to shoot directly; don't control the ball in place—do you plan to hold it for seven seconds?"

"My fault, my fault."

Tang Ye rubbed his head, indicating he would do better next time.

Tang Ye was full of passion during today's training; with 5.5 proficiency points gained, his Far-Corner Curled Shot was nearing Lv4, giving him the feeling of playing a video game.

A few more wins, and he would rank up.

"Tom, watch me."

Bruno signaled to Lukavina, who passed the ball out.

It was another high ball, but Bruno's handling was far more mature; when controlling it with his chest, he deliberately let the ball bounce slightly forward, eliminating the need for foot adjustments and allowing him to run up and shoot directly.

That was a good method; Tang Ye planned to try it himself when his turn came.

"Got any chewing gum?"

Musacchio walked over from the adjacent training ground; ever since eating GGBond's chewing gum after the last match, he somehow felt a bit addicted to it.

"Here you go!"

Tang Ye fished three pieces of gum from his pocket and placed them all in Musacchio's hand.

He was always generous with friends!

"Pato!"

Smack!

"..."

After all seven players in the round had finished kicking, it was finally Tang Ye's turn in the queue at the back.

"Watch me!"

He shouted first to feign immense momentum, startling Ale on the side into taking a step back.

Lukavina's cross arrived; Tang Ye timed it perfectly, actively vacating his position.

Step back, step back again!

He used the inside of his foot to cushion the ball forward.

Remembering Bruno's little tip, Tang Ye didn't stick the ball to his foot during control but deliberately pushed it slightly forward.

He ran forward one step and shot directly!

"Woohoo!"

Goalkeeper Asenjo stood rooted to the spot; there was clearly no way to save such a shot.

There was a major shooting session in the morning and a minor one in the afternoon; Tang Ye barely listened to the coach's instructions, attempting a Far-Corner Curled Shot regardless of the type of ball.

Escrivá had intended to step forward and say a few words, but seeing Tang Ye's passionate expression, he ultimately decided to remain silent.

Such a training attitude was rare for Tang Ye!

"Smack!"

"Smack!"

Under Tang Ye's efforts and with Pogba's "hair mud" assistance, the proficiency of the Far-Corner Curled Shot skill rose rapidly.

Of course, the primary factor was still the sweat poured out by me, Tang Tang Qiuwang!

【De Bruyne Far-Corner Curled Shot Lv3: Simulation】

Proficiency: 198.0/200

Proficiency: 199.0/200

Proficiency: 199.5/200

【De Bruyne Far-Corner Curled Shot Lv3: Simulation → Lv4: Realistic】

Proficiency: 1/400

【Shooting: 73→75】

【Set Pieces: 73→74】

Shooting and Set Pieces attributes increased by 2 and 1 point respectively; Tang Ye hadn't expected that promoting 【Far Corner Curling Shot】 to level 4 would also boost his Set Pieces attribute.

An unexpected joy, indeed.

"Tom."

At the dining table after afternoon training, Rodri turned to look at Tang Ye beside him: "Why are you clenching your fists?"

"Huh?"

Only then did Tang Ye realize both his hands were tightly clenched into fists.

"Oh, this."

Tang Ye relaxed his hands and rubbed them together in front of him: "Getting excited thinking about facing Inter Milan tomorrow."

"What's wrong? Are you hoping for an assist?"

Ale raised his eyebrows: "Ferran just spoke with me; I'm likely to be a second-half substitute, so remember to save your energy for the second half!"

"That won't do, that won't do."

Hearing the commotion, Bacambu walked over and sat down beside Ale: "Tom, have you noticed any changes in me recently?"

"What changes?"

Tang Ye lifted his head, clearly not understanding the meaning behind Bacambu's words.

"My form has been great lately, Tom. My ranking on the top scorers list... hmm, shouldn't it move up a bit?"

When match day arrived, one blue and one yellow bus slowly pulled into the Madrigal Stadium.

"INT! (Inter Milan)!"

"Xuuu—!!!"

"Villarreal!"

"Woww!!!"

Secretly pulling back the curtain to peek outside, the enthusiastic fans made even Tang Ye's heartbeat quicken.

"Hey, Bruno!"

He patted the captain in front of him.

"I just saw support banners for me outside; they have my name on them, and there's more than one!"

"Support banners are quite normal."

Bruno shrugged his shoulders: "I definitely have more support banners than you."

"But I just arrived,"

Tang Ye reminded him.

He had always been clear about his status as a loaned player, yet the passion of the Yellow Submarine fans always gave Tang Ye the feeling that he truly belonged here.

Perhaps this was the effect of a home ground?

His Shooting attribute had just increased by 2 points; if Tang Ye could score in today's match, would the Madrigal Stadium echo with his name?

"China Central Television... here is the live broadcast of the Europa League group stage match, Villarreal hosting Inter Milan!"

"Currently, the two teams in Group L have 9 points and 3 points respectively in the group standings. Inter Milan lost their previous home match, but believing they have learned from that experience, Inter should deliver a better performance away today."

"We can see both teams' players are ready on the pitch; standing at the edge of the center circle wearing the number 99 jersey is our Chinese player, Tang Ye."

"Beep—!!"

"The match has begun; now let me introduce the rosters for both sides!"

Inter Milan (3-4-3)

Goalkeeper: Carrizo

Defenders: Andreolli, Ranocchia, Murillo

Midfielders: Biabiany, Melo, Ansaldi, Miangue

Forwards: Eder, Pinamonti, Palacio

The head coach remains the former Ajax manager, De Boer!

To cope with Villarreal at home, De Boer made a simple adjustment to his team's formation, deploying a three-center-back system.

Currently, it seems no team in the entire La Liga plays with three center-backs; De Boer's move is intended to catch Villarreal off guard.

Having failed to defeat Tang Ye at home, De Boer now carries the hopes of Ajax fans as he faces them away.

Defeat Tang Ye!

"Go, go, go! Yes! Beautiful!"

If Inter loses this match, they will be completely eliminated from advancing out of the group stage, so De Boer is under immense pressure now.

After directing a wave of attacks down the wing, De Boer shifted his attention to the left side.

Let's see what situation Escriba is in right now...

Oh!

Escriba is sitting down right now!

Isn't that a bit too showy?

He remembered that when the two teams met at the San Siro in the previous round, Escriba had been pacing constantly along the sidelines; why had he suddenly changed his style today?

What De Boer didn't know was that Escriba had experienced an epiphany in this short span of less than one month.

The Escriba of now was no longer Escriba.

But rather Teng...

But it was the even stronger Escrivà!

"Here!"

Tang Ye sprinted toward the right flank, and González delivered a precise through ball from near the touchline straight to Tang Ye.

Tang Ye sidestepped to let it pass, then ran forward alongside the ball.

No rush; observe first!

For some reason, Rodrigo had suddenly filled the central position, but that had nothing to do with Tang Ye; what he was observing now was the touchline.

A long pass?

Tang Ye made his decision in an instant; a long pass offered little chance, so he passed the ball to Rodrigo on his left. Rodrigo immediately sent the ball forward into the attacking third.

OK, this is a one-two combination from the Yellow Submarine's twin midfield geniuses!

Tang Ye planted his foot on the touchline and ran toward the ball's position.

"Wow!!"

"Tom!"

"Tom!"

Fans in the right-side stands were shouting Tang Ye's name.

Tang Ye extended his right foot and controlled the ball!

Pass it directly!

Snap!

A cross from Tang Ye shifted the ball from the right flank to the left. Sannino and Biabiani engaged in consecutive physical battles, but Sannino, holding the positional advantage, secured the first touch.

Boom!

He headed it to Soriano on the right, and Soriano dribbled forward.

Tang Ye's long pass quickly transferred the ball from the strong side, crowded with defenders, to the weak side, where defenders were scarce.

Inter's defense on the left flank was now not very compact; Soriano needed to seize this opportunity.

Run forward; Melo chased from behind, but it didn't matter; Soriano's positional advantage was still quite obvious.

As Soriano advanced with the ball, both Rodrigo and Bruno were rushing toward the center.

Spotting Pato inside the penalty area!

He lofted a high ball immediately!

A 45-degree cross into the penalty area!

This was a cross kicked by Soriano while running; because he focused too much on stability, the ball speed was not fast.

Boom!

Ranocchia won the first touch and headed the ball out with his head!

"Mine!"

Bakambu, for some reason, was right at the edge of the arc; he secured the header that Ranocchia had headed out!

A good opportunity; Bakambu stabilized the ball and prepared to shoot.

But at that moment, Tang Ye ran up from the right: "Give it to me!"

Huh?

Bakambu clenched his teeth.

It was indeed a shooting opportunity; a striker would never give up a shooting chance that belonged to him.

But there was no choice; the one asking for the ball was Tang Ye!

Snap!

He turned and set up a cannon for Tang Ye.

Bakambu knew Tang Ye possessed the ability to strike a powerful long-range shot with his left foot.

But Tang Ye did not do that.

He flicked the ball with the outside of his foot and continued moving toward the center.

And then...

Snap!

【De Bruyne Far-Corner Curl Shot Lv4: Realistic】

Proficiency: 5/400

The ball flew past Bakambu's ear, reaching its peak while clearing the heads of Ranocchia and Andreoli.

Ugh!

Goalkeeper Carrizo pushed off with his left foot and jumped out immediately.

He reached out for the ball!

Carrizo did not touch it!

It's over...

"GGGGG—OOOOOO—LLLLLLL!!!"

"Goal!"

"Goal!"

"Tang Ye's goal!"

After scoring, Tang Ye spread his arms, opened the fingers of both hands wide, and sprinted quickly toward the sideline on the left.

Haha!

Although he had a premonition he would score today, he never expected the goal to come so quickly.

It's only the 23rd minute of the match!

1:0!

The director shows a slow-motion replay of the goal just scored; Bacambu set up a perfect screen.

All three of Inter's retreating center-backs thought Tang Ye was going to shoot directly; Ranocchia even had his hands behind his back, ready to block Tang Ye's shot with his body, but Tang Ye chose to take one more touch.

Actually, Tang Ye didn't intentionally try to fake out Ranocchia.

It was just that he knew clearly in his heart that his 75-point shooting stat meant his long-range shot certainly wasn't strong; he absolutely needed to add 【Far-Corner Curling Shot】 to maximize his chance of scoring!

Clap clap clap!

Applauding the players on the field, Escrivá, who had been sitting upright, now lay back directly in his chair.

As Villarreal's head coach, Escrivá was slowly losing his grip on his team.

He couldn't tell whether the current Villarreal was strong or not.

But he could see that Inter's form today was still not very good.

It's secured!

"Villarreal!"

"Villarreal!"

Fans in the stands chanted the team's name in unison; Tang Ye raised his right hand toward the stands, and the fans in the adjacent section immediately erupted in cheers.

The match continues!

Check Dongqiu Di live match report: Tang Ye scores a worldie with his left foot, Villarreal leads 1:0 at home!

【Damn, didn't this shot even reach the edge of the arc?】

【As expected, La Liga teams have better physical training; feels like my brother Meng's strength has leveled up.】

【Actually, isn't the main factor here the angle rather than the ball speed?】

【What's strong is the combination: our Tang Tang Qiuwang first fakes a long-range shot to fake out Ranocchia, then violently pushes the ball into the far corner—invincible, okay?】

【Awesome, so he really has no weak foot at all; I remember Tang Ye can shoot with his right foot too.】

【Tang Ye: You guys distinguish between preferred feet when playing?】

Europa League matches still take place in the early morning hours, but this cannot dampen the enthusiasm of Tang Ye's loyal fans.

Tang Tang Qiuwang!

Must support!

At the 28th minute of the match, the director displays the possession statistics.

INT: 54%

VCF: 46%

Remember, in the last match, Villarreal had the advantage in possession.

Hiss—

Some fans in the live stream quickly realized something was off.

Is Villarreal's home form today even worse than their away form last time?

What's going on!

Clearly, in today's match, Villarreal should have the greater advantage!

"We can see that under the three-defender system, Inter is beginning to look for opportunities to penetrate through the center."

"Ansaldi is dribbling forward himself, very fast!"

"Tang Ye failed to stop Ansaldi!"

"Hey, this is exactly what we just said: if Inter wants to win today, advancing with dribbles through the center or slowly penetrating with short passes are both good methods."

The CCTV commentator's analysis was not without merit.

It's true that Tang Ye has defensive ability, but his capacity to track back is limited.

If Inter can get past Rodrigo, then their attack will basically be unleashed!

(End of chapter)