Chapter 157: Escribá! Grossly mistaken! (20k update, requesting double monthly votes!)

"Athleeeeeetic! (Athletic Bilbao)"

As soon as the score reached 1:1, the already lively San Mamés Stadium exploded; flags of the home team waved across the stands while fans shouted the goal-scorer's name.

Aduriz!

Aritz Aduriz!

He has breached Villarreal's goal!

He has equalized the score!

"Damn..."

Tang Ye stood with his hands in his pockets, wearing an expression of sheer helplessness.

"It's fine."

Bruno walked over and patted Tang Ye's hand, offering it as a gesture of comfort.

Although rich in match experience, Bruno also felt somewhat uneasy in this situation.

He could sense that Yellow Submarine was struggling in this game.

If they had been leading, it wouldn't have mattered; they could have simply played defensively.

But now Yellow Submarine was not leading; they had conceded a goal to their opponent!

The camera cut to Escribá on the away team's bench; the Yellow Submarine head coach's expression was far from good.

Athletic Bilbao's speed in counter-attacking with long balls had indeed exceeded his expectations!

"Beep——!!!"

Dongqiu Di halftime report: Athletic Bilbao 1:1 Villarreal at home, Tang Ye provided an assist from a set piece.

【They scored just like that? Feels like the opposition is having a bit too much luck?】

【Is this luck? This is clearly the defense being torn apart. I recall Musacchio and Ruiz were quite reliable; what's going on with this play?】

【Useless Escribá, why play a 4-3-3 instead of a 4-2-3-1?】

【He probably chose the 4-3-3 considering the opponent's fast counter-attacks.】

【That didn't help either; weren't they just scored on via a counter-attack?】

【To be honest, Yellow Submarine should play however makes Tang Ye comfortable; just grasp that principle. Even I could coach Yellow Submarine to victory.】

【In the second half, the defenders can drop back a bit and pass more to King Ball Tang!】

The away team's locker room at halftime was very quiet.

Although it was a draw, Yellow Submarine had been leading before being equalized, so the players' moods were currently not good.

Tang Ye sat in the corner, pursing his lips as he silently counted the pieces of chewing gum in his hand.

"Actually, we should be leading."

Rodrigo said softly, then snagged a piece of chewing gum from Tang Ye's bag: "Good luck in the second half!"

"Mm."

Tang Ye nodded.

However, adjusting his own emotions still proved somewhat difficult for him.

Creak—

Martí pushed the tactical whiteboard in front of Escribá, who quickly began drawing on it with a marker pen.

"Man-marking! Man-marking, that is the core of defense."

"What you need to do is keep a close watch on their wingers making runs down the line; the same applies to our defenders, as their defenders also possess considerable attacking ability, which is something we must note."

"..."

Escribá briefly explained the opponent's first-half tactics to the players, then pointed out the issues existing with each player; Tang Ye was also named, his problem being that his switching speed between offensive and defensive states was too slow.

Keeping this point in mind, Tang Ye fixed his gaze on Escribá in the center of the room.

He was expecting Mr. Ferran to speak up and announce a change in the team's tactics for the second half.

Tang Ye sat on the bench waiting for nearly ten minutes, but the respected Mr. Ferran never uttered the words Tang Ye wanted to hear.

"Huff..."

Pursing his lips, he thought, well, nothing can be done about it.

Since the coach had no intention of changing tactics, Tang Ye, as a player, could only continue executing the first-half game plan.

The second half began; after rubbing his hands together, Tang Ye followed Rodrigo out of the tunnel.

"Athletic!"

"Athletic!"

Not even twenty minutes had passed since the equalizer, and the home fans were now brimming with enthusiasm.

Undoubtedly, the second half would be a challenge for Yellow Submarine.

And a very difficult one at that!

Once all players from both sides had emerged, Escribá and Valverde exited the tunnel together, shook hands, and returned to their seats.

Looking at the match data displayed on Martí's computer, Yellow Submarine's possession rate was still leading, even higher than when they had played against weaker teams previously.

Possession rate represents a team's stability; this is something that can provide a sense of security to both fans and coaches.

But for some reason, upon seeing the possession statistics, Escribá felt no sense of security in his heart.

He reached out to touch his hair.

It felt extremely rough, even somewhat prickly to the touch.

It no longer had that smooth feeling from before!

This...

The sudden change overhead made Escrivá feel immense pressure.

What, what is going on!

In the 58th minute of the second half, with the match at a stalemate, Rodri suddenly seized an opportunity to tackle García, launching Yellow Submarine's attack.

"No, no, no, stop, stop, stop!"

"Fuck off, xuuu——!!!"

The home fans began to panic; after completing the tackle, Rodri immediately passed the ball to Jaume on the left wing.

Run forward faster!

This was Tang Ye's instinctive reaction.

Bypass Besga!

Get to the open space ahead and receive the ball!

Tang Ye ran with all his might, but unfortunately, he was still a step too late.

That open space was claimed first by Rico!

With no other choice, Tang Ye began searching for another position.

If he couldn't hold the center, he could only shift to the left!

Slap!

Costa passed the ball from behind.

"Come, over here!"

Tang Ye called Aleix over early to provide support, while he himself stretched out his foot to control Costa's through pass.

Pass to Aleix!

Keep running forward!

Aleix dragged the ball, turned, and sent it directly toward the left baseline!

Perfect!

Tang Ye stretched out his foot to control Aleix's through pass.

The two players from Utrecht executed an excellent one-two combination on the left flank!

Tang Ye had originally intended to cut inside, but running from the backfield to the front had already exhausted him.

He needed a moment to catch his breath!

"Here!"

Sansone ran up to Tang Ye, who passed the ball to him.

Then Sansone dribbled forward to press the opponent's defensive line!

The combination play was excellent; Tang Ye didn't stand idle either, and after observing the situation, jogged to a position he deemed suitable.

Perhaps the ball would suddenly fly right in front of him?

Outside the penalty area, Sansone made a series of moves before finally squaring the ball to Bakambu at the far post!

Bakambu controlled the ball!

Shifted it to his right foot!

Then pushed a shot!

Slap!

Goalkeeper Goalkeeper Kepa sat down on the spot, using his thigh to block Bakambu's shot.

Aleix wanted to follow up with a rebound shot, but Goalkeeper Kepa immediately reached out and caught the ball.

"Hey! What a pity!"

"Sansone's pass was actually very good, but he happened to pass it to Bakambu's left foot!"

"If he had passed it to the right foot, Bakambu could have shot directly and scored!"

The flaw of his weaker foot was exposed at this critical moment; having regretfully missed the scoring chance, Bakambu roared helplessly at the air.

Lacking confidence in shooting with his left foot, he insisted on adjusting the ball to his right.

It was precisely that half-second adjustment that caused Bakambu to lose the best shooting opportunity!

"Damn!"

Escrivá suddenly thrust both hands upward.

With defeat looming, Escrivá could no longer remain seated.

He stood up and moved to the sideline.

"Get back, hurry back! Mark your men!"

"Mark your men!"

The sudden commotion from the away team's bench immediately caught the broadcaster's attention.

The camera swung over, and Escrivá's anxious demeanor drew sighs from the commentators.

"It seems Villarreal's head coach can no longer sit still given the current situation!"

"Yes, that's unavoidable, because as we can see, apart from possession rate, Villarreal is currently trailing Athletic Bilbao in every other statistic."

"As head coach, Escrivá needs to figure something out now!"

【Damn, this match is giving me so much pressure】

【Tang Tang Qiuwang won't lose his first match after receiving the award, will he?】

【Don't jinx it, bro】

【I can't put my finger on it, but Yellow Submarine feels like it's missing something today; I remember Yellow Submarine should be assisting goals out of nowhere, just like Utrecht before】

The 66th minute!

"Damn!"

Tang Ye looked up; the long pass kicked by Laporte from the backfield sailed over his head.

At this moment, Tang Ye had the urge to jump and head the ball away, but reason told him it was impossible.

This ball was nearly seven or eight meters high!

Descending into the attacking third, Aduriz headed it to Williams on his left, then quickly turned.

"Get back!"

Escrivá shouted; Ruiz and Musacchio started running back at almost the same instant.

But it seemed too late; Williams played a through ball forward.

After receiving the ball up front, Aduriz had already broken through one-on-one!

Damn!

Asenjo rushed out immediately, focusing intently on Aduriz's knees and the ball at his feet. Aduriz continued advancing into the penalty area!

Aduriz entered the penalty area!

Asenjo spread his legs and arms, his entire body forming a "K"; at this moment, his defensive coverage was at its maximum.

Aduriz gently pushed the ball; it rolled between Asenjo's legs into the net.

"Goooooaaaaal!!!"

"Goal!"

"A goal by Aduriz!"

A brace!

Aduriz's brace helped Athletic Club take the lead!

2:1!

"Roar—!!!"

Having scored, Aduriz could not suppress his surging emotions; he got up and ran toward the sidelines.

"Damn!"

!

Escrivá slammed his right hand violently into the air.

They were behind!

Villarreal was behind!

"Wowow!!"

"Athletic!"

"Athletic!"

With Aduriz's one-on-one breakthrough that flipped the score, the passion at San Mamés Stadium was instantly ignited.

The stadium announcer boomed out the scorer's name in powerful Spanish.

"Adurizzzzz!!!!"

Hiss—

Tang Ye stood on the grass, took a deep breath, feeling terrible inside.

Damn it, if only he had reached that open space earlier during Costa's previous driving run with the ball, Villarreal would be leading now!

But there was no way for Tang Ye to reach that position early; in the 4-3-3 formation, his starting position was very deep!

"Athletic!"

"Athletic!"

The second-half kickoff was taken by Ale from the center circle; the stadium was filled with home fans chanting their team's name.

On the sidelines, Escrivá stood with hands in pockets, his face completely darkened.

Suddenly, a sound rang out; Escrivá looked up at the large screen hanging above the stands.

The screen displayed the current match time.

75'39''

Less than 76 minutes; meaning, including stoppage time, there should be about fifteen or sixteen minutes left in this match.

"This..."

Escrivá's brain was racing.

Tom was a loan player, a loanee without a buyout clause; Escrivá knew this, so Tom should not be the team's core.

But the current situation...

Damn!

"Tom, move forward! Move forward!"

Escrivá waved his hands frantically at Tang Ye on the pitch; the latter paused for a moment, pointing to the space in front of himself, as if seeking confirmation from the coach.

"Up front, go up front, play as an attacking midfielder!"

OK!

Tang Ye gave Escrivá a thumbs-up, then ran straight to the front.

"Phew..."

Taking a deep breath, Escrivá was now drenched in sweat.

Tom was a loan player, but...

Just once!

This was the last time!

This is absolutely the last time!

The match continues; on the field, the Villarreal players, following Escrivá's instructions, switch their formation to 4-2-3-1 while keeping the ball in play.

Switching from 4-2-3-1 to 4-3-3 is actually quite simple: Rodri and Bruno drift toward the center, while Tang Ye and Ale move forward.

It looks like a very simple change, but the impact it generates is enormous.

The biggest impact of all is that after switching to 4-2-3-1, King Tang Ball will play much more comfortably!

It's just like suddenly... coming home!

"Tang Ye's positioning is starting to push higher, so unless something unexpected happens, Villarreal's possession rate should be about to drop..."

"Oh, sorry, sorry!"

Realizing he had misspoken about the Ball King, He Wei immediately panicked.

"Unless something unexpected happens, Villarreal should be using their possession to launch their next attack!"

"Castillejo, who just came on!"

"Moves forward and passes to Ale!"

Ale drops back to receive, stops the ball under control, and precisely finds Tang Ye making a run forward.

This is the most comfortable aspect of the 4-2-3-1 formation: there is only a very short distance between Tang Ye, who likes to pose as a striker, and the team's actual striker!

He can provide support very quickly!

Slap!

Passed to Tang Ye; Tang Ye kicks the ball to the left with his left foot, shaking off Rico in the center.

Dribbles forward!

Both Ale and Sansone are accelerating!

A great chance!

Tang Ye spots the gap ahead.

Slap!

【De Bruyne 45-Degree Cross Lv4: Realistic】

Proficiency: 37/500

"Oh!!!"

The fans start to panic!

Tang Ye's pass is aimed at the far post of the penalty area, which is the left-flank position.

Sansone retreats!

Retreats again!

Jumps up for a header!

Boom!

Sansone's header deflects Tang Ye's pass inside the penalty area; it rebounds out and lands perfectly at chest height for Ale.

Ale crouches down!

Heads it again!

Boom!

"Oh!!!"

In the stands behind the goal, fans who had stood up clutch the backs of their heads with both hands.

Ale's header went wide!

"Damn it..."

Ale stands motionless inside the penalty area.

His header veered off course and flew straight out past the right goalpost!

"This..."

Tang Ye, who had just been preparing to rush up and poach, freezes as well.

Damn, that's such a pity!

A header chance face-to-face with the goalkeeper, but Ale failed to capitalize!

"..."

Escrivá throws his hands up in the air; after a long silence, he sits back down in his spot on the substitutes' bench.

This was Villarreal's best attack of the second half!

It just lacked that final touch!

"Athletic!"

After the silence comes the time for Athletic Bilbao fans to celebrate.

They nearly thought Villarreal would snatch a last-gasp equalizer, but they held on!

Head coach Valverde breathes a sigh of relief as time ticks away second by second.

Villarreal fans hope their club's golden boy will step up to save the team.

The problem is that this golden boy of Villarreal doesn't have great stamina; after the 80-minute mark, his condition begins to decline rapidly, and there's nothing that can be done about it!

Villarreal attacks fiercely, while Athletic Bilbao defends desperately.

"Beep, beep-beep—!!!!"

Dongqiu Di Match Report: Villarreal loses 1-2 away to Athletic Bilbao, suffering their first defeat of the season; Tang Ye provides a direct assist from a set piece.

"Huff... huff..."

After the final whistle blows, Tang Ye is still panting heavily.

He felt deeply unwilling in his heart, but alas, there was nothing he could do about it.

Escrivá was outside giving an interview, while inside the locker room, the Villarreal players were utterly lifeless.

Aleix hesitated for a long time before finally deciding to stand up and take the blame: "My fault, my fault; that last header should have gone in."

"It's fine!"

Bruno pulled Aleix back onto the bench: "A loss is a loss; don't try to shoulder the responsibility alone. This is a problem for all of us."

Tang Ye sneaked over and sat down beside Aleix.

Aleix had performed excellently throughout the entire match, but that final missed header was fatal!

"It's really fine!"

Tang Ye didn't know how to comfort people; he could only place his hand on Aleix's thigh.

"Damn, your muscles are so hard."

"Haha!"

Tang Ye's words made Musacchio burst out laughing: "Tom, isn't this the wrong time for that?"

"No, I'm serious; I'm not tricking you guys."

Tang Ye grabbed Musacchio's hand and placed it on Aleix's thigh: "See, I wasn't lying, was I? I told you, Sebastián's thighs are rock hard!"

Musacchio removed his hand from Aleix's thigh, placed it on Tang Ye's thigh, and squeezed hard twice: "What about you, Tom?"

"Me? Oh, me..."

Tang Ye rubbed his nose: "I've been training consistently lately; I reckon I'll be just like Sebastián soon."

The players were slowly adjusting their emotions; staying in the locker room and chatting quickly restored everyone's spirits.

But at this moment, one person at Villarreal was still facing immense pressure.

Escrivá!

Unlike the players who were gradually adjusting their mindset in the locker room, Escrivá was about to face the reporters.

He was about to face Spanish football journalists who never stopped applying pressure!

In the restroom, Escrivá splashed ice-cold water on his face.

Looking at his reflection in the mirror, Escrivá's heart pounded thump-thump!

"Damn!"

A furious roar erupted, and Escrivá's echo reverberated through the circular corridor.

Only after the match ended did Escrivá finally realize his mistake.

No, this was not a mistake.

What Escrivá was committing was a crime!

He had dragged Tang Tang Qiuwang, the newly crowned King of Football of Villarreal, down from his core position.

As the team's head coach, he had actually attempted to overthrow the team's Emperor?

Simply absurd!

Wrong, terribly wrong, catastrophically wrong!

Escrivá deeply regretted it, but at the same time, he knew this situation could not be salvaged.

He had indeed tampered with the Emperor's carriage.

Glancing at the watch on his left wrist, Escrivá had only two minutes left before entering the press conference room.

He needed to accept punishment there; that place held the thing he feared most.

Public opinion!

(End of Chapter)