Chapter 158: Absolutely Do Not Rotate During the Match

Crack, crack!

Stepping under the spotlight, Escrivá's heartbeat inevitably began to quicken.

The press conference room was quiet, but in Escrivá's eyes, these reporters were like hungry tigers staring fixedly at him.

Escrivá had committed a crime, and now he needed to sit in the chair and accept the journalists' judgment!

Creak—

Pulling out the chair and sitting down, Escrivá looked at the camera with an extremely serious expression.

"Fran, this is Villarreal's first loss of the season; would you care to comment on this, such as why you lost?"

"Well... obviously, we didn't play well enough today, and our opponent was very strong, so we ultimately lost. Perhaps we could have done better, but we didn't, and I feel very regretful about this."

"I noticed you deployed a 4-3-3 formation in today's match; was this specifically to counter Athletic Bilbao's counterattacks?"

Escrivá did not rush to answer the reporter's second question.

The Yellow Submarine using a 4-3-3 in today's match was, of course, Escrivá's decision.

Why use a 4-3-3 against Athletic Bilbao? The reason, naturally, was that Athletic Bilbao possessed excellent long-passing capabilities, and the Yellow Submarine needed more defensive midfielders to ensure safety in the backfield.

Of course, Escrivá actually had another, more important reason, which was proven inadvisable after the match.

He had delusionally attempted to drag Tang Ye down from his status as the team's core.

From joining the team in August until now, with November nearly over, Tang Ye had gradually become the team's core midfielder, the absolute hub of offensive organization.

Moreover, Tang Ye's playing style was highly erosive; he influenced his teammates on the pitch.

Under these circumstances, Escrivá still wanted to overthrow Tang Ye's position in a short time; this was absolutely, absolutely wrong!

"Hmm... one could say that."

"We observed that near the 80-minute mark, you had the players on the field switch back to a 4-2-3-1 formation, after which you launched several beautiful attacks; does this indicate that your 4-3-3 was a mistaken choice?"

The reporters gradually began applying pressure to Escrivá, and regarding this, the Yellow Submarine's head coach truly had no solution.

Because they lost this match, that was a fact.

Losers have always been easy targets for reporters, and that too was a fact!

Escrivá was not Ten Hag; he even struggled to answer reporters' questions during post-match interviews, let alone reverse the scoreline between the two sides during an interview.

Villarreal had lost!

Escrivá had also lost!

Madrid Forward front-page headline: In Round 12 of the league, defeated by Athletic Bilbao, the Yellow Submarine suffers their first league loss of the new season! Atlético's chance to overtake is imminent!

Marca front-page headline: Real Madrid crushes Atlético 3-0 away; C. Ronaldo scores twice, Kroos scores from long range.

AS front-page headline: Málaga draws 0-0 away against Barça; Real Madrid will become the only true god in La Liga after 12 rounds!

Attached: La Liga standings (after 12 rounds)

1. Real Madrid, 34 points

2. Barcelona, 32 points

3. Villarreal, 29 points

4. Athletic Bilbao, 27 points

5. Sevilla, 27 points

6. Atlético Madrid, 26 points

Round 12 of La Liga was incredibly thrilling; even a powerhouse like Barcelona ended up being held to a dull draw by a mid-table team like Málaga, and due to Barcelona's sudden draw, Real Madrid's 3-goal thrashing of Atlético directly allowed them to take the top spot.

Speaking of which, the Yellow Submarine really ought to thank Real Madrid; if not for Real Madrid's outstanding performance in Round 12, Atlético might have eliminated the Yellow Submarine and taken their place directly!

Although the Yellow Submarine maintained their current third-place position after Round 12 concluded, the gap between them and the top two teams was widening.

And the gap with the two teams behind them was narrowing!

This was certainly not good news!

Because the mood was off, Escrivá dismissed the team the moment they returned to the base.

He gave the players a one-day holiday, meaning to let them properly adjust their mindset.

Actually, Escrivá knew clearly that the person who most needed to adjust their mindset right now was himself!

Returning home, Escrivá didn't even shower before lying directly down on the sofa.

He gazed at the chandelier on the ceiling and thought for a while, then closed his eyes and thought for another while.

After about ten minutes, suddenly thinking of something, Escrivá opened his mobile phone.

Diario Sport Twitter account pinned post: Leading by one goal while sitting, trailing by one goal after standing up; where exactly does Escrivá's contribution to the team manifest?

"..."

Seeing this news, Escrivá exerted force and sat straight up from the sofa.

Unsurprisingly, he had been scolded by football reporters.

But he simply hadn't expected that this group of reporters could curse so viciously without using any swear words!

The team leading by one goal when he was sitting, and trailing by one goal after he stood up?

What kind of talk is that!

Eh, thinking about it carefully...

It actually seems to be exactly like that, doesn't it?

Damn!

Escrivá clicked on the comments section; right now, he only wanted to use the keyboard on his phone to fiercely curse out this reporter from Diario Sport.

But Escrivá ultimately did not post any comments; his attention was unknowingly drawn by the fans' remarks.

"I told you, Escrivá is actually quite useless."

"Damn it, we really should have let Ten Hag take charge; pity we don't have that kind of budget."

"But Tom is truly amazing; a direct assist from a set piece, and he nearly equalized for the team in the end—now that's a real carry."

"Why do I feel like Escrivá wants to pull Tom down from his core position?"

"How is that possible? If that were truly the case, Escrivá might as well stop being head coach immediately!"

"I suggest changing the head coach; De Boer from Inter Milan before was pretty good. He got fired twice by Tom; if we let him coach now, he'd probably behave a bit more honestly."

"..."

Escrivá pressed his upper teeth tightly against his lower ones, truly furious.

These detestable fans!

Win, and he's Saint Escri; lose, and he's Hey Escri!

Only one loss in twelve league rounds, with the team ranking third in the league.

Yet these fans actually want to fire me!

Is this reasonable?

The more he was scolded, the worse he felt, but for Escrivá, knowing people were cursing him yet refusing to see exactly what they were saying would feel even worse.

He continued reading downward.

"Tom is the absolute core; I think Escrivá should just keep sitting on the bench as before. Winning while standing is winning, and winning while lying down is also winning!"

Taking a deep breath, for some reason, although he clearly knew this guy was insulting him, Escrivá simply couldn't get angry.

It seemed, it seemed quite reasonable?

The Europa League match against Ajax was about to begin, and Escrivá had to make a decision quickly.

Having been addicted to Tom's passing 'opium' for three months, many players in the Yellow Submarine squad, and even head coach Escrivá himself, were showing signs of addiction.

If they were to quit this addiction, this was the last chance!

Escrivá's heartbeat suddenly accelerated, and his gaze became unusually determined.

Hmm.

Maybe... let's just forget it?

【De Bruyne Bottom Cross Lv2: Similar】

Proficiency: 132/200

On the training ground, looking at his skill proficiency, Tang Ye fell into thought.

Currently, this Bottom Cross skill was probably the one Tang Ye could upgrade the fastest.

However, even so, he still needed to strive for nearly 70 more proficiency points.

There was no helping it; as those other skills had risen to Lv4, continuing to upgrade them had become exceptionally difficult.

Lv5 was not so easy to reach!

"Hey, Tom!"

Allé shouted loudly, kicking a long pass flying toward Tang Ye.

"OK, I got it, I got it!"

Tang Ye observed the ball's position in the air, moving along with it step by step.

Almost there!

Tang Ye extended his foot, and Allé's pass landed squarely on the instep of his kicking foot.

Perfectly controlling the ball!

"Haha!"

Tang Ye laughed aloud, then dribbled the ball toward Asenjo: "Look at me, look at me!"

Asenjo, who was undergoing saving drills, saw Tang Ye running over and quickly adjusted his position to face him directly.

Ready to save!

Bakambu made way for Tang Ye, who entered the penalty area. One-on-one!

Just as Asenjo thought Tang Ye was going to shoot directly, Tang Ye suddenly stopped the leg he had just swung out.

A fake shot?

Just as Asenjo prepared to dive to the other side, Tang Ye suddenly began spinning in place!

【Anthony Ultimate Spin Template】!

Tang Ye had never used this thing since obtaining it.

Because he truly didn't know what use this spinning ability had.

But never using it was definitely not an option; as a proper Star Template, how could Tang Ye only benefit from the attribute point bonuses? That would be a loss!

"What the hell?"

Asenjo pretended to be serious but was actually starting to hold back laughter.

Tang Ye spun in place for about three circles, and upon turning toward the goal for the fourth time, he lifted his right leg and fired a push shot.

"!"

Asenjo quickly dove low, but unfortunately, it was completely too late!

"Haha!"

!

Tang Ye excitedly raised both hands, celebrating this goal he had scored during training.

This 【Anthony Ultimate Spin】 seemed useless, but in reality, it wasn't completely useless.

Thanks to the template's influence, Tang Ye felt not the slightest bit dizzy after spinning three full circles on the spot.

He could even push the ball steadily into the goal!

"What the f*** is this!"

Escrivá's voice drifted over from far away.

Just moments ago, while supervising player training by the sideline and chatting with Martí, he had suddenly caught sight of Tang Ye spinning in place inside the penalty area.

Oh!

Tang Ye hadn't expected to get caught by Escrivá after just a little secret fun; seeing the head coach walking slowly toward him, the at-a-loss Tang Ye stood frozen on the spot: "Mr. Fe... Mr. Ferran?"

"What is this? Did I see it wrong? You were spinning in circles inside the penalty area, and... three circles?"

"Oh, I was just trying to see if this kind of shot could trick the goalkeeper, but the effect doesn't seem very good."

Tang Ye answered honestly.

Escrivá nodded.

He could understand that someone Tang Ye's age liked to mess around during training, but Escrivá needed to emphasize something here.

"Your current style of play is quite suitable; don't add those flashy things into it. Like that spin just now—playing with it is fine, but don't bring it into official matches. It's useless in an official match."

Escrivá was right; apart from looking good visually, this kind of spinning in place truly had no other utility whatsoever.

Moreover, imagine you are a defender facing an opponent striker—oh no, an opposing midfielder—spinning in circles inside your penalty area; what would you do?

You'd definitely lose your temper and slide tackle straight away!

Escrivá was doing this for Tang Ye's own good; Tang Ye's physical confrontation ability wasn't strong to begin with, and if he kept showing off on the field, he would likely receive "special treatment."

The poor Ggbond would end up flipped directly onto the grass!

"This..."

Hearing Escrivá forbid him from spinning during matches, Tang Ye immediately felt somewhat hesitant.

This was a superstar template, the Ajax superstar template he had worked so hard to upgrade.

A superstar player with a peak market value of over 70 million euros!

Wouldn't it be too much of a loss to have this template equipped and not use it?

"Really can't spin during matches?"

Tang Ye looked at Escrivá, his eyes filled with longing for spinning.

"What I mean is that you cannot use it in matches; if you like spinning, you can play with it during training, and I won't stop you, but absolutely not during matches!"

Escrivá, afraid of scaring Tang Ye, didn't mention the part about him getting tackled.

"Think about it: in today's La Liga, as well as Fan Fan Dejia, Ligue 1, Serie A, and including the Premier League, which player spins during matches?"

"None at all!"

Escrivá's attitude was firm: "There wasn't any before, and there isn't any now."

"Then, what about in the future...?"

Tang Ye asked softly.

"There certainly won't be any in the future either."

Escrivá stated matter-of-factly: "It's impossible for any player to spin in matches across the top five leagues in the future."

"Of course, that's premised on you not suddenly starting to spin."

Thinking of something, Escrivá added.

Just as Escrivá said, spinning in place was a move with only ornamental value and zero practicality.

In La Liga, where Tang Ye played, it was still manageable; if he spun, he would at most get knocked down by a defender.

But what about the Premier League? No player would dare to spin on the Premier League stage!

Not now, and never in the future!

"Alright then..."

Tang Ye nodded, his expression slightly dejected.

He felt that this spinning was actually quite fun.

But Mr. Ferran wouldn't let him spin, and that was really hard to bear!

Check Dongqiu Di Match Preview (Pinned): Beijing time, 2 AM on November 25, Villarreal hosts Ajax, Tang Ye faces his Ajax fate showdown! (Comment count: 9821)

Check Dongqiu Di Match Preview (Secondary Pin): Beijing time, 3:45 AM on November 25, Mancheng hosts Barcelona, ultimate showdown between the Premier League's fourth place and the La Liga champions! (Comment count: 5425)

The fifth round of the Europa League for the Yellow Submarine had arrived.

Although the Yellow Submarine had already secured their spot in the Europa League knockout stage after doubling up Inter Milan in the fourth round, the Yellow Submarine players still had one task remaining.

That was to fight for first place in Group L!

Currently, the Yellow Submarine and Ajax had 12 points and 9 points respectively.

In today's match, if the Yellow Submarine could defeat Ajax, they would secure first place in Group L one round early.

However, if it ended in a draw or if the Yellow Submarine lost, the suspense over the rankings would be left for the sixth round, the final round of the group stage!

This match was extremely crucial for both sides, and even more critical for Inter Milan.

After four rounds, Inter Milan had only 3 points in total, meaning that if Ajax won, or if both sides drew, Inter Milan would be directly eliminated.

Winning the remaining two matches would be useless!

"Villarreal!"

"Villarreal!"

The entirely yellow bus slowly drove into the Estadio de la Cerámica, where the home fans had long been waiting outside the stadium!

Villarreal vs. Ajax; barring the unexpected, this should be an evenly matched and incredibly exciting match!

Both teams are incredibly powerful!

"Quick, quick, quick, over here!"

The two team buses for the home and away sides appeared simultaneously; a female reporter, leading a camera crew, rushed quickly onto the pitch, the microphone in her hand revealing her identity as a journalist.

As.

"As you can see, behind me right now is Villarreal's home ground, the Estadio de la Cerámica, and at the stadium entrance, you can see a bus painted entirely yellow!"

The camera focused on the bus as the female reporter continued her introduction.

"Tom is greeting the fans surrounding the bus! This is the 17-year-old super genius of the Yellow Submarine who just received the Golden Boy award in Monaco! Eh, what is Tom doing? Oh! Tom is sharing his chewing gum with the fans supporting him!"

"What a nice guy!"

The camera shifted to the away team's bus; since they were playing away, the curtains on the Ajax bus were tightly drawn.

Before entering the stadium, they did not wish to be affected by the atmosphere created by the home fans outside.

However, the curtains on the Ajax bus seemed a bit too short, failing to completely block the face of head coach Bosz.

The As cameraman immediately activated focus, and the fans in the live stream saw Bosz's head.

This guy, just like Ten Hag, was also bald.

Unfortunately, Bosz did not possess Ten Hag's outstanding level of coaching ability!

"As you can see, this is Ajax's head coach Bosz; last season, while coaching the Eredivisie team Vitesse, he was miserably fired by Tom, and Ajax's current league results are not very ideal either..."

The reporter was completely biased toward the Yellow Submarine, and the meaning of her words just now was already very obvious.

Would the great Tom ruthlessly orchestrate Bosz's dismissal ceremony today, making the Dutchman the second head coach consecutively fired by his hand?

Or... would he show great mercy and let him off the hook?

The reporter did not know what Tang Ye was going to do, and the fans did not know either.

It all depended on how the great Tang Tang Qiuwang would operate!

"China Media Group, here we are broadcasting live for you the fifth round of Group L in the UEFA Europa League..."

"The referee is checking his watch!"

"The match has begun!"

"Now, let me introduce the starting lineups for both teams..."

Ajax (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: Onana

Defenders: Tete, Sánchez, De Ligt, Riedewald

Midfielders: Klaassen, Schöne, Ziyech

Forwards: Traoré, Dolberg, Younes

Head Coach: Bosz

"Villarreal!"

"Villarreal!"

The momentum of the fans at the Estadio de la Cerámica was soaring.

The Yellow Submarine fans had a premonition that they would secure their fifth victory in this season's Europa League today.

Five consecutive wins!

PS: 20k words updated, requesting double monthly votes!

(End of chapter)