Chapter 168: An 80 Comprehensive Rating! La Liga Round 15 Against Atlético Madrid!

After Villarreal defeated Zurich 3-1, this season's Europa League group stage came to an end.

In Group L, Villarreal, with six wins in six matches, naturally ranked first; right behind them was Ajax with 10 points.

As the former Champions League winners, Inter Milan suffered a shocking upset in this season's Europa League, recording two wins, one draw, and three losses across six matches for a mere seven points, leaving them with no chance of advancing.

As for the knockout stage, each of the 12 Europa League groups sends two teams through, totaling 24 teams, while another eight teams drop down from the Champions League, forming a 32-team knockout bracket for the Europa League.

Champions League powerhouses dropping into the Europa League is hardly good news for the existing participants, a point head coach Escrivá made explicitly clear to the players during training.

"Even if we draw a Champions League team, we just play our normal game; being eliminated from the Champions League means those teams aren't in great form this season either, whereas we are in excellent form, so we actually have a chance."

On the training ground, Bruno nudged Tang Ye beside him with his elbow: "So, Tom, would you want to face a Champions League team?"

"Of course not."

Tang Ye shook his head quickly: "But I've never played against a Champions League team before; if we do meet one, playing them would be fine too—I feel like we shouldn't be afraid."

"You're quite confident."

Bruno pinched the back of Tang Ye's neck hard: "So, have you finished your homework?"

"..."

Tang Ye swapped positions with Musacchio beside him, while Bruno threw his hands up in the air.

He had originally thought Mr. Ferran was the only bad guy in the squad.

But now it seemed Bruno wasn't a good person either!

"It's fine; although the draw is about to start, I need to tell you that our current focus isn't the Europa League, it's the league."

Escrivá's words drew Tang Ye's attention back; the Spanish head coach of Villarreal held up two fingers: "Two days—we have just two days before we play Atlético Madrid!"

Atlético Madrid!

Tang Ye's heart suddenly began to race.

Currently ranked fifth in the league, Atlético's point total differed little from Villarreal's, making them an absolutely formidable team.

That's right!

Remembering he still had a skill to upgrade, Tang Ye hurriedly opened his panel to check.

【De Bruyne Underlap Cross Lv2: Similar】

Proficiency: 179.5/200

Only 21 proficiency points remaining...

Gaining 21 proficiency points in two days, even with Pogba's mud-throwing bonus, was honestly a bit tight; it all depended on how Escrivá arranged the team's training over the next two days.

In the time that followed, Escrivá briefly explained Atlético's playing characteristics to the players.

According to Escrivá's prediction, Atlético would adopt a 4-4-2 formation in the match, meaning their defensive line would be quite wide, posing difficulties for Villarreal's wing attacks.

Furthermore, under head coach Simeone's leadership, Atlético's playing style might be somewhat rugged.

Simply put, they might commit fouls frequently.

"Damn, they won't just kick me directly, will they?"

Under Escrivá's exaggerated description, Atlético seemed like a team that relied on kicking opponents to win, making Tang Ye feel a bit nervous.

Back when he was at Utrecht, he had once been maliciously tackled, forcing him to rest for nearly half a month before returning to play.

Hmm...

Escrivá looked Tang Ye up and down: "I feel like you shouldn't be afraid."

"Ah, why?"

Tang Ye's eyes lit up: "They won't kick me?"

Escrivá chuckled: "You can avoid contact; just stay focused, and if someone tries to tackle you, simply dodge them."

Tang Ye's ability to avoid contact was top-tier across the entire La Liga, which meant that even with weaker physical attributes, he rarely suffered injuries.

This was Tom's talent!

"This..."

"Well, well, alright then."

Tang Ye nodded.

Over the next few days, Tang Ye trained as usual, but to prepare for Atlético, Escrivá had the players conduct targeted set-piece and central penetration attack drills; by the time the starting lineup was announced, Tang Ye's proficiency had only just reached 190.

At this point, Tang Ye faced two choices: either give up directly, or stay behind tonight for extra practice to first upgrade 【Underlap Cross】 to Lv3.

Ultimately, Tang Ye chose to give up, heading to Daoshitang with Ale and Bruno.

Stirring the salad in his bowl, Bruno looked serious: "Honestly, tomorrow won't be an easy match."

"Atlético is never easy to play against; Griezmann and Saúl are very strong."

Pato added; as a veteran of La Liga, he was quite familiar with Atlético's players and their tactics.

"It's fine; we'll see the specific situation when the time comes!"

Realizing he shouldn't affect the team's morale, Bruno quickly added a few more words: "I just checked; Atlético's goal tally over the last two months doesn't even rank in the top 12 of La Liga, so if we can break through their defense, we actually still have a chance to win."

Speaking of breaking through their defense, the players at the table unanimously turned their gaze toward Tang Ye.

At that moment, Tang Ye had just bitten into his hamburger; feeling extremely awkward under his teammates' stares, he said: "Uh, do you guys want some too? But it seems there's only this one..."

Bruno patted Ale, signaling him to stop staring at Tang Ye: "It's fine, just play normally, just play normally."

Tang Ye finished the hamburger in his hand and remained silent without saying a word.

After hesitating for nearly half an hour, Tang Ye finally revised the decision he had made earlier; he played a few rounds of FIFA on his phone to relax first, then went to the locker room to take out his cleats.

With only 10 proficiency points left and tomorrow's opponent being the formidable Atlético, Tang Ye felt it was necessary to make some effort tonight.

Tang Ye didn't start training immediately; instead, he used a cart to move the dummies from the equipment room and set them up in front of the goal.

The reason Tang Ye did this was that his system's criteria for training were quite strict; if there were no players or dummies inside the penalty area, the proficiency points he gained would be extremely, extremely low.

With everything mostly organized, Tang Ye did a simple warm-up.

He glanced at his phone; it was 6:50 PM.

"Hmm, if I keep kicking until 7:30, I should be able to max out my proficiency."

【You purchased Pogba's Hair Clay】

Slap!

【De Bruyne's Underline Cross Lv2: Similar】

Proficiency: 191/200

Slap!

【De Bruyne's Underline Cross Lv2: Similar】

Proficiency: 191.5/200

To ensure every kick achieved the best possible result, Tang Ye needed to carefully observe the situation before striking and visualize the potential landing spots of the upcoming pass.

Practicing only passing was, to be honest, not tiring at all; what Tang Ye needed to overcome was the mental barrier within himself, slowly accepting the fact that he was voluntarily adding extra training.

"Damn!? Tom?"

Just as Tang Ye was preparing to deliver the next cross, Ale's voice suddenly came from behind.

Holding his phone, Ale ran quickly to Tang Ye's side: "Did Ferran punish you?"

"No."

Tang Ye turned his head; seeing Ale made him a bit happy, as it meant he wouldn't have to stay on the pitch alone anymore.

In winter, the sun set early; even with the lights on, it was still easy to feel afraid.

"Then what are you... wow, are you training yourself?"

Ale stretched his neck long, feeling somewhat perplexed by Tang Ye's behavior: "So why are you doing this?"

"Uh, I just felt my crosses weren't quite comfortable, and then..."

Tang Ye explained slowly.

"Alright."

Ale nodded: "I feel you might be a bit too tense; since you're in the starting lineup tomorrow, adding extra training now might make your muscles tense up, and you won't play comfortably then."

"It's fine."

Tang Ye waved his hand.

With the help of 【Kante's Hot Chocolate Milk】, even if he trained until 10 o'clock tonight, it wouldn't affect tomorrow's match.

"Sebastian, I was always like this when I was at Utrecht, and it didn't affect the next day's matches, did it?"

"I suppose that's true..."

Ale took a deep breath.

Tang Ye's personality was such that he didn't like training.

But his talent was that he was quite resistant to training fatigue.

This...

Pushing those thoughts aside, Ale looked left and right, finally spotting a bench on the stands, and asked: "Tom, how long are you planning to train?"

"About half an hour; half an hour should be enough."

Tang Ye replied.

"Won't you be afraid when it gets dark at night? Do you need me to stay?"

"Well..."

While Tang Ye hesitated, Ale directly moved the bench over and sat down: "Then I'll wait for you; later, I can give you a ride home on my way."

Ale stayed on the sidelines, watching Tang Ye run up and cross on the pitch, unsure of what to say.

Although this guy Tang Ye wasn't very reliable during training, he was very serious when it came to the team and his teammates.

Ale could feel that Tang Ye really wanted to win tomorrow's match against Atletico!

Slap!

【De Bruyne's Underline Cross Lv2: Similar → Lv3: Simulated】

Proficiency: 1/400

【Passing: 87 → 88】

【Overall Rating: 79 → 80】

"Phew..."

He exhaled a long breath; the sudden sense of gain made him very happy.

A passing attribute of 88!

Most importantly, his overall attribute had broken through 80!

At the same time, in the office building at the far end, Escrivá and Martí had not left either; the two Yellow Submarine coaches were discussing tactics for tomorrow's match.

"They (Atletico) park the bus and defend densely mainly to limit possession play; this is very effective against La Liga teams."

Martí pointed at the heatmap of several key Atletico players on the laptop screen.

From the heatmap, it was visible that during defense, Atletico's forwards and midfielders would drop back quite deep.

This was a characteristic of Simeone's tactics; they would make their defensive line extremely dense.

This was also the headache-inducing problem for other La Liga teams facing Atletico, because Atletico players possessed excellent defensive coordination when dealing with possession play.

"However, we actually don't need to worry too much."

Escrivá suddenly said.

This season, looking at the entire La Liga, was quite special; they not only played possession football but also executed long-ball fast breaks.

The reason is that there is a midfielder in the team who loves to stir things up and often delivers brilliant passes, which will be the key to breaking the deadlock in tomorrow's match against Atlético!

As soon as Tang Ye was mentioned, Escrivá let out a long sigh and shifted his attention to his notebook.

vs Atlético Madrid, Starting Lineup: Tang Ye (non-core).

Feeling that something still wasn't quite right, Escrivá picked up his pen and added a few more words.

vs Atlético Madrid, Starting Lineup: Tang Ye (non-core) (non-core).

Escrivá needed to keep emphasizing this to himself.

"Tom shouldn't be our core player; he's only on loan!"

"Then what about tomorrow's match?"

Martí posed his question.

"This is a special situation," Escrivá explained, "Tomorrow's match is unusual, so let him play as the core for now; Atlético is too strong."

"Ferran."

Martí suddenly lifted his head, staring straight into Escrivá's eyes: "Drug addicts all say at first that they won't get addicted."

"No, no, no, I'm not addicted, I'm not addicted, believe me, I am absolutely not addicted."

"Special situations require special treatment."

"Then what about our last match against Leganés?"

"That was also a special situation."

Escrivá explained, "If we had lost that match, we would have dropped out of the top three."

"Martí, just rest assured; I already know how to break the team's dependence on Tom."

Just as Escrivá had said.

!

When the time is right, Escrivá, as the team's head coach, will step forward.

Step forward!

To detoxify the entire Yellow Submarine squad!

……

Check Dongqiu Di Match Preview: La Liga Round 15, Villarreal hosts Atlético Madrid, with Tang Ye and Griezmann leading the starting lineup.

Match Preview: La Liga's strangest spear versus its sturdiest shield; who will win these crucial six points between the Yellow Submarine and Atlético?

La Liga's strangest spear?

It might seem like the staff at Check Dongqiu Di don't want to keep their jobs, but that's not the case.

"Strange" is the synonym for Villarreal this season; fans who watch the matches feel this most acutely.

When watching other La Liga teams, fans usually sense a goal coming; their heart rate jumps from 80 to 100, then spikes to 140.

But Villarreal's matches are different; 80 jumps straight to 160 in the next second.

Before the heart can fully react, the ball is already in the net!

This is La Liga's strangest spear!

And today, the strangest spear faces off against the sturdiest shield.

Only one can survive!

……

"China Media Group! Here is the live broadcast bringing you..."

"We can see that both teams are ready!"

"The match has begun; I will now introduce the starting lineups for both teams, starting with the home team, Villarreal..."

"And then the away team, Atlético Madrid!"

The camera focused on the serious expression of the away team's head coach, Simeone, on the sidelines, as commentator Su Dong began introducing Atlético's starting lineup.

Atlético (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Oblak

Defenders: Lucas Hernández, Godín, Savić, Hu Anfu

Midfielders: Koke, Tiago, Gabi, Ángel Correa

Forwards: Griezmann, Gameiro

Head Coach: Simeone

The formation Atlético deployed was exactly as Escrivá had predicted, and their starting lineup differed little from his forecast.

This was good news for the Yellow Submarine.

Because during their pre-match preparations, the Yellow Submarine had conducted targeted training based on Atlético's current tactics.

Simply put, Atlético stood before the Yellow Submarine today as if naked!

【Tang Tang Qiuwang, go for it!】

【Atlético is really tough to play against; I feel the Yellow Submarine would be fine just securing a draw.】

【A draw? I feel the Yellow Submarine has a good chance; Atlético's form in their last match was a bit lacking.】

【Actually, the main thing to watch isn't the Yellow Submarine, but Tang Ye's mood today.】

【Exactly; if Tang Ye is unhappy today, he'll bring his good friends along to take down Atlético!】

"Villarreal!"

Bang bang!

"Villarreal!"

Bang bang!

The cheers from the home fans were deafening.

This was because Villarreal's opponent today was incredibly strong; the fans knew this, so they wanted to apply as much pressure as possible on the opposing players.

Villarreal's current standing in the league table was very close to Atlético Madrid's, and losing this six-point match would be an unacceptable outcome for the fans of both sides.

Slap!

Rodrigo played a straight through-ball from the left directly into Tang Ye's path; Tang Ye did not rush to control the ball but instead ran forward alongside it, step by step.

Just as he was about to scan Atlético's penalty area, he found that all the opposing defenders had already taken their positions.

This...

Just as Mr. Ferran said, Atlético's players' discipline was truly exaggerated!

There was absolutely no opportunity to pass!

Unable to find even a single passing lane, Tang Ye switched to stationary ball control mode.

Thiago sprinted rapidly toward Tang Ye!

No rush!

Tang Ye spun around on the spot, then suddenly passed the ball to Gaspar on the right.

Escrivá wanted to say something, but after careful thought, he still could not bring himself to speak.

Tang Ye had once again violated the team's discipline.

But there was no rush.

If Tang Ye's spinning in the first half caused any problems, Escrivá would properly discipline him at halftime!

Gaspar received the ball!

Tang Ye ran between Thiago and Koke, after which Gaspar decisively played a through-ball to Tang Ye.

This was a very classic one-two combination; Tang Ye once again searched for a passing angle.

However, Atlético's reaction was truly fast; just as Tang Ye prepared to dribble toward the baseline to cover some distance, Koke and Hernández moved one behind the other and immediately boxed Tang Ye in.

Trouble!

With two defenders pressing together, Tang Ye knew he had no chance to shield the ball, so he quickly looked to the left.

Good heavens, there was also an Atlético player in Bruno's position.

Tang Ye knocked the ball backward with his heel, intending to pass it to Gaspar behind him, but the two were not on the same wavelength.

By the time Tang Ye made the pass, Gaspar had already run away!

This play resulted in a loss of possession!

"Oh!!"

The away fans suddenly erupted as Koke stepped forward to intercept Tang Ye's pass, then turned and sprinted toward Villarreal's goal.

Damn it!

The situation was not good; Tang Ye quickly chased back, trying to steal the ball from Koke's feet, but Koke ran so fast that Tang Ye was completely helpless.

Slap!

"Koke! He's switching the ball horizontally to the weak side on the right; Villarreal's defensive presence on the right flank is relatively thin!"

"This should be a chance for Atlético!"

"Let's see how Atlético chooses to proceed!"

Bang!

Gameiro headed the ball to Correa!

Correa continued dribbling forward!

This was how Atlético attacked: quick passes, followed by each player advancing forward in turn.

This style of play gave Villarreal a headache because you couldn't guess which player would be the next one to advance with the ball.

"Wow!"

Correa's pass went directly to Griezmann in the center; the French striker from Atlético carried the ball toward the arc in front of Villarreal's penalty area.

"Watch the arc, and watch the wings!"

Escrivá reminded the players on the field, and Musacchio charged up quickly.

Griezmann was a player with relatively comprehensive technical characteristics; he possessed the ability to shoot from long range.

Villarreal could not allow Griezmann any opportunity to take a long-range shot!

Bang!

Musacchio and Griezmann collided with each other.

However, before the collision, Griezmann had already played the pass!

To Koke on the left!

Koke had never stopped running after playing that long pass, which was why he was now able to appear at the left baseline.

Although their style was fierce, it would be a huge mistake to deny Atlético's level of possession and passing based on that alone!

Facing the through-ball from Griezmann, Koke lifted his left leg and immediately delivered a cross!

Gameiro!

Bang!

"Goal!"

"Goal!"

"Gameiro scores!"

"Atlético has broken through Villarreal's defense first!"

The goal-scorer Gameiro quickly ran off the field to celebrate, but Griezmann and Koke stood still, neither of them moving.

Oh?

Tang Ye realized something and looked toward the corner flag on the right flank.

The assistant referee held his flag horizontally.

Wow, offside!

Tang Ye breathed a sigh of relief.

If the opponent scored within the first ten minutes of kickoff, he truly wouldn't know how to continue playing this match.

"Mark your men! The flanks are crucial, very crucial! Watch the flanks!"

Escrivá shouted continuously toward the pitch.

From the sidelines, he saw clearly that Yellow Submarine's overall rhythm had not yet emerged, allowing Atlético Madrid to launch a quick counterattack.

This was something Escrivá was unwilling to accept.

Today was Yellow Submarine's home game!

"Focus your attention!"

Bruno emphasized this once again to his teammates on the field.

The match resumed; goalkeeper Asenjo launched a long kick from inside the penalty area, and Tang Ye moved forward together with Rodri to contest the ball.

After acquiring the 【Anthony Ultimate Spin】 template, Tang Ye's ball sense had improved considerably; he now felt quite confident controlling high balls.

He extended his foot!

Thud!

The ball smashed onto the ground and bounced back up.

Okay, he had misjudged the landing point; he hadn't touched the ball!

But it didn't matter; Tang Ye headed the ball from mid-air back down onto the grass.

He trapped the ball with one touch, unmistakably revealing the aura of a possession-style midfielder!

"I've got it!"

Gabi charged straight at Tang Ye!

Tang Ye reacted quickly, passing the ball to Rodri on the left with one touch, then decisively evading the challenge.

Having moved out of position, Tang Ye shouted, and Rodri immediately laid off a perfect pass for him.

Staggering a few steps, he decided not to use his first move just yet.

He secretly glanced toward the penalty area.

Hmm, this should be an opportunity!

Snap!

Tang Ye kicked the ball into the penalty area.

It was a lofted ball with curve, delivered truly high; the moment it left his foot, it sailed over Thiago's head.

Whoosh!

Having completed his kicking motion, Tang Ye stood still, his eyes fixed intently on the penalty area.

There should be a chance, right?

(End of Chapter)