Chapter 187: Alavés's Targeted Defensive Counterattack Leaves Coach Escribá with a Splitting Headache!

"What are you doing!"

Asenjo roared at Musacchio: "Why did you give up your position!"

The Villarreal goalkeeper was furious at Musacchio's actions.

Just now, Asenjo had already positioned himself perfectly; if Davinson had pushed the ball toward the near post, there was a high probability he could have saved it.

But because of Musacchio's defensive error in marking, Davinson pushed the ball toward the far corner, completely blowing up Asenjo's defensive plan.

"I wanted to face him directly."

Musacchio felt somewhat awkward; he no longer knew how to comfort the furious Asenjo.

"Focus!"

Escribá pointed at his own temple, urging the players on the field to remind each other.

Although Alavés was never expected to be an easy opponent in theory, today their performance was truly exaggerated.

Conceding a goal before the 20-minute mark put a bit of pressure on head coach Escribá.

"Pay attention during attacks! If you lose possession, get back to defend immediately—don't let them find one-on-one opportunities!"

After pulling Rodrigo aside for some simple reminders, Escribá went on to encourage the rest of the players.

In a two-legged tie, if you lose the first leg at home, Villarreal would be dangerously close to elimination.

"Phew..."

Rolling the chewing gum to both sides of his teeth with his tongue, Tang Ye let out a long sigh.

It was somewhat helpless.

He checked his current progress.

【Creating Attacking Opportunities: 2/18】

Villarreal's offense had barely functioned in this match, so it was no wonder Tang Ye's statistics were so mediocre.

"Come on, come on!"

"Tom, go for it!"

"Forward, Villarreal!"

The home fans offered words of encouragement while the ready Villarreal players urged the opponents to kick off.

"Damn, let me check the betting odds first."

"No rush, no rush; Villarreal's odds are still quite solid right now, let's wait a bit."

"Tang Tang Qiuwang is a slow-starting player; just because Villarreal can't find chances now doesn't mean they won't find them later."

"You can place a bet on a draw now, or if you trust Tang Ye enough, you could even bet on a home win."

【The streamer is trying to scam money again.】

【Tang Tang Qiuwang's era is over; now it belongs to Messi and Ronaldo.】

【Facts prove the true Ball King has aged; the era belongs to Messi and Ronaldo.】

【This Alavés full-back is quite impressive—Theo Hernández, only worth a few million euros; isn't Villarreal planning to sign him?】

【Sign players? Before saving enough money to buy out Tang Ye, Villarreal will absolutely not make any signings.】

By the 38th minute of the first half, Tang Ye had already created five chances.

But it was useless; Bakambu was having an off day today, wasting two consecutive crossing opportunities, which made Tang Ye somewhat anxious.

On the field, Villarreal held a slight advantage, and the cheers from the stands further amplified that advantage.

But the fact remained: Alavés was currently the side leading!

"Go, go!"

"Left! Left! Check the left side!"

Escribá was roaring; Rodrigo was just about to follow the coach's orders and pass the ball to Sansone on the left wing when Tang Ye on the right wing reached out demanding the ball.

This...

Rodrigo was Tang Ye's subordinate, while Tang Ye was a key player under Escribá.

The vassal of my vassal is not my vassal.

When both Escribá and Tang Ye gave commands simultaneously...

Compared to the coach, Rodrigo should listen to his big brother!

Having made his choice, Rodrigo sent a through pass to the right wing following Tang Ye's instruction.

"Damn it!"

Escribá waved his hand dismissively, then slowly walked back toward his seat on the bench.

"What's wrong?"

Martí looked up and asked.

Sitting down on the chair, Escribá said, "I feel like I was shouting loudly enough, yet Rodrigo just didn't hear me. Martí, did you hear what I shouted just now?"

Martí shook his head: "I heard a little, but not very clearly."

"No wonder..."

Escribá sighed.

Damn it!

He should have shouted even louder just now!

If he had shouted louder, Rodrigo would have made the correct choice!

Tang Ye ran forward, passed the ball to Bakambu ahead, then cut inside toward the center.

Slap!

Bakambu quickly passed the ball from Tang Ye back to him.

Perfect coordination, from Tom and his good friend!

Slap!

【De Bruyne Far-Corner Curling Shot Lv5: Replication】

Proficiency: 0

The position is very far.

However, Tang Ye was merely using the footwork of a far-corner curling shot to deliver a pass to a teammate.

Sending it toward the back post of the penalty area!

Using the power of a shot to deliver a cross; with the ball moving so fast, the opposing defenders find it very difficult to react.

Can the teammate react in time?

That question depends on Tang Ye's teammate.

All Tang Ye can do is try his best to deliver the ball to what he considers the appropriate position.

"The cross was struck very quickly!"

"Inside the penalty area!"

"It's delivered to the back post!"

"Allé!"

At the back post, Allé surged forward.

Tang Ye's pass was aimed toward the left goalpost, which meant that if Allé wanted to meet it with a header, he would have to run to a relatively advanced position.

Relatively advanced.

Even close to the byline!

Hmm, now is about right!

Jump up!

Tighten the core, hold firm against the opposing defender's physical challenge.

Header!

Boom!

Allé's header smashed onto the ground, bounced out, and then rolled into the net.

"Goooooooollllll!!!"

"Goal scored!"

"Holy crap, perfect!"

"Tang Ye's assist!"

"That pass was delivered extremely, extremely fast, yet Allé managed to seize this opportunity!"

"Hmm..."

Sitting in the esports chair and pondering for a while, Wang Chao felt that what he had just said was not entirely rigorous.

"Actually, it was mainly Tang Ye's pass; Allé played a secondary role, but Allé was also crucial."

"Two attackers from the Eredivisie have directly dominated the Copa del Rey quarter-finals, which consist entirely of La Liga teams!"

In the backfield, Tang Ye stood motionless, pointing his index finger toward Allé's position inside the penalty area.

At this moment, Rodri and Bruno ran up from behind, one on the left and one on the right, wrapping their arms directly around Tang Ye's neck.

"Vamos!!!"

【You have obtained Counterattack Points *10】

【Create Scoring Opportunity +1 (Excellent Scoring Opportunity)】

【Create Scoring Opportunity: 6/18】

The first half was nearly over, yet Tang Ye's mission progress had only reached one-third.

It was somewhat regrettable.

But it didn't matter; at least they had equalized the trailing score.

What Tang Ye needed to do now was celebrate!

"Wow!"

After celebrating, Escrivá sat back down in his chair: "Luckily my voice wasn't loud just now, otherwise I would have missed this goal."

"So what did you shout just now?"

Martí turned his head and asked.

Looking at Martí's expectant eyes, Escrivá took a deep breath.

"I just told Rod to pass the ball directly in front of Tom, then for Tom to cut inside to the byline; I didn't expect him to coordinate with Cédric and deliver a cross instead."

Martí nodded: "Hmm, no need to be sad. Having Tom cut inside to the byline was, I think, the best choice anyway; as long as we don't pass to the left flank, it's fine. Tom's crosses from the byline are also very formidable."

"Eh."

Escrivá waved his hand: "If it had been a cross from the byline, you wouldn't have seen such a spectacular assist."

Escrivá moved both hands through the air, recreating Tang Ye's pass just now for Martí.

It was indeed a pass, but the way Tang Ye struck it always gave people the feeling that he was about to shoot directly.

One could only say that Tom was truly too considerate.

Only his friends could reach his passes.

Others were not allowed!

Tom would not let bad guys touch the ball!

Check Dongqiu Di Halftime Report: Villarreal drew 1-1 at home against Alavés; Tang Ye delivered a violent pass, Allé rushed to the spot to equalize the score.

"Go, Tom!"

"Tom!"

Yellow Submarine fans on both sides of the player tunnel reached down, wanting to high-five the stars within the Yellow Submarine team.

Bruno and Ale felt nothing about this, but Tang Ye was very interested; he raised his hand and high-fived the fans in the stands on the right one by one.

The stands rose higher and higher, so after walking just a few steps, Tang Ye could no longer reach the hands of the fans above.

Just then, the person waiting for Tang Ye's high-five was a little boy held by his father; the little guy's eyes, fixed on Tang Ye, were full of anticipation.

The father prepared to walk down the steps.

"It's fine, it's fine, you don't need to move... (Chinese)"

"Ahem!"

Realizing he had used the wrong language, Tang Ye quickly adjusted.

"It's fine, you don't need to move."

The father, holding the child, stood still; at that moment, Tang Ye jumped straight up.

Slap!

A perfect high-five!

"Haha!"

Landing back on the ground, Tang Ye gave the little boy a thumbs-up gesture; the latter's face was covered in smiles.

"No need to thank me!"

"Haha!"

Returning to the locker room last, Tang Ye skillfully kicked the door shut with his foot.

After confirming that all starting players were present, Escribá immediately began his analysis.

The first half ended in a 1-1 draw, which was both predictable and acceptable for the Yellow Submarine.

But beyond the scoreline, Escribá also hoped the players would see other problems that had emerged in this match.

Tang Ye was now feeling a bit nervous.

Because according to the training routine, he was about to be questioned by Escribá.

Hiss—

What exactly in the first-half match was worth analyzing...

Think faster!

Think faster!

Tang Ye was under great pressure, but in the end, Escribá did not ask anyone any questions.

Only then did Tang Ye remember that matches and training were not the same.

During training, the team had enough time to slowly analyze problems.

But in official matches, halftime is only 15 minutes; to save time, Escribá would choose to say everything he had thought about during the first half.

"Counterattacks!"

"Counterattacks!"

"This is what we need to pay attention to!"

"In November's La Liga match, we also played against Alavés, and they also played counterattacks back then, but now it's different. Their counterattacks have become stronger!"

"In the front field, be careful not to lose possession... Eh, forget it! I won't talk about possession anymore; the main thing is to stay focused. If you lose possession in the front field, you must retreat as quickly as possible!"

"Retreat to protect; this is very important!"

Tang Ye suddenly spoke up: "What about possession then?"

"This..."

Escribá turned around, facing Tang Ye with his body: "Of course, controlling it is best, but I don't want you to be afraid to pass because of possession."

"Oh, sorry, I mean I don't want you to be afraid to pass because of possession. Hmm, that's about it."

"Come on!"

"It's the quarter-finals; one more step forward is the semi-finals!"

Escribá's speech served to boost morale; Tang Ye precisely spat the chewing gum he hadn't finished chewing in the first half into the trash bin ahead.

Charge for the semi-finals.

Let's do it!

!

"The second half has begun!"

"Come back quickly, come back quickly!"

The second half had started for half a minute, yet the number of online viewers in the live stream still had not reached the peak seen just when the first half ended.

Right now, many fans were so engrossed reading the comment section on Dongqiu Di that they had already forgotten halftime had long passed.

"I already told you guys, you can leave the live stream running during halftime."

"It's fine, it's fine; missing half a minute isn't much. Let's see how Saint Escribá plans to operate next."

"A draw at home is definitely not acceptable."

"This is the Yellow Submarine we're talking about!"

It had nothing to do with money; Wang Chao just wanted to see Tang Ye win the match.

He truly wanted to see Tang Ye win the match!

The 67th minute!

Immediately after Huang Huang Qian lost the ball in the attacking third, Alavés seized the opportunity.

It must be said that these Alavés forwards are truly capable runners.

On the way back to defend, Tang Ye panted heavily.

Damn it, if only he had the ferocious stamina of Gómez and Davinson!

Slap!

Femeña launched a long pass from the defensive third directly to Mendes.

Mendes was also the type of player who loved to show off; after leaping on the wing, he executed a fancy trap.

Say what you will, Mendes' trap on that ball was indeed quite skilled.

Slap!

Passed to Llorente in the center!

Llorente, who had been sprinting forward, stopped dead upon receiving the ball and decisively passed ahead to Camarasa.

Facing Ruiz's pressing charge, Camarasa decisively fed the ball to Gómez on the left.

Gómez took possession again and drove toward the byline!

A lightning-fast switch from the right flank to the left!

This was exactly why Alavés had suddenly become so strong.

They transferred possession from defense to attack with incredible speed.

Moreover, their speed in shifting from the strong side of the attack (where defenders were numerous) to the weak side (where defenders were scarce) was also extremely fast.

The Alavés players ran fast; they could exploit the time lag against Huang Huang Qian!

Take Gómez, for instance; he had barely received the ball for any amount of time before this damn guy was already nearly at the byline!

The tactics devised by head coach Pellegrino were truly perfectly suited for these players!

Reaching the byline!

A left-footed cross!

Slap!

Sent straight into the penalty area!

In the central penalty area, Davinson suddenly surged in to control the ball.

Asenjo had already prepared his save motion, but Davinson chose not to shoot; instead, he flicked the ball back to Camarasa behind him.

Camarasa controlled the ball!

"Get up!"

Asenjo shouted loudly, but it was already too late.

One step to adjust!

Camarasa!

A direct volley shot!

"Holy crap!"

Wang Chao shot up from his chair abruptly.

Camarasa's volley flew past Asenjo.

Goal!

"Damn!"

"Bang bang bang bang bang!"

The familiar program had arrived; Wang Chao grabbed the mechanical keyboard he had bought just two weeks ago, clenched it tightly, and smashed it directly onto the table.

The keycaps flew off, striking the floor with a "pat pat pat" sound.

It felt satisfying, sure, but this failed to vent all of Wang Chao's current fury.

After the score had been equalized, Alavés had scored again!

"Damn!"

【We're doomed, brothers!】

【... Invincible; luckily I bought both legs together, so as long as Huang Huang Qian advances, I'll profit.】

【Pellegrini is a bit fierce; this counter-attack tactic he designed has essentially strangled Huang Huang Qian to death.】

【Huang Huang Qian tends to lose possession in the attacking third, and Alavés strikes directly on the counter; why do I feel like the opponent's tactic was specifically designed to target my Tang Tang Qiuwang?】

【Tang~~Ye, pass the ball to the opponent, lose↑possession. Opponent↑counter-attack goal, Huang Huang Qian eliminated.】

【Wasn't it Tang Ye who lost possession during that attacking sequence just now? I'm truly fed up with you haters.】

Camarasa's goal completely disrupted Huang Huang Qian's rhythm.

At this point, Escribá finally understood.

After the Copa del Rey quarterfinal roster was released a week ago, Alavés had specifically studied Huang Huang Qian.

At that time, Huang Huang Qian was still painstakingly focusing on their match against Deportivo La Coruña, unaware that their next opponent had already thoroughly analyzed them.

A single defensive counter-attack move had directly choked Huang Huang Qian by the neck!

"It's fine, it's fine, we can still win, we can still win!"

Bruno encouraged his teammates on the field, giving Tang Ye's arm a pat along the way: "Come on, Tom!"

The current situation was not favorable for Huang Huang Qian; Tang Ye could see this clearly, so he dared not be negligent, immediately joining Bruno at the sideline to listen to Escribá explain the upcoming tactics.

Escribá's initial plan had been to have the team maintain their first-half attacking momentum, but Alavés' defensive counter-attack tactic was giving him a massive headache.

Changes had to be made.

For the remainder of the match, Escribá instructed Tang Ye that unless he encountered a particularly good opportunity, he should temporarily refrain from passing.

"This..."

Tang Ye pressed his lips together, the chewing gum in his mouth remaining unchewed for a long time.

"It's fine, Tom; today's opponent is rather special."

The celebration on the opposite side had already ended, and Escrivá pushed Tang Ye back onto the pitch.

The match resumed!

Tang Ye habitually wanted to check his mission progress, but upon remembering that his team was still trailing, he decided to put the upgrade mission for his treasure chest on hold for now.

The match at hand was what mattered most!

"Villarreal!"

"Villarreal!"

After adjusting their mindset, the Yellow Submarine fans in the stands slowly regained their momentum.

In the next few minutes, Villarreal's number of attacks decreased slightly, but correspondingly, Alavés also had fewer opportunities to defend.

This was actually Escrivá's mistake.

In fact, he should have switched to this tactic as soon as the score reached 1:1.

The current situation was that Villarreal and Alavés were stalling, yet Alavés was the side leading in the score.

What should be done now?

Should they let Tom create opportunities?

Because they feared the opponent's quick counterattacks, Tang Ye's passing was now constrained!

The 77th minute of the match!

The fans in the home stands suddenly let out screams.

After pulling the ball and turning, Tang Ye's layoff helped Villarreal find a very good attacking opportunity!

It was a long-overdue attacking chance; Sansone carried the ball toward the penalty area with great caution.

Femenía followed Sansone, looking for an opportunity to stretch out his foot and tackle.

But Sansone was extremely, extremely cautious; his excellent ball-shielding ability helped him keep the ball firmly under his control.

Costa ran from behind to get behind Sansone, wanting to receive a pass back from Sansone and then deliver a high cross.

But Llorente quickly ran over, positioning himself directly between Costa and Sansone.

Good heavens, Pellegrino had clearly conducted specialized research on Villarreal's attacking methods!

A perfect crossing position was spotted and cut off directly by Llorente!

There was no other way; Sansone was neither Messi nor Hazard, so relying on individual ability to charge straight into the penalty area at this moment was definitely not feasible.

The only option was to play a cutback pass to Bruno at the top of the arc.

After receiving the ball, Bruno did not rush; he first glanced at the position to his right.

Tom was also locked down by the Alavés defenders!

There was no other way.

Steeling himself, Bruno adjusted and fired a long-range shot directly!

Bang!

That was an airplane shot!

An airplane shot that flew over the crossbar and straight into the stands!

"Ah!"

Bruno covered his face with both hands.

Damn!

That shot was such a pity!

The Villarreal captain had missed the opportunity to equalize the score!

On the sidelines, Escrivá made the exact same move as Bruno, covering his face with both hands.

However, to be honest, there was truly nothing that could be done in this situation.

Turning to glance at the score displayed on the large screen at the very top of the stadium, Escrivá quickly made his substitutions.

Soriano replaced Rodri!

Cheryshev replaced Bakambu!

Bringing on a new striker and a new midfielder indicated that Escrivá still harbored a bit of ambition!

"Tom!"

Cheryshev, who had just come onto the field, handed Tang Ye a slip of paper.

【Strengthen attacks on the left flank】

After Cheryshev came on, Sansone, who had originally been playing on the left, was switched to the right flank, leaving the left flank position open for Cheryshev.

The meaning of Escrivá's note was for Tang Ye to pass the ball to Cheryshev more often.

His stamina was relatively abundant!

Tang Ye unfolded the paper, spat his chewing gum into it, then crumpled the small paper ball and put it into his pocket.

Including stoppage time, there should be just over ten minutes remaining.

Time was short, but there was still a chance to seize it!

"It's the 87th minute!"

"Villarreal!"

"Counterattack!"

As Tang Ye's most senior fan, Wang Chao and the Bean Warriors in the live stream could be said to be the group most hoping for the team to win.

Perhaps these are the real fans!

"Here, here!"

As match time drew near, the Yellow Submarine players on the field inevitably grew anxious; after moving to the left flank, Tang Ye quickly called for the ball from Costa.

Slap!

A through-ball was played; Tang Ye immediately shifted his position to let the ball roll naturally to his feet.

With no suitable passing options nearby, he had to secure this first touch!

Running while scanning the penalty area!

Being on the left flank allowed Tang Ye to simultaneously see the positioning of over fifty percent of the attacking players.

Not a good opportunity yet!

Dribble a few more steps!

Cheryshev, Ale, Sansone, and captain Bruno, who had pushed up to pose as a striker.

Hmm, now should be a decent moment!

Before Femenía could fully close him down, Tang Ye delivered a cross.

【De Bruyne 45-Degree Cross Lv4: Deceptive】

Proficiency: 129/500

The ball went straight to the spot just above the penalty mark.

Ale charged into the box!

Boom!

In the camera frame, Ale's header flew straight over the crossbar.

The contact point was too high.

Another airplane!

This was the Yellow Submarine's best chance of the second half!

Ale had been solid throughout the season, but he was no god; he couldn't be expected to convert every single opportunity!

Would the Yellow Submarine create more chances?

Check the time!

It was already the 89th minute; with few fouls in this match, stoppage time would not exceed three minutes.

It's over!

Escrivá sat back on the substitutes' bench, dejected.

To be honest, for today's defeat, at least more than half the responsibility lay with him.

Because Alavés had won against the Yellow Submarine purely through tactics!

A bit of regret.

Should have started preparing for the quarter-finals earlier!

(End of chapter)