Chapter 197: Villarreal's Number 10 is Tom!

"This is the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium."

Looking up at the plaque above the player tunnel, Tang Ye knew the match was about to begin.

Today, he had come with two missions once again.

The primary mission: defeat those damn Sevillans.

Then came the second mission.

Upgrade his damn Star Chest to a damn Legendary Chest!

"Beep!"

The referee blew the whistle, and Tang Ye pushed Ale's back to move forward.

"Let's go, let's go!"

Ale kept pace with Bruno's steps while his mind had already started working.

Tom was still in high spirits today!

This was a key point!

Remember this key point, and he could stay one step ahead of other strikers!

Hiss—

Taking a deep breath, he chewed the gum Tom had given him.

Sebastián was ready!

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

"Now I will introduce the starting lineups for both teams, starting with the home side, Sevilla!

Sevilla (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Rico

Defenders: Mariano, Mercado, Rami, Lenglet

Midfielders: Vázquez, Nasri, N'Zonzi, Vitolo

Forwards: Jovetić, Ben Yedder

Just like in the last match, Sevilla had fielded a 4-4-2 formation again today.

Escribá stood on the sideline, looking at Sampaoli, the head coach of neighboring Sevilla.

A smile hung on Sampaoli's face.

The match had only been underway for a few minutes; seeing Sampaoli's smile, Escribá could roughly guess what they were planning.

Alavés's tactics in the Copa del Rey quarter-finals had inspired other La Liga teams; now they wanted to copy—no, to draw inspiration from—Alavés's tactics.

Just as Celta had done three days ago.

However...

Escribá stood with his hands in his pockets, watching Tang Ye on the pitch signaling his teammates for a pass.

Celta's attempt to draw inspiration from those tactics had failed.

Could Sevilla, with their superior overall strength, succeed where Celta had not?

"Hey, this is exactly what we mentioned earlier: against Villarreal, Sevilla has brought out something new."

"Counter-attacks; they are looking for opportunities to counter."

"Recall that when the two teams met in the first half of the league season, Sevilla's possession statistics were clearly superior to Villarreal's, but today that situation has changed slightly."

"To execute a defensive counter-attack, Sevilla must sacrifice their possession rate!"

By the 16th minute of the match, Sevilla's possession rate had already dropped to 40%.

Correspondingly, the Yellow Submarine's possession rate would reach 60%.

Tang Ye, currently off the ball, was running wildly in the attacking third, helping his teammates find passing opportunities while simultaneously seeking open spaces to receive the ball himself.

Tang Ye was a rather special player; his presence tended to cause the Yellow Submarine's possession rate to drop.

But if the team's possession rate was high, Tang Ye was actually the one playing most comfortably.

Escribá had discovered this issue long ago, which was precisely why he wasn't afraid of other La Liga teams using Alavés's tactics to counter the Yellow Submarine.

Everyone assumed that defensive counter-attacking was a tactic that would one hundred percent counter the Yellow Submarine.

But in reality, a one-hundred-percent counter simply did not exist!

"To the left!"

Urged on by Tang Ye, Bruno's through-ball went to Sansone on the left flank.

OK!

The teammate on the left had controlled the ball and was compressing the defensive line, so Tang Ye naturally ran toward the top of the penalty arc.

However, N'Zonzi quickly marked Tang Ye.

"As Tang Ye's reputation in La Liga gradually grows, the targeted marking he faces has also increased..."

"Yes, after the winter transfer window closed, Tang Ye's offensive efficiency declined somewhat; this is because he began encountering more targeted marking in the second half of the league season."

"Not quite at the level of treatment Messi receives..."

Just as Zhan Jun was speaking, Vitolo ran over again.

Now it was both N'Zonzi and Vitolo marking Tang Ye tightly.

"Well, it truly is Messi-level treatment..."

With N'Zonzi standing on his right, Tang Ye glanced back.

There was Vitolo again.

Damn it!

Tang Ye now only wished he weighed 100 kilograms so he could knock both defenders marking him flying.

But unfortunately, Tang Ye did not have that weight.

Run fast!

An ordinary player might not abandon the excellent position at the top of the arc, but Tang Ye absolutely would.

He slipped away directly!

Run to the space behind Sansone!

En Zongqi did not give up and continued chasing Tang Ye.

Quick-eyed and fast-handed, Rodri hurried over to occupy Tang Ye's position.

Others did not know how his value had suddenly surged from 500,000 euros to 8 million euros.

But Rodri himself knew!

That 7.5 million euro difference in value was earned stitch by stitch by Rodri using needle and thread to mend Tang Ye's jersey!

It was all hard-earned money!

Seeing Rodri in the position at the top of the arc, Sansone began his move.

A direct inverted triangle pass!

Tang Ye was running in a straight line toward Sansone, so Sansone's low inverted triangle pass naturally rolled toward him.

Glancing at En Zongqi on his right who was using his arm to block his position, Tang Ye extended his left foot.

Pretending to control the ball.

But actually jumping up suddenly!

The ball rolled under Tang Ye's body, and En Zongqi's panicked expression made Tang Ye burst into laughter.

He let the ball slip through to Rodri!

Tang Ye wanted to help Rodri observe the situation in the penalty area, but alas, their positioning was too far apart.

Tang Ye could not see clearly what was in front of Rodri, so now it could only depend on Rodri himself!

Slap!

A pass sent the ball to Bakambu cutting in from the right wing.

Bakambu controlled the ball at his feet, then unleashed a powerful shot that smashed it straight into the top netting.

"This one's in!"

"Beautiful! Bakambu!"

The two CCTV commentators in the broadcast booth shouted.

Without bias, Bakambu's choice to shoot into the top net was truly very clever!

Tang Ye laughed loudly at En Zongqi, then ran toward Bakambu's location.

【Attacks +1】

【Offensive Opportunities Created: 4/18】

Although Tang Ye's system had many bugs, it was quite spirited at critical moments.

During this counterattack, Tang Ye's body never touched the ball at all, but simply because of that let-it-slip moment, the system considered that he had helped the team create an offensive opportunity.

And indeed, that was the case.

If Tang Ye had not let that ball slip, Bakambu's final shot would not have been possible.

"Vamos!"

After scoring, Bakambu was extremely arrogant, making a 1:0 gesture toward the stands.

"Xuuuu——!!!"

"Xuuuu——!!!"

The home fans in the stands were clearly displeased by Bakambu's antics; the entire Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium was filled with boos from the home supporters.

Coincidentally, Tang Ye was right beside Bakambu, so he lowered his head and whispered, "Cedric, shouldn't you be a bit more careful?"

Bakambu placed his hand on Tang Ye's shoulder: "What are you afraid of?"

"I'm not afraid, it's just that the pressure is a bit much like this."

"It's fine, it's fine, you'll get used to it."

Bakambu patted Tang Ye's shoulder; the latter, looking at the home fans on the stands flipping the bird in his direction, also wanted to make the "1:0" gesture.

Tang Ye wanted to imitate Bakambu's move to boost his own courage, but in the end, he did not do it.

Better to unlock his Legendary Chest first before worrying about other things!

The camera cut to Sevilla's head coach Sampaoli on the sidelines.

After falling behind by one goal, Sampaoli's expression was not good.

Worth mentioning is that fans in the live stream noticed Escrivá watching Sampaoli from afar with a bizarre smile.

What kind of expression was that exactly!

【What the hell is Escrivá's expression?】

【Good lord, has Saint Escrivá started mocking the opposing head coach already?】

【The gap between coaches.】

【In the end, it's just that Tang Tang Qiuwang is too overpowered.】

【I feel Tang Ye's skills have improved rapidly recently; his ball control is much steadier, but why does he still insist on one-touch passes?】

【If he didn't play one-touch, he wouldn't be the Meng-ge I know.】

Time reached the 38th minute of the first half!

Tang Ye was walking in the frontcourt, observing.

Just now, the ball from the backfield hadn't been passed over yet.

He quickly seized the moment to glance at his system.

【Times Creating Attacking Opportunities: 8/18】

OK, very promising!

Tang Ye was already feeling that sensation now.

The Legendary Chest was right before his eyes!

Noticing Musacchio's intention to carry the ball forward under pressure, Tang Ye actively dropped back to prepare for a receive.

Slap!

Musacchio's pass came through!

Tang Ye had originally intended to take the ball, but spotting Rodrigo on the ball's rolling trajectory, he decisively let Rodrigo control it instead.

He would run forward first!

After planting his standing foot, Rodrigo twisted his body, displaying his excellent core strength.

He passed the ball forward to Ale!

Ale then fed it to Tang Ye!

Perfect!

Facing the ball returned by Ale, Tang Ye turned his right foot sideways and used the inside of his foot to knock it straight back.

Sending it right back to Ale!

【Times Creating Attacking Opportunities: 9/18】

Inside the penalty area, Ale took possession!

"Oh!"

The fans' shrieks rang out; at that very moment, Ale completed a quick turn.

Shooting directly!

Bang!

Inside the box, Mercado swiftly dropped to the ground, successfully blocking Ale's driven shot.

The ball flew to Tang Ye's feet.

Oh?

Tang Ye's eyes lit up; he charged forward and struck it directly!

Bang!

OK, the ball flew straight into the stands.

One shot sent directly into the arms of a spectator in the stands.

"My bad, my bad."

Rubbing his nose, Tang Ye felt a tiny bit awkward.

【Tang~~Ye. Wanted to↑show off, yet chose to shoot directly! Kicked the ball~out of sight~out of mind~~】

On the sidelines, Escrivá waved his hand.

As time reached stoppage time in the first half, Tang Ye delivered a 45-degree cross to the far post inside the penalty area.

Sevilla's defense was quite solid; Yellow Submarine's attack this time failed to materialize.

Nevertheless, Tang Ye still managed to rack up his attacking statistics.

【Times Creating Attacking Opportunities: 10/18】

"Beep——!!!"

Just then, the first half ended, freezing Tang Ye's chance-creation count for the half at ten times.

This was a very joyful matter!

The moment Tang Ye's Legendary Chest upgrade task began coincided precisely with when Escrivá made tactical adjustments.

Large-scale tactical adjustments had resulted in Tang Ye receiving few opportunities in his recent matches.

He remembered this should be the match where he created the most chances in a single half recently!

Today's opportunities were the greatest!

"It's fine, just keep trying."

Escrivá pushed Tang Ye's back as they walked toward the player tunnel.

He knew Tang Ye loved shooting, so he assumed Tang Ye would harbor resentment over that recent airball.

However, contrary to Escrivá's expectations, Tang Ye's current state was actually quite good.

"Come on, come on!"

Villarreal's super number 10 was encouraging his little brother Rodrigo.

He intended to lead Rodri in creating even more attacking opportunities in the second half!

Halftime, home team locker room. Having conceded the first goal at home to Yellow Submarine was a fact Sampaoli was unwilling to accept.

"We need to find some opportunities; their number 10 is making us very uncomfortable to play against."

Standing beside the tactical board, Sampaoli slowly addressed the players in the locker room.

Because of Tang Ye's presence, Sevilla's defenders now dared not venture out from inside the penalty area.

They were afraid!

Afraid that the moment they stepped out of the box, Super Tom's super pass would fly straight into the penalty area.

And then the goal would suffer disaster!

The Sevilla players spent the entire first half in a state of anxiety; they were living in dire straits!

"We need to arrange for more personnel."

Sampaoli scanned the players in the locker room: "Do you remember the match we played against Barcelona last week?"

The players in the locker room looked at each other, then all nodded.

"Barcelona also has a number 10; do you remember how we defended against that number 10 back then? Now I need you to bring out that same defense to deal with the number 10 on the opposing side today."

After hearing Sampaoli's tactics, the Sevilla players in the locker room were already getting restless.

!

"But, but..."

En stood up: "Barcelona's number 10 is Messi!"

Sampaoli walked over to En.

"But... Villarreal's number 10 is Tom!"

!!!

Walking into the player tunnel, Tang Ye and Ale fist-bumped to boost morale.

Chewing gum and shaking his leg to the melody of "Exaggerated" echoing in his mind, Tang Ye accidentally discovered that En, the number 10 next door, was sizing him up from head to toe.

Hiss—

It feels like this En harbors ill intentions...

Tang Ye hesitated for a moment, but ultimately reached out his hand.

En felt the atmosphere was a bit awkward, but Tang Ye did not think so.

Because of this handshake, his previous prejudice against En vanished completely.

"Welcome back, dear audience friends!"

"The second half has begun!"

In the second half, Sevilla made no moves, while Yellow Submarine was the first to make a substitution adjustment.

Dos Santos replaced captain Bruno.

During the first half, Bruno suffered a tackle and interception from an opposing defender; it was only at halftime that he informed Escrivá of discomfort in his ankle.

Therefore, this substitution was a protective measure.

However, it didn't matter; although he lacked Bruno's ability to command the scene, Dos Santos's passing ability was still very good!

"Que un 14 de octubre nació una ilusión (A miracle was born on October 14th)"

"Su madre fue Sevilla y le prestó su nombre~ (His mother was Sevilla, and she lent him her name)"

"Y para defenderlo le dio a una afición (And to defend him, she gave him a fanbase)"

"Ejemplo de Sevilla mía (My example, my Sevilla)"

"..."

The stadium anthem of Sevilla rang out; with the team trailing, the home fans were clearly anxious.

Taking two steps on the pitch, Tang Ye took a moment to listen to the opposing team's anthem.

To be honest, Sevilla's anthem was quite pleasant; both the melody and the lyrics were excellent.

Soon spotting an opportunity, Tang Ye started running; his mind was filled entirely with the positions of both teams' players he had just memorized, and Sevilla's anthem was completely rejected by his ears.

Pointing to the left flank!

Yellow Submarine's midfield and defensive players executed a series of combinations.

Jovetić and Ben Yedder were pressing forward.

They had even called upon Nasri and Vitolo!

This was a test for Yellow Submarine's backfield; how would they manage to play the ball out!

Rodri ran to an open space ahead, turned around, and reached out to his teammates.

His current position was actually quite dangerous, but out of trust in Rodri, Asenjo still chose to pass.

To Rodri!

Rodri controlled the ball, using his shoulder to bump Nasri behind him!

Turning and running forward!

!!!

Excellent, Rodri!

Tang Ye was very excited now; after making preparations, he ran straight out to the left flank.

This was highly likely to be an opportunity!

"Quick, quick!"

"To the forward position!"

"Receive it, receive it!"

Escrivá instructed Ale to drop back and support Rodri.

This was a very good way to handle the ball.

Rodri blasted the ball toward the front court; Ale controlled it, turning his back to Sevilla's goal to prevent Mercado from stealing the ball.

"Here!"

Waiting less than two seconds, a call for the ball came from the right side, which was the left flank.

That was Tom's voice!

Get the ball over there quickly!

Correct!

Tom did not want others to pass the ball directly to him.

What Tom liked was a through ball!

He observed briefly, then gently pushed out a through ball!

"Move forward!"

Tang Ye shouted, and Aleix immediately ran into the penalty area.

Tang Ye accelerated, reached the ball's position, and passed it to Sansone, who was coming forward to support.

Seeing the empty left side of the penalty area, Tang Ye really wanted to swap positions with Sansone and run into the box himself.

However, since Tang Ye had originally run from the center and his sprinting stamina was only average, he could no longer maintain sufficient speed.

After making the pass, he stopped to rest for a moment, slowly drifting toward the center.

How about it, Nicola!

I'll give you a chance to show your own skills first!

Sansone shuffled back and forth near the left baseline, performing step-overs as he moved toward the penalty area, looking as if he intended to dribble past his defender.

In reality, during the intervals between his step-overs, Sansone was constantly searching for Tang Ye's position.

Standing between Sansone and Tang Ye was Vázquez.

But that didn't matter.

Rodri was already in position!

Pass to Rodri first!

OK!

Seeing Rodri receive the ball, Tang Ye immediately pointed to the spot outside the arc, signaling Rodri to pass the ball in front of him.

Rodri knew what Tang Ye was thinking and played a through ball out.

Tang Ye ran forward.

Observe the penalty area!

Aim for the dead angle at the top right of the goal!

Snap!

【De Bruyne Long-Range Curved Shot Lv5: Replication】

Proficiency: 0

The ball lifted off the ground from a standstill, tracing an arc that grew smaller as it flew toward the far corner.

"Oh!"

Sampaoli clutched his head in his hands.

At that moment, a loud "clang" rang out, and the goal in the camera frame shook.

Tom's shot had hit the crossbar!

Rami, quick-eyed and fast-handed, kicked the ball out for a corner.

"Damn it..."

Biting down hard on the gum in his mouth with his left molars, Tang Ye felt terrible inside.

However, it wasn't all bad news.

【Times Creating Attacking Opportunities: 12/18】

A shot that hits directly within the frame of the goal counts as creating an attacking opportunity!

One step closer!

The 72nd minute!

"Sevilla has made two consecutive substitutions, one midfielder and one forward."

"Correct, Sevilla must make substitutions now; they are trailing by one goal, and Sampaoli needs to figure something out."

The camera cut to Sampaoli, the Sevilla head coach, with his arms crossed over his chest.

The fans in the live broadcast were watching him, while he was watching Tang Ye, who was panting heavily on the pitch.

Messi has already...

Oh, sorry.

Tom is completely out of stamina!

Facts proved that their multi-man marking had achieved excellent results!

With his right hand on Sarabia's shoulder, his left hand kept pointing at the players of both teams on the field.

"Once you get on the field, you can push the attacking line forward."

"Go for it!"

On the pitch, Tang Ye was gasping for air in great gulps.

【Times Creating Attacking Opportunities: 16/18】

His heart pounded faster and faster; Tang Ye's demand for oxygen grew greater and greater.

People do not pant only when they are tired.

They can also pant when excited or frightened.

Of course, the one who was excited now was Tom.

Then the one who should be frightened was Tom's opponent!

"Villarreal!"

Boom! Boom!

"Villarreal!"

Bang! Bang!

The away stand held fewer than 3,000 fans, yet their roar remained deafening.

"..."

"Gaspar! Beautiful!"

"Gaspar and Dos Santos executed a wonderfully clever one-two pass!"

"Sevilla's press has failed again!"

Sevilla's front-court pressing ability was actually not weak, but Yellow Submarine's capability to cope with the press was even stronger, so they truly had no other choice.

Yellow Submarine launched their counter-attack swiftly; Dos Santos, carrying the ball forward, observed as he ran.

Coincidentally, the Yellow Submarine bench was right beside him.

Listen to what Escrivá is saying.

"Tomtomtomtomtomtom!!"

"Totototototommmm"

Damn!

Dos Santos nearly choked on his own saliva.

Adjust quickly!

Ready to pass!

He passed the ball to Tang Ye, who was lurking sneakily on the right wing.

After receiving the ball, Tang Ye remained extremely calm; this was because his current position allowed him to see the situation of every player on the entire pitch.

Analyze quickly.

First, pass the ball to Bakambu, who dropped back to support.

Run forward himself!

Bang!

Bakambu steadily delivered a through pass.

Lenglet was sticking tightly to Tang Ye's right side, refusing to let go.

A bit tricky to handle.

However, Tang Ye had his own way of dealing with it.

Snap!

【De Bruyne 45-Degree Cross Lv4: Realistic】

Proficiency: 144.5/500

【De Bruyne Bottom-Line Cross Lv3: Simulated】

Proficiency: 68.5/500

A familiar feeling!

Ggbond's 22.5-degree cross!

Sent into the penalty area!

Aleix tried to control the ball with his chest but was shoved aside by Rami.

Fortunately, there was still Sansone at the far post!

Sansone stretched out his foot!

The ball stopped!

He pushed it directly toward the far corner!

"Gggggg—oooooo—llllllll!!!!!"

"Goal!"

"Goal!"

"Beautiful! Tang Ye's diagonal pass was rock solid!"

"It was practically smashed right at Sansone's feet!"

Tang Ye ran out with his teammates to celebrate together.

【You have obtained 10 Counterattack Points】

【Times Creating Offensive Opportunities: 17/18】

Good news came one after another; after Tang Ye and Aleix finished shouting "Vamos," they took a moment to check the current time.

78'21''

A brilliant smile hung on Tang Ye's face.

Legendary Chest!

Secured!

(End of Chapter)