Chapter 203: Tang Ye's Bottom Line: Eating Lu Lu Dige Solo, Roma's Counterattack!

"Watch your side!"

"You can pass, you can pass now!"

Leading by one goal did not allow Escrivá to relax; he continued directing the players on the field.

Of course, Escrivá's role was primarily to offer reminders.

How exactly to execute still depended on the players on the field!

Focus your attention on Tang Ye.

Escrivá made his judgment quickly.

Currently, Tom's condition was quite good.

Then the logic was clear: there would be no major issues in this match for the time being!

In the 20th minute of the match, the live broadcast displayed the possession statistics for both teams.

VCF: 58%

ROM: 42%

The difference in possession was not large; Villarreal held a slight advantage thanks to their chemistry as a Spanish team in passing coordination.

Escrivá pondered carefully and soon reached his conclusion.

"Don't pursue possession too much; give the ball toward the center! Forward!"

Though phrased tactfully, the players all understood Escrivá's meaning.

The center!

And forward!

Was there any need to ask? It couldn't possibly mean passing directly to the striker inside the penalty area.

Then it could only be the attacking midfielder!

It's Tom!

Musacchio dribbled forward alone; at that moment, El Shaarawy dropped back to intercept but was simply shoved aside by Musacchio using his body.

Although not fast, as a center-back, Musacchio possessed exceptional bursting power!

Coincidentally, Tang Ye was now in an open position, so Musacchio prepared to pass.

"Give it to him, give it to him!"

Tang Ye pointed at Trigueros, rejecting Musacchio's pass.

Musacchio passed the ball to Trigueros on his right; at that moment, Tang Ye began running toward the right-wing byline.

Bacca, meanwhile, drifted toward the center!

This was the newest offensive coordination tactic adopted by Villarreal after their tactical adjustment in January.

If the opposing defenders kept marking Tang Ye relentlessly, then let the wide midfielder make crossing runs with Tang Ye to provide cover.

Usually, an attacking midfielder might appear somewhat cramped when moving to the wing, but not Tom.

On the contrary, he would become excited.

Because what he loved most was posing as a striker!

Slap!

Trigueros' through-ball rolled forward just grazing the right touchline.

Tang Ye chased the ball forward!

Ahead stood Lu Lu Dige!

With the aid of the 【Zidane Rhythm Control Template】, Tang Ye very easily adjusted his running speed after taking control of the ball.

This was no longer the state of first touch, which meant Tang Ye would not pass unless an exceptionally good opportunity arose.

"Tang Ye, one-on-one against Lu Lu Dige on the byline!"

"Lu Lu Dige is extremely tall; this will be a challenge for Tang Ye."

"He may need to seek help from a teammate..."

Lu Lu Dige was now extremely confident; the fact that Villarreal's golden boy couldn't dribble past opponents was famous throughout global football.

For him, Lu Lu Dige, to defend against an attacking midfielder who couldn't dribble past anyone, wasn't that a walk in the park?

Tang Ye, of course, had no intention of dribbling past anyone; he stood still waiting for his teammates' support.

Yet the Lu Lu Dige facing him acted incredibly arrogantly.

He actually made a feinting motion, attempting to stick out his foot at Tang Ye!

Damn!

Under normal circumstances in the past, Tang Ye might have chosen to pass back immediately upon seeing such an opportunity.

But the Tang Ye of now was no longer the Tang Ye of the past.

He was equipped with the 【Zidane Rhythm Control Template】.

Although not a pure dribbling template, it was nevertheless a legendary template!

Combined with the ability of Left-Right Mutual Struggle...

Hmm, Tang Ye felt he could give it a try.

He pushed the ball forward with his left foot, rolling it right in front of Lu Lu Dige.

As expected, this big guy, believing Tang Ye couldn't dribble past anyone, immediately stuck out his foot.

At that moment, Tang Ye pressed the pause button, causing his body to suddenly freeze.

After canceling the paused state, Tang Ye shifted the ball from his left foot to his right.

He dashed straight toward the byline.

!!!

An anxious Rüdiger turned to defend, unaware that his body was already tangled in knots.

Directly, he fell to the ground~~~~

Haha!

Tang Ye was delighted; Rüdiger's fall meant he had enough time to sprint forward.

"Ooh! Tang Ye!"

"Beautiful!"

"The feint near the baseline completely fooled Rüdiger!"

"Oh my god, Tang Ye just dribbled Rüdiger right off his feet!"

"Go forward yourself!"

"Pass!"

After reaching the byline, Tang Ye sent a cross into the penalty area.

The ball was lofted extremely high, perfectly tailored for Allé.

Inside the box!

Allé leaped into the air!

Boom!

A header directly completed the goal!

"GGGGG——OOOOOO——LLLLLL!!!!"

"Goal!"

"Allé's header!"

"This attack stemmed from Tang Ye's explosive breakthrough against Rüdiger near the baseline!"

Allé's brace brought the score to 2:0!

Yellow Submarine leads by two goals at home!

"Roar——!!!!"

Allé ran toward the corner flag on the right wing.

Allé's starting position was actually near the left side of the penalty area, yet he insisted on running toward the right-wing corner flag.

Because the right wing was Tom's position!

Tom was right there!

"VAMOS!"

This unique celebration style of Spanish teams shook the Italians in the stands.

【You have obtained Counterattack Points *10】

If memory served, this was Tang Ye's first true dribble past an opponent.

A one-on-one devouring!

Shouting once wasn't satisfying enough!

Tang Ye released his embrace with his teammates and slipped back alone to below the away fans' section.

"VAMOS!!"

Clap clap clap!

This was applause from Escrivá.

He knew his feeling just now had been correct.

When Tom set the team's rhythm, the next few minutes were surely secure!

First glancing at the stadium's main camera to confirm it wasn't focused on him, Escrivá headed straight for the away team's bench.

To see what situation Spalletti was in now.

The elderly Italian wore a blue suit, his face displaying not a shred of expression.

But Escrivá could perceive the panic now churning inside Spalletti.

Actually, compared to Roma, Yellow Submarine shouldn't have been this dominant, but merely ten-plus minutes into the match, defender Fazio had committed a fatal error.

It was precisely this mistake that had now completely drained Roma's momentum.

Just as the players walked toward their own half, the stadium's big screen replayed Yellow Submarine's goal from moments ago.

The clip of Tang Ye devouring Rüdiger one-on-one appeared before the fans' eyes once again.

"Tom!"

"Tom!"

The fans chanted Tang Ye's name.

Too miraculous, Tom!

【Saint Es is truly awesome, directly cultivating Tang Ye's dribbling attributes】

【Classic attacking midfielder!】

【What classic attacking midfielder? Future attacking midfielder! Tang Tang Qiuwang is about to pioneer a new playing style for the attacking midfielder position】

【Rüdiger is truly terrible】

【What terrible? Rüdiger is the world's number one center-back, don't you understand, kid】

Although Rüdiger was the world's number one center-back, defending against a top-tier dribbling and ball-controlling midfielder like Tang Ye indeed stretched slightly beyond his capabilities.

Rüdiger had already done his utmost!

Spalletti made some simple tactical adjustments; after the third kick-off of the first half, Roma began launching counterattacks against Yellow Submarine.

Entering halftime trailing by two goals was certainly not good for the players' mentality.

Time reaches the 38th minute of the first half.

Spalletti instructed the forward players to increase their pressing intensity, a decision that boosted Roma's possession rate.

Now it remains to be seen whether Roma can leverage their possession to create something!

Slap!

Tang Ye's cross found Ale again, but the quality of this delivery was mediocre, directly claimed by the leaping goalkeeper Alisson.

Alisson threw the ball out to Lu Lu Dige.

At this moment, Lu Lu Dige, hailed by Chinese fans as the world's number one center-back, launched a long kick that sent the ball straight to the front field.

Dzeko headed the ball to Nainggolan, and Nainggolan passed it back to Dzeko.

"Wow!"

Suddenly, the fans erupted in screams; after receiving the ball and turning, Dzeko accelerated abruptly, shaking off Ruiz who was marking him closely.

Many strikers are very tall, appearing somewhat dull and not particularly agile.

But you cannot ignore their speed because of that!

Bolt is also 1.9 meters tall!

Dzeko dribbled the ball forward himself.

The fans are under immense pressure now!

Before Dzeko had even entered the penalty area, Musacchio moved in to defend.

Dzeko glanced back and, before Musacchio could get into position, fired off a low shot.

!!!

Asenjo quickly dropped to the ground!

Dzeko's low shot flew in between Asenjo's arm and thigh.

The ball... is in!

The Roma players began their celebration on the pitch.

"Damn..."

Tang Ye reached out to grab his own hair.

Truly f*cking fierce...

Although football doesn't rely on height as much as basketball, the advantage of a 1.9-meter giant on the pitch is still too obvious.

Not only is Dzeko tall, but his shooting is also incredibly accurate!

Since Rodri happened to be right beside Tang Ye, Tang Ye reached out and high-fived his little brother Rod.

Glancing left and right, Tang Ye shook his head.

Actually, he really wished Bruno were on the field right now; if Captain Bruno were here, he would surely be encouraging the players on the pitch.

But Bruno's ankle injury had only just healed, and he hadn't even made today's match squad!

The Yellow Submarine players would have to rely on themselves!

"Boooo!!!"

After conceding a goal, the away fans became extremely arrogant, resulting in them trading insults with the home fans.

"Roma!"

"Boooooo—!!!"

"Tom!"

"Great!"

The stadium was extremely lively during the final few minutes of the first half.

The stands were noisy, and the situation on the pitch was quite chaotic as well.

The players of both Roma and the Yellow Submarine were clearly playing somewhat anxiously.

At this moment, Tang Ye's advantage became apparent; he was the only one on the pitch whose rhythm had remained unchanged from start to finish.

He was basically unaffected by the situation in the stands or the scoreline on the field.

Even his teammates found it difficult to affect him!

As Trigueros dribbled past the Yellow Submarine's substitute bench, Escrivá hurriedly reminded the players on the field: "Watch Tom!"

"Don't let the rhythm get messy, follow Tom's rhythm!"

Although he didn't know why Tang Ye could stabilize his rhythm, Escrivá had already grown accustomed to it.

Some things were simply beyond the comprehension of a head coach at his level.

There was no need to study them.

All Escrivá needed to do now was figure out how to get the Yellow Submarine players to keep up with Tom's rhythm!

On the field, Tang Ye was currently in a dazed state; he seemed to hear Escrivá shouting his name.

But when he turned his head to signal for Escrivá to repeat himself, Escrivá, face red, turned his own head away.

Rubbing his head, Tang Ye didn't quite understand Escrivá's intention.

If he wanted Tang Ye to do something, please say it loudly!

Mr. Ferran, was that motion of turning your head to escape serious?

"Beep!!!"

Fortunately, the first half ended!

Phew...

Tang Ye breathed a sigh of relief.

If he had to continue playing without knowing the team's tactical adjustments, he wouldn't have known how to play next.

During halftime, he must get clarity from Mr. Ferran!

"The first half has ended; Villarreal currently leads the away team Roma 2–1!"

"Early in the match, Roma defender Fazio made a very serious mistake that once caused the team's morale to drop. However, as we can see, being one of the traditional powerhouses among the top five leagues, Roma's players adjusted their mindset quite quickly."

"They pulled one goal back before the end of the first half!"

The two CCTV commentators briefly analyzed the current situation.

After scoring a goal, Roma's players gradually found their rhythm, and their possession rate was also rising.

If the second half continues like this, Roma has a high probability of leveling the score!

It all depends on what Yellow Submarine does next!

As the players hurried toward the tunnel, Tang Ye walked beside Rodri: "Rod, do you know what Mr. Ferran said?"

Tang Ye worried that approaching Escrivá directly might earn him a reprimand from the coach, so he decided to ask Rodri first.

Seeing Rodri seemed not to have caught on, Tang Ye added: "I mean, right before the match ended."

Rodri shook his head.

Near the end of the first half, Escrivá had been shouting instructions so rapidly that Rodri had no idea which line Tang Ye was referring to.

"Alright."

Tang Ye lowered his head as he entered the tunnel: "I feel like I'll have some task in the second half; Mr. Ferran seemed to call my name."

Tang Ye now felt a strong sense of mission within him.

Barring any surprises, by the second half Escrivá would ask him to make a sacrifice for the team's overall tactics.

Clenching his right fist, Tang Ye was already looking forward to the second half.

Of course he was willing to sacrifice himself for the team!

"We need to keep up with Tom's rhythm."

In the locker room, Escrivá spoke at breakneck speed.

"Currently, our team's overall tactics have developed problems, so our tactics need to make some sacrifices, aligning with Tom's rhythm—the closer, the better."

"This matter is serious; the opponent is trying to disrupt our rhythm, and we cannot let them succeed just like that!"

Rodri turned his head to look at Tang Ye beside him.

Tang Ye also turned his head over.

Their eyes met; Tang Ye rubbed his nose.

Indeed, someone was going to be sacrificed.

But it wasn't me.

"I must emphasize to you all: a 2–1 lead is nothing to boast about; we cannot give the opponent any chances."

"Compact defense—we must absolutely maintain compact defense. Then, when attacking, keep looking toward Tom's position more often; if Tom gets marked tightly, remember to go up and help!"

Villarreal had exposed quite a few problems during the first half; now Escrivá needed to draw out each of these issues and emphasize them one by one.

A smile hung on Tang Ye's face.

He really liked this feeling of all his teammates playing in sync with his rhythm.

"Oh, right!"

Suddenly remembering something, Escrivá raised his right index finger: "There's one more thing I need to emphasize: during defense, especially when tracking back—"

"During defense, absolutely, absolutely do not follow Tom's rhythm, or we'll be done for!"

Tang Ye jerked his head up sharply.

Mr. Ferran, you…

…

"Welcome back, dear viewers!"

"This is the second leg of the Europa League match between Villarreal and Roma!"

"As you can see, the second half has begun!"

A one-goal lead indeed couldn't be considered too large an advantage; right now, both commentators and fans were still in a rather excited state.

Yellow Submarine had already advanced to the final of the Copa del Rey.

It was just unknown whether they could… in the Europa League.

Never mind; there were simply too many strong teams in the Europa League, so let's not dare to hope for the final just yet.

Let's first win the Round of 32 in the knockout stage!

Roma was no easy opponent to deal with!

Escrivá stood with his arms crossed over his chest, eyes slightly narrowed as he fixed his gaze on the pitch.

As expected, Spalletti had made some tactical adjustments.

In the second half, Roma began employing a high press!

This was a tactic many La Liga teams liked to use when facing Yellow Submarine.

Pin that damn ball tightly in Yellow Submarine's defensive third, so that Tom up front would have no chance to touch it!

Minute 56 of the match!

After sustaining possession in the attacking third for quite some time, Roma finally found a good attacking opportunity.

Thump!

Nainggolan played a through ball straight to the right flank near the byline!

Defensive midfielder Pérez decisively made a forward run to collect the ball!

To prevent Pérez from having a chance to cross directly, he immediately chased after him.

Little did he know he had fallen right into Roma's trap!

After sprinting to the front and securing the ball, Paredes immediately stepped on it and dragged it backward.

Manolas, supporting from behind, took control of the ball.

He adjusted his stance with one step!

A 45-degree cross sent straight into the penalty area!

!!!

Oh no!

Tang Ye switched perspectives, imagining himself as Manolas.

His ability to judge the ball's landing spot was poor, but as a passer, he could view the situation from Manolas's vantage point.

If he were standing in Manolas's position, who would he pass the ball to?

"Watch number 92!"

Tang Ye shouted loudly, causing Ruiz, who was defending against number 9 Džeko inside the box, to freeze for a moment.

Manolas's 45-degree cross found El Shaarawy at the far post.

El Shaarawy was that number 92!

Oh no!

Tang Ye desperately wanted to rush up and tackle the ball away from El Shaarawy's feet, but he was simply too far away.

El Shaarawy gently pushed the ball forward!

His body followed, moving ahead!

Shooting directly!

With a loud "Bang," the long-range shot from the Roma attacking midfielder flew between Musacchio and Džeko.

Duang!

El Shaarawy's shot struck the left goalpost!

It rebounded out!

Soaring over Džeko's head!

Strøman rushed up, controlled the rebound at his feet, and then passed it to Džeko inside the penalty area.

Džeko!

Holding the ball with his back to goal!

Holding off Musacchio's pressure!

Turning around!

The advantage of a two-footed striker was unmistakably revealed at this moment.

Whichever foot felt better, he used that foot!

Bang!

"GGGG——OOOOO——LLLLL!!!"

"Goal!"

"Džeko has scored!"

It wasn't a particularly perfect combination, but Roma had still managed to pull off this attack.

They had equalized the score away from home!

Villarreal had lost the advantage they had built up in the first half!

……

(End of Chapter)