Chapter 208: Marti, You've Exposed Our Tactics!

In the locker room, Tang Ye rubbed his upper arm.

During that one-versus-two play just now, his deltoid had been struck by De Rossi's elbow, and it still hurt a bit.

Just then, Escribá returned, and Tang Ye immediately stood up and walked over: "Mr. Ferran, I think I'm slightly injured..."

"What!?"

Escribá examined Tang Ye's legs: "What's the situation?"

"Right here."

Tang Ye took off his shirt, exposing his right shoulder to Escribá, then pointed to his deltoid and said: "It hurts a bit right here."

Escribá carefully inspected the spot where Tang Ye was injured, though of course he couldn't see anything obvious.

The team doctor walked over, gesturing for Tang Ye to sit on the bench beside the tactical board.

"Tell me directly if anything comes up; first, let me discuss the second half."

Escribá gave some instructions, then pulled the tactical board closer: "We didn't start the first half very well, but after falling behind, we quickly regained our rhythm. In those few minutes before halftime, I thought our rhythm was excellent, and we scored a wonderful goal."

"One-versus-two!"

Musacchio suddenly heckled.

Tang Ye quickly raised both hands: "Haha."

"Tom, put them down first, put your hands down."

The team doctor patted Tang Ye's arm.

"Oh oh, sorry, sorry!"

The deltoid did hurt a little, but Tang Ye felt it was worth it.

Because that dribble of his was truly incredibly cool!

It was just a pity that today wasn't Villarreal's home match; otherwise, after the first half ended, Tang Ye would surely have heard the fans chanting his name!

"Are you okay, Tom?"

Bruno tossed a bottle of mineral water to Tang Ye and casually asked about his current condition.

"It's a minor issue."

Tang Ye rotated his shoulder joint: "I feel perfectly fine right now; I should still be able to dribble past people in the second half."

The feeling of dribbling past opponents was so comfortable; honestly, Tang Ye was already getting a bit addicted!

"Calm down, calm down!"

The team doctor pushed Tang Ye's arm back down: "It's not very serious; I'll just spray some painkiller on it."

"OK!"

"Mmm... so cold."

Tang Ye shivered, then stood up.

The spray worked very well; after a few sprays, the pain decreased by more than half.

Tang Ye did a few small jumps on the spot, then stood by his position.

It was clear that the one-versus-two goal in the first half had left him highly excited!

Escribá roughly went over the tactics, then specifically found Tang Ye: "Tom, your rhythm is important, but remember not to play too hastily."

The fifteen minutes of halftime passed incredibly quickly, and Tang Ye and his teammates returned to the player tunnel.

"Haha, Tom!"

Aleix placed his hand on Tang Ye's shoulder: "I was watching right in front when you dribbled past them; honestly, I never expected you to get through—I thought we'd have to drop back to defend."

"Haha!"

Tang Ye's face was full of smiles: "I don't even know why I decided to dribble; damn, I only realized what I'd done after I'd already gotten past them."

Tang Ye only truly started thinking after he completed the dribble; at that moment, he pointed forward to signal Aleix to make a forward run—that was Tang Ye's own line of thought.

As for that one-versus-two...

It was hard to explain; one could only say it was a kind of inexplicable confidence.

With the boost from the Passing Template, this was Tang Ye's body's instinctive reaction!

"Good luck in the second half, Tom; remember to control the rhythm!"

Bruno emphasized this to Tang Ye once again.

He knew this guy Tang Ye very well; if you simply told him something once, he'd likely forget it the next second, so you had to remind him many times.

"Yeah, good luck in the second half!"

Tang Ye extended his hand and fist-bumped Bruno.

From the initial attacks to the current rhythm, more and more aspects of Tang Ye were being incorporated into the team's tactics, giving Tang Ye a sense of belonging he had never felt before.

He was needed by the team!

"Roma Roma Roma~"

Walking out of the player tunnel, the Roma anthem reaching Tang Ye's ears seemed to suddenly amplify.

"Their fans are very enthusiastic."

Tang Ye said to Rodri beside him: "If they lose the match, their fans will surely be very sad."

"But Rod, they must lose this match, because we cannot let the people who support us feel sad."

The second half began!

Under the dual emphasis from Escribá and Bruno, Tang Ye firmly kept his mission in mind.

He was there to set the rhythm!

When the attack started, Tang Ye needed to involve himself, using his passing and movement to influence his teammates.

"Give it to me, I've got it!"

Tang Ye demanded the ball from under Rodri's feet, then immediately signaled for Rodri to make a run down the left flank.

Rodri's sudden forward run dragged De Rossi away.

Now only Strootman was left marking Tang Ye!

No rush; he feinted with the ball right in front of Strootman.

Controlling the ball on the spot for seven seconds!

Okay, now the teammate on the right has arrived.

Bang!

A through pass sent the ball to the baseline on the right; after receiving it, Bakambu immediately laid it off to Gaspar behind him, then made another forward run!

Gaspar delivered a second through pass!

Bakambu received the ball again!

"That's a one-two combination from Villarreal's right flank!"

"The full-back making an overlapping run; this is the team's newest attacking pattern after Escrivá's tactical adjustment."

"Bakambu! A cutback pass directly back!"

The moment Bakambu passed, Tang Ye ran into open space and successfully controlled the ball.

But whether it was something head coach Spalletti had said, Roma's defensive midfielder Strootman simply refused to leave Tang Ye alone, making the latter extremely uncomfortable.

"Here!"

Bruno came over to help, and Tang Ye quickly passed the ball out.

Bruno mimicked a crossing motion, forcing Strootman to abandon Tang Ye and press Bruno instead.

Tang Ye decisively broke away!

Bruno passed the ball out again.

Watching the ball roll toward him, Tang Ye turned sharply, letting it roll to the perfect position in front of him without touching it!

In an instant, his peripheral vision captured the entire layout of the penalty area, and the supremely confident Tang Ye made his choice.

Strike it directly!

Bang!

"Wow!"

The fans gasped in unison; Alisson, who had leaped into the air, pushed Tang Ye's powerful shot over the crossbar.

This was Villarreal's second corner kick of the second half!

"Huff..."

Exhaling, Tang Ye was clearly dissatisfied with that shot of his.

What a pity; if his shooting attribute were above 80, that shot would most likely have gone in!

"It's fine, it's fine, just handle the corner well!"

Bruno ran to the corner flag.

Shaking off his regret, Tang Ye began searching for a suitable position.

Standing directly inside the penalty area was definitely not an option; what Tang Ye needed to do was take up a position at the edge of the arc, then think about which route he would take to run into the box once the ball was delivered.

The referee blew the whistle, and Bruno raised both hands simultaneously.

This was a ball aimed at the far post!

Tang Ye looked toward the far post.

Džeko and Ale were locked in a tangle, and Sansone likewise found himself engaged with his opponent.

Try a sneaky move!

Snap!

Bruno took the corner, precisely finding the spot at the far post.

Ale wanted to jump up and head the ball, but Džeko had completely blocked his position.

Džeko used not only his hands but also his feet, tripping Ale straight to the ground.

"Foul!"

Ale lay on the ground, spreading his arms wide.

At that moment, someone suddenly ran in from outside the penalty area.

Bruno's ball to the far post landed on the empty ground at the edge of the box; Tang Ye lifted his left leg and unleashed a direct volley.

Ale shouted at the referee: "Pen... Goal!"

"Awesome!"

Shoving Džeko aside, Ale scrambled up from the ground and quickly ran with Tang Ye toward the left flank.

Villarreal's second goal!

This was a poacher's finish!

A poacher's finish from Tom!

"Haha!"

Tang Ye spread his arms: "Sebastian, listen to my voice!"

"3, 2, 1!"

Tang Ye and Ale dropped to the ground simultaneously, sliding on their knees.

"ILGOLLLLL!!!!!"

"Tang Ye!"

"Beautiful!"

"2:1!"

"Villarreal has taken the lead!"

"Haha!"

The two CCTV commentators in the studio laughed out loud.

This match is truly full of drama.

When Nainggolan scored with a explosive shot in the first half, everyone thought Villarreal was having an off day.

But right after falling behind, the form of all eleven Villarreal players on the pitch suddenly improved.

All eleven players sharing one rhythm, one state of form!

Is this the bond between Villarreal's starting lineup?

Of course, there is also Escrivá!

And the bond between Escrivá and his players!

Check Dongqiu Di live match report: Victory secured? Tang Ye meets a corner kick, volleys into the net; Villarreal takes the lead. Aggregate score: Villarreal leads Roma 6:4.

【You have gained 15 Counterattack Points】

【Brace achieved; you have gained an additional 30 Counterattack Points】

"Xuuu——!!!"

The home fans in the stands are furious!

Leading by two goals at the 70-minute mark, Roma now has very few chances left!

"Tom, amazing!"

After taking the corner, Bruno sprinted across the entire goal line to join his teammates, huddling together with them.

"Vamos Villarreal!"

Clap clap clap clap clap!

After finishing his applause, Escrivá walked toward the substitutes' bench; by now, the away fans in the stands could no longer contain themselves.

"Ferran!"

"You're a genius, Ferran!"

"The best coach!"

"The light of Villarreal!"

To be honest, the fans' praise was a bit excessive, but given how excited everyone is right now, it's understandable.

Escrivá could understand.

Yes, so he chose to temporarily accept the cheers from the fans.

Escrivá raised both hands to greet the fans in the stands.

Finally, he gave two thumbs up.

"WOOWW!!"

Everything was worth it!

Escrivá deserves the fans' praise!

Returning to his seat on the substitutes' bench, feeling he ought to do something, Escrivá casually picked up a bottle of mineral water by his feet.

Just as he twisted off the cap, Ma Ti beside him reached out to grab Escrivá's shirt.

"Ferran, look at this."

Ma Ti turned his notebook toward Escrivá.

The dense clusters of data curves made Escrivá feel a bit dizzy.

"What's wrong?"

"I just discovered this."

"This red line is Tom's heart rate curve, and the yellow one is our offensive heart rate—our attacking frequency—curve."

The reason Ma Ti became an assistant coach was his terrifying sensitivity to data.

He spotted this issue immediately!

As for what the issue was...

Escrivá squinted to take a closer look.

From the very start of the second half until now, the red curve representing Tang Ye's heart rate and the yellow curve representing the team's offensive heart rate were almost perfectly overlapping.

"Wow."

Escrivá took a deep breath to calm his current emotions.

Then, like a thief, the Spanish head coach of Villarreal glanced left and right, even turning his head to check behind him.

"Ferran, what are you looking at?"

Ma Ti asked; at that moment, Escrivá turned his head over, reached out to touch Ma Ti's laptop, and said, "Quick, turn off the screen, Ma Ti—you're exposing our tactics!"

Ma Ti was simply too naive.

The Stadio Olimpico in Rome is filled with cameras; how could you display something this important?

What if it gets captured on film?

That is unacceptable!

The clock hits the 79th minute of the second half!

Roma is pushing forward with their counterattack.

Nainggolan delivers a precise cross into the box, finding Džeko.

"Left, left!"

Asenjo shouted, and Musacchio hurriedly blocked Perez's position.

Ruiz is responsible for Dzeko!

Dzeko wants to head the ball!

Ruiz jumps up!

And heads the ball straight out!

Ruiz, having completed the clearance, collided chest-to-chest with Asenjo to celebrate their successful defense.

The two goals Tom worked so hard to score cannot be allowed to be equalized by the opponent so easily!

"Roma Roma Roma..."

The Roma anthem still rang out from the stands, but as the match neared its end, the home fans' voices grew quieter and quieter.

Because they also knew that the probability of a miracle was shrinking bit by bit.

"Get up! Get up!"

"Hurry, hurry!"

"The open space on the left, the left, did you see it!"

"What's going on!"

Both Spalletti and the Roma players on the field were extremely anxious.

Escrivá sat on his chair.

Sitting on the chair, watching quietly.

Seeing Spalletti in this state, Escrivá knew that Yellow Submarine had most likely secured this match.

Spalletti is indeed bald.

But he is ultimately not that man!

There was absolutely no need for Escrivá to fear him!

"Beep, beep-beep—!!!"

The full-time whistle has blown!

Villarreal secured victory in this second leg with a score of 2:1!

Huff, huff!

"Wow!"

Breathing heavily, Tang Ye spread his arms and embraced Aleix who walked over.

And of course Bruno and Rod too!

"Vamos!"

"Vamos!"

Check Dongqiu Di match report: Tang Ye pulls off an impossible one-versus-two through the center plus scores twice; Yellow Submarine defeats Roma 2:1, advancing to the Round of 16 with an aggregate score of 6:4.

VS Roma, Tang Ye's post-match statistics (Hupu Community): Created 14 scoring chances single-handedly (first in the match), 4 shots with 2 goals (first in the match), 1 successful dribble out of 2 attempts for a 200% success rate (first in the match).

【"Only showing the good stats, huh? Can you show us Tang Tang Qiuwang's running distance?"】

【"Don't force the negativity; Tang Ye's running distance in this match must be at least 8km, which isn't bad."】

【"A dribble success rate of 200%, hahaha."】

【"Who said Tang Ye can't dribble? Stand up and say it!"】

【"'Not skilled at ball control, but skilled at dribbling past opponents'."】

"Bang!"

Holding the MVP trophy, Tang Ye kicked open the locker room door.

Extremely excited, he had to let out a roar!

"Roar—!!... Hmm?"

Looking up, he found Escrivá standing right in front of him: "Mr. Ferran? Why haven't you gone to accept the interview?"

He remembered that after every match, Escrivá should head to the press conference room immediately, especially for such an important Europa League game.

"Put down the trophy and come with me."

Escrivá pushed Tang Ye's back as they walked inside: "Later, reporters might ask which teams you want to face in the Round of 16; just say any team is fine, since you can't decide this matter. Understood?"

"No problem."

Tang Ye placed the trophy on his own stool first, then while walking outside with Escrivá, he told his teammates: "The trophy is right at my spot; feel free to play with it, just remember not to break it."

"Hurry, hurry."

"I'm coming!"

Click, click!

In the stadium's press conference room, reporters immediately asked Tang Ye about that one-two pass.

"What were you thinking in your heart when you dribbled past them? Did you prepare for it in advance?"

"Uh..."

Tang Ye fiddled with the microphone in front of him: "To be honest, I can't clearly remember what I was thinking at the time; there were no suitable passing positions in the attacking third, so I thought I'd try it myself. Initially, I probably intended to control the ball first, but then I saw the gap between Strootman and De Rossi, so I ran into it."

"Mm, it should be something like that."

After saying this, Tang Ye added another sentence.

Just as he said, he himself was not entirely clear about his inner thoughts at that moment.

It's just a kind of feeling that cannot be described!

"We noticed you didn't use many flashy moves when dribbling past opponents; your sense of rhythm is very strong. Did you deliberately train this during practice?"

Tang Ye thought carefully for a moment.

"Rhythm? I really enjoy listening to music, so maybe there's some connection there. I listen to some songs when I'm resting; I like that kind of melody."

"Uh..."

The reporter below the stage smiled awkwardly: "I was referring to that style of dribbling past opponents."

Just as Tang Ye was preparing to speak, the reporter directly jumped in with an answer: "But I think I understand what you mean now."

Amid Tang Ye's stunned confusion, the reporter completed his interpretation of Tang Ye's previous words.

He dribbled past Stroman and De Rossi just by listening to music!

How to put it...

Geniuses are always incomprehensible to ordinary people.

"By the way, Tom, could you tell us what songs you usually listen to while practicing your dribbling?"

"Uh, I don't practice dribbling by listening to music."

"It's fine, we're just trying to understand a bit."

Tang Ye's playlist was no secret, so he wrote down the songs he listened to on the slip of paper the reporter handed him.

"Wow, they're all Chinese songs!"

One has to listen to Chinese songs to practice this kind of rhythmic dribbling; no wonder currently in the entire La Liga, only Tang Ye knows this move...

There is logic to this after all!

After concluding the interview with Tang Ye, the reporter asked Escrivá some questions about the upcoming Europa League matches.

After breaking into the Round of 16, Yellow Submarine's match schedule for March increased from the original five games to the current seven.

"This is indeed a challenge, but I stand by my previous statement: since we have entered the knockout stage, we will not give up on any match. The Europa League is very important to us, and so is the Copa del Rey."

(End of Chapter)