Chapter 216: The Left Fullback Is Shorter, Run That Way

【"Huang Huang Qian got wrecked, damn!"】

【"Someone needs to step up right now, Saint E, we're talking about you!"】

【"I suggest pushing Tang Ye's position back a bit; that would be more stable."】

【"Here they come, the tactical masters of the comment section!"】

【"Don't be so harsh; to be honest, Saint E doesn't necessarily understand King Tang of Football better than we do."】

【"Then tell me, how many times has Tang Ye rubbed his hands so far?"】

Lyon's early goal left the fans somewhat anxious!

Saint E!

Where is your tactic!

Think of something quickly!

However, to the great disappointment of the fans, while trailing by one goal, Escrivá made no adjustments to his tactics.

It was hard to say what to make of it.

The current Escrivá gave the fans a sense of confidence, a kind of blind confidence.

Was Hey E about to reveal his true colors?

"It's fine, it's fine."

Bruno came to the backfield to encourage his teammates: "We're only temporarily behind; it's fine. Just watch the wings and push their fullbacks back!"

Lyon's tactics were actually quite simple, and most of the Huang Huang Qian players on the field could see that.

Tang Ye glanced toward the substitute bench, hoping Mr. Ferran would say something.

But he did not do so.

Mr. Ferran wanted the team to continue playing with their existing tactics!

The match reached the 37th minute of the first half!

"Lyon is still playing very aggressively; Tousart goes straight for Tolisso."

"Rodri!"

"Beautiful!"

The defensive midfielder Rodri, quick-eyed and fast-handed, surged forward and directly stole the ball from under Tolisso's feet.

With the goal of breaking into the Spanish national team within a year, Rodri was now full of passion!

Big Brother!

Where is Big Brother!

Big Brother is right up front!

Rodri dribbled the ball forward a few quick steps.

Rodri was not in a hurry to pass because Tang Ye had not yet raised his hand.

OK, now he's raised his hand!

A through pass was sent straight ahead of Tang Ye.

Tang Ye sprinted forward!

Not rushing to touch the ball, he saved his first-touch module!

Raphaël came up to defend, and at this moment, Tang Ye made his choice.

Slap!

【De Bruyne 45-Degree Cross Lv4: Deceptive】

Proficiency: 188/500

Sent into the penalty area!

Ale!

The Huang Huang Qian striker showcased his recent excellent form; leveraging his physical advantage, he leaped under the pressure of both Mammana and Diakaby!

Header!

Boom!

Slap!

What a pity; besides Ale, Lyon's goalkeeper Lopes was also in excellent form, jumping up with both hands raised to directly push Ale's header over the crossbar.

"Damn!"

Standing in the penalty area, Ale roared out his frustration.

If there had been only one defender marking him in the box instead of two, he absolutely would have scored!

Turning to look at Tang Ye, Ale gave a thumbs-up.

Tang Ye raised his hand in response.

Often liking to rush into the penalty area to poach goals, Tang Ye naturally knew how difficult scoring was for a striker.

Sebastian failed to seize this opportunity, so Tang Ye would have to find a way to create more chances for him!

This was what he should do as a teammate and a friend!

Huang Huang Qian's attacks grew fiercer, and Lyon was the same, yet neither side managed to score in the remaining time of the first half.

As they walked to either side of the player tunnel, the Huang Huang Qian players received a "warm" greeting from the Lyon fans.

"Boooooo—!!!!"

"Trash! Trash!"

"Haha!"

Only after shifting his focus away from the match did Tang Ye realize that the French fans in the stands had been cursing at him and his friends the whole time.

So he turned and asked Musacchio, "How long have they been shouting?"

Musacchio shrugged his shoulders: "It started around the 4th or 5th minute and has continued until now; the entire first half has been like this, especially after the goal. Tom, didn't you hear? They're shouting very loudly."

So they had started cursing right at the beginning of the first half.

Damn Lyon fans!

These guys even deliberately used English and Spanish just to make sure the Yellow Submarine players understood what they were saying!

"Get out, get out!"

Ma Ti stood up from the substitutes' bench, holding his laptop in one hand while pushing Tang Ye toward the tunnel with the other.

"Tom, don't curse back; let the match result do the talking."

"I wasn't planning to curse."

Tang Ye spread his hands and quickly returned to the locker room.

"Although we are trailing in the first half, we must still stick to our first-half tactics."

With this first sentence, Escrivá directly stated the core strategy for the second half.

That was to tell the players in the locker room that their first-half tactics were not flawed.

As for why they were trailing.

Tang Ye listened intently; according to Escrivá's explanation, as long as they could restrain Lyon's two full-backs, then that tactic of full-backs joining the attack would turn from an advantage into their weakness!

"For certain reasons, we are very effective at countering teams that push their defensive line high."

"This is because our current tactics have been improved; we possess a very formidable midfield... combination, so we have no need to fear."

"Although we are behind, if we keep playing like this, we will definitely win."

Escrivá paced back and forth inside the locker room.

There was one more key point.

If the second half became extremely grueling, Escrivá would directly substitute off his core players and abandon this match, thereby preparing for the King's Cup final a few days later.

However, Escrivá did not explicitly state this point to the players.

He needed the players to maintain a mindset of certain victory to complete the upcoming match!

After shouting encouragement, the players headed outside; at this moment, Tang Ye patted Ale's shoulder.

"What's wrong, Tom?"

Ale turned his head over; Tang Ye made gestures, wearing a thoughtful expression: "That number 4 defender on the other side, the one, the one on the left, I don't know his name, anyway he's on the left..."

"Mammana."

Ale said: "Is his name Mammana?"

"Yes, that's him!"

Having received the answer, Tang Ye was delighted: "That guy isn't tall; you can run towards that side more often, so it will be easier for me to deliver high balls."

Patting Tang Ye's back, a smile hung on Ale's face.

Although he hadn't scored in the first half.

Ale knew that he would score in the second half.

"Whooooo—!!!!"

"Beep beep beep!!!"

The second half began, and the home fans in the stands remained extremely lively.

They were anxious, eager to see their home team defeat Villarreal and advance to the next stage of the knockout round!

"Lyon is making a substitution adjustment!"

Yare replaced Raphael, who had performed poorly in the first half; this was the first substitution adjustment for both teams in this match.

As Yare prepared to enter the field from the sideline, Escrivá stood still, staring straight into his eyes.

After looking at Yare, he then looked further away at the Lyon head coach, Génésio.

Escrivá didn't care about this substitution; he just hoped Génésio wouldn't use this opportunity to change the team's tactics.

And indeed, Génésio had merely swapped one full-back; Lyon's main match tactics remained unchanged.

"Phew..."

Exhaling a breath, Escrivá felt much more relaxed.

Now it all depended on how the Yellow Submarine players performed on the field.

The 61st minute.

"Tang Ye is actively starting to drift toward the right flank!"

"Yes, exactly; this is what we mentioned earlier: although this player Tang Ye is somewhat weak defensively, his creativity in attack is quite extraordinary; he can operate both centrally and on the wings."

Tang Ye received the ball on the wing, adjusted slightly, then pointed toward the right baseline; at this moment, Bakambu sprinted forward rapidly.

Tang Ye decisively played a through ball!

Bakambu, carrying the ball down the line, drew the attention of the rear defenders; this was Tang Ye's opportunity, following behind Bakambu but carefully maintaining some distance.

"Watch out for number 10, watch out for number 10!"

Génésio shouted instructions from the sideline, and Valbuena immediately ran toward Tang Ye.

Just as Valbuena was about to complete his tight marking on Tang Ye, Rodri suddenly rushed over from behind, positioning himself directly in the open space between Valbuena and Tang Ye.

What the hell is this?

A screen?

Rodri used basketball techniques to protect Tang Ye, and this indeed created an opportunity for Tang Ye to continue moving forward.

Having completed the task of compressing the defensive line, Bakambu passed the ball back with one touch.

Tang Ye sprinted forward quickly.

Slap!

【De Bruyne 45-Degree Cross Lv4: Realistic】

Proficiency: 190/500

This was a pass aimed at the far post.

Aleix happened to be running toward the far post as well.

He remembered what Tang Ye had told him at the locker room door.

Deal with Ma Mana, who stands just over 1.8 meters tall!

Charge into him physically and collide!

Ma Mana was no match for Aleix at all; the Yellow Submarine striker leaped into the air.

Header!

Boom!

Aleix's header struck inside the six-yard box, bounced up, and flew into the net.

"Goal!"

"Aleix!"

"Connecting with Tang Ye's long pass!"

"Villarreal's attack has been launched!"

This offensive play wasn't particularly fluid.

But this is precisely Villarreal's hallmark.

They appear gentle and harmless, yet suddenly, out of nowhere, a missile erupts from midfield and rockets straight into your penalty area.

That was exactly how Villarreal scored just now!

After completing the pass, Tang Ye did not rush to celebrate with Aleix; instead, he turned and first fist-bumped Rodri, who had set the screen for him.

"Beautiful, Rodri!"

【You gained 10 Counterattack Points】

Dongqiu Di Live Match Report: Tang Ye's precise 45-degree cross guided the ball perfectly; Aleix scored with a header, leveling the score for Villarreal.

The match continues!

After the equalizer, Genesio clearly grew anxious, shouting loudly alongside his assistant coach on the sidelines.

In contrast, Escrivá appeared relatively calm.

【Damn, this can't be blackened; this is truly Saint Escrivá】

【Escrivá has controlled the match!】

【I said it before: pushing defenders forward against the Yellow Submarine is pure pretension; when playing against them, defenders had best stay inside the box—unless you're an exceptionally strong team, that is】

【I thought the Yellow Submarine would give up this match, but now it seems they really want to win】

【Why not sub Tang Tang Qiuwang off for a rest? The King's Cup final is coming up soon】

【Since we can't beat Barcelona anyway, might as well take down Lyon first】

The comment section actually had fans suggesting Escrivá substitute Tang Ye off, which immediately drew attacks from other supporters.

Are you kidding? How could Tang Ye possibly be substituted off?

If Tang Ye left the field, at least half the viewers in the livestream room would turn off their TVs and go to sleep.

The Yellow Submarine's matches are enjoyable to watch; fans must admit this much.

But if Tang Ye isn't on the pitch, well... to be honest, it's just so-so.

Tom is an inseparable part of Villarreal!

Slap!

Toussaint's long pass came from the backfield, flying directly to the area just outside the Yellow Submarine's penalty arc.

This guy actually dared to impersonate Tang Ye; the Yellow Submarine players on the field would absolutely never allow him to get away with that.

Musacchio rushed out from inside the box, leaped up, and headed the ball directly to Bruno, who had dropped back to receive it.

Bruno then passed the ball forward to Gaspar, the right-back making an overlapping run.

Gaspar dribbled the ball forward at speed!

When Gaspar received the ball, Tang Ye was positioned at the center circle, but he chose not to drop back to receive a pass; instead, he started running forward immediately.

If your speed is slow, you must run for a longer time; even a child knows this principle.

Tang Ye absolutely had to make his run early!

Gaspar ran alone down the flank, gradually drifting toward the center.

Once the opportunity arose, Gaspar delivered a long pass!

Slap!

The ball soared over the center circle, pinpointing Sansone, who was making a returning run down the left flank.

Sansone immediately glued the ball to his feet!

Then he sprinted toward the left baseline!

This was definitely a chance!

Tang Ye realized this, so he dared not be negligent; he quickly moved into position at the penalty arc.

Diakhaby still wanted to mark Tang Ye, but soon Aleix ran into the box, forcing Diakhaby to drop back for defense.

While retreating, Diakhaby asked Morel to help defend against Tang Ye, and Morel ran over.

But there was still some distance before Morel could reach Tang Ye's side!

This was a matter of timing!

This timing was something Huang Huang Qian needed to seize!

Slap!

Sansone passed the ball into the triangle; Tang Ye extended his right foot and controlled it with natural ease.

While adjusting, he glanced out of the corner of his eye toward the goal.

Hmm, worth trying Mbappé's feint far, strike near!

Tang Ye hadn't used this trick in an official match since acquiring it!

He looked toward the far corner and swung his right leg out!

Tang Ye had intended to push the ball into the near corner, but Mammana, by sheer luck, happened to stand right in Tang Ye's shooting line.

No choice then; striking the near corner was out of the question. Tang Ye feigned a shot, then actually shifted the ball to his left foot.

Damn!

He nearly tripped over himself while transferring the ball from his right foot to his left, but Tang Ye quickly regained his balance.

Because of Tang Ye's earlier feint, all the opposing defenders in the penalty area were now sitting on the ground.

Must make the most of this opportunity!

Bang!

Tang Ye unleashed a left-footed drive; near the penalty spot, Haller sprinted straight toward López's face.

Haller wasn't trying to receive Tang Ye's pass; he simply wanted to block López's line of sight for Tang Ye!

"This one's in!"

Zhan Jun shouted toward the large screen in the broadcast studio.

"2–1!"

"Villarreal have taken the lead!"

【You have gained 15 Counterattack Points】

Tang Ye embraced Haller inside the penalty area, and then the two of them ran together toward the corner flag.

The existence of the First-Touch Module had cultivated in Tang Ye the habit of releasing the ball quickly.

And that habit of quick release had, in turn, gradually endowed Tang Ye with an exceptional ability to adjust on the spot.

He could complete a shot the instant after passing the ball to his other foot.

At that moment, the defenders in the box who had been fooled by the feint hadn't even gotten back to their feet!

"Wow!"

Escrivá raised a single clenched fist.

So satisfying!

He had already been prepared to give up on today's match.

Now it seemed there was absolutely no need for that!

Lyon had employed the wrong tactics, and it was precisely those mistaken tactics that had handed Huang Huang Qian their opportunity!

Génésio had underestimated Tom's ability to deliver threatening passes!

Afterward, Escrivá put on an airs show, substituting Tang Ye off directly in the 81st minute.

Oh?

Escrivá's substitution filled Génésio with intense anger!

Villarreal didn't take them seriously at all!

Of course, amid his fury, Génésio also knew this presented an opportunity for Lyon.

Escrivá would pay the price for such pretentious behavior!

"Beep, beep-beep—!!!"

The match ended; playing away, Huang Huang Qian ultimately completed a comeback against Lyon with a 2–1 scoreline.

Tang Ye leaned back against the substitute bench to rest; at that moment, Gaspar on the field ran toward the bench, waving at Tang Ye: "Come! Hurry!"

Martí turned to look at Tang Ye behind him: "What's wrong?"

Tang Ye said nothing and simply vaulted over the substitute bench.

He knew what his teammates were about to do!

Sprinting across the pitch, Bruno, Haller, and Rodri were already waiting at the sidelines, ready.

"Come on, come on, hurry, hurry!"

Bruno urged, simultaneously yielding the central position.

Tang Ye placed one hand on Rodri's shoulder and the other on Bruno's, instantly feeling utterly secure.

Facing the stands, Bruno directly flashed the "2–1" gesture; the Lyon fans in the stands immediately flew into a rage, hurling tissues they had balled up and mineral-water bottle caps they had smuggled in.

"Haha!"

"Run, run!"

Back in the locker room, Martí brought Tang Ye good news: by a slim margin of 0.1, he had edged out Haller to claim the Man of the Match trophy for this game.

"Oh."

Haller spread his hands: "So when will I get a Europa League MVP?"

"Next time, haha!"

Tang Ye and Haller fist-bumped, then quickly ran out.

Just as Tang Ye was receiving the MVP trophy, Escrivá entered the press conference room for his interview.

Click-click!

The French reporters on site all appeared extremely anxious; it was clear they were all desperate for a chance to interview Escrivá.

After all, as the second most popular team this season only behind Manchester United, Villarreal's news was being closely followed by fans.

"Can you evaluate your opponent's tactics today?"

Escrivá adjusted his emotions after the victory, then slowly explained: "You must admit, Lyon's tactics were very sound; their defenders pushing high caused us significant trouble, but we still won in the end."

"Lyon will adjust their tactics for the second leg; how will you respond then?"

"Uh... honestly, I don't think that should even be a question. We don't know what our opponent will do in the next match; all we can do is adapt to changing circumstances. Lyon is strong; defeating them to advance to the quarter-finals will not be an easy task."

After finishing the topic of the Europa League, the reporter suddenly shifted gears, expressing a desire to discuss the Copa del Rey final in four days with Escrivá.

"So far this season, you and Barcelona have met only once; you lost that match, and it wasn't a pretty defeat. Regarding the upcoming Copa del Rey, have you made any preparations with the team?"

The reporter paused: "Or rather, do you have the intention to defeat Barcelona, and then..."

"Win the club's first-ever Copa del Rey trophy?"

After asking this question, the reporting journalist suddenly felt a strange sensation.

A local coach.

In his first season managing the club.

Winning the Manager of the Month trophy in his very first season of management.

The club's first-ever challenge for a championship trophy.

The final opponent being one of the league's dominant powers.

A 4-2-3-1 formation, a variant of defensive counter-attack.

He couldn't recall exactly what it was, but it just felt very familiar.

Yellow Submarine versus Barcelona; without thinking, everyone knew Barcelona held the advantage.

Yet precisely because of this inexplicable sense of familiarity, neither the reporters nor the fans could now predict the outcome of this match!

(End of Chapter)