Chapter 225: National Team Welcome Ceremony, Number 19 Has Arrived

"Just put it here?"

Feng Feng Xiaoting pointed at Tang Ye's desk; this was a new dormitory, and currently, there was nothing on the desk.

"Mm, just on the desk is fine, thanks, Brother Ting!"

"Coming, coming!"

Zhang Zhang Linpeng and Yu Yu Dabao walked in together, placing Tang Ye's quilt on the bed with a thump.

"This quilt is heavier than I imagined."

Yu Yu Dabao sat on the bed, panting, while the sounds of Wu Lei and Wu Xi chatting drifted in from outside the door.

Tang Ye was the last to report to the national team; currently, his luggage was the only set not yet settled, so captain Feng Feng Xiaoting had suggested everyone help Tang Ye with his luggage and bedding.

Tang Ye's belongings were not actually that many; with nearly thirty people in the squad, handling them was extremely fast.

Tang Ye placed his backpack on the desk and carefully took out his laptop.

First setting the laptop on the desk, he then opened the other backpack Feng Feng Xiaoting had placed there, digging out his keyboard and mouse from within.

"Damn, Tang Ye, half your luggage is computers, isn't it?"

Feng Feng Xiaoting looked at Tang Ye with a strange expression: "I saw in the news before that you often play games; the news really doesn't lie."

"No, no, these are secondary."

Tang Ye rubbed his nose, while Feng Feng Xiaoting sized up his laptop from top to bottom: "Damn, an internet-addicted youth."

"This is just for casual play during free time; I remembered it and brought it along."

"Alright, alright, hurry up and grab your training kit and cleats; our afternoon training is about to start, and there's your welcome ceremony."

"Welcome ceremony?"

Tang Ye blinked; although he didn't know what it was, it seemed quite interesting.

There were many people in the room; Tang Ye laid the suitcase Zhang Zhang Yuning had helped carry up down on the floor.

Tang Ye's suitcase was a mess; the clothes were stuffed in without being folded, and the moment the suitcase opened, the garments inside bulged out.

Tang Ye casually tossed the clothes onto the bed and quickly rummaged through the contents of the suitcase.

After rummaging for a few seconds, Tang Ye stood up.

"What's wrong?"

Wu Lei and Zhang Zhang Yuning both looked into Tang Ye's eyes, while the latter rummaged through his two backpacks again.

Finally, he touched his hair somewhat embarrassedly: "I didn't bring my cleats back..."

"..."

"Hahahaha!"

Zhang Zhang Yuning clenched his fist and lightly punched Tang Ye's arm: "Damn, Tang Ye, you're truly a genius."

The Chinese football players in the room didn't know what to say about this heaven-defying newcomer; Feng Feng Xiaoting could only urge everyone to gather at the training ground first.

"It's fine, it's fine, a small problem."

Feng Feng Xiaoting put his arm around Tang Ye's shoulder: "Buying cleats here is very convenient; later, we'll have someone from the base buy two pairs for you."

The cleats Tang Ye wore were not the latest model, so buying them domestically was quite convenient.

Changing into his own number 19 jersey and shorts, Tang Ye walked out of the locker room.

"Brother Ning, do we have any other pants?"

Tang Ye caught up to Zhang Zhang Yuning, who was walking ahead of him, pointing at his training pants.

These pants had no pockets, which was a place that made Tang Ye feel very uncomfortable.

Zhang Zhang Yuning recalled carefully: "Seems like no..."

"Alright."

Tang Ye shook his head and continued walking toward the training ground.

The sunlight this afternoon was strong, casting a warm feeling on the body, which made Tang Ye feel very comfortable.

"Everyone quiet down, everyone quiet down; today we are here to welcome a newcomer."

Saying this, Feng Feng Xiaoting had the players on the training ground form two rows; Tang Ye was somewhat at a loss, finally standing together with Zhang Zhang Yuning.

"Wait, Tang Ye, why did you come in? The welcome ceremony is for welcoming you!"

"Oh, oh."

Tang Ye immediately stepped out of the line, and Feng Feng Xiaoting continued speaking: "Today we welcome the team's new midfielder, Tang Ye!"

"Actually, Tang Ye was selected for the national team back in early March, but due to club matches, it was delayed until now for him to arrive."

Feng Feng Xiaoting placed his hand on Tang Ye's shoulder: "King's Cup champion, the title won by leading the team to defeat Barcelona."

Tang Ye quickly waved his hands: "No, no, not leading the team; it was an achievement together with my teammates."

"Haha!"

Feng Feng Xiaoting patted Tang Ye's back, then signaled for Tang Ye to get ready.

Looking at the teammates standing in two rows before him, Tang Ye took a deep breath.

The national team has always had a tradition of welcoming newcomers, and this was the ceremony Tang Ye had to undergo to become a member of the national team.

Bend over!

Then run through the middle!

Faster, faster!

Slap slap slap slap!

The teammates in the two rows quickly slapped Tang Ye's back with their hands.

"Haha!"

Having run nearly ten meters, Tang Ye burst out: "Damn, haha!"

Zhang Zhang Linpeng and Zheng Zhi, standing at the end of the line, each hugged Tang Ye.

"Welcome!"

"Welcome, welcome!"

Tang Ye had watched many national team matches, but the only player he truly knew was Zhang Zhang Yuning, who, like him, was a newcomer.

Even so, Tang Ye's first day with the national team was not as constrained as his first day at Huang Huang Qian.

The reason was simple: similar skin tones and a familiar language gave him a sense of belonging, and this sense of belonging helped him integrate into the team better.

"Tang Ye, are you from Guangdong? Which part of Guangdong?"

During warm-ups, Zhang Zhang Linpeng actively ran over to Tang Ye's side.

"Foshan."

"I play football in Guangzhou; the weather there is really quite nice. However, I heard you came through the Shandong Luneng youth academy."

"Yes, I originally played in Foshan, but then a Shandong Luneng coach took me to Shandong."

"Shandong Luneng is indeed quite formidable; there's also Wei Wei Shihao. Do you know Wei Wei Shihao? He played in the Portuguese Super League before and is now on loan to Shanghai Port."

"Is he also on the national team?"

Zhang Zhang Linpeng shook his head.

Overseas players often perform well in international matches, so Lippi had specifically observed Wei Wei Shihao.

However, Wei Wei Shihao seemingly did not meet Lippi's requirements.

"That's a pity; I might know him."

"That's exactly why I say the Shandong Luneng youth academy is formidable."

Zhang Zhang Linpeng patted Tang Ye.

Assistant coach Madaloni led the players through a warm-up lasting half an hour; after it ended, Tang Ye saw a European-faced elderly man standing beside Madaloni on the sideline.

Marcello Lippi—this was the head coach of the Chinese men's football team.

Standing beside Lippi was someone Tang Ye did not recognize; from Wu Lei, he learned that this was Wen Wen Qianshi, the national team's Italian translator.

"Wen Wen Qianshi? He's a foreigner, right?"

Tang Ye pointed at Wen Wen Qianshi standing beside Lippi.

"He's Italian."

Wu Lei provided the answer: "His Chinese is excellent."

Both Lippi and Madaloni spoke Italian...

Thinking of this, Tang Ye opened his system to take a look.

【Middle-Aged Language University】

Italian (Proficient)

Price: Counterattack Points * 3000

Hiss—

He remembered that purchasing his first additional language had required only 300 Counterattack Points.

This Language University was truly a rip-off.

When unlocking new items, prices doubled and then doubled again, but learning a new language started with a tenfold increase!

If it were 300 Counterattack Points, Tang Ye might consider buying it, but at 3000 Counterattack Points, he could only forget it.

He would just honestly listen to the translator speak!

The players assembled before the coaching staff; as a newcomer to the national team, Tang Ye was pushed to the very front by captain Feng Feng Xiaoting.

He cautiously sized up the head coach Lippi before him.

Tang Ye and Lippi had been communicating for over two months, yet this was his first time meeting Lippi in person.

White hair paired with a serious expression!

Tang Ye completed his assessment of Lippi within a short time.

Mr. Marcello was absolutely a tough character!

Pondering carefully, Tang Ye slowly raised his head, only to suddenly discover that Lippi was sizing him up as well.

Lippi pointed at Tang Ye's shoes: "Where are your football boots?"

"What?"

Tang Ye looked at the translator; Wen Wen Qianshi pointed at Tang Ye's shoes: "He's asking where your football boots are."

"Oh, I forgot to bring them back; I'll just borrow a pair later."

Hearing Tang Ye's reply, Wen Wen Qianshi first paused for a moment, then whispered something into Lippi's ear.

Tang Ye looked left and right, discovering that his teammates were all stifling laughter.

"Don't laugh; it's just changing shoes."

"I'm not laughing, I'm not laughing."

Zhang Zhang Yuning stood up straight, his expression serious.

"He wants you to report your boot size and brand to the staff later."

After resolving the issue of Tang Ye's football boots, Lippi began telling the players about the upcoming match.

The match against South Korea was on the 23rd!

"South Korea; South Korea is very strong. They should be the team most likely to qualify directly from Group A besides Iran. If we also want to qualify directly, then we must kick South Korea down to third place."

"I know this is difficult, but we must try, because I feel we have a chance to defeat South Korea..."

As he spoke, Lippi's attention gradually shifted onto Tang Ye.

At this moment, Tang Ye was looking at the Nike advertisement at the far end of the training ground.

Lippi walked up to Tang Ye: "Tom, are you listening to me?"

Tang Ye quickly turned his head: "Mr., I am listening, I am listening."

"Focus a bit more!"

Lippi emphasized: "In the match against South Korea, you are very likely to come on as a substitute; preparation time is scarce, so you must integrate into the team quickly."

Lippi's words surprised the players somewhat.

Reporting for duty for the first time on the 20th, then directly coming on as a substitute to play against South Korea on the 23rd.

Tang Ye's development speed in the national team was truly somewhat exaggerated.

But thinking about it, it was normal; this little guy, who had just finished his welcome ceremony, was the one who had suppressed Messi in the Copa del Rey final!

Zhang Zhang Yuning patted Tang Ye's hand and said quietly: "Go for it!"

Training began; Tang Ye borrowed a pair of boots from Wu Lei, as the two were about the same height and wore the same shoe size.

"You could try a few more people."

Zheng Zhi walked up beside Tang Ye: "The first training session is very important; it's best to wear boots that fit a bit better. He might judge whether you can start the next match based on how the first training session goes."

The "he" in Zheng Zhi's mouth was the head coach Lippi.

Because they couldn't communicate directly due to the language barrier, the Chinese national football players liked to use "he" to refer to Lippi and Madaloni when chatting.

"It's fine, they're all the same."

Tang Ye shook his lower legs and walked straight onto the training pitch without even tying his laces.

Zheng Zhi looked at Wu Lei: "Damn, this guy is truly unusually distinctive."

Wu Lei smiled and shook his head, then quickly changed into his football boots.

The Chinese national football players were acting unusually excited today.

The reason was simple: this was the first time in their careers they were training alongside a player valued at 50 million euros.

"Get an intuitive feel for the gap."

Wu Lei quickly ran up to Zhang Zhang Yuning: "Zhang Yuning, didn't you say you played against Tang Ye once?"

"What did it feel like?"

Hiss—

Zhang Zhang Yuning thought carefully for a moment: "You'd better be on the same team as him."

"Because his passing is excellent? I already know that."

"No," Zhang Zhang Yuning shook his head: "I mean he knows how to tackle, the kind that flips you straight over."

"But you don't need to worry too much; he pulls his foot back very fast, at worst you'll just take a fall."

"..."

In the 8v8 scrimmage, Lippi placed Tang Ye on Team B, which consisted mainly of substitute players.

"Man-marking is very important; Team A's attacking rhythm will be fast, so we must pay special attention to the wings. Wu Lei and Gao Lin are points we need to watch, especially Wu Lei; his off-the-ball movement is excellent, so you must mark him tightly."

Madaloni was explaining the details of the upcoming match to the Team B players.

"We have 20 minutes; just keep the number of goals conceded within two."

Since it was the substitute lineup playing against the starting lineup, Team B's objective wasn't high.

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

Wang Wang Dalei bounced up and down in front of the goal line: "Anyway, just keep an eye on Wu Lei later; he might suddenly run into the penalty area, and I'll remind you."

!

The Team B players communicated quickly, while Tang Ye stood dazed in his position as an attacking midfielder.

Tang Ye needed an afternoon nap, but he hadn't slept at noon today, which made his head feel a bit fuzzy now, unsure of what to do.

"Tang Ye!"

Zhang Zhang Yuning called out: "Why do I feel like you're about to fall asleep?"

"No, no."

Tang Ye vigorously shook his head.

Last year, when he was playing for Utrecht, he was still in the gym at 10 PM.

Compared to the suffering he had endured back then, today's drowsiness amounted to nothing.

He had emerged from arduous training; he could withstand the hardships of training!

"That's enough, kick off directly!"

Madaloni blew the whistle, and Zhang Zhang Yuning passed the ball back to Deng Deng Hanwen.

The rhythm of an 8v8 small-sided scrimmage would be slightly faster; after Zhang Zhang Yuning kicked off, Wu Lei charged straight at Deng Deng Hanwen.

Wu Lei, Yu Yu Dabao, and Gao Lin, the three forwards pressing simultaneously—this was the key point of Lippi's training today!

Tang Ye began dropping back, observing the positions of Wu Lei and Gao Lin beside him as he ran.

Under the pressure of the press, Deng Deng Hanwen passed the ball to Fan Fan Xiaodong.

At this moment, Tang Ye raised his hand.

Bang!

The pass from Fan Fan Xiaodong came, kicked toward Tang Ye's feet!

"Get up!"

Yu Yu Dabao reminded, and Wu Lei immediately changed direction, running toward Tang Ye.

Having observed Wu Lei's position in advance, Tang Ye extended his right foot to control the ball.

Just as Wu Lei reached his side, Tang Ye stepped on the ball, pulled it back, then quickly turned and ran forward.

Tang Ye completed a back-to-back nutmeg on Wu Lei!

"Go, go, go!"

He shouted a few times, then sent the ball to the feet of Zhang Zhang Yuning.

Zhang Zhang Yuning dribbled forward!

Zhang Zhang Yuning, pushing forward, was soon blocked by Zheng Zhi; at this moment, Tang Ye ran up from the left side.

Zhang Zhang Yuning passed the ball over!

Okay, Tang Ye took control of the ball!

The defensive players of Team A reacted very quickly; just as Tang Ye prepared to enter the top of the arc, Feng Feng Xiaoting rushed out directly.

Instinct made Tang Ye look toward the left-wing baseline.

But...

Damn, no one!

For some reason, there were no Team B players in yellow vests on the left-wing baseline.

Then there's no choice!

Tang Ye chose to duel Feng Feng Xiaoting one-on-one!

Left foot faked a shot!

Shook him to the right!

Changed the rhythm again!

Deceived Feng Feng Xiaoting into stepping in; at that moment, Tang Ye directly dribbled the ball to the right!

Snap!

【De Bruyne Far-Corner Curl Shot Lv5: Replica】

Proficiency: 0

Goalkeeper Zeng Cheng stood in place, watching the ball enter the net with his eyes wide open.

A curling shot from the top of the arc; on an 11-a-side large field, there would still be a chance to save it.

But on a 9-a-side field, the distance between the goal line and the outer edge of the penalty area was simply too short; after the shot, making a diving save was simply too late!

"Haha!"

Tang Ye and Zhang Zhang Yuning, who had run over, high-fived.

This was his first goal in the national team training match; overall, the feeling was very good!

"Clap, clap, clap!"

Lippi clapped quickly: "Pay attention to blocking at the top of the arc; don't get fooled so easily!"

Feng Feng Xiaoting raised his hand to signal, while his brain thought non-stop.

On TV, Tang Ye had good rhythm-changing ability.

These stop-start moves looked like they had no threat, but only when you encountered them in reality could you feel how exaggerated this breakthrough method was.

Defenders fear rhythm; this saying is not without reason!

"Amazing."

Wu Lei and Tang Ye, who was running toward his own half, high-fived.

"Haha, thanks!"

He rubbed his hands together.

At the start, Tang Ye was still a bit sleepy, but after that wave of attack just now, he had more or less found the feeling of the match.

He gave Zhang Zhang Yuning a thumbs-up: "If you find an attacking opportunity, just run forward directly; no need to look at me."

"Are you sure? Just run directly?"

"Mm."

Zhang Zhang Yuning frowned in thought.

Finding an opportunity and running directly, then having a midfielder send the ball over; this was the attacking method all strikers dreamed of.

But the problem was, Tang Ye was not Zhang Zhang Yuning; he couldn't observe from Zhang Zhang Yuning's perspective.

The attacking opportunities Zhang Zhang Yuning could find, Tang Ye might not necessarily find!

Never mind!

Let's just continue the match!

Although it was Team B's goal, because of Lippi's special request, the second ball would still be viewed by Team B.

"Go up and press!"

"Wu Lei! Pay attention to the positions of teammates on both sides!"

"Coordinate the three of you!"

The translator shouted loudly on the sidelines of the field.

The three Team A forward players caused great pressure on Team B; Tang Ye was also forced to start dropping back.

Deng Deng Hanwen had just taken control of the ball and was immediately pressed by Yu Yu Dabao.

Looking to the right, Gao Lin was running toward Fan Fan Xiaodong.

"Give it to the goalkeeper!"

Tang Ye shouted a sentence in the forward area.

Deng Deng Hanwen dared not be negligent; he protected the ball with his back turned, then decisively passed it to goalkeeper Wang Wang Dalei.

Yu Yu Dabao went around Deng Deng Hanwen and continued running toward Wang Wang Dalei's position.

Team A's pressing is really fierce!

Slap!

Wang Wang Dalei launched a long kick toward the front field; Tang Ye retreated while scanning left and right.

Feng Feng Xiaoting, beside him, showed signs of rushing up to challenge for the ball.

Based on Tang Ye's observation, if he could get to this ball, it would become an excellent attacking opportunity.

So Tang Ye steeled his courage and went shoulder-to-shoulder directly with Feng Feng Xiaoting!

Boom!

Wow!

Unexpectedly, Feng Feng Xiaoting was actually knocked aside by Tang Ye!

Use the chest to trap the ball!

At this moment, Zhang Zhang Yuning was already standing on the offside line.

He was waiting for Tang Ye to control the ball before looking toward the front field!

As long as Tang Ye spotted Zhang Zhang Yuning's current position, this one-on-one breakaway would be sealed!

But something slightly off happened: after Tang Ye cushioned the ball down with his chest, before the leather sphere even hit the ground, he directly extended his foot to kick it forward.

Exploiting a system bug.

A chest touch does not count within the 【First Touch Module】!

Holy crap!

Zhang Zhang Yuning, finally realizing what had happened, immediately sprinted forward.

He extended his foot to take control of the ball!

He ran to just outside the penalty area!

"Slow down, slow down!"

Lippi shouted loudly.

Zhang Zhang Yuning actively reduced his speed!

He pushed a shot!

Goal!

"Wow!"

"Clap clap clap!"

Lippi gave a thumbs-up toward the field, speaking unstandard Chinese: "Amazing, very amazing!"

The current score for Team A versus Team B stood at 0:2; Wang Wang Dalei let out an excited cheer from the back field.

He was the second-to-last player to touch the ball; at least 20% of the credit for this goal belonged to him!

Watching Tang Ye slowly walk back toward their own half, Lippi and Madaloni exchanged a glance; both of their expressions were extremely serious.

This is high-grade merchandise!

Originally, Lippi's attention had been entirely focused on Team A's three forwards, but after that attacking sequence just now, Lippi's attention had not shifted away from Tang Ye.

"..."

Wu Lei prepared to shoot from the top of the arc; at this moment, Tang Ye suddenly charged up.

He turned sideways and fell to the ground!

Boom!

Wu Lei's driven shot struck Tang Ye's body!

"Haha!"

Tang Ye, who had climbed up from the ground, embraced Deng Deng Hanwen.

Tang Ye's biggest problem was his weak running coverage ability, but a nine-a-side pitch itself isn't large, which directly covered up Tang Ye's greatest weakness!

"Pass it to me, pass it to me!"

Dribbling to the right flank, Tang Ye passed the ball to Zhang Zhang Yuning, then stepped along the touchline and ran to the right baseline.

Boom!

Zhang Zhang Yuning delivered a through pass!

Tang Ye!

He swung his right foot out and directly crossed the ball!

Boom!

Wang Wang Yongpo had not yet run into the penalty area.

But that didn't matter.

Because Tang Ye's kick itself was not intended for Wang Wang Yongpo.

His target was to shoot directly at goal!

He aimed for the far corner; Zeng Cheng jumped up to make a save.

Unsuccessful!

3:0!

"..."

Zeng Cheng sat on the goal line and sighed.

Wasn't it said that Tang Ye's shooting was trash?

Clearly, Zeng Cheng was still too naive.

Online fans all said Tang Ye's shooting was trash, and gradually he came to believe it.

The problem was, Tang Ye's shooting being trash was only trash when compared to the attacking midfielders of strong La Liga teams.

His shooting attribute is a full 77 points!

What kind of concept is that?

Although he is a midfielder, Tang Ye's shooting ability is roughly on par with South Korea's number one striker, Son Heung-min.

Lippi turned his head and said to Madaloni beside him, "Move Tom to Team A."

"Switch him now? Isn't that unnecessary?"

Lippi held up three fingers: "The starting team is already down by three."

The starting team was facing the substitute team, yet the starting team trailed by three goals.

What does this signify?

Does it mean the substitute team is stronger than the starting team?

No!

This proves that the current starting lineup is wrong!

Front-page headline of "China Football News": Villarreal star Tang Ye has arrived at the national team's training base in Hebei; the national team players held a welcome ceremony for Tang Ye, and according to photos taken by reporters, the players were all in high spirits.

Hot discussion on Check Dongqiu Di: In the home match against South Korea, will Tang Ye make a substitute appearance to make his national team debut?

World Cup Qualifiers Asia Group A Standings (as of Round 5)

1. Iran, 11 points.

2. South Korea, 10 points.

3. Uzbekistan, 9 points.

4. Syria, 5 points.

5. Qatar, 4 points.

6. China, 2 points.

Front-page headline of "Titan Sports": After five rounds with only 2 points, can Lippi lead the national team to turn the tide against the wind?

……

(End of Chapter)