Chapter 241: The Final Month of the Season Arrives: A Rematch Against Ajax in the Semi-Finals!

"Tom, Tom, come quick, come look at this!"

In the locker room, Bruno beckoned Tang Ye over, then showed him the news notification that had just popped up on his phone.

"What is it, Bruno?"

La Liga Official, April Player of the Month Candidates:

1. Tang Ye (Villarreal).

2. Griezmann (Atlético Madrid).

3. Castro (Real Betis).

4. Morata (Real Madrid).

5. Messi (Barcelona).

While Tang Ye was still staring at the screen, Bruno smiled at him: "How about it? Will this be your third monthly player award?"

Tang Ye did not answer immediately; instead, he used his index finger to scroll down Bruno's phone screen.

He had been selected for the La Liga April Player of the Month candidate list, and at the same time, Mr. Ferran had also been selected for the April Manager of the Month candidate list.

"I think I should be able to get it."

Tang Ye lifted his head: "I played quite well in the matches this April, don't you think, Bruno?"

"Haha!"

Bruno grabbed Tang Ye's shoulders and squeezed hard a few times, causing the latter to quickly run away: "But Martí said that now that the April matches are over, we need to start preparing for May!"

Although Villarreal's schedule in April was dense, there were no particularly strong opponents.

But May would be different.

This was the final month of the La Liga season, and also the final month of the Europa League.

"On May 3rd, we play Ajax... then on May 6th, we play Barcelona. And on the 11th, on the 11th we play Ajax again."

Cheryshev read out the arrangement for Villarreal's first few matches in May.

"I don't know about Barça, but we don't need to be nervous about Ajax."

Bruno propped his hands on the benches on either side, looking so relaxed that Tang Ye found it somewhat incomprehensible: "Why shouldn't we be nervous about Ajax? This season Ajax has a chance to win the Eredivisie title."

"Because our team has Ajax's bane, and he is!"

"T-O-M, Tom!"

"Stop it, stop it!"

Tang Ye felt somewhat embarrassed by the praise and quickly waved his hands: "Ajax is very strong, they are very strong; I watched the match between Utrecht and Ajax the night before last, and their form is excellent."

"Our form is also very good."

Aleix walked over from behind: "Tom, you are the one who has to lead us to victory."

"That's difficult, but... Sebastián, I will do my best!"

Front-page headline of "China Football News": Barcelona's La Masia youth academy and Shandong Taishan Shandong Luneng Football School establish a strategic partnership; both sides will share some training materials, and La Masia needs to pay Shandong Luneng Football School a "learning fee" of 1.2 million euros.

Front-page headline of "As": The director of La Masia youth training is very confident, believing that La Masia will produce geniuses in a few years, but this is clearly unrealistic; not every player possesses talent like Tom's, and La Masia players may not necessarily be able to learn the advanced football concepts from China.

Spanish station Six: Real Madrid's approach of not valuing youth training is quite foolish; if a youth academy can develop genius players, it can save the club a huge amount in transfer fees.

"Spain International": King Felipe VI praised Barcelona's positive attitude toward learning. "If the Spanish national team can reach the top four in next year's World Cup, I will go to Russia to watch live."

The match between Villarreal and Barça was less than two weeks away, yet unbeknownst to everyone, Barça had directly raided Tang Ye's hometown.

The April matches ended quickly; Tang Ye squatted at home playing games for two days, and before he knew it, May had arrived.

"Rod, did you know that May 1st is Labor Day in our place? Yeah, it means labor."

On the training ground, Tang Ye spoke slowly to Rodri beside him.

"Then why are you sitting down?"

Rodri shrugged, looking at Tang Ye who was sitting on a ball in front of him; the latter had not yet tied his shoelaces.

"Mr. Ferran hasn't arrived yet, don't rush; if we warm up now, won't we just cool down and waste the warm-up by the time we start?"

Hmm...

Rodri felt that Tang Ye's words made a lot of sense, so he asked Costa to kick a ball over to him and promptly sat down on it.

"Tom, the season is about to end; have you thought about what you'll do after the holiday?"

Tang Ye blinked: "Rod, are you already thinking about the holiday now? We still have six matches to play."

"One month passes very quickly."

"Alright, but I probably won't have much of a holiday."

Tang Ye hung his head: "The national team coach contacted me; as soon as the matches here are finished, I'll return directly to the country. The next match is about to begin, and moreover... I also need to prepare a bit for the Gaokao. Yeah, that's the high school graduation exam in our place."

Rodri did not care much about the Gaokao; his focus was on the national team Tang Ye had mentioned.

When Rodri was young, he had two dreams, one of which was to play for a club in one of Europe's top five leagues, and he had now achieved that.

His second dream was to play for the Spanish national team.

Considering the actual situation of the Spanish national team, the second dream was much more difficult than the first.

"Um, Tom."

Rodri patted Tang Ye's calf, pulling the latter's wandering thoughts back.

"Hey, Tom, if you've decided which team you're going to next season, could you let me know?"

"Of course, I will tell you all."

Tang Ye and Rodri bumped fists.

Just then, Escrivá finished his discussion with Chairman Roig in the office and returned to the training ground.

This morning involved only some simple speed training, but Rodri was constantly absent-minded.

Rodri is a very smart person.

Tang Ye will absolutely move to a giant club next season; Rodri's current strength might not be enough to secure him a starting spot at such a club, but if he goes together with Tang Ye, the terrifying chemistry between him and Tang Ye could help him fight for some opportunities.

That is the opportunity Rodri needs to seize!

……

Front-page headline of the "Amsterdam Evening Post"—Hosting La Liga's dark horse Villarreal at home, can Ajax break their psychological barrier?

Johan Cruyff Arena!

"Our opponents are in great form; they are very likely to become this season's Eredivisie champions."

"But I don't think that's a problem."

Escrivá crossed his arms and then spread them outward: "It's no problem at all; we've already beaten them twice, so we can beat them again."

With the match about to begin, the Yellow Submarine players in the locker room all gathered in the center.

"Tom, do you want to do it?"

"Thanks! Let me do it!"

Standing while waiting for his teammates to place their hands in the middle, Tang Ye began the countdown.

"3!"

"2!"

"1!"

Take a deep breath!

"Vamos Villarreal!"

Check Dongqiu Di pinned post: Europa League Semi-final First Leg, Yellow Submarine away at Ajax, Tang Ye and Dolberg lead the starting lineup.

"China Central Television! Here is the live broadcast for you..."

"Players from both sides are ready on the pitch!"

"The referee is checking his watch!"

"Match started! Now I will introduce the starting lineups for both teams, starting with the home team, Ajax!"

Ajax (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: Onana

Defenders: Tete, Davinson Sánchez, de Ligt, Riedewald

Midfielders: Klaassen, Schöne, Ziyech

Forwards: Traoré, Dolberg, Younès

Head Coach: Bosz

"Both teams have fielded their most standard starting lineups of the season, with all main players on the pitch. This fully shows that both have their sights set on the Europa League final."

"That's right; in this match, Villarreal is the more favored side, because Ajax has already lost to Villarreal twice this season."

"However, it's a bit too early to draw conclusions; after all, there is still quite a big difference between last year's Ajax and this year's Ajax."

Just as the match began, Ajax immediately pushed their attacking line very far forward.

Clearly, they had specifically studied their semi-final opponents!

The high-intensity forward pressing made it impossible for the Yellow Submarine's defensive line to pass the ball out.

In this way, the great Tom would have no chance to receive the ball!

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

Just as Musacchio received the ball and prepared to pass it forward to the supporting Rodri, Traoré ran straight toward him.

Traoré's speed was very fast; the sudden pressure made Musacchio dare not pass forward at all.

He could only pass to Costa on the left first!

Seeing Musacchio pass the ball away, Traoré ran in an arc and charged straight at Costa.

Traoré knew that such pressing might not necessarily help his team win possession, but he had to do it.

Because this is the way to defend against the Yellow Submarine!

The best defense is constant offensive pressing.

At least, this statement holds true when the opponent is Villarreal!

As Traoré ran toward him, Costa hesitated for a step; at that moment, Traoré suddenly accelerated and charged right in front of Costa.

Damn!

Costa quickly turned around to shield the ball.

Klaassen was also rushing over here!

If this doesn't work, he can only kick the ball out of bounds!

"Goalkeeper, goalkeeper!"

Tang Ye shouted twice; realizing the situation, Costa directly tapped the ball to Asenjo, who had run out from the penalty area.

"Wow!"

"Press him, press him!"

"Shoot, shoot!"

With the Yellow Submarine's goal empty, the fans in the stands went wild.

Crack!

Asenjo kicked the ball far out of bounds with a big clearance!

"Ajax!"

Boom boom!

"Ajax!"

Boom! Boom!

Less than ten minutes into the match, they forced the opposing goalkeeper to clear the ball, and the home fans' momentum surged!

Although his team was clearly at a disadvantage, Escribá said not a word, merely stealing a glance in Bosch's direction.

There was no expression on Bosch's face, but Escribá could tell that this guy was under immense pressure!

Today, Ajax wanted to establish their momentum right from the kickoff and then suppress Villarreal for the rest of the match.

This style of play carried risks; if Ajax failed to score in the first half, they would likely explode in the second!

"Steady, steady!" "Tom, drop back! Drop back!"

Slightly adjust Tang Ye's positioning, but make no changes to the overall tactics!

"They are going to pay the price."

Sitting back down in his chair, Escribá whispered to Matí beside him.

"But I feel we might actually concede the first goal."

Matí turned his computer screen toward Escribá.

So far, Villarreal's attacking players had barely touched the ball!

The clock hit the 17th minute!

Boom!

Dolberg collided with Rodri, but Dolberg ultimately succeeded in carrying the ball toward Villarreal's arc.

Bruno protested to the referee, but the referee gave no indication.

Dolberg had not committed a foul!

!

Trouble was brewing!

Tang Ye immediately sprinted back toward his own half.

His current position was very close to Dolberg's; he could try to see if there was an opportunity...

To sneak in a tackle!

And knock Dolberg straight to the ground!

At that moment, Dolberg suddenly turned his head, and the two of them stared wide-eyed at each other.

Tang Ye:...

Slap!

Dolberg passed the ball out to the wing ahead of schedule!

Stealing the ball was definitely out of the question; Tang Ye could only stick close to Dolberg and prevent him from running into the penalty area.

Yunus was near the baseline on the left flank!

A feint to shake off Gaspar!

A square pass to Traoré at the far post!

Tang Ye remained unhurried, firmly blocking Dolberg's position.

As for Traoré, that would have to be left to his teammates!

Receiving the ball outside the penalty area!

Charging into the box!

Passing from the left foot to the right!

Shooting directly!

"Goal!"

"Traoré!"

The Johan Cruyff Arena erupted.

Ajax had scored the first goal!

"Hey, ref!"

Bruno and Alé both approached the head referee, claiming that Dolberg's charge on Rodri was a foul.

"That was absolutely a foul; you should have disallowed their goal!"

The Villarreal players believed they had the stronger case, but unfortunately, the head referee ignored their protests.

The goal stood!

Chewing his gum, Tang Ye felt quite uncomfortable.

When Dolberg was advancing with the ball, he should have positioned himself in a blind spot.

What a pity!

"Booo—!!!"

After taking the lead, the Ajax fans began their session of taunting the visiting team.

Among them, Tang Ye received their special targeting.

"Tom!"

"Booo—!!!"

Tang Ye was considered Ajax's nemesis.

But facts proved that statement wrong!

Ajax had been the first to breach Villarreal's goal; they were the side dominating this match!

As for Tom?

He can't even touch the ball!

"Damn it..."

Shaking his head, Tang Ye hadn't expected to be targeted like this by Ajax fans.

Hiss—

He recalled that he hadn't done anything wrong, right?

"Why am I being cursed at?"

Tang Ye turned his head, wanting to get an answer from Bruno.

Because he felt Bruno knew everything.

But Bruno did not answer Tang Ye's question: "Just respond with goals; this style of play of theirs won't last long!"

The time reached the 31st minute of the first half!

At this point, Villarreal had slowly regained a bit of possession, but only a bit; Ajax's high press in the attacking third remained incredibly intense!

"This one's in!"

"It's Traoré again!"

"Traoré's form today is simply flawless!"

"2:0!"

"Ajax takes the lead!"

The home stands erupted, while the Yellow Submarine players on the pitch lowered their heads.

"Ajax's tactics have achieved considerable success; if Villarreal wants to equalize, they need to figure something out quickly!"

Check Dongqiu Di live match report: Traoré scores with a cold shot from outside the box, Ajax leads Villarreal 2:0 at home.

【Saint E, what are you doing, Saint E】

【Bosch has found the secret to playing against the Yellow Submarine; if Tang Ye doesn't drop back, he can't get the ball, but if he does, he can't participate in the attack】

【What's needed now is someone to step up and give King Tang Tang Qiuwang extra speed training; yes, I'm talking about Ten Hag】

【Ajax's tactics are truly f*cking disgusting; how are they going to play the second half like this?】

【Leading by two goals in the first half, they can just park the bus in the second; Ajax has finally cracked the code for playing against the Yellow Submarine】

"Ajax!!"

At the very top of the east stand, fans were waving Ajax team flags.

During the group stage, Ajax was double-killed by the Yellow Submarine; today, they finally had a chance for revenge!

"deploegdedapp'remeerschehelden~ (The brave and fearless heroes)"

"onzevreugd'entrotschbezi~ (Proud of you, honored by you)"

"alomgevreesdinheeldenland~ (This land trembles because of you)"

"Ajax!"

"Ajax!"

"Ajax!"

The momentum of the home fans was somewhat exaggerated!

No choice; Ajax fans were too eager to take down Tom!

They wanted revenge for the former Ajax head coach who was fired by Tom!

The 42nd minute!

Consecutive high-intensity pressing caused stamina issues for the Ajax forwards.

The number of times Tang Ye touched the ball also began to increase!

"Go straight, go straight!"

After exchanging words with his teammate, Tang Ye played a through ball directly toward the byline.

【De Bruyne Curved Through Ball Lv4: Realistic】!

"Beautiful!"

"Tang Ye's through ball was very stable, precisely finding Gaspar at the right-wing byline."

"Bakambu is making the run!"

Bakambu ran ahead of Gaspar to receive the pass, and the latter decisively played the ball out.

While Bakambu and Gaspar were combining, Tang Ye observed the penalty area in front of him.

Calling for the ball with a hand gesture!

Slap!

Bakambu's inverted triangle pass found Tang Ye!

Running forward to control the ball!

Sanchez still wanted to step up and intercept, but at this moment Tang Ye paused his body, accelerated, and then directly bypassed Sanchez.

A familiar feeling!

No technique whatsoever, all about bodily rhythm!

Slap!

Moving laterally in front of the arc, looking for an opportunity.

Eyes lifting to look at the top left corner of the goal.

Actually, Tang Ye knew where the goal was; this move was purely for the Ajax defenders and goalkeeper to see!

Slap!

【Mbappé Far-Post Feint, Near-Post Finish Template】!

Goal!

His eyes looked at the top left corner, but he shot at the bottom right.

Goalkeeper Onana had absolutely no time to react!

【You have obtained 15 Counterattack Points】

"Vamos!!!"

Tang Ye let out a fierce roar toward Sansone.

He had found the feeling!

Check Dongqiu Di Halftime Report: Tang Ye scores with a push shot from outside the box; Yellow Submarine trails Ajax 1–2 at halftime.

Although trailing by one goal, Escrivá wore a smile on his face as he walked back to the locker room.

Ajax had played far too arrogantly in the first 35 minutes.

And acting arrogant in front of Villarreal would absolutely come at a price!

"Hurry, hurry!"

"Tom, stop greeting the fans; those are Ajax fans, not your fans!"

(End of Chapter)