Chapter 244: A Direct Shot on a Free Ball? Turning the Tables on Barcelona!

Check Dongqiu Di Pinned Post: La Liga Matchday 36, Barcelona vs Villarreal in progress, live score 0:0.

Check Dongqiu Di Live Report: Busquets' precise through-ball finds the surging Messi, Messi's low shot breaks the deadlock, Barcelona 1:0 Villarreal.

"Wow!"

After the goal, Messi and Suarez linked arms and ran toward the lower stands.

The Barcelona players on the pitch followed closely behind.

Before this match, many fans said Barcelona might flop just like they did in the Copa del Rey.

After all, Villarreal's form over the last few months has been truly outrageous!

But the fact is, Barcelona is indeed the leading side right now!

They are leading 1:0!

"BARCA! BARCA! BARCA! (BARCELONA!!! BARCELONA!!! BARCELONA!!!)"

"Jugadors! (Warriors!)"

"Seguidors! (Believers!)"

"totsunitfemforca! (We unite and fight side by side!)"

Although today's match venue is not Camp Nou, the Barcelona fans in the stands are still extremely passionate.

The logic is simple: if Barcelona can win this six-point battle, their position as second in the league this season will be basically secured.

Even if Villarreal wins their next two matches, they might not be able to overtake Barcelona!

And, most importantly!

A victory in this match will keep the title race suspenseful until the final round of the league!

Pfft!

Tang Ye spat the gum in his mouth into the wrapper; the sound of the Barcelona team song from the stands made him feel somewhat uncomfortable.

Bruno walked over with a bitter smile: "It's a bit tricky."

"Their attacking rotations are too fast; we are very passive!"

The stadium was too noisy, so Tang Ye chose to shout.

"Yes, that's right!"

Bruno shouted back: "So we must concentrate and mark our men tightly."

Pointing at Iniesta celebrating with Messi in the distance: "Tom, don't let him get a chance to participate in the attack!"

Tang Ye and Bruno high-fived.

Rakitic and Busquets are both too big; even with Zidane's template, Tang Ye could keep up with their rhythm but would still eventually be knocked aside by a shoulder charge.

Defending against Rakitic and Busquets is too difficult.

But if it's Iniesta...

Tom believes he can do it!

"BARCA! BARCA! BARCA!"

The cheers from the stands grew louder and louder; Barcelona seemed intent on completely controlling the tempo of this match.

This is not good news for Villarreal!

Escrivá paced back and forth on the sideline, glancing at the situation on the pitch, then at the camera.

Then he glanced at the situation at the opposing bench next door.

After a long time without reaching a conclusion, he finally sat back down in his seat.

It wasn't that Escrivá wanted to seek Marty's opinion; it was just that his pressure was so immense right now that he had to find some sense of validation from someone in his own camp.

Covering his mouth: "If they keep playing like this, we'll have to play purely defensively for the entire first half!"

Marty squinted at the laptop screen on his thigh, then turned his head: "So we can wait until the second half?"

"I'm just afraid that by then, in the second half, they'll still want to play like this!"

Barcelona is not like Ajax; Ajax's bench has no one left to sub in.

But Barcelona does!

Turan and Paco, although not as outrageous as the MSN trio, still possess very good pressing abilities!

"If they still play like this in the second half, I will have to make changes early."

Escrivá's expression was serious.

Marty is under great pressure now; he doesn't know if Escrivá's approach is correct.

But Marty won't speak up to offer suggestions, because he also doesn't know what to do in this current situation.

The match has reached the 42nd minute!

Roberto dribbles down the wing!

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

!!!

The fans almost held their breath; fortunately, Musacchio and Ruiz combined to block Suarez's position, ultimately preventing Suarez from getting the ball.

In previous matches against Barcelona, Villarreal allowed Suarez too many opportunities inside their own penalty area.

Absolutely no more chances can be given now!

At the 46th minute, Tang Ye received the ball on the right, just about to pretend to be a forward and charge toward the baseline, when the referee blew the whistle.

The first half of the match is over!

"Damn!"

Tang Ye sighed.

According to his observation, if that run down the wing had been executed, Villarreal would have had a goal-scoring opportunity!

"It's fine!"

Gaspar walked toward the player tunnel with Tang Ye: "There will be chances in the second half."

Check Dongqiu Di halftime report: Yellow Submarine trailing 1:0 away against Barca, Messi scores with a push shot inside the penalty area.

【Old powerhouses are still fierce.】

【Yellow Submarine's problem is the fullbacks; if they strengthen the fullback positions, Barca wouldn't have so many chances.】

【Tang Tang Qiuwang, when will you step up!】

【Your Tang Tang Qiuwang is invisible for the whole match~ Can't help at all~】

【Suggest Tang Ye secretly stick his chewing gum onto Messi's shoes, don't let Messi shoot.】

"Hurry, hurry!"

Just as Tang Ye and Ale arrived at the locker room door, Escrivá's voice immediately came from inside.

"Okay, okay."

Tang Ye closed the door, sidestepped Escrivá, and quickly sat back in his own spot.

"Our opponent's pressing tactics have made it very difficult for us to play; unsurprisingly, they'll continue doing this in the second half."

"Regardless, we are currently behind, so we must attack in the second half."

Clap, clap, clap!

With a series of quick moves, Escrivá changed the magnetic flags on the tactics board.

"Tom, do you want to say something?"

Martí noticed Tang Ye in the corner looking as if he wanted to speak, but Tang Ye seemed hesitant and hadn't said anything yet.

"If you have an idea, just say it directly; don't overthink it right now."

After Escrivá finished speaking, Tang Ye touched his fingernails: "How about playing a 5-3-2? I feel like that could work."

"5-3-2?"

Tang Ye's words caught Escrivá's attention; the Yellow Submarine head coach narrowed his eyes: "Hmm... I think it should be possible. Tell me why."

"Uh..."

Tang Ye's little face turned red.

"Last night I played against Barca using a 5-3-2, and I didn't lose a single match."

"Played against Barca last night?"

"Oh!"

Escrivá realized what was happening.

Tang Ye was talking about football, but not entirely about football.

Originally, Escrivá's Wa De Xiang Fa was to play a 4-4-2, but now thinking about it again...

4-4-2 or 5-3-2?

Would 5-3-2 be slightly better?

"We'll play 5-3-2."

There wasn't much time left at halftime; Escrivá had to make his judgment quickly.

"I was just saying it casually; I'm not very certain either."

Tang Ye felt a bit embarrassed.

However, Escrivá did not follow Tang Ye's in-game tactics completely; the Yellow Submarine head coach formulated a special 5-3-2 tactic based on Barca's performance today.

Sansone was substituted off!

Walking out through the player tunnel gate, Tang Ye grabbed Sansone's shoulder: "Nicola, sorry..."

"Winning is more important than anything; anyway, my form wasn't great today, so I'm counting on you guys."

Sansone patted Tang Ye's hand resting on his shoulder, and the two walked out together.

All the players had left, yet Escrivá remained in the locker room, staring blankly at the tactics board.

The main difference between 5-3-2 and 4-4-2 lies in the midfield.

With a 4-4-2, Escrivá wanted to use more midfielders to increase the team's possession, thereby creating opportunities for Tang Ye to receive the ball.

If it were a 5-3-2, then...

In the second half, Tom would face an enormous challenge!

"China Central Television, welcome back, dear viewers; this is the second half of the match between Barcelona and Villarreal!"

"In the first half, Barcelona gained the advantage through high-intensity forward pressing, but this tactic comes at the cost of the forwards' stamina!"

"Villarreal has made a substitution adjustment!"

"They must be preparing to make their move in the second half!"

Changing from 4-2-3-1 to 5-3-2, Villarreal's sudden tactical adjustment made Enrique frown.

Yellow Submarine's compact defense?

Let's see what exactly is happening!

Barca continued applying pressure in the forward line!

Enrique kept his eyes on Tang Ye on the pitch; to the fans, this looked like Enrique wanting to test the goods for Barca.

But what exactly Enrique was looking at, only he himself knew!

Barca launched an attack from the left flank!

Neymar advanced with the ball!

The speed wasn't too fast, but the flashy dribbling put considerable pressure on Bruno.

Tang Ye immediately ran toward Neymar.

Although he and Neymar were comrades-in-arms, they were not on the same team now, after all.

He intended to target his former comrade properly.

Preparing to block his position, Tang Ye found that Neymar seemed to anticipate his approach, suddenly popping the ball up from behind his back.

The leather ball arced like a rainbow, passing from behind Neymar, over his head, to land in front of him.

A skillful dribble!

Neymar was showing off!

An anxious Bruno reached out to grab Neymar, but the Brazilian striker dodged him.

Reaching the left baseline!

He crossed directly into the penalty area!

At this moment, the advantage of the five-defender formation became apparent; just as Suarez and Messi charged into the box, the Yellow Submarine's defenders clamped down on them immediately, leaving them no chance whatsoever to touch the ball.

Perfect!

Confirming the rear field was secure, Tang Ye immediately started running forward.

Asenjo ran forward with the ball in his hands inside the penalty area while Musacchio shoved Suarez away for him, simultaneously shouting, "Tom Tom Tom Tom Tom Tom!"

Asenjo swung his arm behind his back and threw the ball with great force, accurately finding Tang Ye ahead.

"Beautiful, Asenjo!"

"Tang Ye has received the ball near the center circle!"

"This is a excellent counter-attack opportunity for Villarreal!"

He originally intended to pass the ball directly to the front field, but Ale was not positioned on the offside line.

"Come!"

Tang Ye called the making a forward run Bakambu to his side, then dribbled the ball himself toward the right baseline.

Digne rushed up to challenge for the ball!

Tang Ye decisively passed back to Bakambu!

Bang!

A through pass from Bakambu allowed Tang Ye, who had run past Digne, to take control of the ball.

An incredibly fast one-two combination!

Run forward!

Passed directly!

【De Bruyne 45-Degree Cross】!

Hmm, there is also 【De Bruyne Baseline Cross】!

Use both together!

Slap!

Tang Ye's pass struck the ground outside the penalty area, rebounded, and bounced into the box!

Ale held firm against Umtiti's pulling and stretched his leg to reach for the ball.

Stabilize the core!

Turning sideways, he volleyed it directly with a powerful shot!

"GGGG——OOOOO——LLLLLL!!"

"Goal!"

"Goal!"

"Ale, beautiful!"

Inside the penalty area, Ale demonstrated his exceptionally outstanding core stability.

Completing the goal to equalize the score!

"Haha!"

Tang Ye stood still without moving, because he knew Sebastian would soon run toward him.

"Roar——!!!"

A low yet familiar roar emerged.

Eh, as expected!

In Tang Ye's eyes, Ale still appeared extremely large.

But this time, Tom was not afraid!

Bang!

The two collided.

【You have obtained Counterattack Points * 10】

Check Dongqiu Di Live Match Report: Tang Ye's bouncing cross assisted Ale in scoring, equalizing the match for the Yellow Submarine.

【With two strikers, I, Tang Tang Qiuwang, have no passing option... Damn, awesome!】

【The same script as against Ajax, Barca is going to be finished.】

【Yellow Submarine away 5:1 Barca!】

【Real Madrid fans sliding on their knees in formation!】

In the camera shot, Barca head coach Enrique scratched his hair.

With two strikers, Tang Ye would lack a passing option; this was also why Enrique was not worried at all when the Yellow Submarine changed formation in the second half.

But Enrique overlooked one very important aspect.

The double forwards are merely two forwards in name only.

Tom can impersonate a forward!

The score has been equalized, and the MSN trio's stamina has been heavily depleted.

The situation now does not seem too favorable for Barca!

"Switch back, switch back, Plan B! Plan B!"

Under pressure, Sitting Like had the Barca players revert to their original tactics.

They could no longer impersonate Ajax!

Playing like Ajax had resulted in a 2:5 defeat!

The match reached the 71st minute!

Tang Ye received the ball in the attacking third!

Roberto charged forward!

A brief pause!

Using the 【Zidane Rhythm Control Template】, he temporarily shook off Roberto!

An opportunity found!

Looking at the far corner!

Striking at the near corner!

Smack!

Tang Ye's shot was blocked by Pique's foot.

"Ah!"

Tang Ye cupped the back of his head, frowning.

Was his reaction really that fast?

This feels awful, bro!

"Drop back! Drop back!"

Hearing captain Bruno's voice, Tang Ye sprinted quickly toward his own half.

While running, he did not forget to glance back at Barca's goal.

Tang Ye now very much wanted to say one thing to the goalkeeper, ter Stegen.

He would be back!

FCB: 66%

VCF: 34%

Over the past 15 minutes, Yellow Submarine had suffered a significant disadvantage in possession, yet the players had been striving relentlessly to catch up.

Possession had lagged by 30 percentage points over the past 15 minutes.

But in the last five minutes, Yellow Submarine's possession deficit against Barca was less than 10%!

"quemainingúnoenspodràtòrcer! (No one will break us!)"

"BlauGranaalvent! (The red-and-blue banners flutter in the wind!)"

"uncritvalent! (The shouting shakes heaven and earth!)"

The home fans' voices were loud, but Escrivá felt no panic.

Why were the Barca fans singing the team anthem with such fervor?

Because they were panicking!

They were afraid!

Judging by the performance on the field right now.

Yellow Submarine indeed had a probability of defeating Barcelona!

The Red and Blues were about to fall!

Yellow is justice!

"Mine, mine!"

Tang Ye took the ball from under Rodri's feet, then quickly passed it back to Rodri.

Having played for Yellow Submarine for nearly a season, the coordination between Tang Ye and his teammates could only be described as consummate.

To achieve such results in a single season.

Undeniably, this was GGBond's learning ability!

Super learning ability!

Cheryshev, who had just come on as a substitute, was already up front!

However, Tang Ye was in no hurry; he first let Rodri carry the ball for a while to assess the situation.

Scanning left and right, Tang Ye moved past Rakitić and ran directly toward the left flank!

Now Tang Ye was on Rodri's left, the two of them running forward together!

As Barca's defenders rushed up to challenge for the ball, Rodri dribbled directly toward the left.

Tang Ye, meanwhile, cut inside toward the center!

Rodri drew all the defenders onto himself, and after completing a crossing run with Tang Ye, suddenly knocked the ball to the right with his left foot, sending a through pass straight to Tang Ye.

Villarreal's midfield had executed a combination play!

The rapid crossing runs had given Tang Ye the chance to receive the ball in a comfortable position!

Unfortunately, Cheryshev did not share the same unspoken understanding with Tang Ye that Aleá had.

He had not run into Barca's penalty area in advance!

Unable to pass forward, Tang Ye was forced to stand still on the spot; just as he prepared to play a safe pass backward, Piqué and Roberto both charged at him!

!

Shield the ball!

Roberto directly tackled Tang Ye to the ground!

"This is a set-piece opportunity for Villarreal in the attacking third!"

Damn!

Tang Ye sat on the ground, shaking his head.

Barcelona's defenders were targeting him again!

Piqué quickly helped Tang Ye up from the ground, and the latter stood in position, carefully observing the wall of players before him.

Bruno covered his mouth: "What do you think?"

"We can shoot directly."

"Shoot directly? Are you sure?"

Tang Ye's answer surprised Bruno somewhat.

Wasn't Tom supposed to lack the ability to take direct free kicks?

Tang Ye had originally intended to shoot directly, but the Barcelona goalkeeper was extremely cautious and temporarily changed Roberto's positioning inside the penalty area.

The direct shooting lane was blocked!

After a brief exchange, Tang Ye and Bruno made their decision.

"Villarreal's set-piece!"

"The location of this set-piece is decent; it allows for either a direct shot or a pass."

"Bruno has run over the ball!"

"Tang Ye!"

Slap!

He kicked the ball to Costa at the far post, who was unmarked; the Villarreal full-back struck it powerfully to score.

"GGGG——OOOO——LLLLL!!!!"

"Goal! Goal!"

"Costa!"

Inside the penalty area, Barcelona's players looked at each other; many hadn't even realized who had taken the shot.

Villarreal had taken the lead!

【You have obtained 10 Counterattack Points】

【Second assist of the match; you have obtained an additional 20 Counterattack Points】

"Vamos!!!"

The Villarreal players huddled together near the corner flag.

【I suggest blowing the final whistle right now】

【Although they lost to Barcelona once, Villarreal has beaten Barcelona twice】

【Did they signal in advance? How did Gaspar spot the open space from such a distance?】

Passing from the right side to the left side of the penalty area to Gaspar—wasn't Tang Ye's field of vision too wide?

No, this is normal.

Because GGBond always knows where every one of his friends is!

"Villarreal!"

"Villarreal!"

During the celebration, the away fans' chants grew louder and louder; then the match resumed.

"Barcelona will surely not be satisfied with the current score; they will launch a counterattack!"

"Now Villarreal's task is to defend and stabilize this lead."

While He Wei and Huang Huang Jianxiang were chatting, an English version of the league table suddenly popped up in the bottom-left corner of the live stream.

La Liga Standings (if this match ends with a 1:2 scoreline)

1. Real Madrid, 88 points.

2. Villarreal, 83 points.

3. Barcelona, 82 points.

The broadcaster reminded the fans watching the replay.

If Villarreal wins this match, they will push Barcelona down in the standings!

As Report—Benzema posted a photo of himself watching the Barcelona vs. Villarreal match with his family, captioning it "vamosvillarreal".

(End of Chapter)