Chapter 276: A Champions League Match Without Ten Hag: A Challenge for Manchester United's Players

"The match has begun!"

"Now, let me introduce the starting lineups for both teams in this match!"

"First, the home team, Manchester United, holding fort at Old Trafford; as you can see, Tang Ye has secured a starting position in this game—this is his first Champions League appearance."

A market value of 120 million euros.

His first Champions League appearance!

You might think pairing these two sentences together is somewhat absurd.

But that is the fact.

This is ggbond's superpower!

"And now the away team, Basel! A club from the Swiss Super League."

Basel (3-4-3)

Goalkeeper: Vaclik

Defenders: Balanta, Suchy, Akanji

Midfielders: Riveros, Zuffi, Xhaka, Michael Lang

Forwards: Elyounoussi, Van Wolfswinkel, Steffen

Head Coach: Wicky

Van Wolfswinkel.

Just now, while in the player tunnel, Tang Ye had repeated his name several times.

Such a long name; it's just unknown how strong this brother actually is.

Less than half a minute into the match, just as the CCTV commentator finished introducing the starting lineups, the director's camera suddenly swung to the home team's bench.

Interim head coach Fan Fan Dejiahe was sitting on a chair.

As for the true head coach, Ten Hag...

The camera cut to the stands beside the main podium.

That was where Ten Hag was located!

"Ten Hag!"

"Ten Hag!"

Manchester United fans shouted Ten Hag's name loudly.

In response, Ten Hag remained extremely calm, raising his right hand to acknowledge the fans' cheers.

"Wow!"

Screams from the Manchester United fans!

Although Ten Hag could not conduct on-field command during this match.

Yet the fans sensed his confidence from the Manchester United manager's posture!

The 12th minute of the match!

"Huff, huff!"

Breathing rapidly, Tang Ye was searching for the rhythm of the game.

During his time in La Liga, he had been Villarreal's rhythm master; now having arrived at Manchester United, Tang Ye still wished to continue serving as the team's rhythm master.

However, due to differences in teammates and tactics, Tang Ye was not yet able to fully control Manchester United's rhythm.

He needed to try gradually, bit by bit!

He spotted Mata ahead!

He moved a step early to block Xhaka's position.

At the same time, he reached out to his teammates, calling for the ball!

However, Herrera hesitated for a moment, causing Tang Ye to fail to receive the ball at the most optimal moment.

A bit of a pity, but they could take it slow.

Drop back to provide support!

"Damn!"

Just as Tang Ye began dropping back to support, Steffen suddenly completed a tackle on Herrera.

Manchester United had lost possession in their own half!

"Herrera knows he made a mistake; he is chasing!"

"But it's a bit too late; Steffen's speed is incredibly fast!"

The Basel winger accelerated to the byline, then lofted a high pass into the penalty area.

Van Wolfswinkel leaped into the air!

Boom!

Bailly moved a step early to clear the ball away!

The long-name monster failed to reach the ball!

However, Manchester United's crisis was not yet resolved!

Riveros!

Shooting directly!

"Gooooooaaaaallll!!!"

"That's a goal!"

"A world-class strike from outside the box by Riveros!"

"Basel has taken the lead first!"

The stadium fell somewhat quiet; Riveros, having scored, turned with his teammates to look at the home side.

"Roar—!!!"

This was the Basel players' furious roar directed at the home fans, a response to their opening taunts!

Check Dongqiu Di live match report: Bailly's clearance error, Riveros scores a worldie from outside the box, Basel leads Manchester United 1:0.

"Damn..."

Tang Ye shook his hands.

This goal shouldn't have happened!

When he made his forward run, he wasn't on the same wavelength as Herrera!

"Scan ahead!"

De Gea shouted at Bailly: "Clear it to the left!"

No one expected Basel to score first; the Manchester United players on the pitch were now growing anxious.

The coaching staff, of course, felt the same.

Interestingly, after Manchester United conceded, the live camera didn't immediately cut to Fan Fan Dejiahe on the substitutes' bench.

Instead, it focused on Ten Hag sitting in the stands.

【Brothers, it feels like Saint Teng is truly panicking】

【Without Ten Hag roaring from the touchline, the Manchester United defenders just stopped running】

【Manchester United is behind, damn? Is Basel this fierce?】

"Focus! Spread the defensive line out to both sides!"

Fan Fan Dejiahe issued tactical instructions.

His brain instinctively wanted to check the computer data on the substitutes' bench, but he quickly dismissed the thought.

He was already struggling to make himself heard shouting from the touchline!

Basel seemed to have found a way to deal with Manchester United; their three forwards coordinated with two attacking midfielders to press relentlessly in the final third.

Let's look at Manchester United's defensive midfield setup.

Mkhitaryan, who was pretending to be a defensive midfielder, and Herrera, who couldn't run fast.

"Manchester United's back line seems unable to play the ball out!"

Realizing something was wrong, Tang Ye began actively dropping deep toward his own half.

Running past the guy with the long name!

With suddenly an extra passing option, Manchester United's back line finally felt comfortable.

Seizing the opportunity, Smalling played a precise low through-ball straight to Tang Ye's feet.

Van Wolfswinkel still wanted to engage Tang Ye in a physical battle!

Pretending to stretch his foot to control the ball, he actually flicked it behind his back!

【Modric Back-to-Goal Escape Template】, directly completing the escape from the guy with the long name!

"Go, go, go!"

Tang Ye began dribbling forward!

A speed of 73 wasn't fast, but a short burst was no problem!

Lifting his head for a glance, he simultaneously assessed the situations on the left, center, and right routes!

Rashford was already prepared to make a forward run!

Slap!

【De Bruyne Curved Through-Ball Lv4: Deceptive】

Proficiency: 502/1000

This pass was extremely advantageous.

It rolled right past the Basel defender's feet!

!!

Realizing the situation was dire, Su Xi decisively went to ground for a sliding tackle.

But he was just a fraction too late!

He failed to intercept Tang Ye's through-ball!

Piercing the defensive line!

The ball curved!

Hmm?

Rashford, who had sprinted forward, froze for a moment, nearly failing to react.

Fuck, this ball is perfect!

Tighten the core!

Bang!

"Goal!"

"Rashford!"

"Beautiful!"

"A perfectly executed long-pass combination between the attacking midfielder and the left winger!"

"Manchester United has equalized the score!"

【You obtained 15 Counterattack Points】

【Mission Progress: Goal (0/1) / Assist (1/1)】

【Mission Completed】

"Haha!"

The first half wasn't even over, yet Tang Ye had already completed his Stage One mission.

And there were still 15 Counterattack Points to be had!

Just like in the World Cup Qualifiers, Tang Ye earned 15 Counterattack Points for every assist in the Champions League.

In the Premier League and La Liga, such a reward was reserved for goals!

Rashford had already run to the sideline to complete his knee slide; the Red Devils' Crown Prince and Martial embraced, then turned to look for Tang Ye.

"Tom!"

"Coming, coming!"

Boom!

Colliding with Rashford, Tang Ye mimicked his teammate, placing his hand on Rashford's head and rubbing it vigorously.

Hiss!

Rashford's hair was incredibly prickly!

"Marcus, that hurts!"

"What?"

Rashford didn't catch Tang Ye's meaning: "I'm not in pain!"

"I know you're not in pain, Marcus; I am!"

Shaking his hand, Tang Ye and Rashford slowly walked back to the halfway line.

Hearing fans shout his name, Tang Ye raised his right hand.

Check Dongqiu Di live match report: In the 27th minute, Tang Ye delivered a heaven-defying through-ball to assist Rashford's goal. Tang Ye broke Manchester United's club record for the fastest Champions League assist by a rookie. "Trailing by one goal, they equalized in under 20 minutes; Manchester United proved they were the dominant side in this match."

"Yes, although they encountered some issues building play from the back, we can see that Manchester United's attacking line is absolutely top-tier!"

The camera cut to Ten Hag!

He was still sitting in his chair.

At this moment, it took very observant fans to spot the difference.

When trailing, Ten Hag's hands had been resting outside, but after Rashford scored the equalizer, the Manchester United manager tucked his hands into his pockets.

"..."

"Tang Ye! Pass to Rashford again!"

"Tang Ye and Rashford are displaying excellent chemistry!"

"Rashford, pass it over!"

"Tang Ye!"

Changing rhythm, he entered the penalty area.

!

Looking toward the far corner!

Instead, he directly ambushed the near corner!

"Damn!"

His shot was blocked by a defender!

"United!"

Boom-boom!

"United!"

Boom-boom!

The match entered halftime.

Perhaps because Ten Hag wasn't present, Rashford acted very casually in the locker room during the break.

While Fan Fan Dejiahe explained the team's grand tactics in the center, Tang Ye and Rashford sat together discussing their own minor tactics.

"Right, you need to come to the middle to support me."

"If you get marked then, I'll come over to support you too."

Tang Ye and Rashford whispered.

Returning to the player tunnel, Tang Ye and Rashford swapped positions, deliberately standing closer to the guy with the long name.

"Van Wolfswinkel..."

Van Wolfswinkel turned his head: "Tom."

Tang Ye's face flushed: "Hey mate, hello. Even though I can't spell your name..."

"Haha."

The second half began!

1-1 is a very ambiguous scoreline.

Neither the Manchester United players nor the Basel players were satisfied with this score.

The Manchester United fans even less so!

They would absolutely not accept drawing with a Swiss Super League team!

"Glory, glory, Man United~"

"Glory Glory Man United~"

"And the Reds go marching on! On! On!"

Since the team encountered issues building play from the back in the first half, Fan Fan Dejiahe made slight adjustments to the players' positioning for the second half.

Push Tang Ye to the back?

No, doing that would get me scolded by Ten Hag!

Fan Fan Dejiahe's approach was to swap the positions of Mata and Mkhitaryan, letting Mata, who possessed superior ball control, play as the defensive midfielder.

Theoretically, this was feasible, and in fact, Fan Fan Dejiahe's maneuver did alleviate the problems Manchester United faced in the first half.

But...

Fan Fan Dejiahe narrowed his eyes.

The problem of building play from the back had not been completely solved!

71st minute of the second half!

Tang Ye actively drifted toward the right flank!

Looking for Mkhitaryan!

Snap!

Mkhitaryan passed the ball back, then surged forward!

Tang Ye decisively played a through ball!

Pass to Mkhitaryan, then follow him up!

Fuck!

Tang Ye's sudden forward run startled Mata.

Such a large space had been left vacant; if the opponent launched a counterattack, wouldn't Manchester United's midfield defense be completely exposed?

Realizing something was wrong, Mata hurriedly ran up to occupy Tang Ye's position.

"Look at this attack by Manchester United."

"Mkhitaryan and... Tang Ye, who has temporarily moved into the striker position, are very close together."

Now it all depended on the coordination between Mkhitaryan and Tang Ye!

Mkhitaryan dribbled the ball little by little toward the penalty area.

Once he felt the defensive line had compressed sufficiently, he passed the ball back to Tang Ye, who was already prepared behind him!

A first-time pass into the penalty area!

Snap!

【De Bruyne Low Cross Lv4: Realistic】

Proficiency: 37/800

This was a bouncing ball.

Tang Ye's pass struck the grass outside the penalty area, bounced up, and entered the box!

Martial charged in!

Martial hadn't adjusted his stance in time, which meant that by the time he received the ball, his shooting angle was completely blocked by the goalkeeper.

He could only pass to Rashford!

Rashford played it back in a cutback!

That was originally Tang Ye's position.

But now standing there was...

Mata!

Slightly surprised by the sudden legendary pass, Mata immediately completed his shooting motion.

"Gooooooaaaaallll!!!"

2:1!

The score had been reversed!

Mata opened his mouth and spread his arms, sprinting rapidly toward the sideline!

The players on the field celebrated wildly!

"Phew..."

Fan Fan Dejiahe let out a huge sigh of relief.

A possession-type midfielder?

No!

Tom is a horror-type midfielder!

For Manchester United fans, watching Tang Ye play was like watching a horror movie.

While watching, they were on edge; yet when the result came out, it delivered a massive shock to the fans.

Meanwhile, just behind Fan Fan Dejiahe, Rodri sat on the substitutes' bench, feeling somewhat bitter.

Did you think Mata had just occupied Tom's position?

No!

Only Rodri himself knew that should have been his position!

When will I get to play? When will I get to play...

"Come on, come on!"

Ashley Young encouraged the players.

The current on-field captain of Manchester United had a feeling.

That the team still had a chance to score more goals!

"Basel!"

Cheers from the away stand!

The Basel fans were already giving their all; they desperately wanted to help their home team.

But this was not Basel's home ground!

This was Old Trafford!

Having just scored with a long-range shot, the exceptionally gifted Mata seemed to sense something.

Whenever Tang Ye drifted toward the flank, Mata would run forward.

Although it did not always yield results, he discovered that doing so made the team's attacks flow much more smoothly and the defense more solid.

Hiss!

Playing by the formula feels so good!

"I'm here, I'm here!"

It was Tang Ye again, in his winger form!

Clap clap clap!

A series of quick, short-range combinations with his teammates!

He received the ball and drove into the penalty area!

Facing the Basel defender's challenge, Tang Ye executed an incredibly fast nutmeg.

He didn't completely shake off the defender, but the space he gained was already sufficient for Tang Ye.

He only needed a very brief moment as an attacking midfielder to strike the ball; this was where Tang Ye surpassed everyone else.

He poked the ball with his toe to Mkhitaryan, who was making a run down the right flank!

Mkhitaryan shot!

"Gooooooaaaaallllll!!!!"

3:1!

Tang Ye ran through Basel's penalty area, all the way to the corner flag on the right.

That was where Mkhitaryan was positioned!

【You have obtained 15 Counterattack Points】

【Assist brace achieved; you have obtained an additional 30 Counterattack Points】

【First assist brace in a UEFA Champions League group stage match; you have received a reward: 30 Counterattack Points】

Arriving below the stands, the Manchester United fans in the stands were screaming!

The goal scorer was Mkhitaryan.

But they were shouting Tom's name!

Two assists in his Champions League debut!

The Manchester United fans did not know whether spending 180 million euros on Tang Ye was a bargain.

But for now, it seemed at least not a loss!

This was... Ten Hag's eye for talent!

【Mission Completion: Goals (0/1) / Assists (2/1)】

【Status: Completed】

(End of Chapter)