Chapter 280: Hat-trick! When Should Rodri Come On as a Substitute?

Dongqiu Di pinned post: The EFL Cup Round 3 match between Manchester United and Burton is underway; the current score is 3-0, with Rashford scoring.

【Manchester United's offense is truly ruthless】

【Facts prove Ten Hag's decision was indeed correct】

【What is Burton playing, a 5-3-2? They should be playing a 5-4-1, otherwise they'll get crushed】

The situation on the pitch leaned entirely toward Manchester United, and the comment section was no different.

Among all fans worldwide who participated in the vote, only 8% supported Burton.

On the Chinese side, it was even more exaggerated; due to the existence of the great ggbond, only 3% of fans stood with Burton.

Furthermore, 95% of those 3% of fans supporting Burton were Liverpool supporters.

For example, Tang Ye's father.

"I only just learned about this rule, Mata."

Walking down the tunnel, Tang Ye chatted with Mata about what had happened in the first half: "Still, our goal wasn't easy to come by, so we should have celebrated it."

Mata wiped his hands with mineral water: "Fan opinions differ; eventually, fans who don't like you will post comments on Twitter saying you only bully lower-league teams."

"Then do I need to care about fans who don't like me? I have many fans who do like me."

Tang Ye's expression was serious.

Since debuting with the Utrecht first team, the number of people supporting him had been growing.

Galgenwaard Stadium, Estadio de la Cerámica, Old Trafford—these three stadiums were each larger than the last, and the cheers Tang Ye heard from the fans grew louder and louder.

Therefore, he knew there were many people who liked him!

"But you need to pay attention to public opinion. Alright, Tom, let's go in quickly."

Mata pushed Tang Ye from behind as they entered the locker room together.

As per convention, Ten Hag first discussed the problems the team encountered in the first half, followed by the upcoming substitution adjustments.

Before Ten Hag could speak, Tang Ye turned his head to look at Rodri, who was sitting beside him.

Rodri gripped the legs of the stool with both hands.

Tang Ye didn't know what to do, so he could only pat the muscle on Rodri's arm.

"In the second half, Carrick and Rodri will come on, maintaining the 4-2-3-1 formation with a double defensive midfield."

Tang Ye quickly punched Rodri's arm with his fist: "Rod, I told you you'd get a chance; I said it."

"Haha."

Rodri reached into Tang Ye's pocket and pulled out a piece of chewing gum.

The familiar mint-flavored gum; Rodri knew this was an excellent opportunity for him to prove his abilities to Ten Hag!

The 51st minute of the second half!

"Rodri has come on as a substitute."

Wang Chao's eyes lit up: "Brothers who have been watching Tang Ye's matches since last season should know Rodri, so I won't introduce him here."

"There was news before saying Rodri was bought by Ten Hag at Tang Ye's request... No, where the hell did you hear that news?"

"Tang Tang Qiuwang's anti-fans really will blacken him for the sake of blackening him; Ten Hag must have bought him because he himself thought Rodri was talented. Tang Ye wouldn't interfere with Manchester United's transfer window."

"Tang Ye and Ten Hag controlled Manchester United's transfer window... Come on, moderator, ban this user lks2321."

After coming on, Rodri was positioned by Ten Hag on the left side, while Carrick was placed on the right.

Although he hadn't given the Spanish defensive midfielder a chance until now, Ten Hag had still learned a bit about Rodri.

Last season at Villarreal, Rodri played on the left side!

"Huff, huff, huff."

Not long after coming on, Rodri began to pant.

Of course, this wasn't panting from fatigue; Rodri was currently extremely nervous.

The newspaper "442" pointed out two specific problems Manchester United currently faced.

Ball distribution from the back and gaps in central defense!

Rodri's ambitions were huge; he knew that if he could solve the problems Manchester United was currently facing, he would have a chance to break into the team's starting lineup!

So what exactly should he do now?

That was not a problem.

Rodri knew a very powerful formula!

Watch Tom's butt closely, and his post-match rating will increase by 0.4 to 1.5 points!

Manchester United began their attack!

Rodri's expression was serious; not rushing, he first checked the situation up front, and then looked at Tang Ye's butt.

Based on Rodri's understanding of Tang Ye, at this moment he should...

"Wow!"

The spectators erupted in cheers; at the moment of controlling the ball, Tang Ye flicked it to the right, and his body followed toward the right flank.

It had to be Tom!

Rodri's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly ran forward.

He wasn't very familiar with the players inside the Manchester United team, but that didn't matter.

Tom was the team's rhythm master.

Therefore, Rodri only needed to familiarize himself with Tom to keep up with the team's rhythm!

What was Rodri best at?

What he was best at was partnering with Tom!

"Tang Tang Qiuwang, left flank! Pass to Mata!"

"Mata has trapped the ball under his foot. Number 17—who is this number 17 on the opposing side?"

"Forget it, never mind; just watch Mata's play."

"He hasn't passed yet! Still hasn't passed! Damn it, why won't he pass!"

"He passed! He passed! To Tang Ye!"

"Perfect!"

Manchester United executed a one-two combination, and Tang Ye sprinted rapidly toward the byline.

Observing while running!

Rashford's position on the left wing had already been marked out; this was an extremely uncomfortable situation.

Martial had a small pocket of space, but Tang Ye would not pass the ball to him.

Tang Ye knew Martial's physical confrontation ability was terrible; if he passed the ball over at this moment, Martial would absolutely have it stolen by the opponent!

A cutback pass!

【Proficiency threshold reached. You have obtained: De Bruyne Cutback Pass Lv1】

【De Bruyne Cutback Pass Lv1 → De Bruyne Cutback Pass Lv2】

【De Bruyne Cutback Pass Lv2: Similar】

Proficiency: 158/200

【Passing: 88 → 88】

Reaching the proficiency threshold activated a new skill, but that was not the current focus.

How about it, Rodri!

Bursting out from the center, Rodri used his body to shove Akpan aside, then unleashed a long-range shot that roared straight out.

Bang!

The leaping goalkeeper parried the ball over the crossbar!

"Damn!"

Rodri clasped his head with both hands.

It really was just a hair's breadth away!

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

Running toward the arc, Tang Ye gave Rodri a thumbs-up: "There's still a chance, there's still a chance!"

It was a corner kick opportunity for Manchester United; Ten Hag sat on the substitutes' bench, lost in thought.

Having been on the field for less than ten minutes, he had already found an opportunity for a long-range shot, and this shot had been extremely threatening.

Rodri is fierce!

Seeing this expression on Ten Hag's face, Fan Fan Dejiahe raised an eyebrow: "I told you this guy has great potential."

Players like Rodri, who play with their brains, generally tend to become famous later; this is because their growth requires a massive amount of match experience.

Tom also plays with his brain, but he is different from other players who rely on intelligence.

His match experience comes from playing video games, and his learning ability is ridiculously exaggerated.

A real match lasts ninety minutes, but Tom only needs ten minutes of game time to acquire ninety minutes' worth of match experience.

Rodri is essentially a budget version of Tang Ye!

Hmm, Fan Fan Dejiahe was very satisfied with the result of his thinking, so he switched screens.

Rodri (Defensive Midfielder, Organizing Core)

Template: Tom

"..."

Looking at what he had written on the screen, Fan Fan Dejiahe felt it was still somewhat insufficient, so he added a little more.

Template: Tom (Non-Striker State).

Weaknesses:...

What were Rodri's weaknesses? What was limiting his development at Manchester United?

Was his speed not fast enough? Was his body not strong enough?

No, neither of those was the case.

Placing his hands on the keyboard, Fan Fan Dejiahe typed rapidly.

Weaknesses: Lacks experience playing for Utrecht, making it difficult to gain the head coach's trust.

Just as Fan Fan Dejiahe was attending to his own affairs, the fan behind him suddenly let out a explosive roar.

He quickly looked over; Martial had lost the ball in the front field, and Burton launched a rapid counterattack.

Burton initiated their offense through the center; at this moment, Tang Ye's role was extremely critical.

But...

"Damn!"

Fan Fan Dejiahe suddenly stood up, clutching his laptop.

Why are you inside the penalty area, Tom!

The retreating Mata blocked a midfielder; Bendtner was temporarily unable to distribute the ball, so he dribbled forward himself.

Bang!

Rodri charged up and precisely completed a tackle on Bendtner.

"Awesome, Rodri!"

Wang Chao stood up!

Bendtner still tried to reach out and grab at Rodri, but Rodri broke free directly.

Where is Tom!

Find the position of the penalty area.

Passing won't work; the ball to Tom must be a through ball!

Boom!

A steady through ball pushed into the penalty area.

Tang Ye stretched out his foot.

Shooting directly without controlling the ball!

"G——ooooo——aaaa——llllll!!!"

"Wait, wait, how many goals? How many goals?"

"Damn, three, three!"

Boom boom boom!

Wang Chao slammed his keyboard fiercely.

"Tang Ye's hat-trick!"

"Tang Tang Qiuwang, the GOAT!"

【You obtained 10 Counterattack Points】

【Hat-trick achieved; you obtained an additional 40 Counterattack Points】

"Haha!"

Tang Ye was just about to run out to celebrate when he remembered what Uncle Mata had told him, so he stopped in his tracks again.

"Let's go!" Running in from outside the penalty area behind him, Mata pushed Tang Ye's back: "Celebrate! Celebrate! Why are you standing there!"

"Mata, don't trick me; I know we're not supposed to celebrate."

"It's a hat-trick! It's a hat-trick!"

Mata ran ahead and, together with Rodri, dragged Tang Ye along.

Scoring one goal in a lower-league match forbids celebration, but if it's a hat-trick, then celebration becomes necessary again.

Having figured out the logic behind it, Tang Ye ran out together with his good friend Rodri and his respected Uncle Mata.

"Three, two, one!"

"Vamos!"

Tang Ye and Rodri shouted in unison, while Mata stood foolishly at the side.

After hesitating for a moment, he finally joined in the shout.

"Vamos!"

!

On the stands, the Manchester United fans were jumping up and down.

"Viva Tom Tom!"

"Viva Tom Tom!"

Tang Ye and Rodri had their arms around each other's shoulders, each raising one hand to greet the fans in the stands.

Although Rodri's shoulders were not broad, they bore large muscles, so when Tang Ye placed his hand on Rodri's shoulder, it felt extremely stable.

He loved this feeling!

"United!"

Boom boom!

"United!"

Boom boom!

Check Dongqiu Di Match Report: Tang Ye scores a hat-trick, Rodri scores as a substitute; in the EFL Cup, Manchester United defeats Burton 4:0 at home to advance to the next round. (21,319 comments)

An EFL Cup match managing to garner over 20,000 comments in such a short time meant Tang Ye's hat-trick accounted for at least more than half of that credit.

Remember, this was Tang Ye's first hat-trick since joining Manchester United!

【Manchester United's forwards and Villarreal's are not on the same level at all; Rashford is truly ruthless, damn it】

【Fake fan: Manchester United's strongest forward is Rashford; Real fan: Manchester United's strongest forward is Tang Ye】

【Adding a gambler fan: Except for Tang Ye, all other Manchester United players are noobs】

【So Rodri still has to play; although he makes more mistakes than Herrera, with Rodri on the field, Manchester United gets counter-attacked half as often】

【Suggest giving Rodri extra training; I feel he hasn't fully adapted to the Premier League yet】

"Ya no te creo, ya no te deseo (eh-oh)"

"Solo te dejo, solo te deseo (eh-oh)"

"Mira, Sofia~~~"

Inside Rodri's small Opel car, the stereo was turned up to maximum, and the windows were open.

Tang Ye, sitting in the passenger seat, and Rodri, driving the car, sang loudly together.

"Sin tu mirada sigo!"

"Sin tu mirada sigo!"

"Haha!"

Clap clap!

Tang Ye clapped his hands forcefully; as they drove into the city center, Rodri turned down the volume, Tang Ye quickly rolled up the window, and then leaned against it, peering outside cautiously: "Wow, hopefully no one noticed us, right?"

Tang Ye and Dembélé had agreed to play games together after training ended.

He glanced at his phone.

He was going to be twelve minutes late!

While waiting at the traffic light, Rodri also looked left and right: "It shouldn't be; this car is newly bought, they don't know my license plate number."

"Haha."

Tang Ye leaned back in his seat, reached his right hand under the seat, and very skillfully took out his chewing gum.

Chewing it in his mouth, he said: "It's a pity I still have to play games tonight. Rod, tomorrow we can drive around that place near the base, the one with lots of grass; the road is very narrow."

"The Western Suburbs!"

Turning the steering wheel, Rodri gave the answer.

"I don't know what it's called, but I know there's a lot of grass there, and not many people."

"Sofia" sounded very good; Tang Ye felt as though he hadn't sung enough.

"We'll go together then; I think we could also invite Mata and Marcus?"

"Either way works; I'll mention this to them during tomorrow's training."

Tang Ye pulled his seat upright: "Rod, I scored a hat-trick yesterday, and I'm still very happy about it now; is this normal?"

Rodri glanced over from the passenger seat: "I think it's quite normal; I'd be very happy even with just one assist."

The two midfielders of Yellow Submarine were still rejoicing over yesterday's match.

The reason was simple: both Tom and Rod had delivered excellent performances in the game, so it was a match very worth celebrating!

"Yes, Rod, that pass of yours was truly magnificent; I thought you would play it to my feet, but you sent it ahead instead!"

Reaching both hands behind him to hug the seatback, Tang Ye performed a stretch inside the car.

"I know you like me passing to that position."

"Haha."

He tapped Rodri's arm with a single clenched fist.

This was the bond between comrades!

Thinking of something, Tang Ye took his phone out of his pocket.

He checked Manchester United's upcoming schedule.

September 23: Southampton vs. Manchester United (Premier League Round 6).

September 27: Feyenoord vs. Manchester United (Champions League Group Stage Round 2).

September 30: Manchester United vs. Crystal Palace (Premier League Round 7).

"We're playing Southampton the day after tomorrow; Rod, do you think there's any chance you'll receive a text message from Mr. Eric tonight?"

"Hmm..."

Rodri pressed his lips together.

"I think it might still need some time?"

"Anyway, it's not far off! Hey, red light, red light!"

That evening, Tang Ye played video games with Dembélé.

Dembélé had transferred to Barcelona one month ago; his Spanish had improved considerably, so Tang Ye now found it much easier to communicate with him.

The bond between comrades had become even stronger!

Meanwhile, Ten Hag sat in deep thought at his residence in Manchester.

【To be honest, Ten Hag is truly amazing. IP location: Japan】

【Exactly; previously some fans said buying Tom for 180 million was a loss, but now they are all clowns! IP location: Mexico】

【Both signings are excellent; Ten Hag's eye for talent is truly flawless. IP location: Hong Kong, China】

【Indeed, as long as Ten Hag uses Tang Ye as the tactical core, I will support Ten Hag for life! IP location: USA】

Reading the fans' comments in the comment section, Ten Hag frowned deeply.

For some reason, since the start of this season, the number of people supporting him had suddenly increased, and these fans came from all over the world!

Last season, leading a depleted Manchester United squad to challenge for fourth place in the league, Ten Hag was already truly great.

Yet those foolish fans only realized it this season!

But realizing it was still a good thing.

Ten Hag chuckled with a grin.

Facts proved that as long as he repeatedly emphasized his own greatness, Manchester United fans would firmly remember his greatness!

Thinking of this, Ten Hag set his phone aside and gazed in contemplation at the laptop on the desk.

Starting midfielders: Mata, Tom, Herrera.

This season, Ten Hag would deploy his strongest tactics.

Once the fans saw Manchester United's brilliant results, they would sing the praises of head coach Erik Ten Hag's true name even louder!

Ten Hag pushed his own laptop aside, then placed Fan Fan Dejiahe's laptop in front of him.

The starting lineup for Manchester United's next match was already decided.

But Ten Hag was now pondering a question.

In the third round of the EFL Cup, although Rodri made quite a few mistakes, his overall performance was still quite outstanding, fully capable of assuming the role of Manchester United's substitute midfielder.

So the question now was...

Should he put Rodri on the field right at the start of the second half?

Opening the laptop, Ten Hag checked Rodri's match statistics from the previous game.

Playing time: 41 minutes.

32 passes attempted, 24 successful; 3 tackles won; 1 shot taken; 1 assist made.

It seemed that having played alongside Tang Ye for so long had caused Rodri's pass success rate to drop.

Therefore, Rodri's best statistics in the previous match were those 3 tackles and 1 assist.

However...

Ten Hag shook his head.

If it was just one assist, then he truly had no way to give Rodri too many opportunities!

He continued reading downward to see what Fan Fan Dejiahe had written in his notebook.

One assist: helping Tom, who had already scored two goals, complete a hat-trick.

!!!

Damn it!

I almost forgot!

Rodri's assist was what helped Tang Ye secure the first hat-trick of his Manchester United career!

"Huff, huff..."

His heart surged with indescribable excitement; Ten Hag hastily grabbed the ballpoint pen resting on the desk.

Swish swish swish!

Starting midfielders: Rodri, Tom, Mata.

Ander Herrera was a very stable midfielder who always performed well in matches, so Ten Hag held him in high regard.

But.

Ander, the Premier League season has already reached the sixth round, yet you have not provided a single assist to Tom.

This... how can I feel assured starting you?

(End of Chapter)