Chapter 283: Champions League Round Two, But the Strongest Player Is Not in the Squad

The Guardian—Five wins and one draw, four wins and two draws; could the Manchester duo dominate the Premier League this season?

Sky Sports commentator: Manchester United's current second-place ranking has nothing to do with Ten Hag; it is because they have not faced any strong teams in the first six rounds.

"Just as Carragher said before, if they encounter teams like Liwupu or Arsenal, Manchester United will soon suffer their first defeat of the season."

Attached: Premier League standings (as of Round 6).

1. Mancheng, 16 points.

2. Manchester United, 14 points.

3. Arsenal, 12 points.

4. Liwupu, 11 points.

5. Tottenham, 11 points.

Manchester United's goal difference is actually two goals better than Mancheng's, but due to their loss against Southampton, they failed to top the Premier League table after Round 6.

This is, of course, a very regrettable matter.

Returning home in the evening, Ten Hag repeatedly watched the match recording of his team against Southampton.

"Huff, huff..."

Ten Hag's breathing was heavy, a sign that his emotions were currently somewhat agitated.

He knew there was hope this season to lead Manchester United to a higher league ranking, or even to challenge for some championship trophies, so he had to devote his heart and blood to the task.

Tom is eager to win trophies!

With the match recording playing on his laptop, Ten Hag held a ballpoint pen and wrote quickly on the device.

1. Full-backs are not participating actively enough in attacks.

2. Center-backs are losing focus.

3. Building play from the back.

After writing the words "Building play from the back," Ten Hag hesitated for a moment, then drew a circle around them.

Then came the fourth point: gaps in central defense.

Due to the absence of central defenders, Manchester United was often penetrated by opponents attacking through the middle.

Just like building play from the back, gaps in central defense were also a key issue, so Ten Hag circled this sentence as well.

After adding a few more details, what was now written in his notebook covered all the problems Manchester United was facing.

Placing the pen on the table, Ten Hag looked at what he had just written, his brows slowly knitting together.

The team currently had many flaws, and Ten Hag's task as head coach was to resolve as many of these emerging problems as possible.

The question was...

What should Ten Hag do?

After thinking carefully, Ten Hag looked up match recordings of Villarreal from last season.

He hoped to find something useful within them.

On the third day, returning to the base and heading Daoshitang, Tang Ye whispered to Rodri beside him, "Their moods aren't very good; mine is the same."

Rodri placed his hand on Tang Ye's shoulder, and the two walked inside together.

Scooping some macaroni onto his plate, Tang Ye went to the drink station to grab a bottle of cola.

Rodri looked at the watermelon juice in his own hand, then at the cola in Tang Ye's hand, and asked a question he had long wanted to know: "Tom, how many bottles of cola do you drink in a day, two?"

"Mm, about that much; one in the morning and one after training ends in the afternoon."

"So if it's a match day, you can only drink one bottle then."

Rodri laughed.

"Actually, it's not like that, Rod."

Tang Ye spotted an empty seat beside Mata, so he led Rodri over and sat down: "If it's a match day, I'll still drink one after returning home, so it's still two bottles."

"Oh, well then."

Rodri shrugged: "When Manchester United bought you, they should have written 'no cola' into the contract; now they can't control you!"

Tang Ye shook his head and ate the food on his plate.

Morning training intensity wouldn't be high, so he only needed one plate of macaroni to be satisfied.

"You should eat more beans."

Speaking thus, Mata showed Tang Ye his toast, which was spread with many beans and some mushrooms: "These things are good for us."

Chewing his macaroni, Tang Ye thought seriously: "I don't really like these things, but Mr. Michel has spoken to me about this issue; recently, I've made a habit of taking some mushrooms at dinner."

"So you are already making an effort."

Mata nodded, then stuffed the bread in his hand completely into his mouth: "Hurry up; the morning meeting time will arrive soon."

Next to the cafeteria, in the conference room on the first floor of the base, the team analyst was on stage playing a PowerPoint presentation composed of footage and data from Manchester United's match against Stoke City two days prior.

"That's about it; the main problem remains the large gaps in central defense; sixty percent of all our counter-attack situations originate from the middle."

After finishing his summary, the analyst yielded the floor to Ten Hag, and the Manchester United head coach stood beside the projector screen.

Ten Hag did not rush to begin his analysis; instead, he looked around the conference room, but ultimately did not spot Tang Ye.

So he turned his head to look at Fan Fan Dejiahe.

"Michel, could you help me go to Tom's home and wake him up?"

"He should be in the cafeteria."

Mata offered a reminder; just then, the conference room door opened, and Tang Ye and Rodri ran in quickly.

Remembering something, Tang Ye stopped and conveniently closed the conference room door.

After confirming all players were present, Ten Hag fiddled with the PowerPoint.

"We played very poorly against Stoke City."

Thump! Thump!

Ten Hag tapped the tactical board beside the projector: "This indicates one problem: our current tactical system is not yet fully perfected."

Ten Hag gave the players a brief analysis, finally emphasizing the issue of missing central defense.

"Tom's attacking is excellent, but if we want to fully unleash his offensive capabilities, we must sacrifice something."

At that moment, Tang Ye was shaking his leg; hearing his name, he immediately lifted his head.

"Central defense is what we must sacrifice, but central defense is crucial; we cannot completely abandon the middle."

Just as Ten Hag said, the central area is extremely important for any team.

Penetrating attacks through the center are something no player wants to face when defending.

Just like in the season before last when Tang Ye was at Utrecht, a single pass pierced straight through the defensive line, leaving the defenders without even a chance to tackle!

"So... I need to watch my position carefully?"

Tang Ye leaned forward and asked tentatively.

"No, no, absolutely not."

Ten Hag shook his head: "That is not the best option."

Advancing the PowerPoint to the next slide, Ten Hag pointed at the content on the projection screen: "The best option is to have the defensive midfielders cover Tom's position."

!

Rodri, who had been leaning back in his chair, suddenly sat up straight.

It's over!

His secret code for securing a starting spot has been cracked by Ten Hag!

Walking out of the meeting room, Tang Ye kept staring into Rodri's eyes: "Rode, you seem a bit nervous?"

"I'm nervous? Really?"

"Yes, very nervous."

Tang Ye nodded quickly: "I can feel it."

Pushing open the locker room door, Tang Ye asked in a low voice: "Is it that you don't like Mr. Erik's new tactics?"

Speaking of which, Tang Ye felt somewhat guilty; during the morning meeting earlier, Ten Hag had requested Manchester United's defenders to cover for him.

This also meant that Rodri, Mata, and Herrera would need to cover more running distance.

Tang Ye's stamina was never good to begin with; he naturally knew how unpleasant it was to run extra distances on the pitch!

"But Rode, Mata and Herrera will also be running; when Henrik plays as a defensive midfielder, he runs too; you won't have to run so much all by yourself."

Rodri nodded.

He didn't know how to explain it to Tang Ye.

Three people running?

Only one person running is what's truly impressive!

Tom is the Great General of the Vine Armor; Tom is definitely starting.

If Rodri alone covered all the positions Tom left vacant on the field, then Rodri would inevitably be a starter too!

But Ten Hag actually distributed this task evenly among all the defensive midfielders in the squad; what was Rodri supposed to do about that!

"Getting a starting spot at Manchester United is not an easy thing."

Rodri's expression was serious; Tang Ye nodded quickly beside him, clearly agreeing very much with what Rodri had said.

Over the next few days, the training content was very complex; additionally, Fan Fan Dejiahe conducted some penalty kick training with Tang Ye.

Inside the penalty area, Tang Ye gave De Gea, who stood before him, a thumbs-up, then focused his attention on the ball.

Run-up and shoot!

The ball steadily entered the net!

"What is the success rate now?"

Ten Hag walked over to Fan Fan Dejiahe; the latter quickly calculated using his notebook, then gave the answer: "77%."

"It's rising faster than imagined."

A clear smile hung on Ten Hag's face.

"Mm, you are right; he basically won't be disturbed by the goalkeeper, but we still don't know if he'll be affected by the fans."

"100% won't."

Ten Hag quickly made his judgment: "He is a natural first-choice penalty taker, a natural!"

"But... he's only been here for less than two months."

Fan Fan Dejiahe scratched his neck; although both he and Ten Hag knew Tang Ye had only joined the team in early August, he felt it necessary to remind Ten Hag.

"Erik, you need to be rational."

"Of course, I am being rational."

Ten Hag placed his hand on Fan Fan Dejiahe's shoulder: "No rush; I haven't let him take penalties in official matches yet, which sufficiently demonstrates my rationality."

Rotterdam Morning News front-page headline—Ten Hag Likely Unable to Enter the Netherlands; Can Feyenoord Defeat the Manchester Devils?

With the Champions League match between Manchester United and Feyenoord approaching, Feyenoord fans could be said to be the most excited these past few days.

The head coach being suspended and Manchester United being weakened meant Feyenoord would have hope of defeating Manchester United!

Defeat Manchester United, one of the football world's super giants!

"I can't wait!"

A Feyenoord fan, while being interviewed by a reporter, said as much: "We lost multiple times to Ten Hag's Utrecht before; now Ten Hag has gone to Manchester United, but we still have a chance for revenge!"

"So... you think Feyenoord can defeat Manchester United in the match the day after tomorrow? You must know that Manchester United is currently second in the Premier League, having won four out of their six Premier League matches!"

Before the interviewed fan could speak, another Feyenoord fan burst into the camera frame.

"They have no coach!"

"Wow!"

"Erik Ten Hag~"

"Erik Ten Hag~ Sitting Like~ Erik Ten Hag~ Prison awaits you~"

"Manchester has no future; only darkness remains for Ten Hag~"

Damn it!

This is the "Ten Hag Imprisonment March"!

【De Bruyne Cutback Cross Lv2: Similar】

Proficiency: 182/200

It's about to level up soon!

Departing for the Netherlands tomorrow noon, Tang Ye needs to improve his newly acquired 【Cutback Cross】 template as quickly as possible before the match begins.

After all, their match the day after tomorrow will be without Mr. Erik holding fort!

That will absolutely be an extremely difficult match!

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

"Byline, byline!"

Taking the ball, he uses a feint to fake out captain Carrick.

Slap!

【De Bruyne Cutback Cross Lv2: Similar】

Proficiency: 183/200

【Pogba's Hair Wax +4 Active】

【Cutback Cross Proficiency: 183→184】

Delivered to the arc position!

Ashley Young!

Bang!

What a pity; Ashley Young's long-range shot was a bit off the mark.

Of course, the amount of proficiency Tang Ye gains has nothing to do with his teammates' performance; it mainly depends on the effect of his own initial pass, and furthermore, during actual matches, Tang Ye tends to gain more proficiency.

However, since both Hair Wax and Broccoli are very strong, even during training, Tang Ye's cutback just now earned him a bonus of 2 proficiency points.

This means he has a chance to level up 【Cutback Cross】 to Lv3 before today's training ends!

However, just at this moment, Ten Hag blew his whistle.

The players quickly ran over; Tang Ye looked at Ten Hag, blinking his eyes: "Mr. Erik, is today's training over?"

"It's ending early; I need to discuss the match the day after tomorrow."

Ten Hag took out his notebook and spread it open in his hands: "So, you wanted to stay behind for extra training?"

"..."

"Then, let's forget about it for now."

Based on Tang Ye's understanding of Ten Hag, if he voluntarily stayed behind for extra training after official practice ended, Ten Hag would definitely assign him extra training tasks every single day from then on.

Mr. Erik is exactly that kind of person!

"I won't be going to the Netherlands with you tomorrow; at that time..."

"Ding-dong!"

Tang Ye's phone suddenly vibrated while he was playing a game, so he took a moment to pull it out and check.

【Ten Hag: Starting Lineup】

Informing players via text message whether they are starters or substitutes for the next match is something many head coaches like to do; Escrivá sometimes does the same.

Suddenly remembering something, Tang Ye asked Dembélé to call a timeout for him, then ran out of his room wearing only shorts.

Thump thump thump!

"Rodri!"

Creak—

Tang Ye hadn't yet spoken, but Rodri knew what he wanted to ask.

The Manchester United defensive midfielder displayed his phone screen before Tang Ye: "Starter."

Bang!

Tang Ye and Rodri bumped fists.

The Sun's front-page headline: Manchester United players board at Manchester Airport; reporters and fans on site fail to spot Ten Hag.

Check Dongqiu Di Match Preview: In the early hours of the 28th, Manchester United travels to face Feyenoord; with the strongest man absent from the squad, how will Manchester United cope with this strong European opponent?

Unable to travel to the Netherlands, Ten Hag has had fans directly dredge up his old account of a three-year prison sentence.

Fans across the globe were analyzing Ten Hag's case, successfully whipping up hype for this match.

Additionally, an illustrator from Thailand created a teaser poster for this game.

The poster was split into left and right halves: the left showed the Manchester United players who had already landed in the Netherlands, while the right depicted Ten Hag squatting at the entrance of the Carrington Base.

Inside Ten Hag's head, he was imagining a scene where, the moment he stepped off the plane, police handcuffed him.

【How bold! I, Saint Ten, have absolutely committed no crime!】

【I feel this three-year prison sentence is punishment for the words Saint Ten spoke at the press conference.】

【It's not a big deal; earlier, Utrecht won their Eredivisie matches even without a coach.】

【The Eredivisie is the Eredivisie, but damn it, brother, this is the Champions League!】

【Just tell me, isn't the opposing team an Eredivisie club?】

【Holy crap, that makes sense!】

……

The Manchester United players had already checked into a local hotel in Rotterdam; Tang Ye flopped onto the soft bed with a thud, then turned on the television.

The first thing he saw was Ten Hag's enormous head.

Glancing at the channel name: Sky Sports.

Mr. Sitting Like was being interviewed by reporters!

"Sitting Like, you didn't travel with the team to the Netherlands this time; are you evading criminal responsibility?"

Hiss—

He took a deep breath and drank some mineral water provided by the hotel.

Tang Ye suddenly felt his pressure mounting.

Because, loosely speaking, it was he who had pushed his most revered Mr. Sitting Like toward the courtroom!

"I am not evading responsibility; I never evade responsibility."

On stage, Ten Hag spread his hands toward the interviewing reporters: "My responsibility is only one, and that is to lead Manchester United to success; this is my sole duty."

"But Manchester United will have no head coach for the next match."

Ten Hag spread his two hands wide: "When the gap in strength between two teams is large enough, no matter how the weaker side resists, it is useless."

The reporters below exchanged glances, and once they realized what was happening, the sound of shutters clicking erupted as they snapped photos furiously.

Ten Hag was getting hyped up again.

According to the reporters' experience, this live interview was definitely going to go viral.

And indeed it did go viral; nearly every Manchester United player in the hotel who had turned on the TV was watching this live broadcast.

The gap in strength is large enough!

Tang Ye sat on the bed without saying a word.

So they are actually this powerful!

……

"China Central Television! Here we are, broadcasting live for you..."

"The referee is checking his watch!"

"The match has begun; now I will introduce the starting lineups for both sides in this game."

Feyenoord (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: Brad Jones

Defenders: Haps, St. Juste, Dix, Nieuwkoop

Midfielders: Vilhena, Toornstra, El Ahmadi

Forwards: Larsson, Jørgensen, Berghuis

Head Coach: Fan De

"Feyenoord; Tang Ye should be quite familiar with this team, as during his time at Utrecht, he faced Feyenoord on multiple occasions."

Although that statement was true, in reality, Tang Ye's understanding of the current Feyenoord squad was still half-baked.

Just earlier, while in the player tunnel, he had seen the Feyenoord players, but only a few faces looked familiar.

Feyenoord had refreshed their lineup, which meant their tactics had certainly changed as well.

Damn it!

Mr. Sitting Like had to be absent at precisely this moment!

……

The Sun's front-page headline: Ten Hag posted a photo of himself watching the match from home on social media, quoting a Chinese proverb.

"Devising strategies within the command tent, deciding victory a thousand li away." This was the exact phrase Ten Hag posted on Instagram.

"He must have copied it; this is language from Tom's hometown," said The Sun reporter.

(End of Chapter)