Chapter 284: Strategizing Within the Tent, Deciding Victory a Thousand Li Away?

【It's not Ten Hag, this...】

【Brothers, I'm speechless.】

【Ten Hag actually knows Chinese, for real?】

【I suspect this is a grand show of showing off orchestrated jointly by Tang Ye and Ten Hag.】

In just one short sentence, Ten Hag once again demonstrated his capability to Manchester United fans worldwide.

It was not merely capability; a simple reading comprehension reveals that this sentence also reflected the bond between him and Tang Ye.

Very few head coaches would go so far as to learn a language just for a specific player within their squad.

But Ten Hag did exactly that!

On the pitch, Tang Ye raised his hand and began making a forward run, unaware at this moment that Ten Hag, far away in England, had already conquered the hearts of Manchester United fans.

"Forward, forward!"

Tang Ye dropped deep to provide support.

However, his positioning was not ideal at the moment, so Tang Ye did not immediately raise his hand to demand the ball.

Wait for Mata to run a bit further forward!

The Feyenoord defenders reacted quickly; Vilhena swiftly positioned himself on the passing line between Mata and Tang Ye.

At this point, it was basically impossible for Tang Ye to receive a direct pass from Mata.

"Over there!"

Pointing toward Valencia who was making a forward run, Mata turned his head and decisively passed the ball over.

Valencia hugged the right flank and ran straight toward the byline!

Manchester United's attack had begun!

"Go, go, go!"

Mata urged them on, though Tang Ye had already started running.

"Valencia is still making an overlapping run!"

"Valencia's speed is very fast, Haps has reached out!"

Boom!

Valencia tumbled to the ground.

This was a tactical foul committed by Feyenoord!

"Beep!"

The referee showed a yellow card to Haps, the offending player, and then began marking lines on the field with his vanishing spray.

Tang Ye and Mata jogged over, carefully observing the white line drawn by the referee.

Then they looked at the goal.

"So far..."

Tang Ye murmured softly; at this moment, Mata leaned in, covering his mouth with his hand: "Do you want to take this kick?"

If it were merely a long pass, Tang Ye's long-passing ability would certainly surpass Mata's, but Tang Ye also possessed a certain capability to rush into the box and finish.

Therefore, who should take this ultra-long-range indirect free kick, and who should rush into the box to meet the ball, was a question very worth pondering.

"Mata, like this..."

Just as Tang Ye was about to speak, Mata quickly reminded him to cover his mouth.

"Oh, my bad, my bad. Mata, listen to me: I'll move to a position up front, you play a low through-ball directly to me, and I'll pass it into the box."

?

Mata was momentarily stunned, then recalled Tang Ye's nearly heaven-defying ability with first-time passes: "Are you confident?"

Tang Ye did not speak; instead, he looked down at the white line on the grass, then glanced toward the goal, thinking it over.

"This should be the option with the highest success rate."

Since Tang Ye had said so, Mata naturally respected his idea; the two clapped hands, and then Tang Ye moved to his position up front and stood ready.

"With Tang Ye in this position, is he dropping back to provide cover?"

"This Manchester United tactic is very new, but considering Tang Ye lacks heading ability, this arrangement is indeed appropriate."

"Moreover, if Feyenoord clears the ball from their defensive third, Tang Ye, in this position, will have a chance to regain possession."

Tang Ye raised his hand to signal his teammates inside the box, then turned his body sideways to face Mata.

Tom and Uncle Mata's super tactic was about to unfold!

The referee blew the whistle!

Boom!

Mata played a very fast, low long pass to Tang Ye; knowing that Tang Ye would not stop the ball, Mata tried his best to pass it to a comfortable spot.

Here it comes!

Shaking his head to survey the situation up front, Tang Ye immediately launched a huge kick straight out.

【De Bruyne Standard Long Pass】!

Level 4 【De Bruyne Standard Long Pass】+ combined with the 【Fernandes First-Touch Module】 that Tang Ye had already mastered to perfection!

Inside the box!

Smalling!

"Header!"

"G——OOOO——AAAAA——LLLL!!!!"

"Goal! Smalling!"

"1:0! From the center circle, Tang Ye's long-range long pass found Smalling inside the box!"

"Manchester United takes the lead!"

The players ran out to celebrate; after the director gave Smalling a focused camera shot, the lens immediately switched to Tang Ye and Mata, who were embracing each other.

So free kicks can actually be kicked forward in stages!

"Watch me!"

Tang Ye retreated a few steps, then accelerated forward, successfully leaping onto Smalling's back.

【You have obtained 15 Counterattack Points】

【Phase Two Mission Progress: Goals (0/2), Key Passes (1/10)】

Finally, he had secured a key pass.

Tang Ye still hadn't quite figured out how the system determined what counted as a key pass.

The only thing he could confirm for now was that assists were included within the category of key passes.

As for other types like low crosses or 45-degree crosses, Tang Ye had attempted several during this match, yet the system had shown no reaction.

All things considered, creating a key pass was far more difficult than simply creating an attacking opportunity!

Clap, clap, clap!

Fan Fan Dejiahe applauded the Manchester United players on the pitch.

He then noticed the camera turning toward him.

Uh...

He glanced around with his peripheral vision.

Fan Fan Dejiahe suddenly realized that many fans in the stands were looking at him!

This...

Did the fans think this tactic was designed by him?

Thinking of this, Fan Fan Dejiahe felt somewhat awkward; he shook his head, hurriedly sat back down in his seat, and dared not meet the fans' gazes again.

He could now finally understand how Ten Hag felt!

【Damn, awesome! A one-touch pass is even steadier than a two-touch pass—is this really Tang Ye?】

【This tactic was obviously designed by GGBond at first glance.】

【Is it possible that Ten Hag designed it based on Tang Ye's characteristics?】

【Forget Ten Hag; his greatest contribution to Manchester United has been his press conferences.】

【Brother upstairs, saying that on Check Dongqiu Di is fine, but if you say it on Twitter, it absolutely won't fly.】

"Tom!"

"Tom!"

Fans in the away stand were shouting; Tang Ye raised his hand to greet them.

To his surprise, besides Manchester United supporters, there were also some Utrecht fans in the away stand.

The Utrecht fans had come too; they wanted to properly thank Tom!

Thanking Tom for leaving the club with 200 million euros!

"Watch Marcus, watch Marcus."

Taking advantage of Tang Ye walking toward the halfway line, Fan Fan Dejiahe pulled him aside to emphasize a few points.

Otherwise, once the next kickoff occurred, Tang Ye wouldn't be able to hear his voice.

"Our focus in this match is the left... it's Marcus's flank. Remember that?"

"I know, Mr. Michel; my coordination with Marcus is excellent."

Tang Ye patted Fan Fan Dejiahe's waist, then ran back onto the pitch.

"Feyenoord!"

Boom, boom!

"Feyenoord!"

Boom, boom!

The Manchester United players were in great form today, so Feyenoord had to proactively pick up the pace.

If Manchester United entered halftime with an advantage, Feyenoord would be extremely passive in the second half!

But Van Bronckhorst soon realized a problem.

Coming from the Premier League, Manchester United's match tempo was inherently faster than Feyenoord's.

If fifth gear was the maximum, then when Manchester United was in fourth gear, Feyenoord was already at full throttle in fifth!

"Right! Push up, push up!"

Vilhena ran past Toornstra, who then pushed the ball forward to Vilhena.

Feyenoord executed a small combination play through the center, eventually sending their left midfielder over to the right flank.

Tang Ye began dropping back in the attacking third; as he ran, he continuously observed the positions of players on both sides.

He simply understood too well what was going through the minds of midfielders and strikers.

Realizing they couldn't break through centrally, Feyenoord began seeking a numerical advantage in wide attacks!

Manchester United would not let them succeed!

Ashley Young dropped back into the defensive line, denying the opposition any chance to launch a fast break.

The midfield and attacking players returned.

"Marcus, track back! Run faster!"

Fan Fan Dejiahe's voice rang out; Tang Ye signaled Rashford to mark Feyenoord's defenders while he himself moved toward El Ahmadi.

Ashley Young pressed forward to challenge!

As captain Ashley Young stepped up to challenge on the field, Tang Ye shifted sideways, positioning himself directly in front of Ahmadi.

Jørgensen, holding the ball, was forced to pass it to Nuytinck.

But he failed to notice that Rashford had already locked onto Nuytinck!

"Marcus, go straight!"

He shouted once, then sprinted forward to provide support.

Of course, Tang Ye knew he couldn't keep up; ultimately, this play would depend entirely on Rashford's individual ability.

"This counter-attack came somewhat suddenly, with Rashford out on the wing."

"Rashford is incredibly fast!"

The Manchester United striker accelerated continuously down the left flank, quickly drawing level with the Feyenoord player dropping back to cover.

If he could get past that player, Rashford would create a one-on-one situation.

Unfortunately, Rashford was running a curved line, so no matter how fast he was, it proved useless.

He slowed down upon entering the penalty area, just as the Feyenoord defender arrived.

The space at the edge of the arc was open!

Bang!

A reverse pass found Martial!

Martial pushed it forward with another touch!

"G——OOOO——AAAA——LLLLL!!!"

"Goal!"

"Martial!"

Martial scored with a remarkably steady finish, successfully extending Manchester United's lead to two goals.

"Haha!"

Running off the pitch to celebrate alongside Rodri, Tang Ye's mind was filled with the dynamic image of Rashford dribbling at full speed.

"Too fast, Marcus!"

Check Dongqiu Di Halftime Report: Champions League, Manchester United leads Feyenoord 2:0 away from home; Tang Ye and Mata executed a clever free-kick tactic to assist Smalling, while Rashford made a solo run to set up Martial.

Taking the mineral water bottle from Fan Fan Dejiahe, he took a huge gulp, then spat it all out.

"Tom!"

Tang Ye and Rodri exchanged a high-five.

The 2:2 draw against Southampton in the previous Premier League match had brought considerable negative emotions to the Manchester United players.

But just as Tang Ye had guessed earlier, a single victory was enough to wipe away all the terrible mood his teammates had been carrying!

Meeting Mata in the player tunnel, Tang Ye ran over with a smile: "Mata, haha!"

"A genius tactic!"

Mata casually draped his left arm over Tang Ye's shoulder while punching his right fist lightly against Tang Ye's ribs.

Now, whenever Tang Ye saw Mata, he immediately recalled their free-kick tactic from the first half.

He would never forget that moment when he received the ball and immediately launched a long pass!

"How did you come up with this?"

Mata pushed open the locker room door; he and Tang Ye were the first starting players to return.

"Come up with what?"

"That tactic, you know."

Mata and Tang Ye sat in their respective spots; although their positions were somewhat far apart, it did not hinder their conversation.

"Don't you think playing like that looks cool?"

Hearing Tang Ye's response, Mata lifted his leg and burst into laughter: "Good, good, good, yes, it is very cool."

It was indeed very cool, but upon further reflection, Mata realized that for Tang Ye to conceive such a tactic meant he possessed immense confidence in his first touch and distribution.

That was a terrifying thing!

"Alright, alright, everyone quiet down, quiet down please, thank you all."

Fan Fan Dejiahe walked in holding a notebook, quickly pulling the tactical board closer to himself.

Rashford, who arrived slightly late, placed his hand on Tang Ye's shoulder before sitting in his own spot.

"Marcus, do you want this?"

Tang Ye took out his chewing gum, but Rashford shook his head.

"Really not? Forwards face the most pressure; forwards should be chewing gum the most, right?"

"Really?"

Rashford raised an eyebrow, then took the chewing gum from Tang Ye's hand.

Meanwhile, Fan Fan Dejiahe finished arranging the magnetic flags on the tactical board.

Ding-dong!

Vis, a member of the assistant coaching staff, handed over a phone; it was a message from Ten Hag.

Although unable to enter the locker room, the head coach could still synchronize his ideas with the players through certain methods.

So, what had Erik brought this time?

Fan Fan Dejiahe looked up at Rodri: "Rodri, um... and Mata too, you're passing to Tom a bit too little; we need to create more opportunities through the center, otherwise our tactic won't work."

Feyenoord's anthem echoed throughout the stadium as the second half of the match began!

"On Manchester United's bench, Herrera and Lin Lin Jiade are standing, but I feel they will only bring one of them on, substituting either Rodri or Mata."

"And now for Feyenoord..."

Just as the commentator mentioned Feyenoord's bench, Fan Bulong started his move.

Young player Malacia comes on as a substitute!

"..."

"Moving to the wing!"

"A quick one-two combination, Tang Ye is going to the byline!"

The quick combination with Mkhitaryan helped Tang Ye find an opportunity to reach the byline.

Now, the space around Tang Ye is completely empty.

Take it slow!

Feeling the position wasn't good enough, Tang Ye kicked the ball forward and ran two more steps.

Slap!

【De Bruyne Cutback Cross Lv2: Similar】

Proficiency: 192/200

Tang Ye delivered this ball slowly, with the sole purpose of letting a teammate rushing into the center head it.

Rodri has arrived in position!

The distance is a bit far; he heads the ball into the penalty area first!

Boom!

It flies toward the penalty area!

Although he successfully got the ball into the penalty area, Rodri's pass was not very accurate.

The Feyenoord goalkeeper cleared the ball out!

After receiving the ball, Mkhitaryan took a look and ultimately passed it to Tang Ye on the right wing.

Again!

Slap!

【De Bruyne Byline Cross Lv4: Realistic】

Unlike the cutback cross from just now, Tang Ye delivered this byline cross with great speed.

This was because he needed to ensure as much as possible that Feyenoord's defenders would not block the ball.

Rashford at the far post receives the ball!

Slap!

Rashford's shot went wide!

"Phew!"

He hugged his own head.

【Mission Progress: Goals (0/2), Key Passes (2/10)】

A byline cross that creates a direct shooting opportunity for a teammate counts as a key pass.

Unlike creating an attacking chance, a key pass requires a teammate to complete a shot!

"In this situation, if Feyenoord wants to equalize, they must pick up the pace even more."

"But that is not an easy thing to do..."

"Eh, Ashley Young, Ashley Young passes directly to Tang Ye!"

(End of Chapter)