Chapter 316: Group Stage Perfect Record Advances; Countdown to Golden Ball Ranking Announcement

"Beautiful, Martial!"

From Martial's poached goal inside the penalty area, Manchester United stretched the score to 2:1 right at the start of the second half!

Although more than half the players on the pitch were substitutes, Feyenoord was still no match for Manchester United.

Up to this point in the match, Feyenoord had basically been suppressed!

"Hmm..."

On the substitutes' bench, seeing Martial score, Tang Ye couldn't help but sigh with emotion.

It had to be said that teammates' strength was truly very important.

If this were back when he was playing at Utrecht, Ten Hag's substitute lineup would definitely not be able to beat Feyenoord.

But Tang Ye was, after all, no longer at Utrecht.

Martial and Mata were both first-rate masters; they would suppress Feyenoord fiercely!

As time reached the 52nd minute of the second half, shouts from the Manchester United fans rang out from the stands.

"Erik, put Tom on!"

"Tom, I want to see Tom!"

"Erik, be sensible; I paid 400 pounds for this ticket!"

Hearing the fans' voices, Tang Ye and Rodri both turned their heads.

"Tom, you're quite popular."

Rodri opened his mouth, displaying a surprised expression.

"Haha, thank you."

Tang Ye's face turned slightly red; he raised his hand and waved to the fans in the stands.

Although he had experienced it many times, this sense of achievement from having his name called still made Tang Ye extremely happy every time.

This was one of the key reasons he was so devoted to playing football!

"Wow!!"

"Tom! Little Goat!"

Behind him, the sound of fans shouting Tang Ye's name continued unabated; Ten Hag glanced back.

Pretending not to care, he actually had Tang Ye start warming up three minutes later.

Check Dongqiu Di live match report: In the 58th minute of the match, Tang Ye began warming up on the substitutes' bench.

The number of comments received for the live report about Tang Ye warming up was even greater than when Martial scored.

The statement that Ggbond is the favorite player of Chinese fans no longer needed proof!

【Comfortable; glad I didn't sleep.】

【Facts prove that Ggbond will never disappoint.】

Starting to warm up near the 60-minute mark, barring any accidents, Tang Ye should get 10 to 20 minutes of playing time in this match.

Chinese fans couldn't help but sigh with emotion.

Head coaches as sensible as Ten Hag were rare nowadays.

In that case, the title of Saint Ten would remain with him for a while longer!

Why only for a while?

Because Chinese fans were also very cautious; they needed to observe a bit longer.

Only if Ten Hag gave Tang Ye the position of Manchester United's primary penalty taker could Ten Hag truly be Saint Ten!

"Although it's a substitute lineup, we can see that Manchester United's offensive momentum is very fierce."

"Ten Hag's 4-2-3-1 formation achieved success last season, with them finishing fourth in the league. This season, we can also see that Ten Hag has improved the team's tactics; currently, Manchester United still maintains a record of full victories in the Champions League group stage..."

"..."

"Oh! Here he comes!"

The camera cut to the home team's substitutes' bench; in the 78th minute of the second half, Tang Ye took off his jacket and then walked to the sideline.

"Manchester United is about to make a substitution; Tang Ye is coming on as a substitute!"

Tang Ye stood beside the fourth official, rubbing his hands, when Ten Hag walked up from behind and placed a hand on his shoulder: "With only 10 minutes left, you can play a bit more aggressively; just be careful not to get injured."

There were mainly two purposes for putting Tang Ye on as a substitute today: to maintain Tang Ye's competitive form and, incidentally, to satisfy the fans' demands.

Ten Hag was very clever.

As long as he stood on the same line as the Manchester United management and the fans, he would be invincible!

"No problem, Mr. Erik."

Clap!

After high-fiving Mata, Tang Ye quickly ran onto the pitch, arriving near his position.

Ten Hag kept his eyes fixed on Tang Ye, waiting for Tang Ye to hand the tactical note from his pocket to Mkhitaryan and Lin Lin Jiade, but Tang Ye just kept shaking his head and observing.

"..."

Ten Hag shook his head; Fan Fan Dejiahe rushed up from the substitutes' bench: "Erik, he... he seems to have forgotten the note I gave him."

"Hey, Tom!"

Fan Fan Dejiahe shouted loudly.

But the scene was simply too noisy, and Tang Ye's hearing itself didn't seem very good.

Fan Fan Dejiahe shouted four or five times in succession; Mkhitaryan had already turned his head, yet this fellow Tang Ye was still laughing at the opposing defenders.

"... Henrik!"

Ten Hag placed his hand on Fan Fan Dejiahe's shoulder, signaling the latter to stop shouting Tom's name.

Mkhitaryan turned his head around.

OK.

"There's a note in Tom's pocket; remember to ask for it later!"

Mkhitaryan glanced at Tang Ye in the distance, the corner of his mouth twitching.

Then he gave Ten Hag a thumbs-up.

Soon, a strange scene appeared on the live broadcast: just before the corner kick defense, Mkhitaryan reached out and ran toward Tang Ye.

"Oh, Henrik."

Tang Ye quickly took the chewing gum out of his pocket: "Here, this is for you."

Mkhitaryan took the chewing gum handed over by Tang Ye, propped one hand on Tang Ye's shoulder, and slipped the other hand into Tang Ye's pocket.

"Henrik, could you leave one for me? I'll need to swap it later."

Remembering that he had come on as a substitute and little match time remained, Tang Ye smiled: "Henrik, just take them all; I've had enough already."

Then, under Tang Ye's gaze, Mkhitaryan fished a small white slip of paper out of his right pocket.

"Hmm."

"Mine."

Glancing toward the substitutes' bench, Tang Ye discovered his Mr. Erik watching him with a fierce expression.

Hiss—

A bit scary!

"Th-this is..."

"Is Mkhitaryan asking Tang Ye for chewing gum?"

"No, no, no; there's a note in Tang Ye's pocket; it must have been written for him by the Manchester United coaching staff."

With a simple analysis, the commentators and fans quickly understood why Mkhitaryan wanted to ask Tang Ye for the note.

【Forgot about it, did we?】

【When GGBond selflessly offered up all his chewing gum, all I could see was the deep friendship between him and Mkhitaryan—the friendship of GGBond!】

【Ten Hag: After you go on, give the note to Henrik; don't forget. Tang Ye: Okay, once I'm on, I'll give him the chewing gum.】

"Phew..."

Seeing the note he had written, Fan Fan Dejiahe finally breathed a sigh of relief; at that moment, Ten Hag beside him placed his hand on his shoulder again.

"Michel, simply calling him by Tom's name won't work; you have to remember this."

"..."

This was the third year Fan Fan Dejiahe had known Tang Ye; he thought he already understood Tang Ye very well, but this was clearly a mistake.

There was still a huge gap between him and the head coach Ten Hag!

The match entered the 85th minute of the second half.

"Look at me, look at me!"

Controlling Mkhitaryan's back-pass, Tang Ye pushed the ball forward.

Find the chance!

Bang!

A long-range shot fired straight out!

Slap!

The goalkeeper punched the ball away.

"Damn..."

He shook his head.

That opposing goalkeeper is indeed quite formidable; it seems I'll have to look for other opportunities.

"Tang Ye, immediately after coming on, helped the team create a very good attack."

"..."

"Ling Lin Jiade threads a through-ball forward, finding Mkhitaryan!"

"Mkhitaryan is still looking for Tang Ye!"

Still receiving the ball in the center, but this time Tang Ye was closer to the goal, which meant he would make a completely different choice.

The Feyenoord defender stood inside the penalty area; Tang Ye feinted left but actually dragged the ball onto his right foot.

Push forward again!

Slowly approaching the defender.

Find the right opportunity!

Now is about right!

Seizing the chance, Tang Ye pushed the ball from his right foot to his left.

Lift the left foot!

!!!

At the instant Tang Ye swung his leg, the defender in the penalty area dropped to block, only to find that Tang Ye had once again knocked the ball onto his right foot.

Shoot!

Goal!

"Wow!!!"

Amid the cheers of the fans, Tang Ye sprinted all the way to the base of the stands.

"Tom! Tom Tom!"

Clap clap!

He continuously high-fived the fans!

【You have obtained 20 Counterattack Points】

A Champions League goal still yielded 20 Counterattack Points; Tang Ye, recalling he had an active mission, turned his attention to the system.

【Phase Three Mission Progress: Assists (0/6)】

Pity it wasn't an assist!

"Amazing, Tom!" Mkhitaryan tightly hugged Tang Ye's head as Tang Ye raised his right hand to greet the fans.

This was his third goal in the Champions League proper!

……

Check Dongqiu Di Match Report: Tang Ye scored as a substitute; Manchester United defeated Feyenoord 3:1 at home, winning all group stage matches with 18 points to advance to the knockout round.

【Tom hid a tactical note, lol, why is there such a funny player】

【He was too focused on the match】

【Mkhitaryan must be very heartbroken right now; the team changed the striker's tactics, but he, the striker, didn't even know】

Mkhitaryan must be very heartbroken right now...

Reading the comments on Twitter, Tang Ye looked up at Mkhitaryan sitting opposite him.

Although Tang Ye hadn't taken the matter to heart, the fans were right; what if Mkhitaryan got angry?

Henrik was a good person, and Tang Ye did not want to have any conflict with him!

Thinking of this, Tang Ye stood up from the bench, walked over, and high-fived Mkhitaryan: "Henrik, I didn't mean it; I originally intended to give it to you, but then I forgot I had made that preparation."

!

"Haha, it's fine, it's fine."

Mkhitaryan reached out his hand, smilingly patted Tang Ye's waist; Tang Ye thought of something, took the remaining piece of gum from his pocket, and handed it to Mkhitaryan.

Seeing with his own eyes Mkhitaryan eat the gum he had given, Tang Ye finally breathed a sigh of relief and walked back to his seat.

Along the way, he encountered Fan Fan Dejiahe, who was picking something up from the floor; the Manchester United assistant coach patted Tang Ye's calf, then stood up: "Don't forget again next time, Tom, otherwise those six words I wrote would be in vain."

"You still remember how many words there were?"

Somewhat surprised, Tang Ye raised his eyebrows: "But Mr. Michel, I definitely won't forget next time; this was a mistake."

Fan Fan Dejiahe nodded: "Mm."

Recalling that Tom was not a very reliable fellow outside of matches, Fan Fan Dejiahe added: "Next time you come on as a substitute, if there's a note, I'll remind you again, although you don't have many opportunities to be a substitute."

……

Creak—!

Ten Hag, having finished his post-match interview, walked back; Tang Ye and Lin Lin Jiade, who had been noisy, immediately fell silent.

Coming to the center of the locker room, Ten Hag first praised the players for their outstanding performance in the Champions League group stage.

Tang Ye was very happy because Ten Hag had mentioned him multiple times while praising the players!

"We can be happy, but we cannot be too happy."

Ten Hag changed his tone.

"Fans and reporters say our six consecutive wins are due to a favorable draw; they claim that apart from Benfica, there are no strong teams in our group, and... well, Benfica's form isn't good either; that is the reason for our winning streak."

"Our winning streak comes from the efforts of myself and all of you, so those words are all bullshit."

"But what you need to admit is that the overall strength of our group is indeed on the weaker side."

Thump thump!

He tapped the tactical board.

"That is why I'm telling you not to be too happy, because once we reach the knockout round, it won't be as comfortable as it is now."

Ten Hag's words plunged the Manchester United players in the locker room into silence; Tang Ye was also nodding gently.

Mr. Erik was right.

The difficulty of the Champions League knockout round would definitely be higher than it is now.

For the current Manchester United, there were weak teams in the Champions League group stage.

But the knockout round was different!

Among all the teams participating in the Champions League knockout round, not a single one was a weak team!

Thinking that he would soon be playing in the Champions League knockout round, Tang Ye hurriedly opened his mission panel again to take a look.

The Phase Three mission still required six assists.

Having missed the opportunity to farm assists during the group stage, Tang Ye could now only rely on the knockout round to complete the Phase Three mission.

The Champions League knockout round...

Tang Ye chewed the gum in his mouth, half-speaking.

Without even knowing how many rounds Manchester United could advance in the knockout stage, this mission of six assists was simply too difficult for Tang Ye!

……

Check Dongqiu Di pinned post: All Champions League knockout round teams are out:

Seeded teams: Manchester United, Paris, Roma, Barcelona...

Unseeded teams: Bayern, Chelsea, Juventus, Villarreal...

According to the Champions League knockout draw rules, the team finishing first in the group stage (seeded team) will face a team finishing second in the group stage (unseeded team) in the knockout round.

As a seeded team, Manchester United's opponent would naturally be an unseeded team.

But!

A quick glance at the list of unseeded teams revealed Bayern, Chelsea, Juventus, Villarreal, and even last season's Champions League winner, Real Madrid!

Although they advanced as group winners, Manchester United's situation did not seem too good!

Besides the Champions League knockout draw, another matter has caught the fans' attention.

The Sun — Tom, De Gea, and De Bruyne will take a private jet to France for the Ballon d'Or ceremony, accompanied by Manchester United and Mancheng staff.

The 2017 Ballon d'Or ceremony will be held on the evening of December 8, Beijing time.

Although they know Tang Ye cannot win the award, Chinese fans very much hope he can secure a high ranking!

"So Kevin, you first played in the Belgian Pro League, then were loaned to Bremen?"

On the plane, Tang Ye and De Bruyne sat facing each other, chatting.

Tang Ye was very interested in De Bruyne because he possessed a very impressive De Bruyne growth template.

De Bruyne was also very interested in Tang Ye.

18 years old, 120 million euros; this is a truly historic-level player, incomparable to him!

"Yes, playing in Fan Fan Dejia, the football atmosphere there is quite good."

"I have a friend who also plays in Bremen; he was loaned there too."

Tang Ye thought of his national team teammate, Zhang Zhang Yuning.

Zhang Zhang Yuning was considered his best friend in the national team.

They had even played pickup games together before!

"Wow."

De Bruyne raised an eyebrow, not expecting Tang Ye to have a friend in Bremen: "What position does he play?"

"Striker!"

"That's impressive; strikers are hard to play."

Tom's friend must be at least a 30 million euros-plus level player.

De Bruyne thought for a moment but could not recall any striker in Bremen valued at 30 million euros.

"What is his name?"

Mimicking foreigners' speech habits, Tang Ye said his friend's name.

"Yuningzhang! His shoulders are very broad; if the distance is far, I can recognize him at once."

"Yuningzhang..."

De Bruyne nodded slightly: "His name should be Chinese like yours, Bremen..."

The Mancheng midfielder frowned.

That shouldn't be.

If a striker worth tens of millions of euros transferred to Bremen, he should have known.

"By the way, Tom, may I ask your friend's market value?"

"No rush, Kevin; let me check."

Taking out his phone to check Zhang Zhang Yuning's current market value: "Units, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten thousands..."

"2.2 million euros."

"His price has gone up; I remember he was around 1 million euros before."

Putting his phone back in his pocket, Tang Ye spread his hands toward De Bruyne: "I thought his value would rise earlier, but I forgot to tell him; otherwise, I could have shown off."

"Haha."

While De Bruyne and Tang Ye were chatting, De Gea, sitting nearby and playing on his phone, suddenly called out; Tang Ye quickly asked, "What's wrong, David? Are you also happy for my friend?"

"No, Tom, look."

De Gea pushed his phone toward Tang Ye.

Premier League Official: The Premier League November Player of the Month is Manchester United midfielder Tang Ye.

"Hmm."

Exchanging glances with De Gea and De Bruyne, a smile appeared on Tang Ye's face.

"Not bad, Tom."

De Bruyne and Tang Ye clapped hands: "I recall you were undefeated last month, and you had five or six assists, I think."

Manchester United and Mancheng are rivals; Tang Ye and De Bruyne, both attacking midfielders, are rivals within rivals, so of course De Bruyne had been paying special attention to Tang Ye.

Tang Ye touched his hair: "I forgot how many assists I had, but I remember I indeed played very well last month."

By the way, there is also Mr. Sitting Like!

Holding De Gea's phone, Tang Ye scrolled the screen down.

Premier League Official: The Premier League November Manager of the Month is Mancheng's Guardiola.

"This..."

What a pity!

Although Tang Ye won Player of the Month, his most respected Mr. Sitting Like did not win Manager of the Month!

Check Dongqiu Di pinned post: 2017 Ballon d'Or ranking countdown, 7 hours.

Pinned: Beating De Bruyne and Salah, Tang Ye elected Premier League November Player of the Month.

【Tang Ye is Player of the Month, but Ten Hag is not Manager of the Month】

【Whatever about Ten Hag the Saint; as long as I, GGBond, win the award. FA loyalty!】

【The FA has officially declared allegiance to my Great Tang Wang Chao!】

【Ten Hag not winning is normal; Mancheng is too damn godlike; winning like this, they'll probably break 100 points before the season even ends.】

【This year's Ballon d'Or must be Cristiano Ronaldo's, otherwise it's rigged. Of course, giving it to me, Tang Tang Qiuwang, is fine too, hehe.】

According to statistics from data websites, Tang Ye's probability of winning the Ballon d'Or is only 3.4%.

But if Tang Ye truly wins the Ballon d'Or, what would that be?

Is this a conspiracy?

No, it is not; the eyes of Chinese fans are sharp.

Whoever wins the Ballon d'Or might be the result of a conspiracy, but if Tang Tang Qiuwang wins the Ballon d'Or, it absolutely cannot be one!

The radiance emanating from ggbond is simply too dazzling.

Even a conspiracy would be illuminated white by it!

……

(End of Chapter)