Chapter 318: Vision at 97? The Manchester Derby Begins!

【Vision Template】

【Vision Template】

【Vision Template】

【Miracle Slot Machine triggered; you have obtained all three templates.】

"..."

Pulling the seatback upright, Tang Ye remained silent for a long while before finally reacting.

All three templates were of the Vision type.

This also meant he would receive all three templates drawn this time!

Yet the most heaven-defying aspect was not drawing three templates of the same type.

The most heaven-defying aspect was the templates' rarity.

All three templates were fucking Legendary rank!

"Hah, hah..."

Tang Ye's breathing suddenly grew rapid, a change precisely noticed by De Bruyne opposite him: "Tom, are you feeling unwell?"

"Oh, it's nothing; I just remembered something happy."

His attention returned to his system.

【Maradona Eagle Vision Template (Legendary), Status: Activated】

A familiar sensation; the crown of Tang Ye's head was once again torn open by some unknown force.

And then...

And then there was no "and then."

【Vision: 96 → 96】

"..."

Activating a Maradona Vision Template yet seeing his Vision attribute remain unchanged left Tang Ye deeply disappointed.

What Tang Ye did not know was that a Vision rating of 96 had never been reached by anyone in football history.

Therefore, whether from a Star Template or a Legendary Template, any Vision Template Tang Ye obtained could not surpass his own.

【Totti Offensive Vision Template (Legendary), Status: Activated】

【Vision: 96 → 96】

"Damn..."

"What's wrong?"

Hearing Tang Ye speak, De Bruyne lifted his head again.

"Tom, didn't you encounter something happy?"

"I considered too little; this doesn't seem such a happy thing after all."

Shaking his head, Tang Ye proceeded to activate his final template.

【Beckenbauer Defensive Distribution Vision Template (Legendary), Status: Activated】

In that very instant, Tang Ye felt his eyes grow bright.

He could see every single strand of De Bruyne's golden hair with perfect clarity!

【Vision: 96 → 97】

After consuming three Legendary templates, Tang Ye's Vision attribute finally increased.

He recalled that only at the end of last month had his Vision just risen to 96; he never expected the occasion of the Ballon d'Or ceremony would boost his Vision attribute by another point!

As per habit, he first checked his current status panel!

Tang Ye (39 years old)

【Ball Control: 85; Passing: 89】

【Shooting: 78; Heading: 52; Set Pieces: 76】

【Pace: 74; Stamina: 72; Physicality: 77】

【Defending: 70; Vision: 97】

Overall Rating: 83

Although he could not feel any benefit from the Vision attribute, Tang Ye was still very happy.

After all, who wouldn't want a flashy status panel?

A Vision rating of 97—regardless of its utility, it truly looked cool!

Check Dongqiu Di Match Preview: December 11, 12:30 AM, the Manchester Derby—will it end in a draw or shatter an unbeaten record?

So far, neither Man Utd nor Mancheng has lost a single league match, so the logic is clear: if the Manchester Derby does not end in a draw, one team's unbeaten record will inevitably be broken!

Which team will see its record broken—Mancheng or Man Utd?

Fans cannot make a judgment, because both Mancheng and Man Utd have been in absurdly good form this season.

Shortly after Check Dongqiu Di released its match preview, the FA issued a promotional poster for this season's first Manchester Derby, featuring Tang Ye and De Bruyne, both Players of the Month, staring solemnly at each other, with Man Utd manager Ten Hag and Mancheng manager Guardiola behind them respectively.

Caption: Premier League's Best Midfielder? Premier League's Best Bald Manager?

Manchester Derby + Best Midfielder Derby + Best Bald Manager Derby!

That is the match one day from now!

Carrington Training Base.

The final training session before the Manchester Derby concluded; the Man Utd players were now generally somewhat nervous.

Crack!

【De Bruyne Standard Long Pass Lv4: Realistic】

Proficiency: 932/1200

A long pass from the center circle soared out, looping precisely into the goal; Tang Ye shouted loudly, "Time to clock out!"

"Not bad, Tom."

Mata patted Tang Ye on the shoulder, and the two walked together toward the rest area, with Rodri and Rashford following behind.

"We're playing Mancheng tomorrow, but Mata, since we're at home, we'll have the advantage."

"That's true, we do have an advantage, but ultimately it comes down to raw strength; Mancheng currently has 14 wins and 1 draw—that record is simply absurd."

Thinking of something, Mata added, "Moreover, they have a player who has made the Player of the Month shortlist four times."

The player Mata referred to, who had made the Player of the Month shortlist four times, was of course De Bruyne.

"I know Kevin; he's formidable."

"You know him?"

"We sat on the same plane during the awards ceremony before; David was there too."

Tang Ye pointed at De Gea, who was still practicing penalty saves, and explained, "Although I haven't played against him, I can tell from the look in his eyes that he's a formidable guy. You know me, Mata, I'm always right about these things."

Tang Ye considered himself to possess excellent ability in analyzing expressions, though he had never formally studied micro-expression analysis.

Tang Ye's analysis relied on his own intuition, because he had discovered that his intuition was always correct.

"Indeed, Kevin is outstanding; he is currently a key point for Mancheng. Later, Michel should brief us on some tactics; I think I'll be assigned to specifically mark Kevin."

Ten Hag gathered the players together and briefly outlined the requirements for tomorrow's match.

Mata's prediction was correct; he was indeed assigned to mark De Bruyne.

However, his prediction wasn't entirely accurate, because the person who said this was Ten Hag, not Fan Fan Dejiahe as he had predicted.

Tang Ye cast a sympathetic glance at his Uncle Mata.

Marking De Bruyne was absolutely not an easy task!

……

On match day, the Manchester United players' bus departed from the training base, heading for Old Trafford Stadium.

"Phew..."

Tang Ye sat in his seat, his phone playing an interview video from Sky Sports.

The interviewee was a Mancheng fan.

"Yes, Mancheng will definitely win; so far this season we've only drawn one league match and won all the others; no other team can achieve that."

"De Bruyne and Agüero are both in excellent form, so we'll score at least three goals against Manchester United."

The reporter squinted, pulling the microphone closer to himself: "But Manchester United possesses very strong counter-attacking capabilities; their long passes could be lethal."

The interviewed Mancheng fan shook his head indifferently: "We have Kyle Walker; his speed is extremely fast. Otamendi is also in great form."

"I told my friend that if Mancheng loses this match, I'll treat him to drinks, because I know Mancheng cannot lose."

"But Manchester United has Tom."

Speaking of Tom, the fan fell silent for a moment, but quickly recovered.

"Tom is formidable, but this is a game of eleven people; our strength lies in our overall team."

He pointed a finger at the camera.

"United OUT! (Manchester United is eliminated!)"

【Video ended. Replay?】

Tang Ye slipped his phone into his pocket as Rodri's voice came from beside him: "The match starts in five hours, Tom; you shouldn't be watching this kind of video right now."

"What kind of video?"

"This kind of interview video; fans always say things that make us unhappy."

Tang Ye nodded, agreeing with his little brother Rodri: "That's right; their fans are too arrogant. They don't know how much preparation I've done."

"You've done preparation?"

Tang Ye's words surprised Rodri somewhat.

In Rodri's impression, Tang Ye always played video games after returning home; he never expected that for this Manchester derby, Tang Ye had actually made specific preparations!

"Yes, Rod; last night I played 15 matches of FIFA, all against Mancheng."

"They are formidable, but I won 12 of those matches."

This, this...

Rodri was speechless.

Before the match had even begun, Tang Ye already had 15 matches of Manchester derby experience.

Damn it, how is the opponent supposed to play against that!

……

"We are Manchester United and we'll realise your dream~ (We are Manchester United, we will realize our own dreams)"

"This whistle's busy giving goodness to our rival team~ (God sends frequent whistles to our opponents)"

"They lay away coz' they know we would rip the Mancher City!"

"United!"

"United!"

"United!"

The sound of Manchester United fans chanting their team anthem came from outside; in the player tunnel, Tang Ye shook hands and embraced De Bruyne: "Good luck, Kevin."

"Good luck, Tom!"

"Let's go, let's go!"

……

"China Media Group! This is the live broadcast currently bringing you..."

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

"Manchester United sticks with a 4-2-3-1 formation again, with Rashford, Martial, and Mkhitaryan forming the forward line, while Tang Ye stands as the sole attacking midfielder..."

"And then the away team, Mancheng, currently first in the Premier League!"

Mancheng (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: Ederson

Defenders: Delph, Kong Pani, Otamendi, Kyle Walker

Midfielders: David Silva, Fernandinho, De Bruyne

Forwards: Sané, Jesus, Sterling

Head Coach: Guardiola

Just as the match started, the director's camera cut straight to the substitute benches of both teams.

Ten Hag and Guardiola—these are the bald coaches from the Netherlands and Spain, respectively.

In the shot, one could see Ten Hag intentionally or unintentionally glancing toward Guardiola; it was just unclear what Ten Hag's purpose in doing so was.

Let's look at the situation on the pitch.

In this match, Mancheng did not use the three-defender system they had grown accustomed to this season.

Clearly, Guardiola had specifically studied Manchester United's tactics!

Otamendi, with his excellent interception ability, paired with Kyle Walker, whose tracking-back speed was outstanding.

Mancheng's defensive line seemed specifically crafted to target Tang Ye!

In terms of player characteristics, Mancheng did indeed have some advantage over Manchester United, but the specific situation would still depend on the actual match.

In the 12th minute, after sustaining possession in the attacking third, Mancheng's De Bruyne found an opportunity to play a forward pass!

Slap!

A long pass went straight to Sané making a run down the left flank!

"De Bruyne!"

"A very aggressive long pass, delivered to Sané!"

Sané easily controlled the long pass and continued running a bit further toward the byline.

Once the timing was right, Sané suddenly cut the ball, turned, reversed direction, and began drifting toward Manchester United's penalty area.

Also on the left flank, if this ball had gone to Rashford, it probably would have been crossed directly into the box.

But Mancheng was not Manchester United, and Sané was likewise not Rashford.

They had their own playing habits!

Dribbling himself first to press toward the penalty area, before even getting close to Valencia, Sané directly passed back to find Fernandinho in the center.

After receiving the ball, Fernandinho moved himself toward the arc at the top of the box.

Hiss—

The Manchester United fans in the stands were now under immense pressure.

Mancheng was almost keeping the ball continuously in Manchester United's half!

This was absolutely no good news for Manchester United!

Bang!

Fernandinho played another through ball forward to Sterling!

Sterling then passed back to Kyle Walker behind him!

Right near Manchester United's penalty area, Mancheng started playing a possession game!

The good news was that, due to Mancheng's hesitation during their attack, Tang Ye had the chance to run back from the front to join the defense.

"That number 25!"

First having Rodri mark Fernandinho, Tang Ye himself moved to confront Otamendi.

After a slight calculation, he then had Valencia step out to deal with Jesus.

Through Tang Ye's observation and calculation, the Manchester United players successfully completed a double-team on the Mancheng ball-carrier in their own half.

Center-back Rojo cleared the ball out!

"Beautiful, it's a counterattack!"

Knowing that his side would have few chances to possess the ball, Rashford immediately started sprinting wildly after receiving the clearance.

Rashford ran very fast, hoping to create a one-on-one opportunity.

Quickly reaching the penalty area, Rashford looked for a shooting chance.

Unfortunately, Kong Pani easily stuck out a foot and completed a tackle on Rashford!

"He kept the ball too far away from himself while dribbling!"

Ten Hag and Fan Fan Dejiahe began complaining.

The Manchester United head coach was extremely dissatisfied with Rashford's reckless action!

On the neighboring substitute bench, Guardiola, who had just finished giving instructions, suddenly fell silent, his eyes fixed intently on Tang Ye on the pitch.

Guardiola had noticed Tang Ye's commanding during the defense just now, yet Guardiola was unwilling to believe what he had seen.

Without a god's-eye view, yet able to find the most suitable defensive positioning for himself, and even simultaneously help his nearby teammates find their defensive positions, thereby forming an encirclement to strangle the Mancheng ball-carrier.

This... wasn't it a bit too outrageous?

Shaking his head, rather than believing Tang Ye possessed such ability, Guardiola preferred to believe this was merely a perfectly timed accident.

At the 18th minute, the CCTV broadcast displayed the current possession statistics.

MUN: 28%

MCI: 72%

In terms of possession, Mancheng completely crushed Man United; on the substitutes' bench, Fan Fan Dejiahe was already starting to feel nervous.

Although Man United this season hasn't pursued possession too aggressively, a rate below 30% is simply too low!

Scoring goals must be based on possession.

Without possession, how can Man United launch attacks?

"Currently, we can see that Man United seems to be encountering some problems playing out from the back."

"And Mancheng's tactics are very clear: they are exploiting their advantage in passing and possession to relentlessly target Man United's weaknesses in playing out from the back."

"If Man United wants to break the deadlock, they must find a solution!"

Just as the commentators said.

Playing honestly like this will definitely lead to a loss; if Man United wants to break the deadlock, they must find a solution!

It was still high-intensity pressing in the attacking third, with Tang Ye slowly searching for an opportunity to steal the ball.

But soon Tang Ye discovered a problem: Mancheng greatly favored short-pass combinations, which made Man United's pressing extremely difficult.

What Man United players needed to do was observe and find the most suitable moment to intercept.

Coincidentally, this was exactly what Tang Ye excelled at!

Suddenly accelerating to get behind David Silva, coordinating with Rodri who was defending ahead, Tang Ye suddenly dropped to the ground for a sliding tackle.

Boom!

He tackled the ball straight to Rodri!

"Ooh! Beautiful play, Tang Ye!"

"Tang Ye's timing on the tackle was truly excellent; let's take a look at Man United's counterattack..."

Quickly scrambling up from the ground, Tang Ye immediately sprinted toward the attacking third.

Rodri was advancing with the ball from the back, with Tang Ye right beside him.

Rodri encountered Fernandinho charging in to steal!

"To me, to me, to me!"

Hearing Tang Ye's voice, Rodri immediately sent a through pass to Tang Ye.

Tang Ye ran forward and controlled the ball!

Okay, starting the advance!

Dribbling forward, Tang Ye fully unleashed his speed ability.

Mancheng's defenders began retreating, while Tang Ye searched for an opportunity for Man United.

Not yet, run a little further first.

Run a bit more...

Now it's about right!

"Marcus!"

Finding the right position, Tang Ye loudly shouted Rashford's name.

Crack!

【De Bruyne Curved Through Pass Lv4: Realistic】

Proficiency: 779/1000

Tang Ye's through pass landed precisely in the open space beside Otamendi.

Just as Otamendi prepared to stretch out his foot to intercept, the ball on the grass suddenly curved eerily, then rolled into the open space in front of Rashford.

Fuck!

Otamendi realized the situation was dire and accelerated back toward the penalty area to defend; at this moment, Rashford made a very bold choice.

Boom!

"Shooting directly!"

"This one's going in!"

"GOOOO——AAAA——LLLLLL!!!"

"Rashford!"

"That long-range shot was incredibly absurd; Ederson barely had any time to react!"

The instant the goal was scored, Rashford sprinted at full speed toward the left corner flag, then performed a knee slide.

Tang Ye was right behind Rashford!

"Amazing, Marcus!"

Rashford's long-range shot was simply too fierce!

"Rashford!"

Boom boom!

"Rashford!"

Boom boom!

Man United fans chanted the name of the scorer, Rashford, as the stadium's big screen changed the score from 0:0 to 1:0.

It was precisely at this moment that the director showed a replay of that goal.

Tang Ye's eerily curving through pass was the beginning.

Rashford's knuckleball long-range shot was the end!

With almost no spin, Rashford struck a long-range shot using his direct free-kick technique, and he had chosen an excellent angle.

For a shot of this caliber, even if the goalkeeper Ederson were in top form, there would be nothing he could do.

In the 28th minute of the match, the home team, Manchester United, took the lead!

【Damn, that's awesome!】

【GGBond's curved through-pass—is this the strength of the seventh-ranked Ballon d'Or winner?】

【Fun fact: Tang Ye is the Premier League player with the highest Ballon d'Or ranking, surpassing both Kanté and De Bruyne.】

【Silva and Fernandinho made some huge mistakes, though Manchester United is indeed playing well.】

"Damn, there's space up front!"

"Pass it out! Pass it out! Be decisive when passing; don't hesitate!"

Guardiola shouted from the sidelines while making hand gestures.

The Manchester City manager's hands moved so fast it was as if a ninja were forming hand seals.

"..."

Ten Hag glanced at Guardiola out of the corner of his eye, his face expressionless.

Last season, Manchester United suffered a double defeat against Manchester City in the league; this season, they absolutely had to see if there was a chance for revenge!

(End of chapter)