Chapter 336: The Cruyff Bottom-Line Turn, Sebastian Reports to Manchester United

"Faster, faster!"

"Speeding up!"

Gritting his teeth, Tang Ye sprinted to the marker cone at his absolute fastest pace.

Turn around the marker cone, then run back!

"Watch the rhythm, watch the rhythm!"

"Keep your center of gravity higher!"

Completing the shuttle run, Tang Ye collapsed onto the grass.

Manchester United's January schedule wasn't as exaggerated as December's, which meant the Manchester United players needed to undergo more speed and endurance training.

This was absolutely not good news!

【Speed: 74→75】

Wow!

Lying on the ground, Tang Ye suddenly sat up straight.

That felt good!

A long-overdue speed upgrade!

Tang Ye's Speed attribute had been stuck at 74 for quite some time, so this upgrade was naturally something worth celebrating for him.

Of course, there was more to it than that.

Tang Ye clearly remembered that once his Speed attribute reached 75, he could activate a Legendary Template!

【Cruyff Bottom-Line Turn Template (Legendary)】

Status: Activated

【Speed: 75→75】

【Ball Control: 85→86】

The Speed attribute that had just upgraded received further reinforcement, and additionally, Tang Ye's Ball Control, which had been stuck at 85, finally broke through.

With a Ball Control attribute of 86, there probably weren't many players in the entire Premier League with better ball feel than Tang Ye!

Tang Ye (39 years old)

【Ball Control: 86; Passing: 89】

【Shooting: 78; Heading: 53; Set Pieces: 76】

【Speed: 75; Stamina: 72; Physicality: 78】

【Defense: 70; Vision: 97】

Overall Rating: 83

Manchester United Official: Haller joins the team, wearing the number 9 jersey.

With last season's La Liga Silver Boot winner joining, Manchester United fans in the comments section celebrated wildly.

Although 65 million euros was slightly overpriced for Haller, with Tang Ye serving as a "precedent," Manchester United fans chose to unconditionally support Ten Hag.

Haller's market value was 40 million euros.

But if the combination of Haller and Tom could be formed, perhaps the 65 million euro transfer fee for Haller wasn't entirely impossible to justify?

【Isn't Martial done for now?】

【Hard to say; Martial's talent is definitely better than Haller's, and besides, they aren't the same type of player, so they should be able to rotate.】

【As long as Haller can produce half the stats he did last season in La Liga, Manchester United will be invincible; however, Premier League defenders are generally ridiculously tall, so Haller might not necessarily succeed in the Premier League.】

【A 40 million euro striker generating this much hype—is this what they call the Teng-Jia Army?】

Tang Ye was probably the Manchester United player in the best mood right now.

He had just scored a hat-trick in the match against Leicester City, and now his good friend Haller from Villarreal had transferred to join the team.

Rodrigo drove his Opel, carrying both Tang Ye and Haller as they headed toward the Carrington Base.

Sitting in the back seat, Tang Ye glanced at Haller in the seat next to him, then looked at Rodrigo, who was focusing on the road.

"Damn, I still feel like I'm at Villarreal, even though I know I'm no longer at Villarreal."

"Haha."

"By the way, Sebastian, did Mr. Ferran say anything when you came to Manchester United?"

Thinking of Escrivá, Tang Ye suddenly asked.

"Ferran wanted me to stay at Villarreal; originally, my transfer could have been settled for 45 million euros, but Ferran disagreed, so Manchester United had to pay the release clause."

Haller shrugged: "To be honest, I feel pretty bad toward Ferran, but I believe I needed to leave."

Haller was ambitious, and this ambition drove him to join a powerhouse club.

Staying at Villarreal made it impossible to win the La Liga title!

Tang Ye nodded slightly.

He could already imagine Escrivá's dejected expression in his mind.

Because he had witnessed it with his own eyes once before.

It was last season, just when he was preparing to leave the team.

Leaning back against the seat, Haller said, "Hmm... to be honest, I'm feeling a bit of pressure now; Manchester United brought me here by paying my release clause."

Haller was very clear that the 65 million euro release clause was overpriced for him.

And playing for Manchester United meant he would receive a tremendous amount of attention.

He needed to deliver sufficient performance; otherwise, he would definitely be scolded by the fans!

"It's alright, Haller."

Tang Ye patted Alé's thick arm: "Our teammates are all great; I must introduce you to Mata and Marcus."

"When I first arrived at Manchester United, these two were the ones who helped me get familiar with the team."

"Now, just as they did for me before, I will be the one to help you get familiar with the team, Sebastian."

"Haha!"

……

Official announcement from the Chinese National Men's Football Team: Tang Ye, Wu Lei, and Zhang Zhang Yuning will not participate in the national team's first training camp in Hainan due to club commitments.

Fans can understand why Tang Ye and Zhang Zhang Yuning cannot attend the January training camp, as both players are competing in Europe, where there are many club matches in January.

But what is the situation with Wu Lei?

Hiss!

Chinese fans suddenly recalled a piece of news they had seen earlier.

【Damn, could Wu Lei actually be heading to La Liga?】

……

The Times — Since he has already represented Villarreal in the UEFA Champions League, Alé is ineligible to play for Manchester United in the Champions League knockout stages.

Repost: Manchester United announces the starting lineup against Stoke City, led by Ashley Young and Mo Lin, with Tang Ye continuing in the starting eleven; Manchester United academy graduate McTominay is on the bench.

"It's raining today; this is not good news for us."

Ten Hag was delivering his final pre-match pep talk in the locker room.

"However, we will definitely win this match because Stoke City cannot possibly be our match."

"Three, two, one!"

"Champion!"

Adjusting his clothes, Tang Ye walked out of the locker room alongside Mata.

With rain falling and temperatures in the single digits, Tang Ye chose to wear a long-sleeved jersey today; he was also the only Manchester United player to opt for long sleeves.

"Isn't that uncomfortable?"

Smalling pointed at Tang Ye's attire.

"It is indeed uncomfortable, but all jersey materials are like this."

"I'm talking about the long sleeves; playing in long sleeves isn't ideal, is it?"

Tang Ye had misunderstood Smalling's meaning.

"Oh, you mean this."

Tang Ye shook his head with a smile: "Long sleeves are definitely fine; this isn't basketball, after all."

"It's better to be a bit warmer."

Tang Ye did not have as much body fat as Smalling, so he needed thicker clothing to stay warm.

If the body gets too cold, injuries become very likely; Tang Ye cherished his physique immensely!

……

The match had already begun.

This was the 23rd round of the Premier League season; in the first 22 rounds, Manchester United had secured 17 victories, boasting a win rate approaching 78%.

Considering the circumstances of recent years, this result was already quite impressive for Manchester United.

However, Ten Hag was actually not feeling very comfortable at the moment.

This was because Mancheng was exerting immense pressure on him!

But regardless of what Mancheng was doing, handling the current match properly was what Manchester United needed to focus on right now.

"Up front! You can pass it, you can pass it! Hurry, hurry!"

Ten Hag urged as Rodri delivered a through ball to Mata on the right wing.

A scoring opportunity for Manchester United!

"Straight forward, straight forward! Don't hesitate!"

Hearing Ten Hag's words, Mata decisively accelerated toward the byline.

Manchester United was exactly this kind of team; the more you tried to execute overly complex tactics, the worse you played.

Delivering the ball toward the opponent's goal was the key to Manchester United's attack.

The farther the pass, the better!

The faster the run, the better!

Mata cut back with a reverse triangle pass!

Looking for Tang Ye!

OK!

It was time for Ggbond to shine!

"Marcus!"

In the previous match, Tang Ye had feigned a pass to deceive Rashford, but this time today, the pass was real.

Bang!

【De Bruyne Curved Through Ball Lv4: Realistic】 Proficiency: 849/1000

The through ball was driven into the penalty area.

It arrived right at Rashford's feet!

Rashford shot low toward the far corner!

"Gooo——aaa——llll!!!"

"Goal!"

"A goal from Rashford, Manchester United takes the lead!"

In the 14th minute of the first half, Manchester United scored their first goal of the match!

"Marcus!"

Tang Ye quickly ran over and high-fived Rashford.

【You have obtained 10 Counterattack Points】

The match continued, while the two CCTV commentators began discussing Manchester United's tactics.

"As we can see, although Manchester United spends most of their time defending, their attacking capability is actually incredibly exaggerated!"

!

"If you ignore their attacking prowess just because of Manchester United's defense, you are making a very serious mistake."

"Yes, that's right; in the past five matches, Manchester United achieved victory in all of them, and in those five games, Manchester United was always the side to score first."

Currently in the Premier League standings, Mancheng and Manchester United occupy the first and second positions respectively, and they are also the two teams with the most goals scored in the Premier League so far.

Manchester United has only six fewer goals than Mancheng, but Manchester United has conceded many more goals than Mancheng.

This situation reminds fans of Villarreal from last season.

Their goal count was second only to the league champions Real Madrid, yet their number of conceded goals was surprisingly similar to Alavés, a team ranked in the mid-table!

There's a chance!

Positioning himself to block the line of sight, Tang Ye ran over and got ready.

Bang!

A very clean tackle; Manchester United regained possession.

In this match, Manchester United's possession rate reached 55%; for Manchester United, a team that does not emphasize possession rates, this statistic is already considered very good.

Among the factors, Tang Ye's active contribution to defense played a very good role!

A counter-attack opportunity for Manchester United!

Rodri sends a long pass to Martial!

Martial passes again to Mata!

A familiar counter-attack, though Stoke City is clearly taking precautions against Manchester United's long-pass offense.

With the ball in the attacking third, Mata lost possession under double-team pressure!

Check Dongqiu Di Halftime Report: Manchester United leads Stoke City 1:0, with Tang Ye providing a precise assist to Rashford.

While Ten Hag emphasized tactics in the locker room, fans on Check Dongqiu Di were simultaneously engaging in frantic discussion.

【Actually, Haller could have been brought on for this; several of the opposing defenders are very tall.】

【He's only been transferred for two days and already made the matchday squad; the Vine Armor Army can't play like this.】

【Didn't Tang Ye start directly back when he arrived?】

【Haller is Haller, and Tang Ye is Tang Ye; even the Vine Armor Army has different tiers.】

"Come on!"

"Come on, come on!"

Walking out of the player tunnel, Tang Ye saw Haller in the stands wearing casual clothes, so he gave a thumbs-up in Haller's direction.

"Watch closely, Sebastian!"

Leading 1:0 in the first half is not enough of an advantage for Manchester United.

Therefore, in the second half, Manchester United will still maintain an incredibly exaggerated attacking tempo.

Putting a fresh piece of chewing gum into his mouth, Tang Ye stepped onto the pitch.

He was already ready!

"..."

"Judging by the situation, Manchester United should not be satisfied with their current lead."

"Yes, Tang Ye and Martial are frequently drifting toward the left flank, and the left flank is a very crucial avenue for Manchester United."

"The coordination between Rashford and Tang Ye is playing out very well; Ten Hag wants to exploit this opportunity!"

The commentators' analysis was very correct.

The coordination between Tom and Jerry was very good.

This is the key to Manchester United's attack!

Receiving the ball in the center, Tang Ye conducted his observation.

The positions of both Rashford and Mata could only be described as average; after thinking it over, Tang Ye chose to dribble forward himself.

His ball control attribute had just risen from 85 to 86; at this moment, he absolutely had to show it off properly to the fans.

He remembered that in "FIFA 18," his dribbling ability was rated at only 83.

This was absolutely wrong!

He advanced with the ball himself.

Two defending players stood before him.

But it didn't matter; at this moment, Tang Ye would absolutely not panic.

Slap!

He passed the ball to Lin Lin Jiade on the wing.

Then he took the ball back!

The instant he controlled the ball, Tang Ye moved between Stoke City's two defenders, then executed his signature move, the Fried Meatball.

He directly ate up both opponents!

"Beautiful! Tang Ye!"

"Eh, Tang Ye has been taken down!"

Sitting on the grass, Tang Ye's face was written full of helplessness.

If he had been allowed to pass the ball out, it would absolutely have been a very handsome attack.

But Stoke City simply would not give him that chance!

"Come on, Tom!"

Rashford pulled Tang Ye up from the ground: "It's nothing, it's nothing!"

The match continued; as the trailing side, Stoke City kept searching for attacking opportunities.

"Shaquiri! The corner kick is taken!"

"It's delivered to the near post!"

Manchester United had practically no defenders at the near post.

Tang Ye had tried his best to block the position, but with two opposing attackers charging at him together, he truly had no way to stop them.

Slap!

Fletcher fired a shot.

"Goal!"

"Stoke City has equalized the score!"

Although Stoke City had not created any good chances so far in the match, they had excellently exploited Manchester United's weak set-piece defense.

Check Dongqiu Di live match report: Fletcher scores, Stoke City equalizes the score.

"Jessie (Lin Lin Jiade), you need to come over too."

Tang Ye held his head in his hands.

Originally, him being one-on-one with Fletcher was no problem, but suddenly another Stoke City player ran out inside the penalty area, completely disrupting Tang Ye's rhythm.

He turned his head to glance at the big screen.

It was now the 65th minute of the second half.

Unwilling to accept a 1:1 draw, Manchester United needed to quicken the pace a bit!

Fuck!

Fuck!

Ten Hag shouted twice in succession from the sidelines, then returned to the substitute bench, picked up the notebook on Fan Fan Dejiahe's thigh, and wrote the words "set-piece defense" with his pen.

Then he drew several circles in succession.

Hiss hiss hiss hiss!

Drawing circles was a means of emphasis.

Manchester United's problems with set-piece defense had existed for quite some time.

But Manchester United had even bigger issues to adjust, so Ten Hag had not addressed it until now.

Now it seemed it was indeed necessary to deal with the weakness in set-piece defense.

All Premier League teams knew Manchester United's set-piece defense was weak; playing against Stoke City was fine for now, but if they got punished on set pieces later when playing against strong teams like Liwupu or Arsenal, it would be disastrous!!

"..."

"Tang Ye is moving toward the right-wing baseline!"

"Give a reverse triangle pass!"

Once the reverse triangle pass was delivered, Tang Ye, originally at the baseline, suddenly cut inside toward the penalty area.

Preparing to support his teammate's attack!

Arriving at the edge of the penalty area.

"Rod!"

Rodri passed the ball back, but the position of the pass was somewhat awkward, suitable for neither the left foot nor the right.

Hiss—

Tang Ye tucked his right foot behind his left, rubbed it against the ground, and directly lofted the ball up from the turf.

A rainbow flick!

(End of Chapter)