Chapter 349: The Eve of the EFL Cup Final: Ten Hag Chooses to Forgo a Possible Opportunity

Marca — Tom and Rodri attended Villarreal's post-match gathering; reporters captured Tom sprinting out of the restaurant.

"Tom seemed to have encountered something terrifying—he ran straight onto the street. If there had been cars on the road at night, Tom might already be dead," said the Marca reporter.

The video of Tang Ye sprinting out of the restaurant went viral among netizens.

Although the footage was dark, his height and running motion clearly confirmed it was indeed Tang Ye.

【What did he see?】

【Could it be Escrivá wanted to keep Tang Ye's body in Villarreal?】

【6, you might as well say there was a vampire in the restaurant.】

【Probably someone dressed as a ghost scared Tang Ye. The guy upstairs claiming it was Escrivá is just spreading rumors—Escrivá is a normal person.】

【Maybe he was upset about falling behind, so Escrivá tried to chop me with a knife.】

For some reason, Dongqi Di suddenly felt terrifying.

But it's fine—fans all say Tang Ye has always had great luck.

Even if he really encountered a vampire, Tom could still escape thanks to his luck!

…

"What happened?"

On the plane, Rashford showed Tang Ye his phone screen—the video of Tang Ye running through Villarreal's streets last night was playing.

"This… uh, I thought there was an earthquake, so I ran out."

Tang Ye nodded: "Yeah, that's right."

Tang Ye would never reveal what happened to him last night.

Although Escrivá's actions were wrong, he was still Mr. Ferran, someone Tang Ye respected.

Unless Escrivá truly tried to kill him with a knife, Tang Ye wouldn't call the police!

Rashford looked at Rodri, who merely shook his head.

He didn't know what happened last night either.

Hss…

Maybe Escrivá pulled an overly realistic prank and scared Tang Ye?

Rashford returned to his seat; Tang Ye put on his headphones.

Music played through the headphones, but Tang Ye's mind wasn't on the music.

He was thinking.

Was Mr. Ferran joking last night?

Well, the most serious issue now isn't what Tang Ye encountered last night.

It's that he can't tell whether it was really Escrivá's joke!

Memories of his football school teammates' stories about serial killers surfaced in his mind; Tang Ye's body trembled involuntarily.

Serial killers are all deranged—Escrivá yesterday was equally deranged!

Is it possible Mr. Ferran is actually a terrifying serial killer?

Football coach is just his part-time cover to hide his killer identity!

My god!

Tang Ye's mouth hung open.

If Mr. Ferran really is a serial killer, should he report him?

Preoccupied with thoughts of Escrivá, Tang Ye slowly fell asleep.

…

The day after the players returned to Manchester, the FA released the promotional poster for the EFL Cup final.

In the poster, Ten Hag and Wenger stood on the pitch at Wembley Stadium, gazing up at the EFL Cup trophy in the sky.

Manchester Evening News — EFL Cup Final: Ten Hag launches his assault on his first trophy at Manchester United.

Ten Hag seeks his first trophy at Manchester United.

Can Ten Hag lead Manchester United to take the first step toward revival in the EFL Cup final on the 28th?

But the EFL Cup isn't even the first issue to consider.

Before facing Arsenal in the final, Manchester United must play Chelsea in a Premier League match.

After defeating Villarreal, consecutive matches against Chelsea and Arsenal made United players anxious.

Can United players maintain peak form across three consecutive high-intensity matches?

Others' ability to stay at peak form is unknown, but GGBOND definitely can.

The reason is simple: GGBOND has many, many supplements in his pocket.

【You purchased Cant's Hot Chocolate Milk +4】

Level +4 Hot Chocolate Milk restores 62% muscle fatigue—truly an incredible item.

With this item, Tang Ye only needs two days of rest to fully recover from a 90-minute match.

This super item maintains Tang Ye's match attendance rate!

Feeling unsatisfied drinking milk on the system, Tang Ye mixed his newly bought chocolate bar with pure milk to make chocolate milk.

Took a small sip.

Hmm—cold chocolate milk, not heated, and the chocolate bar hadn't fully melted.

But honestly, the taste was still quite good!

First, turned on the computer, then lay back in the chair waiting for Dembélé's reply.

Tang Ye received Dembélé's message, and also got a call from Pohl.

Adidas expressed interest in signing a sponsorship contract with Tang Ye.

But Pohl advised that if Tang Ye wasn't urgently in need of money, he should hold off on signing this contract for now.

"You can get a lot of sponsorship money now, but in two years you can get even more."

Adidas offered Tang Ye 10 million pounds per year in sponsorship, but this still fell short of Pohl's projected valuation for him.

Since Pohl is a professional in this field, Tang Ye chose to follow his advice and hold off on signing any shoe sponsorship deals until the World Cup.

After all, the World Cup is when player sponsorship fees skyrocket!

"By the way, you might sign many commercial contracts during the World Cup."

Pohl told Tang Ye some good news.

Every World Cup, China's giant corporations are extremely active, pouring in massive amounts of cash.

To promote their brands globally, these Chinese companies will definitely seek players for endorsements.

Compared to Ronaldo and Messi, Tang Ye—born and raised in China—is clearly the best choice.

Before the World Cup, endorsement negotiations will be fiercely contested, but that's Pohl's job; Tang Ye only needs to perform well in every upcoming match—that's enough.

…

"Duang!"

Tang Ye lowered the barbell onto the rack and exhaled deeply.

Since last month, Craig had given him a new physical training plan, causing the weight on his barbell to keep increasing.

As the barbell weight grew, combined with the aid of 【Ronaldo Chicken Breast】, Tang Ye's physical training results improved steadily.

A cramping sensation pulsed along the front of his thighs—he was about to cramp, so he quickly began stretching.

【Defense: 70 → 71】

【Endurance: 73 → 74】

【Overall Rating: 83 → 84】

Physical confrontation remains stuck at 79, so it won't rise anytime soon.

But as his strength increases, Tang Ye's defense and endurance attributes have improved.

Plus, his overall rating!

With two attributes rising simultaneously, Tang Ye's overall rating jumped from 83 to 84!

Tang Ye (39 years old)

【Ball Control: 86; Passing: 89】

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

【Speed: 75; Endurance: 74; Physical Confrontation: 79】

【Defense: 71; Vision: 97】

Overall Rating: 84

The system's 84 rating, accounting for all bonuses from templates enhancing Tang Ye's real-world performance…

Hmm, if game companies were to make a player card for him now, Tang Ye believes his overall stats could reach 90.

Unfortunately, based on his knowledge of FIFA games, FIFA19 is at least six months away from release.

Currently, his player card is still the 89-rated one from FIFA18.

So he must be patient!

In six months, he'll be able to play as a 90-stat Tom in the game!

…

February 25, Premier League Matchday 28: Manchester United vs. Chelsea.

It's nearly March, but today's temperature is still below zero.

Tang Ye really disliked Manchester's weather; luckily, it hadn't snowed today, so the match wouldn't be substantially affected.

China Central Television!

Chelsea (3-4-2-1)

Goalkeeper: Courtois

Defenders: Rudiger, Christensen, Azpilicueta

Midfielders: Marcos Alonso, Kanté, Drinkwater, Moses

Forwards: Hazard, Morata, Willian

Head coach: Conte

Chelsea, defying convention, still chose a three-back formation, which made Ten Hag nervous.

Knowing full well that Manchester United excelled at counterattacks, they still opted for a three-back system—especially after having already lost to United before.

Now playing three at the back, there are only two possible reasons.

Either Conte is an idiot with impaired intelligence, or he's hiding something Ten Hag doesn't know.

Conte is certainly no idiot—Chelsea must be pulling out something strange today!

Is it a tactic that can defeat Manchester United?

"…"

"Hazard, after you get the ball, drive straight into the box."

"Play a one-two with Willian! Then pass to Morata!"

"Goal!"

"1:0!"

In the 31st minute, amid a stalemate, Chelsea broke open United's goal.

That's Morata, who just transferred from Real Madrid last summer!

"…"

On the bench, Ten Hag and Van Gaal both wore serious expressions.

Chelsea's two wide midfielders, Hazard and Willian, are elite wingers whose dribbling ability ranks among the best in the Premier League.

Especially Hazard's ability to take on two or even three defenders at once placed immense pressure on United's defenders who relied on coordinated marking.

The deadliest part? Chelsea is strong on both flanks, so United couldn't focus their defense on just one side.

!

Because both flanks were under heavy defensive pressure.

The cold weather reddened Tang Ye's cheeks.

He reached out to touch them, then quickly pulled his hand back.

Rodri ran over to Tang Ye: "Their one-two is too annoying—we need to cut off their connection."

"Mm."

Tang Ye nodded; both he and Rodri could see why Chelsea's attack was so potent—it was because their front-line passing and movement had perfect rhythm.

Though they could identify the problem, neither Tang Ye nor Rodri could think of a solution.

"Beep, beeeep!"

Dongqiu Di halftime report: Manchester United, at home, trail Chelsea 0:1.

【Damn, Hazard and Willian are really fierce】

【United's been trapped—can Saint Ten come up with something?】

【Pass more to my King Tang!】

Both Tang Ye and Rashford performed quite well in this match.

But Chelsea's defense was extremely solid.

They played three at the back, but their two holding midfielders frequently dropped deep, turning Chelsea's defense into a five-back shape—making Tang Ye's head spin.

"Their backline is packed with bodies—I don't know where to pass."

Ten Hag made a slight tactical adjustment, and the second half began!

United started aggressively; Tang Ye's long-range shot from the arc nearly opened Chelsea's goal.

But Courtois's reaction was simply too fast!

"Manchester United's attacking rhythm is good, but the match momentum is entirely tilted toward Chelsea."

The camera cut to Ten Hag; fans on Twitter and Dongqiu Di voiced their opinions about him.

That's the head coach's job—whenever the team falls behind or loses, criticism floods in.

Ten Hag was genuinely helpless; Chelsea's style of play simply had no immediate countermeasure.

Chelsea focused all their efforts in February on the match against United at month's end, while United focused on their games against Huang Qian and Arsenal.

Different preparation times led to completely different results on the pitch.

By the 72nd minute, the away team's possession rose to 75%, and Chelsea's attack finally broke through.

This time, it was Willian dribbling down the right flank.

Willian and Hazard made a diagonal run, and Hazard passed to Rudiger at the byline.

Rudiger crossed into the box!

Christensen headed it back!

Boom!

Kanté unleashed a long-range shot—the score jumped to 2:0.

"Chelsea!"

Boom boom!

"Chelsea!"

Boom boom!

The Manchester United players lowered their heads; captain Ashley Young screamed wildly, trying to rally his teammates.

"…"

Ten Hag clenched his teeth.

He checked the time.

Nearly twenty minutes remained until full time…

To equalize, they needed two goals in twenty minutes—considering the difference in form between both sides, this was nearly impossible.

If that's the case…

Ten Hag turned to look at Van Gaal; the assistant coach nodded in agreement.

Manchester United's substitutions: Carrick and Lingard replaced Rodri and Tang Ye!

"What the hell?"

Tang Ye pointed at his own mouth—he only realized he was being subbed off after his teammates alerted him.

No, Mr. Erik, is this real?

Looking closely at Ten Hag's face, it was clear he wasn't joking—so Tang Ye slowly trudged toward the bench.

"United are giving up this match…"

"Yes, given how hard it is for United to earn points today, it's better to focus on the League Cup in a few days."

The United fans in the stands weren't happy with Ten Hag's substitution—nor were the viewers watching on TV.

But they knew it was Ten Hag's only desperate option.

After hugging Ten Hag, Tang Ye sat down dejectedly on the bench.

Sigh…

If United had scored first in the first half, the match outcome would've been completely different.

But United's players hadn't fully recovered from their match against Huang Qian—they couldn't be the ones to strike first!

"Beep, beeeep—!!!"

Dongqiu Di match report: Manchester United, at home, lost 0:2 to Chelsea. Conte's three-back tactic proved astonishing; the Red Devils suffered their first clean-sheet defeat of the season.

"Damn!"

The more he thought about it, the angrier he got; Tang Ye kicked the wall—his studs knocked chunks of plaster loose.

Tang Ye now deeply regretted it.

At the start of the match, he should've played more aggressively, combined with Rashford, and scored early.

But he didn't do it!

His heart pounded; Ma Ta walked up from behind and placed a hand on Tang Ye's shoulder: "It's fine, fine—the championship match ahead is what matters."

The final round of February's Premier League had ended; Manchester United and Arsenal were now the only two Premier League teams still with a February match left.

The League Cup final on the 28th at Wembley Stadium!

That's what truly matters!

"Huh…"

After a deep breath and some physical contact with his friends, Tang Ye's mood gradually calmed.

The past was past—Tom couldn't keep drowning in failure.

That wasn't what he should be doing!

…

"We played terribly in this match; the opponent dominated us for the entire game, but our counterattacks never materialized."

In the locker room, Tenghahe 's expression was grim.

Tang Ye leaned against the cabinet behind him, lips tightly closed, saying nothing.

"Why can't we break through their backline defense? The reason is simple: the opponent has far more defensive players than we have offensive ones!"

"Their forwards also help defend; correspondingly, our defenders should join the attack."

"Seven defensive players, but we only have four offensive players up front."

"Sometimes we have only three—even players who belong up front aren't there. Look at you, Ma Kusi—I'm talking to you. Does it really take that long to get from your backline to the front?"

Tenghahe glared at Rashford, who lowered his head.

Shu Shu followed Tenghahe 's advice and actively tracked back, but Tenghahe then demanded Shu Shu quickly shift from defense to attack.

Isn't that asking too much of Shu Shu?

But actually, Shu Shu's situation was still better than most.

Look at Ma Xiaer, sitting in the corner, lost in thought—since A Lei transferred in, his playing time has plummeted, and today against Chelsea, he didn't even make the squad.

Thump! Thump!

"Let's not talk about this match right now. We'll discuss its problems next month—Michel will record all our data."

"The key now is the match against Arsenal."

Tenghahe tossed his pen aside and began pacing slowly.

"I know many of you are new to United, just like me—you've only been here a short while. Some for a year, some for six months, even some for only one month."

"Before coming here, many of you may have won many titles, but sadly, none of you have yet won a trophy with United—not a single one."

Tang Ye watched Tenghahe.

When he focused on something moving, Tang Ye couldn't help but analyze its motion.

Where would Eric take his next step? How far was he from Ma Kusi?

Thinking this way, he drifted off—completely unaware of what Tenghahe was saying.

But Tang Ye knew Eric was saying something very important, so he quickly lowered his head.

Eyes fixed on his own feet, he could now hear Tenghahe 's words.

"Many believe we won't win a trophy. I find that unthinkable."

"Because United—we—are the most likely champions, not Arsenal! Arsenal is not a champion!"

Dongqiu Di Match Preview: On the evening of February 28, the Gunners and the Red Devils battle for their first title of the season—can Tenghahe sound the horn of revival at Wembley?

(End of Chapter)