Chapter 434: Five-Goal Rout in Champions League Round One: Facing Wolves, Who Held Manchester City to a Draw

Pin: Manchester United vs. Young Boys Bern, UEFA Champions League Group Stage Round 1 in progress, current score 1:0, Manchester United leading.

Rashford's goal was truly unexpected!

"This is a super, super massive mistake by Bern's backline!"

"They are facing last season's Premier League runners-up, Manchester United; if this is their only state, the home team can say goodbye to today's victory!"

Bern made a mistake.

Whether defender or goalkeeper, both made mistakes.

They actually allowed Rashford to snatch the ball and shoot!

Most crucially, Rashford's shot wasn't even that good, yet it went in.

De Gea must be the happiest right now.

Not skilled at distributing, he rarely gets such opportunities to participate in attacks.

The most ridiculous part is that Allé didn't touch the ball, so this goal can be counted as an assist by De Gea!

"Marcus!"

Tang Ye shouted, slowly jogging toward the spot where Rashford was celebrating.

While teammates were gathered together, Commander GGBond issued his latest tactical instruction.

"Let's start attacking, start attacking!"

He patted Smalling's arm: "Watch my position!"

In less than twenty minutes, Tang Ye had already figured out the opponent's situation, and Rashford's goal officially blew the horn for Manchester United's attack!

"BSC! BSC! (Bern)"

Swiss fans cheered for their home team.

Very few Manchester United fans came to the venue today, so basically no one in the stands was cheering for Manchester United.

"Hmm..."

"But the gap in strength doesn't seem to be something fans can make up for,"

Zhan Jun said.

"Go straight, go straight!"

Rashford didn't reach the position in time, so Tang Ye adjusted and chose to shoot himself.

Bang!

Duang!

The ball hit the left post and rebounded out.

Inside the penalty area, Allé and Bern's defenders were squeezed together; the Manchester United striker somehow snatched the ball from under the feet of two defenders.

"Behind!"

Allé flicked the ball to Tang Ye!

It was a perfect opportunity; before even receiving the ball, Tang Ye had already planned his next move.

Without stopping the ball, he pushed it directly to Herrera running up on the right!

Herrera took one adjusting step!

Shot!

Goal!

The score became 2:0!

【You obtained Counterattack Points *15】

【Phase One Task Progress: Goals (0/3) / Assists (1/3)】

The first Champions League assist of the new season easily secured!

And the task progress got a boost along the way!

"Come on, come on!"

After the second goal, Manchester United's momentum reached its peak, so players not only didn't slow down the pace; instead, Tang Ye directly accelerated the rhythm even further.

Herrera was dribbling on the right wing!

"To me!"

Tang Ye pushed Herrera forward, becoming the team's ball carrier himself.

His possession time in this match could be said to be maxed out.

Let's see how he operates!

First, keep running forward!

Pointing to the right baseline, he signaled Herrera and Mata to make quick forward runs.

However, what Tang Ye delivered was actually a 45-degree cross.

Ashley Young!

Ashley Young jumped but failed to reach the ball.

But there was still Allé inside the penalty area!

As the ball descended, Allé bent his knees, then tightened his core.

Bang!

A header flicked out!

Goal!

"3:0!"

"After finding their feeling, Manchester United players are continuously breaking through the opponent's goal!"

"This goal shouldn't be offside either!"

Check Dongqiu Di live match report: Tang Ye's precise 45-degree cross guides Ale's header into the net. Manchester United leads 3:0!

【Damn, they're getting slaughtered!】

【The opposition is so weak.】

【Are they really the weakest team in the Swiss Super League? Or is my GGBond just too amazing?】

【Give us another assist!】

【I said before the match started that the odds were low, but this is easy money.】

Boom!

Colliding with Rodri, Tang Ye reached out to pat Ale's head.

【Phase One Mission Progress: Goals (0/3) / Assists (2/3)】

Three assists would complete the Phase One mission, and Tang Ye had already reached two assists.

Getting three assists in a single match would directly complete the Phase One mission.

It sounded somewhat absurd.

But the opponent truly wasn't strong, so Tang Ye felt there was still a chance to try.

The match entered the second half.

55 minutes!

De Jong came on to replace Herrera.

Then Luke Shaw replaced Ashley Young.

Only the Manchester United players probably understood the significance of Ten Hag's two substitutions.

"A set-piece opportunity; this ball should still be taken by Tang Ye."

"Is he going to shoot directly? This position doesn't feel very good."

During training, Tang Ye had told Greenwood that the most important thing for a direct free kick was finding the route.

Since Tang Ye hadn't found a route just now, this ball could naturally only be passed.

Hiss!

No rush; bite down on the gum first.

Let's see...

While the opposition wasn't paying attention, Tang Ye made a flicking motion upward with his left wrist.

Rashford and Rodri gave Tang Ye a thumbs-up.

"Beep!"

Here it comes!

Run-up!

Boom!

A through-ball pushed out!

This was a grounded through-pass!

Rodri jumped at the exact moment Tang Ye struck the ball, and the leather sphere rolled perfectly under his feet.

Rashford turned to grab it!

A poke with the toe!

Rashford didn't put enough power into this shot; the falling goalkeeper blocked it with his body.

Defenders in the penalty area wanted to clear the ball, but Mata snatched it away.

The Manchester United midfielder showcased his excellent dribbling ability inside the penalty area.

Shoot again!

Boom!

Mata's shot hit a defender.

"Damn it!"

With both shots blocked, Tang Ye rushed straight into the penalty area in frustration.

Smalling got the ball and finally scored with a shot from the ground.

"4:0!"

"Oh my god!"

"Manchester United isn't leaving the opponent any way out at all!"

To be fair, Bern was pitiful; if the timing of this Champions League match and the previous Premier League game had been swapped, Manchester United wouldn't have played so ruthlessly in order to conserve player stamina.

Now, having saved their strength while playing Watford, Manchester United was unleashing all their full force upon Bern during the Champions League match.

Bro, I'm just a Swiss Super League team!

"Sub Tom?"

Fan Fan Dejiahe whispered quietly beside Ten Hag.

"..."

Ten Hag hesitated for a moment.

"Wait until the 80th minute, or we don't have to substitute at all."

It seemed Manchester United still had chances to score; since that was the case, there was no need to be polite.

Check Dongqiu Di Match Report: Champions League Group Stage, Round 1—Man United pierced through Young Boys Bern 5:0; Tang Ye registered two assists plus a goal disallowed for offside. (27,412 comments)

Pah!

Spitting a gob of saliva onto the grass, Tang Ye felt far from satisfied with the goal that had been blown back.

Strictly speaking, he could still have scored that one with a slightly later run.

Although already forty years old, Tang Ye still tended to get impatient when playing; this was something that needed to be handled gradually.

"How did things go over at Bayern?"

Tang Ye asked Rodri, but the latter said he didn't know either.

"Tom, you're asking me? We both just came off."

"Oh, right."

Although little brother Rod knew a lot of things, mobile phones were not allowed during matches, so Rod had no way to obtain information.

"Bayern's side is 2:1, but the match isn't finished yet."

Fan Fan Dejiahe gave Tang Ye the answer to his question.

"You see, Rod, I told you—Valencia isn't weak."

Captain Valencia was right beside him; Tang Ye added, "I meant the team Valencia, not Captain Valencia."

"So am I very weak, then?"

Valencia looked innocent.

"One is 'not weak,' the other is 'very strong'; those are not the same."

Tang Ye was quite rigorous.

……

2018–19 Champions League Group Stage, Group H Standings (as of Round 1)

1. Man United, 3 points.

2. Bayern, 3 points.

3. Valencia, 0 points.

4. Young Boys Bern, 0 points.

Bayern 2:1 Valencia; they were directly crushed by Man United on goal difference by four goals.

This match could be said to have been extremely successful for Man United; with these five goals of goal difference as a cushion, Man United need not worry about losing out on goal difference throughout the entire group stage this season.

……

On the evening after the match ended, the Man United players boarded a plane and returned directly to Manchester.

Four days later they would face Wolves; barring surprises, this should be Man United's strongest opponent in September, so this match absolutely had to be taken seriously.

On the plane, Fan Fan Dejiahe told the Man United players a piece of cold knowledge.

So far this season, Mancheng had only one draw, and that draw had been produced by Wolves.

"So Wolves are stronger than you imagine."

Fan Fan Dejiahe moved to the back and chatted very happily with the players.

"So, Tom, remember to play a bit of the game before the match."

Mata reminded him.

"That won't be necessary."

Tang Ye spat out his chewing gum, wrapped it in a tissue, and put it into the trash bag.

"Didn't we play Wolves last season? I know people on their team."

"Haha, but Tom, I've noticed you haven't been playing games much lately?"

Rodri suddenly said; the gazes of the nearby players quickly converged on Tang Ye.

That Tom loved playing games was something all fans knew clearly.

The Man United players, who spent day and night together with him, even knew exactly which games Tang Ye liked to play and how long he played them.

"……"

Not answering immediately, Tang Ye blinked.

"Hmm, seems like you're right... I didn't even realize it."

"I feel I indeed haven't been playing games much lately."

Scrolling through his phone chat records, Tang Ye discovered that in the past week he had already twice rejected Dembélé's invitations to play games.

"So you've kicked your internet addiction?"

Fan Fan Dejiahe widened his eyes: "Kicking an internet addiction is a good thing."

"No, no, I never had an internet addiction to begin with."

He corrected the erroneous part of Fan Fan Dejiahe's statement.

"Maybe it's because there have been many matches lately; when there are many matches, I do play games less."

Tang Ye offered a reason he felt was relatively reasonable.

He was not someone who liked to fabricate reasons for his behavior; if not for Rodri's question, he himself might not have realized that his gaming time had decreased recently.

……

"Advanced News"—Escrivá was exposed as wanting to buy a Chinese player in the winter window; fans regarded this behavior as the Spaniard's "Tom lovesickness acting up."

"At present, the only Chinese player capable of playing at Dortmund is Tom; therefore, Escrivá's desire to buy other Chinese players is unreasonable. During his time at Villarreal, the Wu Lei he purchased for the team ultimately did not deliver stunning performances."

"Of course, Ferran (Escrivá)'s results in leading the team have been very good, which means the club's management might ignore rationality and agree to Escrivá's request," commented an "Advanced News" reporter.

On one side, Ten Hag was leading his beloved Tom to wreak havoc in the Premier League and the Champions League; on the other, Escrivá was suffering a painful lovesickness in Germany.

These two coaches were simply too rich in entertainment value; a football cartoonist even created a poster-like piece for them.

In the scene, a chibi Ten Hag directs a chibi Tang Ye to charge onto the pitch.

In the distance, a chibi Escrivá turns his head and quietly watches all of this.

It is worth mentioning that rain is falling from the sky above the Espanyol side.

Why are tears often in Escrivá's eyes?

Because he loves the Manchester United number 10 deeply.

……

"Sports Weekly"—China's first Asian Cup group stage match will be held on January 7th, against Kyrgyzstan.

"China's three group stage opponents are Kyrgyzstan, the Philippines, and South Korea respectively. The schedule shows Manchester United has four Premier League matches and two FA Cup matches in January, so it is currently impossible to determine whether Tang Ye will participate in the Asian Cup."

Lee Sang-il, reporter for the "Korean Football Evening Post": According to FIFA rules, Manchester United cannot prevent Tang Ye from participating in the Asian Cup, but considering the Asian Cup does not hold absolute appeal for players, and Manchester United needs to contend for the league title this season, some South Korean fans believe Tang Ye might not participate in this edition of the Asian Cup.

With less than three months remaining until the Asian Cup, there are many news items about the tournament on Dongqiu Di, including even specific tactical analyses of the national team's three group stage opponents.

"Hoo..."

Sitting in his own gaming chair in the bedroom, Tang Ye exhaled a breath.

Will Tang Ye participate in the Asian Cup?

To be honest, he himself did not know.

Tang Ye had just checked the schedule; the Korean reporter was correct, Manchester United has four Premier League matches in January, with opponents even including Tottenham and Brighton.

If Tang Ye were to suddenly leave, that would absolutely not be good news for Manchester United.

But from another perspective, Tang Ye personally still rather wanted to participate in the Asian Cup.

"The Asian Cup does not hold absolute appeal for Tang Ye"?

This statement by the Korean reporter was naturally incorrect.

Although the Asian Cup is not the World Cup, it is still an A-level national team competition in the absolute sense.

Moreover, it is the A-level national team competition where the national team has the greatest possibility of winning the championship!

Opening WeChat to take a look, unsurprisingly, Lippi and several national team teammates were already asking him whether he would participate in the Asian Cup.

"..."

Shaking his head, Tang Ye could only reply that he was currently unable to confirm.

The Premier League this season was simply too important.

However, there was no need to rush; Tang Ye did not need to participate in joint training anyway.

The deadline for submitting the roster is the end of December; Tang Ye only needs to make his decision before the registration cutoff.

Dongqiu Di pinned post: Tang Ye replied to fans' inquiries about whether he would participate in the Asian Cup in the Weibo comments section. Tang Ye answered: "I don't know either." (Comment count: 34,253)

【Hahaha】

【Tang Ye is still too honest...】

【Manchester United is probably unwilling to release him; how can they play against Tottenham without Tang Ye?】

【Son Heung-min isn't there either.】

【Damn it, are Son Heung-min and Tang Ye the same thing?】

【It's fine, brothers; in January, I will personally go to Old Trafford to tie Tang Ye up and bring him back.】

【My Tang Tang Qiuwang trained in the United States; he won't be so easy to tie up.】

……

"Manchester Post"—A significant temperature drop is coming; on the day of the Manchester United vs. Wolves match, Manchester's temperature will fall below 10 degrees Celsius, with a 70% probability of rain during the game.

Manchester United's opponent in Round 6 is the Wolves.

Currently, after five rounds, the Wolves are ranked 9th in the standings; while there indeed seems to be a large gap between them and 3rd-placed Manchester United, the Wolves are a rather strange team.

In Round 2, the Wolves directly drew with last season's Premier League champions, Mancheng; coupled with Rashford's suspension due to a red card, Manchester United fans now feel as if facing a great enemy!

At 2 PM on that day, the Manchester United players arrived at Old Trafford.

"Stay steady, just stay steady!"

"We must win!"

"No upsets accepted!"

The match drawing against Mancheng essentially placed a BUFF on the Wolves.

The home fans panicked, while the away fans' morale soared.

However...

Tang Ye, on the other hand, was not panicked.

Because he remembered Ten Hag saying that the team ranked higher in the standings would defeat the team ranked lower.

Tang Ye felt Mr. Erik was very correct, so Manchester United would achieve victory in this match.

Okay, the logic holds; now let's see specifically how this match will be played.

"The fans think we'll suffer an upset, but I think they don't understand football, do you understand what I mean?"

During Manchester United's pre-match mobilization session, Ten Hag encouraged the players.

"We do not accept upsets, even if Marcus is absent, it is the same."

"Tell me, what is your goal!"

"Four consecutive wins! (Referring to the league)"

"Okay! Let's move, guys!"

Ten Hag clapped quickly, while Tang Ye tied his shoelaces at the very end.

"It is raining today; consider the pitch conditions when passing."

Fan Fan Dejiahe reminded them.

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

"The match has begun; allow me to introduce the starting lineups for both sides. First, the home team, Manchester United..."

"Then the away team, Wolves, wearing white jerseys and white shorts!"

Wolves (3-4-2-1)

Goalkeeper: Patrício

Defenders: Boly, Coady, Ryan Bennett

Midfielders: Otto, Rúben Neves, Moutinho, Doherty

Forwards: Jota, Raúl Jiménez, Hélder Costa

Head Coach: Nuno

Not many Premier League teams dare to field a three-defender formation against Manchester United; unexpectedly, Wolves are one of them.

However, Manchester United has not won every match where they faced a three-defender setup, so you cannot say Wolves have no chance of winning this game.

With a laptop resting on his thighs, Fan Fan Dejiahe's eyes kept darting toward Nuno.

He was clear about Wolves' three-defender tactics; what Fan Fan Dejiahe worried about was whether Wolves would unveil something new in this match.

Fan Fan Dejiahe knew Ten Hag was not skilled at making in-game adjustments, but Ten Hag himself had no way of realizing this.

Let's hope Wolves behave themselves today!

"De Jong..."

"Going straight for Tang Ye!"

"Ten Hag seems to have some new tactic; Manchester United is acting out of character today, trying to suppress the opponent with tempo right from the start!"

"Tang Ye!"

(End of Chapter)