Chapter 440: 9 Chicken Breast, The Premier League's Decisive Battle! (Early Release)

"Valencia is truly terrible; how could they even draw against Real Madrid with this?"

"I, Tang Tang Qiuwang, am ten thousand times better than Real Madrid and Barcelona; drawing against Real Madrid proves nothing."

"We can start celebrating early, brothers."

"The match against Bayern is the key, right? At least drawing against Bayern gives us a chance to finish first in the group."

The second half was about to begin, and Tang Ye started chatting with Cheryshev, who had just been substituted in.

This was an old teammate of Tang Ye's from his Villarreal days; they had met once before during the World Cup.

"I just found out you transferred; why didn't you stay at Villarreal?"

Tang Ye was curious about Cheryshev's departure.

He remembered his old teammate's performance at the World Cup being exceptionally outstanding.

"New coach, new tactics."

Cheryshev shrugged: "God needed me to leave that place, so I had to follow God's will."

Cheryshev's gaze swept over the Manchester United squad before he remembered that Aleix was not in today's match list.

"Sebastian did not follow God's will; he shouldn't have left the Yellow Submarine."

Cheryshev's words made Tang Ye's eyes widen.

"Sebastian didn't listen to God? I recall he respected his God very much."

Tang Ye said, knowing Aleix better than anyone: "But Denis, I feel him coming to Manchester United is actually quite good. So..."

"... Actually, one doesn't need to completely listen to God?" Tang Ye asked tentatively.

Cheryshev shook his head: "That's only in rare cases; I feel Aleix's faith in Jesus surely isn't pure enough."

"He also believes in other things; his second faith protected him!"

Oh!

Tang Ye stood with his mouth open.

The teams were already starting to enter the field, yet he still walked alongside Cheryshev.

"Denis, I think this is too bad."

Tang Ye strongly disapproved of Aleix's actions.

Although he had no so-called religious faith, he very, very much disapproved of Aleix's practice of worshipping other deities besides Jesus.

Cheryshev patted Tang Ye's arm, then broke into a jog: "Good luck. When you go back, remember to tell him for me. No other power surpasses Jesus."

Tang Ye gave a thumbs-up, indicating he understood.

The second half begins!

Due to the two-goal lead from the first half, Ten Hag instructed the Manchester United players to focus on defense in the second half.

Tang Ye ran back and forth in the center, gradually changing the match's rhythm through frequent receiving and passing.

"Push up, push up!"

Signaling Luke Shaw to make a forward run, Tang Ye directly pushed the ball to the left before sprinting forward himself.

"..."

"Tang Ye, shoot directly!"

A shot struck a Valencia defender; after Martial won the ball back, he passed it again to Tang Ye.

Tang Ye controlled the ball tightly and quickly entered the penalty area.

With a straight through-pass, he pushed the ball to Rodri, who was making a run on the left flank.

Boom!

Rodri's long-range shot was extremely powerful.

The ball speed was very fast, but the angle was truly just average.

This shot went straight wide!

"Fuck!"

Rodri was dissatisfied with his wastefulness, while Tang Ye patted Rodri's body while retreating.

"..."

Check Dongqiu Di Match Report: Tang Ye with a goal and an assist, Manchester United shuts out Valencia 2-0 at home, maintaining first place in the group. (Comment count: 22245)

After the match, Tang Ye brought Rodri to the Valencia locker room to take a photo together with Cheryshev.

Thoughts returned to that summer.

That year, big brother Tom was 17, little brother Rodri was 20, and they met for the first time at the Villarreal training base, where senior Cheryshev respectfully guided them around the facility.

Innocent Tom was still rejoicing that the dormitory had air conditioning and heating!

At that time, Tang Ye's mind was filled only with the upcoming La Liga season and curiosity about the new coach, Escrivá, never imagining that two years later he would stand on the opposite side from senior Cheryshev.

"See you in the second leg, Denis."

Tang Ye and Cheryshev bumped fists, then turned with Rodri to walk toward the exit.

"By the way, Denis, you won't be able to win the second leg either."

Tang Ye chuckled.

"Hey!"

After coming out with Rodri, Rodri immediately shrugged, expressing dissatisfaction with Tang Ye's earlier behavior.

"There were so many people in their locker room; it wasn't very appropriate for you to just drop those harsh words, Tom."

"Oh, seems like you're right."

Realizing it only after the fact, Tang Ye felt somewhat awkward.

"Actually, I just wanted to speak to Denis alone."

In the Valencia locker room with nearly twenty players, Tang Ye's mind held only Cheryshev, so he naturally ignored everyone else when speaking.

"If it were just Denis alone, he would definitely know I'm joking. Of course, I'm actually not joking, because they truly can't beat us."

"Their defenders will want to beat you to death."

Rodri raised an eyebrow.

Tang Ye glanced back at the Valencia locker room.

Confirming no one was chasing out from inside, Tang Ye breathed a sigh of relief.

"How about we walk a bit faster, Rod?"

……

That evening, the Manchester United players held a victory banquet at a bar; Tang Ye didn't much care for the bitter taste of beer, so he hadn't planned to drink much.

"Adding cola for you!"

Ashley Young was already slightly tipsy; he directly poured beer and cola into an ice bucket, mixing a bucket of not-bitter, even slightly sweet liquor for Tang Ye.

"You're a bartender too, Young?"

Tang Ye's eyes revealed admiration for Ashley Young.

Of course, he couldn't betray his teammate's good intentions, so Tang Ye lifted the ice bucket with both hands.

Glug glug!

So cold, so cold!

This was Tang Ye's immediate sensation.

But to be honest…

"How is it?"

Ashley Young looked into Tang Ye's eyes, while Mata and Rashford beside him also awaited Tang Ye's reply.

"Hmm…"

Tang Ye blinked: "It's actually pretty damn good."

"Too simple."

Ashley Young mimicked Tang Ye's tone, but the latter, after setting the ice bucket back on the table, fell into deep contemplation.

"What's wrong?"

"Hiss…"

Taking a deep breath, Tang Ye turned to look at Rodri, who had asked the question: "I have a question, Rod. If we're drinking something sweet, then why don't I just drink cola?"

"…"

Okay, a very good question; Rodri needed some time to think.

……

Returning to the apartment that night, after bidding farewell to Rodri, Tang Ye went to his room.

Because he had drunk too much soda and alcohol,

Tang Ye now felt somewhat bloated in his stomach, which was indeed quite uncomfortable.

Bang!

Flopping onto the sofa, Tang Ye randomly selected a TV channel.

The purpose was naturally not to watch TV; Tang Ye just wanted to make his room feel a bit livelier.

Shifting attention to the system.

Account Balance: Counterattack Points * 4231

With the 3000 Counterattack Points reward credited, Tom had once again become a rich man with plenty of money in his pocket.

Saving money was never an option!

【Ronaldo's Chicken Breast +8 → Ronaldo's Chicken Breast +9】

Without further nonsense, he upgraded the chicken breast straight to +9; only one step remained until the maximum +10.

Unfortunately, Tang Ye lacked the Counterattack Points needed for another upgrade, so he could only wait.

There were still 1000 Counterattack Points left, but Tang Ye had no suitable items left to upgrade, so he could only choose to save the points for now.

"On the afternoon of October 1st, US time, NBA star LeBron James made his Lakers debut, scoring 9 points and recording 3 assists in 15 minutes."

The TV before him was broadcasting the news; Tang Ye squinted to study it for a moment, then opened Instagram.

As expected, his good friend LeBron had posted photos of his Lakers debut on Instagram, so Tang Ye proceeded to comment.

……

Check Dongqiu Di reposted from SLAM: Tang Ye liked and reposted James's tweet about his Lakers debut, commenting with three animated emojis: (Muscle) (Muscle) (Muscle). James replied: (Thumbs Up) (Thumbs Up) (Thumbs Up).

Tang Ye's habit was to send three emojis in a row when using them; he hadn't expected James to learn this trick now.

But Tang Ye was generous enough; since LeBron was his friend, borrowing some of his habits was no big deal.

……

Check Dongqiu Di Match Report: Manchester United defeated Newcastle 1:0 at home to secure six consecutive league victories; with one extra match played, they surpassed Mancheng in the standings to rank second. (Comments: 20232)

Six consecutive Premier League victories propelled them straight to second place in the standings; Manchester United was now in an unstoppable state.

Of course, Round 8 was not yet fully concluded; Manchester United's final ranking still depended on the results of the Liwupu versus Mancheng match.

If Liwupu could defeat Mancheng, then Manchester United would secure the second place in the league after Round 8 concluded.

On the night following the match between Manchester United and Newcastle, the Premier League official account released the poster for the next day's matches.

【Liwupu VS Mancheng, Round 8 Premier League Showdown!】

"Tomorrow's early morning match is extremely crucial for both sides."

On a CCTV5 special program, renowned commentator Zhang Lu began his pre-match analysis.

"If Mancheng can defeat Liwupu, they will top the Premier League standings after Round 8."

"Conversely, hehe, if Mancheng loses, they will not only be overtaken by Manchester United, but the gap between them and Liwupu will also widen."

The host posed the question: "Director Zhang, what result do you think would be favorable for Manchester United?"

Whether it was Mancheng or Liwupu, clearly domestic fans were currently most concerned with Manchester United.

"A Liwupu victory or a draw; both outcomes would be very good for Manchester United."

Zhang Lu offered his perspective.

A simple analysis revealed that if Liwupu won, Manchester United would immediately be in second place after Round 8.

And if it was a draw, although Manchester United's goal difference might not surpass Mancheng's, preventing them from jumping straight to second.

But if both Liwupu and Mancheng only earned one point, this would be a huge help for Manchester United's later title challenge.

……

With two hours remaining until kickoff, Mancheng head coach Guardiola accepted interviews from reporters at Anfield.

"Ten Hag stated that in the current environment, no team can win consecutive Premier League titles; do you believe this view is correct?"

"Well..."

Guardiola turned his head away, then quickly turned back: "This season's situation is indeed somewhat different from last season. Manchester United is strong, and Liwupu has found their competitive form... so I believe Erik's viewpoint holds certain rationality."

"But I must add that I am very clear about Mancheng's current strength; I believe we are qualified to win consecutive championships."

"Even with Liwupu's obstruction and Manchester United's pursuit?"

"Of course."

A smile graced Guardiola's face.

It looked like he was joking, but in truth, he was extremely serious while speaking.

"Manchester United's pursuit always serves as a reminder. I think if Manchester United hadn't been chasing us relentlessly last season, we ultimately wouldn't have been able to reach 100 points."

Guardiola directly attributed Mancheng's century-point league season last year to Manchester United, which was undoubtedly the greatest response to Ten Hag's "impossible to win consecutively" theory.

Manchester United fans were now extremely furious.

Because they firmly believed that Mancheng had stolen their Premier League title last season!

……

In the apartment, Tang Ye lay on the carpet in Rodri's living room, his two feet resting on the sofa.

【Mission Progress: League Points (3/5)】

【Reward: World Cup Champion Chest】

Only two more points were needed to obtain the World Cup Champion Chest.

Tang Ye was currently pondering.

If it was the World Cup Champion Chest, what could he obtain from it?

The template of his good friend Kylian?

Or perhaps Ousmane!

Kylian and Ousmane were Tom's friends, and they were indeed very powerful.

But there was a problem: they were both forwards; if their templates were randomly selected, he would most likely still choose to reset them.

This wasn't Tom being heartless.

Life forced his hand; there was no choice, brother!

"What kind of posture is this?"

Rodri, sitting on the sofa, brought Tang Ye some iced orange juice.

"Oh."

Tang Ye adjusted himself, sitting up on the sofa: "I don't know either; initially I was actually lying on the floor, but suddenly I wanted to put my feet on the sofa, and then it ended up like this."

"Haha, with you like that all the blood rushes to your brain; you'll get a cerebral hemorrhage in a moment."

"Damn, really?"

Made somewhat panicky by Rodri, Tang Ye scrambled up and sat back on the sofa.

GGBond was still young; he had many championships and many honors yet to achieve, and he still had many friends in this world, so he did not want to die.

Handing the orange juice to Tang Ye, Rodri suddenly asked: "Who do you think will win?"

"Uh..."

Not answering immediately, Tang Ye watched the match playing before him, not rushing to take a sip of the orange juice first.

"I don't really understand the grudge between us and Liwupu; Mata wanted to explain it to me before, but it was too long so I didn't listen."

"Setting that aside, I feel Liwupu is slightly stronger."

Tang Ye offered his perspective.

"Of course, Rod, I'm definitely on your side; if you don't like Liwupu, I won't like them either."

"Haha."

Rodri nodded, leaning back on the sofa: "OK, then I guess Mancheng wins."

……

Sky Sports, English language broadcast.

"Kevin De Bruyne! We are accustomed to saying that if one were to select the league's second-best midfielder from the Premier League, Kevin would be the only choice, because his abilities are simply too comprehensive—passing, attacking coverage, and so on; this is precisely the reason Mancheng has maintained such a high league win rate last season and this season."

"Yes, then what about the league's best midfielder?"

Another Sky Sports commentator asked.

"Oh, there is no such thing as the Premier League's best midfielder; there is only the world's best midfielder. He is right next door to Mancheng."

Hearing the content of the two commentators' conversation, Rodri laughed out loud.

Turning to look at Tang Ye beside him: "To..."

At this moment, Tang Ye was leaning back against the sofa, his head hanging off the backrest, his face turned toward the ceiling.

This was the world's number one midfielder, playing in the ball's world right next to the Premier League's second-best midfielder.

Seemingly number one!

But he had already fallen asleep.

(End of Chapter)