Chapter 460: Tom Absolutely Cannot Betray Me; Manchester United's Goal Is

The temperature in Manchester has dropped to single digits.

The good news is that due to his increased weight, Tang Ye does not feel too cold.

He lifted his head and glanced at the sky.

It seemed as though snow was about to fall in Manchester.

"Hey, Tom!"

Ziyech's voice came through, and Tang Ye turned his head.

"Did Erik tell you about the Asian Cup?"

"Mm, he was quite nice about it and actively let me go. However... hiss, Mr. Erik seems to think I actually don't want to participate in the Asian Cup; he believes I was forced into it."

Tang Ye spread his hands, briefly summarizing what had just happened according to his own understanding.

Judging from his performance, Ten Hag was still very supportive of his participation in the Asian Cup.

It was just that Mr. Erik always overthought things; he must be worried that Tang Ye was being pressured by the Chinese Football Association into saying he wanted to return home for the tournament.

But one could only say that Mr. Erik was worrying unnecessarily!

"But Hakim, you know, I actually do quite want to participate in the Asian Cup."

Since Ten Hag supported him so much, Tang Ye certainly could not betray the coach's expectations.

In January, he and Brother Lei and the others were going to achieve great results in the United Arab Emirates!

Reposted by Check Dongqiu Di: Is he coming? Tang Ye reposted the 2019 Asian Cup poster on his personal social media with a "looking forward to it" emoji; currently, the final squad list for the national team's participation in the Asian Cup has not been officially announced. (31,837 comments)

【Attention!】

【I told you he would come.】

【Semi-finals? Champions!】

【Damn, this setup makes me start looking forward to it too; could they really win a championship for the national team? Are Qatar and Japan strong?】

【It's fine; as long as Faker doesn't help South Korea, I feel no one in the Asian national teams can stand against my GG Bond.】

Chinese fans were very excited, but non-Chinese Manchester United fans were currently not too comfortable.

For instance, a certain Dutch head coach!

"Listen to me, Erik, you really shouldn't have done this; you should have just told him our demands directly."

Fan Fan Dejiahe spread his hands toward Ten Hag.

Ten Hag had originally prepared a clever maneuver, intending for Tang Ye to propose staying on his own.

Unexpectedly, Tang Ye had already made up his mind, resulting in Ten Hag's clever maneuver turning into a pig's trotter.

"No, Michel, you don't understand!"

Ten Hag said angrily: "Tom definitely cares more about the club because I am here; he cannot betray me. We said we would win the championship together."

"..."

"But the Asian Cup is very important; I took a look, and if Tom participates, China is guaranteed at least a top-four finish, possibly even winning the championship. China has never won the Asian Cup before; Tom wants to break history, you should understand him."

"But he shouldn't go against his own wishes."

Ten Hag spread his hands: "He clearly wants to support me, wants to support the team, so why is he unwilling to admit it?"

"Perhaps..."

Fan Fan Dejiahe said tentatively: "Perhaps he wants to support the national team more? Because there are fewer matches for the national team. For Tom himself, an Asian Cup championship should be more important than a Premier League championship... although the probability of winning the Asian Cup is not high."

"Impossible!"

Ten Hag interrupted Fan Fan Dejiahe: "Tom cannot betray me; Michel, do not mess around here."

"Uh, sorry, Erik, sorry."

Fan Fan Dejiahe was speechless.

Sky Sports commentator Dawson: The time for Mancheng and Liwupu to steal points is approaching, because after Christmas, Manchester United will lose the protection of the great Tom.

The Sun: On his day off, Tom was photographed learning to drive locally in Manchester; previously, he had commuted to and from work riding in teammate Rodri's Opel, but just last week, Rodri's Opel suffered a flat tire.

The Truth: Borussia Dortmund intends to sell Pulisic, but head coach Escrivá disagrees with the transaction, believing the player has good prospects at Dortmund.

Aside from Tang Ye taking his driving test and Escrivá wanting to keep Pulisic, another piece of news had captured the attention of fans in recent days.

That was Luke Shaw's recovery from injury and return to play.

This season, Ashley Young's form has declined significantly, so Shaw's recovery is absolutely excellent news for Manchester United.

If Luke Shaw is available for the Manchester derby, will Manchester United be able to defeat Mancheng?

No one knows the answer to this question.

But at least in the eyes of Manchester United fans, the answer to this question is affirmative!

"Glory Glory Man United!"

"Glory Glory Man United!"

Old Trafford stadium was as lively as usual.

Today marks the 13th round of the Premier League this season, the match between Manchester United hosting Crystal Palace!

Tang Ye lifted his foot and touched his cleats.

The match begins!

"Right from the start, Manchester United is playing very aggressively!"

"Mm, according to recently revealed information, Manchester United likely wants to rush to the top of the league table before January."

"Yes, because we all know Tang Ye will return home in January to prepare for the Asian Cup; if Manchester United can secure first place in the league before January, their pressure in the second half of the season will be much reduced."

The commentators and fans, viewing things from Manchester United's perspective, carefully considered the team's current mindset.

First, Manchester United's seasonal goal is the Premier League title; this is possible, as could be seen from their do-or-die match against Mancheng in the previous round.

Unfortunately, there are still two powerhouses this season, Mancheng and Liwupu, so if Manchester United wants to claim this title, they must go all out.

The most optimistic scenario is for Manchester United to seize first place in the league in December, hold that position through January, and then continue their winning streak after Tang Ye returns to the club in February.

Of course, this is merely the most optimistic scenario.

"If Manchester United cannot reach first place even with Tang Ye in the squad, then after Tang Ye leaves, the team might even drop straight out of the title race... I believe this is something many Manchester United fans would not wish to see."

The live camera cut to Erik ten Hag standing before the substitutes' bench.

This is the Manchester United head coach!

According to leaks from the team reporter, Ten Hag not only did not stop Tang Ye from returning home, but actually hoped he would achieve good results in the Asian Cup.

Upon seeing this news, Chinese fans silently shed tears.

Damn it!

Hurry up and issue a Chinese citizen ID card to the great marshal of the Vine Armor Army!

"Oh!"

The Crystal Palace midfielder mishandled the ball; Tang Ye reacted with incredible speed, rushing forward to steal it.

"Quick, quick!"

Ten Hag was already urging the defenders to push forward!

No rush; Tang Ye chose to dribble forward himself first!

Observing, observing...

Crystal Palace's defensive tactics were rather unique, so Tang Ye had to adapt on the fly...

Slap!

A through ball directly found Mata on the right wing!

Defenders were rushing back toward their own half; Tang Ye signaled for Rodri to support Mata, while he himself held his favorite position in the center.

A defender charged straight up and stuck tight to Tang Ye.

Hell!

Tang Ye engaged in a fierce physical battle with the defender, barely managing to hold his ground.

"Switch, switch!"

Calling Rodri back, Tang Ye moved to find Mata.

This was a new tactic devised by Ten Hag, aimed at rescuing Tang Ye when he was being tightly marked by opponents.

Hiss!

"To me, to me!"

Executing a one-two with Mata, Tang Ye played a very steady through ball toward the byline.

Mata controlled the ball!

"Don't pass!"

Signaling his teammates not to rush, Tang Ye continued pulling out to the right.

A feint shook off the defender marking him!

Seizing the moment, Mata passed the ball back.

Here it comes!

Slap!

A 45-degree cross sent into the penalty area!

The target was Rashford!

"Rashford doesn't have good heading ability..."

Rashford indeed lacked good heading ability, but as long as the pass was good enough, even a striker from an amateur league could score from it.

Watch Rashford!

Slap!

The Manchester United winger headed the ball into the goal.

Goal!

1:0!

In the 24th minute of the match, home team Manchester United broke the deadlock against Crystal Palace!

He ran quickly toward Rashford, and just as he neared him, he suddenly jumped up, hanging onto Rashford's body.

"Wow!"

【You have obtained Counterattack Points *10】

【Mission Progress: Assists (4/10)】

Although the goal came quickly, the Manchester United players on the field knew clearly just how difficult it was to score such a goal.

To be honest, Crystal Palace's defense was actually quite good!

The away team's head coach had already begun adjusting their tactics!

"Full-backs push up; we need to create a numerical advantage!"

Ten Hag emphasized once more the matter of full-backs pushing forward, and the Manchester United players raised their hands in acknowledgment.

Having gone nearly ten days without a high-intensity match, the Manchester United players were now in perfect physical condition.

"Press them hard!"

"We must press them hard!"

Ten Hag shouted loudly, his two sentences immediately lifting the Manchester United players' morale another notch.

"..."

"I'll do it, I'll do it!"

Letting De Jong play a through ball to him, Tang Ye began cutting inside the moment he received possession.

The speed was fast, because Tang Ye had already made up his mind about what to do.

Lift the left foot!

The defender rushed up to block; in this emergency, Tang Ye's curling shot turned into a feint.

Left foot to right foot!

Right foot back to left foot!

Not a perfectly standard La Croqueta, Tang Ye and the defender arrived on the same horizontal line.

The opponent still wanted to tackle, but Tang Ye simply planted his foot right beside the ball.

If the opponent tries to steal now, it's a penalty!

Look at the far corner!

Pretending to shoot, but actually waiting until both the defender and the goalkeeper shifted their weight, Tang Ye suddenly played a short pass to Allé.

"Wow!!!"

Allé strikes!

It hits goalkeeper Hennessey!

But there's more!

Rodri arrives just in time, scoring with a follow-up shot to put the ball in the net.

The score becomes 2:0!

"Roar!"

Rushing toward the stands now is Manchester United's strongest combination.

The Big Brother and Little Brother combo.

"Vamos!!!"

Tang Ye guessed what Rodri wanted to shout, and Rodri guessed what Tang Ye wanted to shout.

Fans who often watch Tang Ye's matches seemed to see a faint thread between these two guys.

This, this is...

The physical manifestation of a bond!

Clap clap clap!

Ten Hag applauded the players.

After a brief adjustment, the match quickly moved to the second half.

Upholding the great goal of boosting goal difference, Manchester United maintained their attacking intensity even after taking a two-goal lead.

De Jong advanced and passed the ball to Tang Ye!

A brief pause in movement, then a turn forward.

"Hiss, we say that when Tang Ye controls the ball, there's always a sense of melody, like listening to music with rising and falling tones."

"This player Tang Ye, his sense of rhythm is top..."

Before the word "tier" in "top-tier" could be spoken, Tang Ye, who was running, suddenly jumped up.

The reason was simple: he encountered the Crystal Palace defensive midfielder rushing up to press!

His conditioned reflexes seemed a bit hard to change, but Tang Ye handled it quickly, not easily surrendering possession to the opponent.

Pushed away by the opponent, Tang Ye had a flash of inspiration and immediately turned his back to the Crystal Palace goal.

Then he flicked the half-airborne ball up!

It looked like a rainbow flick, but not entirely.

Breaking through the midfield defense, Tang Ye looked up at the sky.

Locating the ball's position!

Pa!

Using his head, he headed the ball to Allé inside the penalty area.

A header connecting to another header!

"Goooo——aaaaa——lllll!!!"

The third goal of the match was born, coming from the header combination between Tang Ye and Allé!

Arriving below the stands, Tang Ye spread his arms wide, enjoying the cheers sent by the fans.

"..."

"And a great Christ group take the powers of this beat! (Past predicaments have made us rise again)"

"And the Reds go marching on! On! On! (The Red Devils march forward bravely)"

Check Dongqiu Di Match Report: Manchester United 3:0 Crystal Palace at home, Tang Ye records assists in consecutive matches with two each. (Comments: 22,931)

After watching this 90-plus minute match, fans had only one question.

Aside from Mancheng, is there any team in the Premier League now that can stop the Red Devils?

Yes, brothers, yes!

In December, Manchester United has two very crucial matches.

"On December 5th you will face Arsenal at home, and on December 16th you will again travel away to play against Liwupu; these two matches are regarded as major tests that Manchester United must endure."

The reporter described Manchester United's December schedule to Ten Hag.

Speaking of which, it was somewhat terrifying; Manchester United had a full eight matches in December.

Among them were seven Premier League games and one Champions League match!

"The Chinese national team's Asian Cup training camp will begin around December 15th. Is this when Tom will leave the squad?"

Once the reporter finished asking, the noisy room finally fell silent.

One only needed to check the time to know.

If Tang Ye returned to China on December 15th, he would be unable to participate in the Derby of the Red Devils the following day.

"Well... that is a very good question."

Ten Hag pressed his lips together, appearing deep in thought.

"Based on the information I have received, Tang should not be returning to his home country too early."

Click-clack! Click-clack!

"So Manchester United's current plan is to secure first place in the league by December? But December's schedule for Manchester United is extremely congested; core players may struggle to get sufficient rest."

The reporter's meaning was already quite obvious.

Whether this season or last, Manchester United's bench strength was not high.

Did you think that behind Tang Ye came De Bruyne?

No; if Tang Ye were on the bench, Manchester United would only be able to field Lin Lin Jiade!

And then there was the defensive midfielder position.

Once Rodri was substituted, Herrera and Fellaini would have to step up, but both of these players had already fallen out of the ranks of top-tier talent.

"I know, of course I know."

Ten Hag appeared very calm.

"A congested schedule means we have many matches to play next month. From round 14 to round 20, you should know how many points lie within that span."

With seven matches in December, the reporter believed Manchester United would stumble due to poor bench depth.

But Ten Hag's perspective on the issue differed from that of the reporter.

The Romance of the Three Kingdoms was chaotic.

But chaos often harbors tremendous opportunities!

【Mission Progress: Assists (5/10)】

The progress of the random Serie A club chest mission had already reached the halfway point.

However, this reward was indeed nothing to write home about, so Tang Ye's attention was focused more on the current league standings.

Pull out the phone!

Hmm, let's see if Mancheng has made any mistakes!

Hiss—

Well, Mancheng had made no mistakes; their total points remained the same as Manchester United's, and they currently sat in first place thanks to a superior goal difference.

November had been too stable; having missed the chance to directly take down Mancheng in the Manchester Derby, they could only wait for December.

In chaotic times, heroes arise!

(End of Chapter)