Chapter 481: Manchester United Remains First in the Premier League, While Marcello Seeks His Own Ideas

Latest match report from the Manchester Evening News: A 3-0 victory over Reading sees Manchester United advance to the fourth round of the FA Cup.

Since Tang Ye's departure, Manchester United has won both league matches and one FA Cup match.

This confirms the words he spoke during yesterday's post-match interview.

Regardless, this season's Manchester United is stronger than last season's and will handle league matches with greater ease.

However!

Although they currently sit atop the league table, Manchester United fans are actually somewhat pessimistic.

On January 13, London time, Manchester United will travel to face Tottenham Hotspur in what is considered their crucial match of January.

Without the protection of Master GG, can Manchester United secure all three points against Tottenham?

In response, Sky Sports interviewed Manchester United legend Ferdinand, the Premier League's legendary defender, who offered his views on this question.

"I feel Manchester United's current defense is as good as non-existent; as the most powerful team in the Premier League, I don't think their defense should be merely this, so I am somewhat worried about the match against Tottenham."

The reporter nodded.

To the fans, Manchester United's current set-piece defense is riddled with holes, let alone to a legendary defender like Ferdinand.

However, Ferdinand had not finished speaking.

"I checked China's Asian Cup schedule; the Chinese team has no matches around January 13, so Manchester United could actually bring him back temporarily, have him play against Tottenham, and then send him back for the knockout stage. If I were in Manchester United's management, I would definitely do this."

Ferdinand's eyes revealed a kind of innocence unique to sports students.

【Ferdinand's brain broke after he retired.】

【But the UAE doesn't seem that far from Manchester, does it?】

【Doesn't Tom need to rest?】

【I'm going to cheer for the Chinese team; honestly, I feel that with Tom on the field, China is even stronger than England. Thankfully, we weren't drawn in the same group as China during the World Cup, or we would have been crushed.】

Ferdinand's line of thinking still requires too much operational skill.

If GG Bond could fly a J-20, perhaps it could be realized.

But the problem is, GG Bond only holds driver's licenses for cars and motorcycles.

He doesn't know how to fly a J-20!

With two days remaining until the match between China and the Philippines begins, the Chinese team officially released a promotional poster for their second match.

GG Bond pilots an assembled block airplane to launch an airstrike against the Philippines!

Ace pilot requesting deployment!

Fans on Check Dongqiu Di gathered to analyze the upcoming match.

They ultimately reached one conclusion: there was no need for analysis!

The gap in strength between the Philippines and the Chinese team is simply too vast; coupled with Tang Ye anchoring the side, it is hard to imagine how the Chinese team could possibly lose this match.

On betting websites, the odds for a sole Chinese team victory are merely 1.12 to 1, absurdly low.

Nevertheless, despite this, the atmosphere within the Chinese team remains quite serious.

The first match against Kyrgyzstan awakened a sense of crisis among both the players and the coaching staff.

Lippi and Madaloni are now struggling to solve a problem.

How must the Chinese team modify their tactics to increase their win rate against strong opponents in the knockout stage?

"Come, come, come!"

On the training ground, Tang Ye reached out to Zheng Zhi, asking for the ball.

Take a big step forward to adjust!

Bang!

A long-range shot is fired, and the ball steadily finds the net!

"Wow!"

Raising both hands, Tang Ye exchanged a high-five with Zhang Zhang Yuning.

"Very good, very good! Be more decisive when passing; full-backs, remember to push up!"

Madaloni shouted instructions loudly, then turned his head to speak with Lippi.

"Tom is truly formidable!"

Not knowing exactly how to put it, Madaloni simply felt that Tang Ye's long-range shooting ability gave him a full sense of security.

An attacking midfielder capable of controlling the game and scoring from long range—one can only say that the Chinese team's luck is indeed genuine.

Had Tang Ye developed in any other direction, the national team might not possess their current level of strength!

"So, we still need to make some adjustments to our formation; I feel it is too late for large-scale tactical changes now."

Folding his arms across his chest, Madaloni voiced Ji De Xiang Fa.

His Ji De Kan Fa quickly gained the approval of head coach Lippi.

Indeed, the next match is about to begin, and there are less than ten days until the first knockout game.

Within such a short timeframe, it is unrealistic for the national team to undergo large-scale tactical adjustments like they did during World Cup preparations; they can only make incremental modifications.

Or perhaps...

"I think we could switch positions,"

Lippi suddenly said.

"Hmm? Switch positions how?"

"I want Tom to play as a shadow striker."

"Ah?"

"Stop the match in five minutes; I have some things to explain."

Before Maddaloni could speak, Lippi had already arranged the entire plan.

"Let Tom play... as a shadow striker?"

Maddaloni stretched his neck, trying to figure out what exactly was going on inside his partner's head.

"Hmm, really?"

Upon learning the news that he was being moved to the forward line, Tang Ye's first reaction was naturally surprise.

"I've never played as a shadow striker before."

Although he really wanted to play as a forward, there were some things Tang Ye could not conceal; he had to make them clear to the coach.

Ever since joining the Utrecht reserve team, he had not played in the shadow striker position!

"I know, but I don't think that will be a problem; all positions are interconnected. I'll tell you what you need to do, and you'll master it quickly."

Lippi seemed extremely confident in his tactics, which even got Tang Ye excited.

Although he often ran up to the front field to play, he had never actually played the forward position in the true sense of the word!

"Damn, changing positions now?"

During the break after dismissal, the Chinese national team players gathered together to discuss what Lippi had just said.

Directly changing the on-field position of the team's most crucial player—one had to admit, Lippi was truly bold.

"I don't know, damn it; I really don't know how to play as a forward."

Tang Ye spread his hands, looking somewhat innocent.

"I feel you should just play with the same feeling as when you cut inside and cross."

Zhang Zhang Yuning said, "You often go to the wings; back then, the way you played was no different from a forward."

"But that wasn't playing as a forward; it was just a tactical requirement."

Tang Ye would never forget his position and responsibilities on the field!

"Right now I just want to know how he's going to pull this off; we're playing the Philippines the day after tomorrow. Hmm..."

Wu Lei pondered, "Two strikers, then leaving a shadow striker in the middle?"

"No, that's not right; if we line up like that, the shadow striker spot in the middle should be reserved for you, Brother Lei."

"Alright."

Tang Ye was correct; if employing a two-striker formation, the probability was high that Wu Lei and Yu Yu Hanchao would lead the front line, with another player arranged behind them to form an inverted triangle.

"I feel you should go to the wing."

Zhang Zhang Linpeng suddenly said, but he was quickly opposed by Feng Feng Xiaoting.

"No, no, no, impossible; Tang Ye must stay in the center, otherwise no one else can control the rhythm!"

The players engaged in a fierce discussion about the position Tang Ye might play, but ultimately failed to reach a unified conclusion.

Ten minutes later, training resumed; the staff had already pushed the tactical board from the adjacent training ground over.

Creak, creak!

The sound of tires grinding against the ground was somewhat unpleasant, but once they entered the grass, it improved considerably.

Tang Ye saw the position belonging to him.

On the left side, resembling a left winger, but the position would be slightly more advanced than a typical left winger.

"Wow."

Turning his head to look at Zhang Zhang Linpeng, he said, "Brother Peng, it really is the wing."

"Haha."

Zhang Zhang Linpeng's laugh was because he had correctly guessed Tang Ye's modified position, not because Tang Ye was playing as a winger.

Just as Feng Feng Xiaoting had said, moving the team's core player to the wing...

The rhythm they originally possessed would simply vanish.

How was this any different from slashing a knife at oneself?

Unfortunately, Zhang Zhang Linpeng could not glean any useful information from Lippi's expression.

"This position, although it is the left winger, we will not play according to the methods of a left winger."

The translator cooperated with Lippi to provide an explanation.

"You should have seen that the flag representing Tom is positioned quite far forward; in the actual match, your position must not only be advanced but also drift toward the center. You are to become the shadow of the center forward."

Everyone was a top-tier player, so of course they could understand Lippi's words.

"You are the shadow of the center forward, but remember: it is not you providing cover for the center forward; it is the center forward providing cover for you. You are the shadow, but you must exert greater suppressing power than the original body."

"..."

Lippi stood right in front of Tang Ye speaking; the latter took a step back, glancing left and then right.

"Understood?"

Lippi sought confirmation from Tang Ye; the latter nodded, then suddenly shook his head.

"It's fine; if you have questions, you can point them out," Maddaloni reminded from the side.

"Oh, oh."

Tang Ye nodded again, then turned his head back toward Lippi: "What... what does this mean?"

"..."

Lippi's vision went dark; Zhang Zhang Yuning quickly pulled Tang Ye over.

"It means I will provide support for you; you must use me to generate the pressing power."

"Oh, that's simple."

Tang Ye patted his chest: "Coach, you can leave this to me with confidence."

"Hoo..."

Lippi narrowed his eyes, seeming somewhat distrustful of Tang Ye.

"Rest assured, Coach, I know what I'm doing."

After pondering carefully, Lippi shook his head and decided not to say more.

You can question ggbond's reading comprehension, but if you question ggbond's tactical understanding, you would be gravely mistaken!

Training began quickly, and Tang Ye immediately demonstrated his ability to execute tactical applications.

Drift from the left flank into the center!

Receive the ball!

Then show off some ball control!

And shoot!

To summarize simply: the left winger and center forward swap positions, then use their ball control skills to pin down the defenders.

The national team's original tactics already tested Tang Ye's individual ability heavily; this tactic pushed the demand for individual skill to the extreme.

Of course, this tactic had its flaws; specifically, actual gameplay might become somewhat chaotic on the field.

"He really adapts very quickly."

Maddaloni held the back of his head; in just half an hour, Tang Ye had already familiarized himself with his new position.

"He truly is a genius... well, excluding language comprehension, that is."

"What do you think? Are there any issues?"

Lippi remained very serious, wanting to rely on Maddaloni's abilities to spot things he himself might have overlooked.

"Dealing with counterattacks might be difficult; you mentioned this before."

"Anyway, all I know is that he's playing very happily right now."

Minnan Net: Thailand defeated Bahrain 1-0 to seize the initiative for qualification; currently in Group A, the UAE and Thailand have the higher probability of advancing.

Although Group A, where host nation the UAE resides, lacks strong teams, it is the group Chinese fans follow most closely besides Group C.

This is because, according to the knockout stage draw rules, teams advancing from Group C will inevitably face opponents from Group A.

In other words, as long as the national team advances to the knockout stage, their first-round opponent will be one of these four teams: the UAE, Thailand, Bahrain, or India.

Exactly who it will be remains unknown for now; the only certainty is that the national team's luck is quite good, since teams in Group A are generally weak, making any draw manageable.

Time quickly arrived at the day of the national team's second match.

Dongqiu Di Match Preview: Asian Cup Group C, Round 2, China versus Philippines; securing all three points guarantees qualification.

"2019 FIFA Asian Cup..."

"2019 FIFA Asian Cup..."

The stadium announcer introduced the upcoming match in various languages, while the AFC also took this opportunity to promote the AFC Champions League and the Women's AFC Champions League.

The broadcast audio suddenly stopped.

Realizing what was about to happen, fans in the stands erupted in cheers and screams; the next second, Tang Ye and Wu Lei, who had been chatting, appeared on the big screen.

"Wow!!!"

"China Central Television! Here is the live broadcast for you of..."

"The match has begun!"

The commentators were introducing the Philippines' starting lineup.

But the Philippines indeed lacked any famous players, so even though the commentators stated their names, the fans didn't know who they were.

On China's side, things were more interesting; still employing a 4-2-3-1 formation, but Lippi had slightly adjusted the midfield line.

To Tang Ye's right was Zheng Zhi, and to his left was Wu Xi.

Wu Xi, Tang Ye, and Zheng Zhi—this midfield line was among the very best across all of Asia.

Right after the match started, the Chinese team quickly managed to get the ball to Tang Ye in the attacking third, immediately followed by a scream from the stands.

The victory in the previous match had left Chinese fans generally quite agitated.

An ordinary player probably wouldn't have been able to withstand such pressure.

But ggbond was clearly no ordinary player!

A drag-back turn combined with a nutmeg directly toyed with the Philippine defender.

And it didn't end there; after completing the dribble, Tang Ye sent a pass forward.

Zhang Zhang Yuning received the ball!

He turned and adjusted!

Bang!

He unleashed a shot, but it sailed high over the bar.

"Damn!!"

Honestly, it was a great pity; Tang Ye ran up and hugged Zhang Zhang Yuning.

"Unlike the last match, the Chinese team is playing very aggressively right from the start today."

"Yes, they must have learned from the lessons of the previous game. For the current national team, frankly speaking, there's no need to be polite when facing weaker opponents."

"Oh! So just press them down and that's it!"

Tang Ye's second reception came soon after.

He took the ball from Zheng Zhi's feet, then ran past Zheng Zhi.

Moving to the right flank, Tang Ye advanced forward together with Wu Lei.

Boom!

A through ball goes forward to Wu Lei!

"Beautiful!"

"Tang Ye!"

"A very perfect through ball!"

"Wu Lei starts cutting inside!"

The Philippine defensive line has retreated significantly, so Wu Lei is also being quite cautious, not attempting to dribble past opponents recklessly.

Tang Ye moves up to support!

Slap!

Wu Lei passes back to Zhang Zhang Yuning, who turns and lays the ball off for Tang Ye.

The cannon is already set up!

Without hesitation, Tang Ye lifts his left leg and fires a long-range shot.

Duang!

The ball hits the crossbar, rebounds, and rolls into the net.

"Oh!!!!!"

Rushing into the penalty area, he jumps up and collides with Zhang Zhang Yuning; Tang Ye accidentally knocks Zhang Zhang Yuning straight to the ground.

"Hey, hey, hey! Brother Ning, Brother Ning!"

"Haha!"

He reaches out and pulls Zhang Zhang Yuning up from the ground!

"Awesome! Tang Ye!"

Zhang Zhang Yuning is as passionate as ever; an assist right at the start has turned this Wenzhou native's face bright red.

Check Dongqiu Di live match report: In the 5th minute of the match, Zhang Zhang Yuning perfectly set up the cannon, and Tang Ye's powerful left-footed shot opened the scoring; China leads 1:0.

【66666】

【This is too f*cking top-tier】

【Can I say the Philippines are really weak?】

"Roar!!!"

A furious roar vents the emotions in his heart.

In the last match against Kyrgyzstan, the Chinese team nearly had a disaster; this match will not be like that one before.

We must press and dominate the entire field!

"..."

"... The corner kick is taken, looking for Tang Ye."

"But there are a bit too many defensive players surrounding Tang Ye..."

"Tang Ye heads it!"

"It's gone into the penalty area!"

Chaos erupts in the Philippine penalty area; Feng Feng Xiaoting heads the ball, hitting a defender, and the ball drops back to the ground.

!!!

"Hit it!"

Tang Ye shouts; Wu Lei crouches down and forcefully flicks a header toward the goal.

But the goalkeeper punches the ball out!

However, it's fine; Zheng Zhi collects the ball cleared by the goalkeeper.

He chips it back into the penalty area!

This time, it's Wang Wang Shenchao with a header.

No mistake; the ball goes in!

"Wow!!!"

"China team!"

Boom boom!

"China team!"

Boom boom!

The match situation is completely one-sided...

Let's look at the current possession rate.

China's possession rate has reached 64%, and this is even without Tang Ye controlling the ball too much.

"Currently, it seems China's hard strength is clearly a cut above the Philippines; if the Philippines want to win, they need to restrict Tang Ye first."

"Coach Zhan, what you said isn't quite right; even if they restrict Tang Ye, China still has Wu Lei."

"Haha."

The advantage of Wu Lei playing abroad wasn't very obvious during the World Cup, but at the Asian Cup, he has directly ushered in a massive explosion of form.

Just as many Chinese fans have said.

We must let the Asian teams feel the strength of a La Liga rotational striker!

In the 36th minute, Hao Hao Junmin kicks the ball, finding Tang Ye in the center.

He controls the ball very easily, then dribbles directly backward.

A defensive player comes up to mark him closely; Tang Ye executes a hip turn, shakes him off, and moves forward.

Slap!

A high ball into the penalty area, targeting Wu Lei.

Controlling the ball plus shooting, Wu Lei scores China's third goal.

Then comes the 40th minute.

Still a chance for Team China, this time a corner kick.

"You taking it, or shall I?"

Hao Hao Junmin asks Tang Ye, who hesitates before giving up the chance to take the corner.

Better to hold my position!

Exchanging a gesture, Tang Ye prepares outside the defensive wall.

Slap!

"Hao Hao Junmin takes the corner!"

"Wow, it's still going to Tang Ye!"

As the high ball flies toward him, Tang Ye takes short steps forward.

He lifts his right leg for a sweeping strike!

Slap!

A World Cup-level shot with the outside of his foot, but the ball sails straight into the stands.

"Tang Ye, haha!"

"He got a bit too eager."

Damn!

Spitting out saliva, Tang Ye is filled with regret.

Team China's pressure continues.

And in a spot neither the fans nor the commentators noticed, Lippi has the players on the bench start their warm-up.

Team China's tactical adjustment is coming!

PS: Another update tonight.

Seeking monthly tickets!

(End of chapter)