[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-football-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back":3,"chapter-football-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back-football-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back-chapter-53":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Football: At 16, Let Me Retire and Come Back?",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2300023,4499,"Chapter 53: The Strong Opponent Eindhoven? No, the Eredivisie Tianwangshan!","football-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back-chapter-53",53,"\u003Cp>Utrecht’s team reporter Pierna: Ten Hag received immense trust from the club’s upper management, with some executives now viewing him as the hope for the team’s rise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Royal Dutch Football Association match preview: At 1:30 p.m. Amsterdam time on November 8, the Eredivisie’s Tianwangshan, PSV Eindhoven, will host Utrecht.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Attached: 2015–16 Eredivisie league standings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>1. Utrecht, 28 points\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>2. PSV Eindhoven, 28 points\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>3. AZ Alkmaar, 25 points\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>4. Ajax, 24 points\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>5. Feyenoord, 20 points\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>6. Groningen, 19 points\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at the standings posted on the football association’s homepage, Ten Hag felt an uneasy sensation—this was why he rarely emphasized league rankings to his players.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten Hag was puzzled: why had Utrecht, who lost their first two matches of the season, suddenly accumulated so many points?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When did they earn these points?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Didn’t Utrecht win far fewer games than this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he checked the match records, he confirmed: Utrecht had indeed earned this many points!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lying alone in bed, Ten Hag stared at the ceiling, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his first season at Utrecht, Ten Hag led the team to 28 points after Matchday 11, topping the league on goal difference over Eindhoven.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And he had capitalized on Utrecht’s momentum to nurture Tang Ye, a teenage prodigy!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damn, why am I this strong!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>November 5: Three days before Utrecht’s away match against Eindhoven, Ten Hag carved out time from his hectic training schedule to have the players undergo medical examinations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The exams covered many items, but only two particularly caught Tang Ye’s attention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Height: 1.77m\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Weight: 66.5kg\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Holy shit, I actually grew taller.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye was pleased; nearly four months had passed since his last physical.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Growing 3cm in four months was already quite satisfying to Tang Ye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re still short.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amrabat stepped forward, gesturing with his hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Moroccan was a full half-head taller than Tang Ye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why the rush? I’ll still grow.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye said. Amrabat shrugged: “I’ll grow too—I’ve been dreaming every night that I’m getting taller. I think my limit is 1.86m, maybe even 1.87m!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How tall were you last time?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye suddenly asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“1.82m.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And this time?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...1.82m?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Where did you grow?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye mocked Amrabat: “When I met you a year ago, you were already this height—and you haven’t changed!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Come on, it’s just a matter of time—I can still grow, and I’ll definitely be taller than you, believe me!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amrabat fired back. Ten Hag, hearing the commotion, walked over: “You two midfielders don’t need height. You planning to play defense or striker?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I need to compete.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye explained: “Greater height means more weight, which means stronger physicality—I can then intercept opponents’ attacks and pass to my teammates.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he spoke, Tang Ye demonstrated with gestures.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Okay okay, impressive, very impressive!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten Hag clapped: “I know your physical strength is great—so can you tell me why you skipped out of training halfway last time?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I went to the bathroom.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye rubbed his nose: “When I came back, everyone had finished training, so I just went straight to the cafeteria.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sofyan can vouch for me!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye pulled Amrabat forward, pitting bald head against bald head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, I can vouch,”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amrabat pointed his thumb over his shoulder at Tang Ye: “He went straight back to the dorm to play games.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wait!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye suddenly realized he was in trouble and shoved Amrabat aside. The latter shrugged helplessly: “If you admit you’ll never be taller than me, I might actually help you out.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Shit!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at Ten Hag and Amrabat, Tang Ye took a step back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bald heads are friends.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These two bald heads are both bad people!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Today you must make up the time you missed in training—double the amount.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten Hag said, then walked off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly remembering something, Ten Hag stopped: “You’ll start on the 8th. Make up the training time after the match—don’t overexert yourself before the game. Eindhoven is tough.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Amrabat stared in shock at Tang Ye beside him. Tang Ye pointed at his mouth: “Ah, so I’m starting next game?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Isn’t my meaning clear enough?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten Hag stared blankly at Tang Ye—then his disbelief deepened when Tang Ye added: “Eindhoven is too strong. If I start, won’t we lose?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I told you to start—you start. Don’t argue with me. If you keep arguing, I’ll make you sit on the bench...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mid-sentence, Ten Hag caught himself and quickly corrected: “I’ll make you eat in the reserve team’s cafeteria!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sorry, sorry, my bad!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye apologized repeatedly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Actually, Ten Hag wasn’t nearly as bad as he’d imagined.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d almost thought Ten Hag was going to bench him!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Matchday!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Philips Stadion!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today marked a clash between the Eredivisie defending champions and the rising dark horse. Nearly 40,000 seats at Philips Stadion were filled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Four hours before kickoff, Dutch and European football journalists had already surrounded the press room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Click!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Click-click-click!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten Hag walked in calmly, faced the reporters below, picked up the microphone, and blew into it twice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Eric, what do you have to say about winning October’s Coach of the Month?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I know—but we don’t have much time. Let’s focus on today’s match. Don’t you agree?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten Hag did not rush to address the fact that he would receive the monthly coach award after the match.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had to wait until after the match—only then, based on the score, would he know how to speak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright, today you face PSV Eindhoven away. They are last season’s league champions and the strongest team you’ve encountered this season.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten Hag nodded, signaling the reporter to continue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Before the match, fans and pundits have said this is a mismatch—Eindhoven’s total market value is nearly ten times yours. Facing such a strong opponent...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, reporter, you must correct that statement.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten Hag interrupted: “Strong opponent Eindhoven? Yes, I admit Eindhoven is strong. I believe Eindhoven also sees us as a strong opponent.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This isn’t a mismatch between a weak team and a strong one. This is a match between first and second in the league.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten Hag looked down at the reporters in the front row: “There’s another name for this kind of match...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Eredivisie Tianwangshan!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1039,"2026-06-20T06:50:08.245Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","536ebc5a21188077dd4f31f1955c9f25cf27bd03a948b81fff902a8ade76996a","football-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back-chapter-54","football-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back-chapter-52",918,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Ffootball-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back-cover.jpg"]