Chapter 551: Chelsea Holds Fort at Stamford Bridge, But Kante Is Injured

Match Preview: October 30, EFL Cup Round of 16, Manchester United away against Chelsea. With Hazard departed and Kante injured, can the depleted Blues withstand the full-strength Red Devils?

Di Maria Exclusive Interview: I believe this year should be Messi's sixth Ballon d'Or; he deserves this honor. As for TY, I think he is too young.

Di Maria citing Tang Ye's young age as reason he should not win this year's Ballon d'Or has triggered a siege by Chinese fans and Manchester United fans, who believe Di Maria only knows how to speak up for people from his own country.

However, upon careful thought, what Di Maria said is actually not problematic.

Compared to several other winners, Tang Ye's age is indeed a bit too young.

In this exclusive interview, Dongqiu Di listed the five youngest winners in Ballon d'Or history:

1. Ronaldo (R9): 21 years, 96 days (1997).

2. Michael Owen: 22 years, 4 days (2001).

3. Lionel Messi: 22 years, 157 days (2009).

4. George Best: 22 years, 212 days (1968).

5. Oleg Blokhin: 23 years, 55 days (1975).

The youngest Ballon d'Or winner is Brazil's Ronaldo, who was only 21 when he won the award.

But you must know, Ggbond is only 20 years old this year!

Doing the math, if Tang Ye truly wins the Ballon d'Or in December, he will refresh the record for the youngest Ballon d'Or winner by 200 days, which is truly somewhat exaggerated.

Marca interviews Tang Ye's compatriot Wu Lei (Villarreal forward): I think Tang Ye will win the Ballon d'Or; he is now already the role model for all Chinese, oh no, to be precise, all Asian players.

【Tang Ye wins the Ballon d'Or; I represent French football making the official announcement】

【We must let Old Mei experience the might of the Asian Cup champion and top scorer】

【Forget the Ballon d'Or; if they get eliminated from the EFL Cup later, they'll behave. I feel Saint Teng lacks big-picture thinking; with only three days gap, he still let Tang Ye start and play the full match; how can they play Chelsea now?】

【The one above, I think you're asking to be scolded; three days is a breeze for our King Tang】

There are actually fans who believe Tang Ye cannot recover to his best state within three days.

This is absolutely, absolutely wrong.

Even if a sports student gets hit by a car, they can fully recover; a Premier League match is even less of an issue.

Take right now, for instance; Manchester United players have already departed for London.

Manchester United Official: Luke Shaw experienced leg cramping discomfort during training and will miss the next match against Chelsea.

Good heavens, Manchester United has also suffered an injury.

In that case, Chelsea is no longer in an awkward position; if Luke Shaw hadn't been injured, tonight's match would have been a contest between the team with the most injuries and the team with the fewest injuries in the entire Premier League.

Now it is no longer awkward.

However, let us analyze the match from a tactical perspective.

With Manchester United losing Luke Shaw, their basic combat strength remains intact; in the final stage of last season's league, even with both Luke Shaw and Rashford injured, Manchester United managed to hold on.

But what about Chelsea's side?

Lacking N'Golo Kante, Chelsea's current situation is not optimistic.

Stamford Bridge Stadium!

"OK, today is the EFL Cup Round of 16 match where Manchester United plays away against Chelsea."

"As you can see, right in the center of the screen is Tang Ye! He is currently whispering to his teammates!"

Wang Chao attempts to interpret Tang Ye's lip movements, but this is actually quite impossible.

Tang Ye naturally speaks English when talking to his teammates, which is truly difficult for Wang Chao, who only completed elementary school.

"I feel Tang Ye must be saying, 'We'll beat the opposition 3-0 in this match; brothers, do you think I'm right?'"

"What, checking the streamer's education level?"

"Wait, what's wrong with the streamer having an elementary school education? Looking down on elementary school graduates, are we?"

Wang Chao stares into the livestream camera: "Damn it, last year—hiss, it should have been last year—didn't I scold you guys back then? I said education doesn't represent everything, yet you still argue with me here."

"Tang Ye didn't even attend elementary school yet earns 3 billion RMB a year; so if the streamer attended elementary school, does that make him more impressive than Tang Ye?"

"Shandong Luneng is a secondary vocational school... wait, is that real or fake?"

【Streamer, don't act like a clown; elementary is just elementary, it can't compare to university】

【Actually, Tang Ye is already enrolled at Peking University; you can just check his student ID number】

【How many hundreds of millions does the streamer earn a year?】

【Why isn't Hazard here? How can Chelsea play like this?】

The livestream room is a mix of fish and dragons; experts are already analyzing the score through tactics, while novices are still asking where Hazard went.

"Hazard moved to Real Madrid a few months ago, brothers."

"The match is about to begin; let me first introduce the starting lineup for this game, starting with the away team, Manchester United!"

According to convention, Manchester United is introduced first, followed by the other team.

Chelsea (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: Caballero

Defenders: Reece James, Zouma, Guehi, Marcos Alonso

Midfielders: Gilmour, Jorginho, Kovacic

Forwards: Odoi, Batshuayi, Pulisic

Head Coach: Lampard

Compared to the previous few seasons, Chelsea's squad this season has become much weaker.

Kante's injury is one aspect, and Hazard being sold to Real Madrid is another.

"Actually, brothers... let me tell you a piece of news many people don't know: during this summer transfer window, Hazard nearly transferred to Manchester United."

"I think this deal is quite a pity; it would have been better if Barcelona hadn't released Dembélé."

Actually, Wang Chao, like Roy Keane, belongs to the Hazard faction, whose defining trait is believing Hazard >> Dembélé, thus viewing Ten Hag's purchase of Dembélé from Barcelona as a loss.

Fortunately, after Tang Ye returned, Dembélé's dribbling efficiency successfully surpassed Hazard's; otherwise, Ten Hag would probably have been scolded to death by Wang Chao.

"De Ligt, carry the ball out!"

"To De Jong, to De Jong, hey, pass to De Jong!"

"No, De Ligt, what are you playing at? Hmm, here it comes!"

"De Ligt! Find Tang Ye up front directly!"

"Nice, give me a shot of the Ball King; this is the 2019 Ballon d'Or winner."

Taking possession, Tang Ye faced the defender and executed a drag-back turn with extreme ease, immediately followed by a surge forward, a series of movements flowing seamlessly.

"Hoo, hoo hoo..."

Kovacic approached from the side, attempting to snatch the ball from Tang Ye.

Slap!

A long pass was immediately dispatched to the left-wing byline.

Rashford takes the ball!

He immediately bursts into a full-speed sprint!

Reece James is in pursuit.

However, it was evident that James was struggling greatly to catch up with Rashford.

Arriving near the byline...

He cut the ball to a halt; Rashford slowly pressed toward James.

"Come on, come on!"

Ashley Young called for the ball, received the pass, and then handed it off to Tang Ye.

Facing Jorginho's defense, Tang Ye dragged the ball beneath his body, then pushed it toward the front-right.

One step of adjustment!

A momentary pause in rhythm.

Then another step to the right!

Feinting a La Croqueta, but as his left foot moved toward his right, Tang Ye shot directly instead.

Slap!

"Tang Ye!"

"Holy crap!"

"Goal!"

The outside of his left foot traced the letter "C," striking precisely into the top-left corner of the goal, near the dead angle.

Caballero sat on the ground.

The Chelsea goalkeeper now needed some time to think.

To ponder why Tang Ye had executed the shot in such a manner.

"Damn, that's awesome!"

"In the 9th minute of the match, a shot from Tang Ye using the outside of his foot!"

"Manchester United 1:0!"

Wang Chao raised both hands, and many fans in the live stream mimicked the same gesture.

"Haha!"

Jumping up, Tang Ye collided with Ashley Young; after a "bang," he sent Ashley Young crashing to the ground.

"Hey, Young!"

Tang Ye reached out to help Ashley Young up, only to be pulled down to the ground by the latter.

Oof!

"Let's take a look at the replay of Tang Ball King's goal just now..."

"Hiss..." "Hmm"

"Not a single warning sign, brothers; how do you defend against that?"

"Let alone the goalkeeper being blind; it's hard to react to this shot. How could you know Tang Ye was shooting?"

The concealment of a master's shot is simply too strong.

Previously, Chelsea's goalkeeper was Courtois; if you asked Courtois, he might have been able to react.

But with Caballero, that would be very difficult.

If a shot could be reacted to so casually, could a master still be considered a master?

"Super Frank Lampard, he scores whenever he wants!"

The Chelsea fans began singing a very classic chant.

This song was created by the fans back when Lampard was still playing for the team; now that Lampard has become the Chelsea coach, the fans are still singing it.

Tang Ye's goal established Manchester United's advantage in this match.

Time quickly advanced to the 20th minute of the first half.

Over the past few minutes, Chelsea had been searching for opportunities to attack.

Alas, without Hazard and without Kanté, Chelsea's attacking capability had been weakened by more than just a little.

Jorginho and Pulisic sought to combine!

Let's look at Pulisic!

Tang Ye signaled De Jong to drift toward the right flank, while moving over there himself.

Pulisic accelerated first, carrying the ball forward.

Batshuayi moved up to provide support.

Slap-slap!

A one-two pass was executed, allowing Pulisic to reach the byline safely.

He faced Wan-Bissaka in a one-on-one situation.

"Hmm, a tackle!"

"Although Wan-Bissaka's dribbling is a bit lackluster, I feel his one-on-one defending shouldn't be a problem."

Shortly after Wang Chao finished speaking, Pulisic decisively abandoned the idea of trying to beat Wan-Bissaka alone.

Because he knew he couldn't do it.

He stopped and passed back to Batshuayi.

With the striker having moved to the wing, Jorginho was now the one filling the gap in Chelsea's center.

Bang!

Batshuayi played a through ball, delivering it perfectly right in front of Jorginho!

"Wow!!!"

Seeing a scoring opportunity imminent, Jorginho strode forward to control the ball.

Bang!

He swung his leg for a long-range shot!

Well, it was actually a feint; Jorginho passed the ball to Reece James, who was making a run up the right side.

"James, James..."

"Haha, James, why haven't you shot yet?"

"Oh, James!"

Slap!

Seizing the gap between De Ligt and De Jong, James played a through ball into the penalty area.

It was Pulisic, making a diagonal run!

!!!

Bailly hadn't even realized when Pulisic had arrived.

This was bad!

Slap!

Pulisic took the shot.

Manchester United fans' hearts stopped, only for Pulisic's shot to strike De Gea.

"De Gea!"

"Damn, I'm blowing up with praise!"

"This is the Premier League's strongest goalkeeper!"

Since Manchester United primarily focused on defense and counter-attacks, De Gea was frequently in the spotlight.

Today was no exception.

"Awesome."

Tongyi specifically came over to pat De Gea's arm.

"Keep it up, keep it up!"

"Stay focused!"

Rodri pointed to his temple, mimicking Escrivá's gesture: "Be careful, our lead wasn't easy to earn!"

"Just shove him out as soon as he gets in!"

Compared to their midfield line, Manchester United's defensive line indeed felt full of holes.

"De Gea is still very reliable; that's why I said earlier that Manchester United could win 3-0 today. Without Hazard, Chelsea simply can't score."

"Just look at this season's Premier League; can Chelsea's goal tally compare to Manchester United's? Moreover, Manchester United didn't even have Tang Ye in the first eight rounds, yet Chelsea still can't beat them."

"..."

On the wing, locked up against Pulisic, Tang Ye exerted all his strength to push Pulisic out toward the byline.

But he couldn't succeed immediately.

Seizing a gap, Tang Ye suddenly created space.

!

Pulisic thought Tang Ye was going to tackle him and instinctively jumped, but that very jump gave Tang Ye his opportunity.

He stepped on the ball and pulled it down beneath his own body!

From a god's-eye view, Pulisic had practically gifted the ball directly to Tang Ye.

Tang Ye didn't hesitate; upon gaining possession, he turned and sprinted away.

Slap!

【De Bruyne Standard Long Pass Lv5: Replication (Transcendent State)】

Proficiency: 4576/5000

It was a very powerful long pass, flying toward Rashford.

The delivery was slightly inaccurate, but that was a minor issue.

Rashford controlled the ball!

Uh, he didn't even control the ball properly.

Two small problems added together make a big one; Rashford quickly adjusted and dribbled forward with long strides.

Rashford's biggest characteristic is that the ball stays far from his body while he dribbles, which is the best opportunity for defenders to intercept him.

But unfortunately, Reece James failed to seize this opportunity.

If you don't exploit your opponent's weakness, you might have to pay the price for it.

James was blown past by Rashford using sheer speed.

Down to the byline!

Going straight for the byline, but Rashford took too heavy a touch, sending the ball out of play over the byline.

"Oh!!"

"Xuuu!!!"

Check Dongqiu Di live match report: Tang Ye switches play with a 47-meter long pass; Rashford accelerates past his man but then dribbles the ball out over the byline.

Time reaches the 37th minute of the first half, with the current score still 1:0.

Slap!

A counter-attack opportunity; De Ligt launches a big kick from the back directly upfield.

Dembélé, who had long been ready, moves in to receive the ball at this moment.

He controls the ball with his left foot onto his right, then pushes it forward with his right.

Although there's no longer a one-on-one chance, Dembélé still wants to reach the byline as fast as possible to breach Chelsea's defensive line.

But Kovačić didn't let him succeed.

Kovačić reached out and grabbed Dembélé's jersey; the latter struggled hard to break free but was eventually brought down.

Dembélé rolled one and a half times on the ground, his expression somewhat unpleasant.

Dembélé didn't directly confront Kovačić, but Haller had already gone over.

"Damn you!"

Haller and Kovačić clashed, and players from both sides rushed over quickly.

"Hey, hey, hey, Sébastien, forget it, Sébastien!"

Tang Ye held Haller back, pulling hard to prevent him from advancing, while Rodri took charge of pushing Dembélé away from any Chelsea players.

"Why are you pushing me?"

Kovačić wanted to come forward again, but by now Haller was already blocked behind by Tang Ye.

"Forget it, forget it!"

Tang Ye shouted at Kovačić, "If you come any closer, I'll curse you too!"

Yellow card: Kovačić.

……

(End of this chapter)