Chapter 565: Manchester Derby, Sterling and Dembélé

Bang!

A through pass was sent out, and Dembélé accelerated, sprinting all the way to the byline.

Assessing the situation carefully...

Slap!

He delivered a cross from the byline, targeting Ashley Young at the far post.

The pass was reasonably accurate; Ashley Young controlled the ball, but by then, all of Team B's defenders had arrived in position.

Rodri's cut-inside shot was blocked by Rojo!

"Beep beep!!"

Fan Fan Dejiahe blew the whistle to stop the training match and specifically gathered a few of Team B's defenders to discuss some matters.

Tang Ye took this opportunity to approach Dembélé: "Ousmane, you need to take a look before passing; you have to observe carefully!"

Dembélé stood still, wearing a blank expression as he tried to comprehend Tang Ye's words: "I felt my pass was quite accurate..."

"But your pass wasn't correct."

"You should have played a cutback for that ball."

Tang Ye gestured with his hands.

The scene from the training match just now appeared in his mind; he just didn't know if Dembélé could visualize that scenario.

"Scott 【McTominay】 was right in the center; you reach your position and pass to him, then let Scott feed Yang."

Pointing from the center all the way to the left flank, Tang Ye explained his idea to Dembélé.

Shrugging his hands, he said: "See? Ousmane, if you play it like this, wouldn't we get through? Passing this way leaves them no defense against it."

Dembélé looked at Team B's penalty area, one hand resting on his head.

Tom was absolutely right; his passing choice was far superior to the one Dembélé had just made.

With the first passing option, Team A could only attempt long-range shots from outside.

But the second passing option was ingenious; a cutback to McTominay would directly draw Team B's defenders out of the penalty area, allowing Ashley Young and Ye He to exploit their abilities.

However, there was one problem.

Looking into Tang Ye's eyes, Dembélé said: "I'm not you, Tom; how can I process all that..."

"You don't start observing only after reaching the byline; you can observe while dribbling toward the byline, that's when you should start thinking."

Tang Ye pointed at Dembélé's eyes: "Start observing sooner, then think, and there won't be any issues."

"Moreover, your center of gravity is unstable when you deliver crosses from the byline."

Signaling for Rodri to kick him a ball, Tang Ye controlled it, then proceeded to demonstrate for Dembélé.

"Watch, now that I have the ball and I'm running toward the byline, I don't need to observe while dribbling. The defenders can't close in immediately, so I push the ball slightly ahead; at this moment, I'm making an off-ball run, and then you can look toward the center."

"They in the center cannot simultaneously see both the left and right flanks, but since you are on the right flank, you can see both the left flank and the center at the same time."

Dembélé possessed decent ability in delivering crosses from the byline, and for a passing-oriented winger, exploiting gaps in vision was extremely important.

"Then, once I arrive near the byline and need to deliver a cross, I must stabilize my center of gravity."

Tang Ye twisted his waist to make it clearer for Dembélé: "We need to pass quickly so the defenders can't react, but the prerequisite for passing quickly is that you can stabilize your center of gravity."

"You must pass accurately; otherwise, speeding up the attack is useless."

Tang Ye tapped the ball to the left, then delivered a cross.

Slap!

【De Bruyne Byline Cross Lv5: Replication (Transcendent State)】

Proficiency: 2422/3500

"Phew..."

Watching the ball fly through the air, Dembélé clasped his head with both hands.

He had been Barcelona's top assister two seasons ago, thanks to his excellent passing ability.

But now it seemed he still had a long road ahead to travel.

Tom was a comrade, his best friend.

But a friend is also a teacher; little Ousmane needed to learn from Master Tom to become stronger.

When training ended that day, the Manchester United players held a barbecue party on the base's lawn.

The purpose of this party was to celebrate Tang Ye winning the Ballon d'Or and also to cheer for the Manchester Derby two days later.

Manchester United's form in December was not as good as in November, and the players urgently needed an adjustment.

"Wow, I've discovered Rod; only your lamb skewers taste good."

Tang Ye took a bite of lamb, grabbed a handful of lettuce from the basket, put it directly in his mouth to chew, then handed another handful of lettuce to Dembélé, who was squatting beside him: "From now on, I won't eat barbecue made by anyone else."

"Tom, no!"

Aleix, holding a large skewer of barbecue in his hand, said: "Wait, is what I made really that bad?"

【52】 "Yours isn't bad either, but I feel it's too undercooked, Seba."

"Yours isn't bad either, but I feel it's too raw and stiff."

Tang Ye held up the half-eaten lamb skewer in his hand: "You need to cook it slightly more; look, this one is perfect."

Tang Ye wanted to tell his other teammates how incredibly delicious the lamb skewer in his hand was, but before he could say much, Dembélé snatched it away the next second.

"Wow, hahaha!"

Tang Ye had just stood up from the grass, but Dembélé had already run far away.

"Damn it..."

Tang Ye, of course, refused to accept this and immediately chased after him.

"Go, Ousmane!"

"Wow, Dembélé!"

"Run faster, don't get caught!"

Manchester United teammates were jeering.

Tang Ye did eventually catch Dembélé, but the Manchester United forward had already finished eating what he had snatched.

"Haha!"

Tang Ye placed his hand on Dembélé's hair and rubbed it.

"Tom, what's going on, why can't you catch up!"

"I made a mistake."

Facing his teammates' teasing, Tang Ye helplessly spread his hands and walked back together with Dembélé: "Mainly because I was talking to you, Yang; otherwise, I would have grabbed his hand directly. With my reaction speed, do you think he would have had any chance to run?"

"Are you sure, Tom?"

Dembélé seemed unconvinced by Tang Ye's words, or perhaps he just kept his hand on Dembélé's shoulder.

Tang Ye insisted on his view that he could have caught Dembélé, while Dembélé kept shaking his head and wouldn't let it go; the two argued like children for several minutes over something trivial.

"Stop arguing, come dance!"

The voices of Lin Lin Jiade and Martial rang out; Lin Lin Jiade turned his phone volume up to maximum and threw it onto the grass to use as a speaker.

"Haha, I'm coming!"

Tang Ye shook off Dembélé and ran toward Lin Lin Jiade.

"Pink toes pressed against the carpet~"

"Show your face and finish what you started~"

"..."

"Keep me from the cages under the control"

"Runnin' in the dark to find East of Eden."

"..."

Dancing held great appeal for the players, and soon everyone gathered around.

Tang Ye placed his left and right hands on Lin Lin Jiade and Dembélé respectively, Dembélé then put his hand on Rodri... unconsciously, the players linked up.

No stars could be seen in the night sky over Manchester, but the players didn't care, for they all had a clear objective, a shared goal.

"Champion!"

"Champion!"

"Champion!"

"We're definitely going to win," Tang Ye murmured.

At the Etihad Stadium, today marked the 16th round of the Premier League, and also the most anticipated match of this round.

Mancheng versus Manchester United, the first Manchester derby of the season!

"Wow!"

Cheers erupted from the stands, for at this moment, the camera showed both teams' players already lined up and ready below the tunnel.

Manchester United captain Tang Ye and Mancheng captain Fernandinho stood side by side, each wearing their respective armbands.

Tang Ye was shaking his leg, while Fernandinho was sweating profusely.

"Are you very hot?"

The considerate GG Bond noticed Fernandinho's condition: "Actually, you could switch to a short-sleeved jersey."

"Oh, thanks, it's fine, I'm not hot."

Fernandinho and Tang Ye embraced.

"China Central Television! Here we are broadcasting live for you..."

"The match has begun; now I will introduce the starting lineups for both teams, starting with the home side, Mancheng!"

Mancheng (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: Ederson

Defenders: Kyle Walker, Stones, Fernandinho, Angeliño

Midfielders: De Bruyne, Gündoğan, David Silva

Forwards: Bernardo Silva, Jesus, Sterling

Head Coach: Guardiola

Mancheng's starting lineup differed little from last season, while for Manchester United, McTominay replaced De Jong in the starting eleven today.

As for why De Jong didn't start, the fans were not yet aware, though it was likely just a rotation for rest.

Bang!

In the 4th minute of the first half, Tang Ye and Gündoğan collided in the center of the pitch.

Because considerable force was used, Tang Ye directly knocked Gündoğan down.

"Hey, my fault, my fault."

Tang Ye reached out to help Gündoğan up, but Kyle Walker pushed him away.

"Hey!"

Tang Ye grew anxious and stepped forward, wanting an explanation from Walker.

"Forget it, forget it."

De Bruyne blocked Tang Ye: "It's nothing, it's nothing."

"Huff..."

Taking a deep breath, Tang Ye spat on the ground.

"Hiss... The tension between both sides seems a bit thick today?"

"Yes, physical conflict erupted in less than five minutes; we see Tang Ye seemingly trying to help Walker up, but Walker might have thought Tang Ye was looking to pick a fight with Kyoto An."

This was a misunderstanding, at least in the eyes of the fans, a very obvious one.

But precisely because of this coincidence, conflicts in today's match were destined to be frequent.

Whether Walker was anxious was unknown; anyway, Tang Ye was already getting a bit agitated, unable to accept the fact that his attempt to help someone up was rebuffed.

"No, I didn't do anything."

Rashford pulled away Tang Ye, who was shaking his head: "Forget it, forget it."

Play resumed; due to Tang Ye's foul, Mancheng earned a set-piece opportunity, choosing to let De Bruyne take it.

Beep!

Crack!

A long pass flew out, aiming straight for the penalty area.

Stones!

Jumping up!

De Bruyne made a slight error; the ball lacked sufficient spin.

Stones failed to reach the ball! Second point!

Jesus!

Crack!

A shot from the Manchester United striker, but it faced a double block from Wan-Bissaka and Smalling, with Wan-Bissaka finally deflecting it away with his foot.

"Quick, quick!"

Ten Hag urged loudly as McTominay and Gündoğan in the penalty area both ran toward the ball.

Gündoğan arrived a step earlier.

Shot!

Crack!

De Gea leaped and parried the ball away.

"Oh!"

That was close...

This was the immediate reaction of all Manchester United fans.

"Beautiful, David!"

Tang Ye gave De Gea a thumbs-up, while at that moment the Manchester United goalkeeper was roaring at De Ligt: "Block them when you see them shooting; what if I hadn't reacted in time?"

"Focus a bit more!"

Rodri reminded his teammates to hold their positions.

A corner kick for Mancheng, again taken by De Bruyne.

Crack!

The corner was taken.

Mancheng attempted a tactical corner but messed up; the ball passed near the penalty area was intercepted by Wan-Bissaka.

Crack!

Wan-Bissaka kicked the ball out, hitting Walker again.

OK, in the Manchester derby both sides are feeding each other easy chances.

"Kyle Walker... dribbling straight toward the penalty area."

Walker loved going wide to utilize his speed, but since this was a corner attack, it wasn't necessary.

Going through the middle!

A high ball lofted into the penalty area.

Jesus!

Controlling with his chest, he dribbled toward the byline.

Crossing horizontally to the center!

Sterling arrived just in time, finishing with a low driven shot to score.

"Goooo——aaaaa——lllll!!!!"

"Sterling's goal!"

"1:0! Mancheng leads!"

Sterling's ghost-like run created the opportunity for the team.

This made Mancheng one of the few teams this season to be the first to breach Manchester United's goal.

"Wow!!!"

Whoosh whoosh whoosh!

Sterling slid on his knees rushing off the pitch, embracing his Mancheng teammates on the bench.

【Why has De Ligt started sleepwalking?】

【So classic; after attending the Ballon d'Or ceremony, he doesn't know how to play anymore.】

【Holy crap, Mancheng is awesome!】

【Why not let our King of Balls, Tang, defend in the penalty area? It feels like Manchester United is clearly strong in attack but weak in defense today.】

Is Manchester United clearly strong in attack but weak in defense today?

This statement is correct, but more accurately, this has been Manchester United's state throughout the entire season.

The forwards are strong, the midfield is strong, the goalkeeper is strong, but the defenders are simply not up to par.

"Hey, this is exactly what we said before: when playing against a team like Manchester United, you have to play possession football with them."

"Guardiola's thinking is correct."

"In the 7th minute of the first half, Mancheng scores first!"

The goal came faster than anyone imagined!

And now Manchester United is extremely awkward; several players stand rooted to the spot with hands on hips, while Tang Ye has directly squatted down.

"What kind of football is this!"

Ashley Young shouted loudly: "We just need to do what we're supposed to do properly! Be careful, be careful!"

Ashley Young was just as angry as Ten Hag.

Because the form Manchester United is currently displaying is completely unqualified!

Having just won the Ballon d'Or and then immediately taken down Tottenham, the Manchester United players seem... seem somewhat relaxed?

"City!"

Bang bang!

"Man City!"

Bang bang!

With hands raised high, the Mancheng fans forcefully pulled at their supporter scarves.

Currently, with 15 rounds of the Premier League completed, Mancheng has gradually broken away from the leading pack.

If they can take down Manchester United, who are currently in that leading pack, it will greatly boost the confidence of the Mancheng players, while also helping Mancheng seize an opportunity to enter the leading pack.

Time reaches the 24th minute of the first half.

Due to Mancheng's constant attacks, Manchester United's possession rate has currently dropped to 37%.

Ten Hag's face is filled with worry, while Guardiola is brimming with excitement.

"Press! Get up there and press!"

"Bernardo, get up there and steal it!"

A simultaneous double-team by B-Silva and Jesus!

Rodri prepares to pass back to Smalling, but Gundogan, who suddenly sprinted up, snatches the ball away.

"Oh shit!"

Gundogan dribbles straight toward the penalty area, followed immediately by a shot that flies high over the bar.

"Phew..."

Fortunately, it didn't go in, but the Manchester United players now urgently need to adjust.

Because judging by the situation on the pitch, it seems Guardiola has found a way to deal with Manchester United.

Bang!

Rodri collides with Sterling, successfully winning the ball back.

"Quick, quick!"

He immediately looks for Tang Ye, but since Tang Ye's position is covered, Rodri can only send a through ball to Rashford first.

The pass is incredibly accurate!

"Wow!!!"

Rashford drives straight forward with the ball.

Of course, when Rodri made the pass, he failed to consider one issue: Mancheng's right-back, Kyle Walker, is also a speedster.

Walker places his hand on Rashford's shoulder; the two run side-by-side for over 20 meters, but in the end, Rashford still fails to create a one-on-one opportunity.

That is quite helpless.

"Here!"

Temporarily finding an open space, Tang Ye successfully controls the ball.

He receives the ball, turns, and faces the right flank.

"Oh, is Tang Ye about to make a move..."

Snap!

【De Bruyne Standard Long Pass Lv6: Not Ashamed to Ask Inferiors】

Proficiency: 0

In the camera view, the pass flies out, precisely finding Dembélé at the bottom of the right flank.

"Was that ball offside? It seems there's a suspicion of offside."

"But the referee didn't blow the whistle immediately; Dembélé dribbles and cuts inside."

Alternating between left and right feet to control the ball, Dembélé seizes the opportunity to nutmeg the defender.

"Wow!!!"

Cutting directly inside!

That was a bit too handsome; look at this move by Dembélé.

He adjusts his center of gravity.

Snap!

With his left foot, he curls a shot, aiming for the left post!

Snap!

The ball bounced once inside the small penalty area, rebounded, and flew into the goal.

Goal!

Dembélé, a display of pure individual ability!

But there's no need to rush celebrating this goal, as we must check whether Dembélé was offside at the moment of the pass.

"Replay..."

"No offside, no offside; this is a goal!"

"Ousmane Dembélé!"

"1:1, Manchester United have equalized!"

A very timely goal; Dembélé stepped up when his team needed him most!

"Beautiful, Ousmane!"

Tang Ye collided with Dembélé.

"Come on, come on!"

"Come on!"

That's how football is; sometimes all it takes is one goal to shift the momentum.

Thanks to Dembélé's goal, Manchester United controlled the advantage over the next few minutes of play.

"Tang Ye..."

"Shoot directly!"

A direct free kick from Tang Ye.

The angle was perfect, yet Ederson managed to parry it away.

"Damn!"

Biting his shirt, Tang Ye's entire face turned red.

He saved even that?

"Hmm, Ederson, what a magnificent save!"

The camera focused on Tang Ye on the pitch, while boos rained down from the Mancheng fans in the stands.

Such is the fate of fame; opposing fans will boo you at every opportunity.

Tang Ye and Rodri exchanged a high-five.

Check Dongqiu Di halftime report: In the first half of the Manchester derby, both sides drew 1:1, with Sterling and Dembélé scoring in succession.

"Hurry, hurry!"

As soon as the match ended, the Mancheng coaching staff urged the players to return quickly to the locker room.

Guardiola had already vanished; unsurprisingly, the Manchester United head coach was now in the locker room adjusting the tactical board.

Mancheng is under immense pressure; look at Manchester United's side.

Manchester United is in much the same situation; there is hardly any communication among the twenty-plus players on the field.

(End of Chapter)