Chapter 581: Is Dembélé's Peak 1.5 Billion? Manchester United Away After the Rainstorm

Match Preview: In Round 26, Chelsea hosts Manchester United at Stamford Bridge; can the Blues take points from the undefeated Red Devils?

Chelsea and Manchester United have already faced each other once this season, but the circumstances of that match differed slightly from the current situation, rendering it of little reference value.

The last time Chelsea played Manchester United, they did not have Kanté, but Manchester United had Rodri.

This time it is the reverse: Chelsea has Kanté, while Manchester United lacks Rodri.

Chelsea fan clubs across various regions issued posters inviting gatherings to watch the match, captioned: "The dynamics of offense and defense have shifted!"

To be honest, this was indeed a bit too arrogant, so arrogant that even some neutral fans chose to side with Manchester United.

Chelsea's starting lineup was already significantly inferior to Manchester United's, and this gap widened even further after Hazard's departure.

The Sun: ty reposted Transfermarkt news with the caption: "2.4."

It was not just Chelsea; ggbond, whose market value had skyrocketed to 240 million euros, was also acting very arrogantly.

Many fans claim that market value is merely a label and that true connoisseurs of football, whether fans or players, do not pay attention to such things.

This is, of course, false; players themselves care most about their own market value, just as they care about their FIFA ratings.

In its latest issue, the London Business Journal specifically wrote about this update in transfer market values, mentioning Tang Ye in the process.

"ty and Messi are the biggest beneficiaries of inflation; based on the 2016 situation, ty should be valued at 180 million euros, Messi should be adjusted to 90 million euros, and furthermore, Mbappé's 200 million euros is also incorrect."

Among all the newspapers, the London Business Journal was the most brilliant, being the only one to analyze the transfer market simultaneously from the perspectives of gold-heavy football and inflation.

Of course, this newspaper was quickly roasted.

It is one thing to specifically attack one or two players, but targeting Tang Ye, Messi, and Mbappé like this nearly angered half of all football fans.

"You are also a beneficiary of inflation, Ousmane."

On the training ground, Tang Ye and Dembélé were laughing and joking together.

The weather was simply too cold, so Tang Ye wore a pair of gloves.

These gloves did not come from Martial but were prepared for Tang Ye by Dembélé.

In fact, Dembélé also had a habit of wearing gloves.

"How did I benefit? I am only worth 120 million."

Dembélé ran his hand through his hair and was quickly zapped by static electricity.

Wow!

"Didn't your value rise too? That is inflation; we have all risen."

"That is different, that is not the same."

Although Dembélé did not possess a particularly strong competitive spirit, he had, after all, experienced glory in the past.

Boasting to friends about one's glorious experiences is something everyone enjoys doing.

"Back when I was at Dortmund, you watched my matches."

Dembélé began to jog slowly, staying close beside Tang Ye: "Do you know what people said about me back then? Many people online were saying..."

"That you run very fast?"

"No, they said that any team seeing me would want to buy me for 150 million."

Dembélé repeated the comments made by fans online at the time.

"Hahaha!"

The laughter came from Tang Ye and De Jong.

"150 million? When you were at Dortmund? As I recall, your transfer fee to Barcelona was not even 150 million."

De Jong knew this matter relatively well because he had once been a Barcelona player himself.

"It was market value, not the transfer fee; a 150 million market value resulted in a 120 million transfer."

Tang Ye reminded him: "When you were at Dortmund, I was still playing at Villarreal; we never played against each other, so I do not know how skilled you were."

"You two knew each other back then?"

De Jong widened his eyes, then realized: "Oh, it was at the Golden Boy award ceremony."

"No, no, we knew each other before the award ceremony."

Tang Ye and Dembélé waved their hands together: "I knew Rod when I went to Villarreal, and a few months later I met Ousmane; we played games together online first, and only then met in person."

"Oh, so you were online friends."

De Jong suddenly understood, never expecting that two players from the top five leagues would have met in such a manner.

"No, not online friends."

Dembélé ran backwards and punched Tang Ye's arm: "It is 150 million and 240 million."

"You are 120 million!"

Tang Ye shouted: "Don't get it wrong!"

"150 million is the real me; I only dropped in value because of my injury; 120 million is fake!"

"Okay, okay, Ousmane, so you are worth 150 million, which makes me worth 300 million; I have always been twice your value."

"Screw you!"

Dembélé pushed hard, successfully shoving Tang Ye away.

"Hahaha!"

Tang Ye quickly ran back: "So 150 million is the real you; can you return to your peak, Ousmane? The Dragon King returns."

"Of course I can; by the end of this season I will be worth 150 million, but..."

Dembélé looked into Tang Ye's eyes: "What is 'the Dragon King returns'? Are you not the dragon, the Chinese Dragon?"

"Oh, that is something from our place; I forgot."

Tang Ye realized: "I saw it while browsing a video website; anyway, it is about a very powerful person suffering all kinds of humiliation, you know, immense, immense humiliation, and then he gets angry, and after getting angry he displays his true strength, shocking everyone."

"Mm."

De Rong looked surprised, while Dembélé's eyes lit up: "Then his situation is very similar to mine. Wait for my return as the Dragon King, Tom."

Dembélé punched Tang Ye's arm: "It's a dragon worth 150 million."

"Don't forget!"

"Okay, okay, I'll be waiting."

……

Sky Sports commentator Jansen: I believe Chelsea can choose to forfeit the match against Manchester United; for them, this is the most cost-effective approach.

After finishing his praise of Tang Ye, Jansen began praising Manchester United, and the best way to praise Manchester United was to endlessly belittle their opponents.

It was an extremely arrogant move, which quickly drew ridicule from a colleague: "Because you're missing Rodri, you've already started panicking."

"No!"

"Chelsea cannot beat Manchester United, one hundred percent."

Jansen firmly believed in Manchester United's strength, a view shared by the majority of Premier League fans.

Seventy-two percent of Premier League fans believed Manchester United would defeat Chelsea, nineteen percent thought the match would end in a draw, and the remainder believed Chelsea could win.

However, to be honest, the composition of those who believed Chelsea could win was quite complex, including a large number of Tang Ye haters, so it was difficult to judge the fans' true thoughts based on this.

London!

Stamford Bridge Stadium!

Clap, clap, clap, clap!

"Damn, damn!"

Tang Ye and several teammates got off the bus, rushing into the stadium through the rain.

Splash!

Dembélé stomped on a puddle with his foot, sending water jumping up to splash onto Tang Ye: "Haha."

At this moment, there were still a few hours before kickoff, but the super storm in London made this match interesting.

Standing in the tunnel, the rainwater on his body made Tang Ye feel cold.

The temperature was only in the single digits, and with the wind, the rain hitting his body felt icy, very icy.

"I feel like today's match is going to be delayed."

The rain, driven by the wind, blew about two to three meters into the doorway; worried that a sudden gust might blow the rain further inside, Tang Ye hid behind Rashford and Allé.

"Probably delayed by half an hour; we'll warm up half an hour later."

"What if the rain stops directly, and then we warm up half an hour late, going straight onto the pitch without a proper warm-up?"

Fan Fan Dejiahe crossed his arms over his chest, his expression serious: "The weather forecast says this rain will last at most one hour."

"I feel like the weather forecasts here have never been accurate."

Tang Ye muttered a complaint, then walked toward the locker room with his teammates.

……

On-site reporter: Due to strong winds and torrential rain, the match between Chelsea and Manchester United has been postponed by one hour.

According to feedback from on-site reporters, players from both teams are waiting in the locker rooms. Although the weather is very cold, they are all ready.

Hot discussion on Check Dongqiu Di: Super heavy rain versus the Rain Battle Mythical God! Tang Ye has never lost a single match played in the rain throughout his career.

【"Not a single loss? That's a bit heaven-defying."】

【"In rain battles, watch for long passes; as for who excels at long passes, I don't need to say more, right?"】

【"Fun fact: It's 3 degrees in London today; this wind could freeze my Ball King solid."】

【"Skill: Rain-Induced Blindness. Effect: Players' vision on the field is obstructed, except for Tang Ye."】

【"Don't act cool before the match, bros; this rain won't last long."】

There was a slight delay when the on-site news reached Chinese fans; in reality, the rain had already lessened significantly, at least near Stamford Bridge Stadium.

Now, the main task was waiting for the staff to clear the accumulated water completely.

Because they had professional equipment, clearing the standing water was actually a very fast process, taking at most twenty minutes to complete.

However, the match was still postponed by one hour, mainly because today was Chelsea's home game.

The coach had said that the standing water must be cleaned as thoroughly as possible; even a single drop of water on the grass would be an advantage for Manchester United.

Before becoming the manager of the Blues, Lampard used to play as a midfielder.

"Don't rush; these conditions are too favorable for them. Drag out the time a bit; we'll play only after the rain stops completely."

Lampard and the assistant coach emphasized this, while the assistant coach was responsible for communicating with the stadium staff.

……

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

"Due to the heavy rain, this match was forced to be postponed by a full hour; currently, the pitch and players from both teams are in a state of readiness."

"As you can see, there is still obvious light rain at the scene, but rain of this intensity will not have too much impact on the match."

Beep!!!!

Chelsea (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: Caballero

Defenders: Reece James, Christensen, Rüdiger, Azpilicueta

Midfielders: Kanté, Jorginho, Kovačić; Forwards: Pedro, Batshuayi, Willian

Head Coach: Lampard

Chelsea's starting lineup was clearly not as luxurious as Manchester United's; the midfield was acceptable, but honestly, among the forwards, only Willian was noteworthy.

But it didn't matter!

Chelsea's psychological pressure in this match isn't great, since they haven't beaten Manchester United in recent seasons; losing another game would be normal.

But on Manchester United's side, it's different; their situation is far more complex.

With Liwupu ready to bite at their heels from behind, Manchester United must secure victory in every match as much as possible.

Rashford drives with the ball, charging at Reece James!

His speed didn't pick up immediately, so trying to dribble past directly is indeed somewhat difficult.

But it doesn't matter; as long as Rashford doesn't force his way through, James can't take the ball either.

Pass back to Luke Shaw!

Luke Shaw...

He handles it very calmly; after receiving the ball, he immediately drives toward the center. Luke Shaw seems prepared to pose as an attacking midfielder to launch an offense.

He keeps running until he encounters Kante!

Slap!

Passes to Tang Ye in the center.

Upon receiving the ball, Tang Ye's first instinct is to turn and find Dembele.

Slap!

He sends the ball straight over!

Dembele!

Swish swish swish!

Dembele drives Azpilicueta toward the center; his speed is quite fast.

But there's one difference compared to Azpilicueta: Dembele possesses an incredibly exaggerated footwork frequency, giving him a huge advantage when dribbling past opponents to advance.

"Dribbling back and forth with both feet!"

"Dembele!"

"He's entered the penalty area himself!"

Pretending to curl a shot, he actually passes back into Tang Ye's hands; at this moment, Tang Ye also makes his choice.

Bang!

Using the inside of his foot, he delivers a through-ball; the leather ball slips under Lu Lu Dige's feet, precisely reaching Dembele, who has inserted into the penalty area.

Here it comes!

Raising both hands, Dembele gently pushes a shot with his left foot.

A push-shot toward the left post; although not an absolute dead corner, it was indeed kicked quite well.

At the very least, the goalkeeper couldn't reach it!

Goal!

A goal by Ousmane Dembele!

It's only the 5th minute of the first half, and the Chelsea fans in the stands are completely dumbfounded.

And Dembele has already run out.

Thinking of something, he specifically turns his head to look in Tang Ye's direction: "Hey Tom!"

"Let's go!"

3, 2, 1!

Bang!

Tang Ye and Dembele both drop to their knees, sliding simultaneously.

Both have three stripes; 3 plus 3 equals 6!

Unfortunately, however, the grass is very wet today, so the tracks they leave won't be very obvious.

Dembele and Tang Ye put their arms around each other's shoulders, and Tang Ye directly pushes Dembele onto the advertising boards.

"Oh!!"

"Xuuuu!!!"

These boos aren't directed at the Manchester United players, but are sent to Lampard.

Even though you're a Chelsea legend, buddy, isn't this 0-1 coming a bit too fast?

"I think Chelsea needs to seriously consider how to play next, because it's clearly visible that Chelsea struggles immensely when facing this kind of attack from Manchester United."

Liwupu could go toe-to-toe with Manchester United back then because they had made sufficient preparations.

But in this match, at least from what we've seen so far, Chelsea's preparations seem somewhat inadequate?

Could it be just as Jensen said: considering cost-performance ratio comprehensively, has Chelsea already given up on this match?

However, this thought is quickly proven wrong.

The match has only just reached the 16th minute, and Giroud is warming up in front of the home team's substitute bench, indicating that the Blues are actually under considerable pressure now.

"Blue is the colour, football is the game!"

"We're all together, and winning is our aim!"

"So cheer us on through the sun and rain!"

"Chelsea!"

Bang bang!

"Chelsea!"

Bang bang bang!

The fans' momentum is maxed out; the CCTV footage shows many fans in the lower stands wearing raincoats, as there are no buildings above to shield them from the rain.

Of course, many people aren't wearing raincoats either, because the rain truly isn't heavy enough to warrant avoiding it.

Batshuayi received a long pass from the backfield and decisively stopped the ball dead!

"Push up!"

The Chelsea players were communicating; Tang Ye wasn't idle either, running straight toward Kovačić.

Boom!

Batshuayi cut the ball back, targeting Kovačić in the deeper position.

Tang Ye prepared to intercept, suddenly extending his foot.

But at that very moment, an accident occurred: Tang Ye slipped underfoot and dropped straight to his knees.

"Oh!"

!!!

"Quick, quick!"

"Pass, pass!"

The fans knew this was an opportunity, and of course, the players on the pitch knew it too.

After reacting, Kovačić immediately adjusted his positioning, playing the pass out before Tang Ye could get back up.

He found Willian up front!

Making a forward run to receive, Willian moved toward the center immediately after controlling the ball, preparing to cut inside, but was quickly marked by Wan-Bissaka.

First blocking the position, Wan-Bissaka waited for his chance.

Boom!

The tackle was made; Wan-Bissaka successfully broke up Chelsea's attack.

"Beautiful tackle, Wan-Bissaka!"

Wan-Bissaka's tackle gave his teammates enough time to track back; it was quite crucial.

"Hey, regarding this player Wan-Bissaka, although his attacking and supporting defensive abilities aren't great, his one-on-one defending truly leaves no room for criticism..."

It's hard to imagine what level of strength this player could reach if TY were willing to share some of his intelligence with Wan-Bissaka.

"Hey!"

The throw-in was taken, directed to Jorginho.

Jorginho passed it again to Kanté!

Boom!

Kanté struck the ball directly for a shot, but it was blocked by Tang Ye, who rushed up to intercept.

The ball flew out; at the second-ball position, Luke Shaw and Willian battled for possession.

Willian was slightly faster with his movement, successfully gaining control of the ball!

Slap!

A long pass lofted into the penalty area.

De Ligt!

Boom!

A timely clearance by the Manchester United defender!

The counterattack began!

"..."

Twenty minutes into the match, the home side's situation was extremely passive.

When Manchester United attacked, Chelsea faced immense pressure.

Yet when Chelsea attacked, they struggled to form an effective threat against Manchester United.

Hmm...

After some thought, Lampard arrived at an answer.

With Rodri absent, Chelsea must now attack through the center!

The double pivot formed by De Jong and McTominay, though also valued at over a hundred million, wouldn't be too complicated to deal with.

Since McTominay lacks Rodri's superior distribution ability, there was no need to worry too much about being caught on the counter.

Kanté dribbled wildly for twenty meters, then suddenly played a low through-ball.

A twenty-meter through-ball, aimed directly at Batshuayi at the very front!

Batshuayi took control of the ball!

"Wow!!!!"

A chance for Chelsea!

Batshuayi pushed the ball to Willian on the left flank!

Changing the rhythm, Willian dribbled toward the center.

Slap!

With a light touch, he played a through-ball forward to Kovačić.

It was handed over to Kovačić!

Boom!

A powerful shot was unleashed, but De Gea pushed it away.

"Calm down!"

"Don't just shoot recklessly!"

"Fuck you!"

Constantly suppressed by the opponent, the home fans seemed to be getting a bit anxious.

Chelsea's corner kick...

Slap!

The cross comes out, finding Azpilicueta at the very front.

Slap!

Azpilicueta heads the ball into the penalty area; from the far post, Pedro suddenly rushes up and pokes it into the net to score.

"Goal!"

"A goal for Chelsea!"

"But, hey..."

The ball did go in, no mistake, but whether this goal counts is another matter.

"Beep beep beep beep!!!"

The Chelsea fans were urging for the score to be updated, while the big screen at the venue replayed the footage of that goal.

At the exact moment Azpilicueta made the pass, a yellow line was drawn inside Manchester United's six-yard box.

Pedro was offside!

"Offside!"

"It's an offside goal!"

Having finally managed to score, only for the result to be ruled invalid due to offside, the Blue Army players on the field were heartbroken.

Check Dongqiu Di live match report: Azpilicueta heads the ball across, Pedro scores but the goal is disallowed for offside.

(End of Chapter)