Chapter 588: Osimhen Ends the Template! European Leagues Halt Before Suspension

Manchester United Official: We are the champions!

Manchester United Official pinned a post on social media, featuring a group photo of all the players and head coach Ten Hag, with the EFL Cup trophy naturally placed in the center.

Winning the championship is joyful, but to be honest, for greedy Manchester United fans and players, the EFL Cup can only be described as a condiment.

If you want to achieve true satisfaction, this is merely the beginning.

"Happy birthday to you~"

"Happy birthday to you~"

"..."

Clap clap clap clap!!!

"Happy birthday! Tom!"

The players celebrated Tang Ye's 21st birthday on the training ground.

"Haha, thank you!"

Tang Ye hugged Dembélé and Rashford one after another, and of course, Ten Hag as well.

Starting today, he is 21 years old; for ordinary adults, this means growing a year older, but for professional footballers, it means stepping closer to their peak.

Many people believe that 18 is the peak of human physical fitness, but in reality, this is incorrect.

At least for professional players, it is incorrect, because under high-intensity training, most players' physical fitness continues to improve until they stop at 25 or 26 years old.

This is also the reason for Tang Ye's exaggerated market value, as the Manchester United midfielder still has some distance to go before reaching his physical peak.

"Phew..."

Tang Ye breathed a puff of air into his hands, and white mist slowly dispersed.

Looking up at the sky, it seemed that due to the extremely cold weather, not even a single bird could be seen above the training ground.

21 years old...

Growing up so fast...

"Hey Tom, what are you doing!"

Dembélé pushed Tang Ye, snapping him out of his wandering thoughts: "Aren't you going to get that problem treated? (Referring to ADHD)"

"It's hard to deal with, and besides, mine isn't very severe; it was mostly cured when I was a child."

Tang Ye pushed Dembélé back in return.

"Oh! Haha, but you look very severe; I feel like after you're cured, you'll be even better at playing games."

"You're terrible, Ousmane!"

Tang Ye spread his hands: "Why was the first thing you thought of games, and not matches?"

"Oh oh! Haha, I meant matches, football games; football games mean matches."

"..."

Tang Ye shook his head, not believing a word Dembélé said.

L'Équipe – New phase of Ligue 1 player market values updated; Mbappé downgraded to 180 million euros.

"After the latest updates for Ligue 1 and the Primeira Liga market values are complete, TY has become the only player in today's football world with a value reaching 200 million euros, and he holds the world record of 240 million euros."

After the World Cup in 2018 ended, Mbappé's market value once reached its peak, long standing tied for first place with Tang Ye.

But after all, Mbappé plays in Ligue 1, which has low recognition, and his statistics this season are merely average, so his competitiveness in the transfer market cannot be as exaggerated as Tang Ye's.

Why must Mbappé's market value be adjusted down from 200 million to 180 million?

Tang Ye was already at 200 million euros last year, and currently, Mbappé's performance cannot be compared to Tang Ye's from last year.

"..."

Bang!

"Beautiful, Wan-Bissaka!"

A very precise tackle interception; Wan-Bissaka successfully stopped Sterling, who was trying to break through in front of him.

This is already the fifth tackle Wan-Bissaka has made in this Manchester Derby, yet he currently has only one yellow card to his name.

"Although Wan-Bissaka will miss the next match due to accumulated yellow cards, we can see that at least his performance in this match has been flawless."

"With the score at 2:0, does Mancheng still have a chance to catch up?"

Slap!

A pass was sent forward to Haller; Haller stopped in place, waiting for Amrabat to come support.

Manchester United once again executed a passing combination through the center, finally resulting in Rashford breaking through down the flank.

"Fuck! What are you doing!"

Guardiola was extremely dissatisfied with the performance of the players on the field.

Possession play should be Mancheng's strength, yet instead, Mancheng handed over the right of possession to Manchester United; isn't this a surefire way to lose?

Rashford is approaching!

The speed was not fast, and the rhythm was poor; soon, Rashford was intercepted by Cancelo.

Manchester United's attack had failed.

"Actually, Manchester United just needs to stabilize the current score now; I feel there won't be any problems..."

"..."

"Beep, beep beep!!!"

"The match is over! The final score of this match is 2:0! Following the Etihad, Manchester United has defeated Mancheng again at Old Trafford!"

"Mm, yes, when I was commentating with Coach Zhang before, I said that this Manchester United team always displays an incredibly exaggerated competitive state when facing strong teams, and the cooperation between players is also executed better."

Red scarves were still waving in the stands.

Manchester United fans flushed red, celebrating the magnificent achievement of their team's double victory over Mancheng.

"Ole ole ole ole!"

"United! Man United!"

"Red Devil! Undefeated Red Devil! (The Red Devils, the invincible Red Devils)"

The Manchester United players acknowledging the crowd slowly walked to the base of the stands, responding to the fans' chants with applause and waves.

Tang Ye approached the front of the stands, where an elderly man who appeared to be at least seventy years old stood, wearing a Tang Ye fan jersey one size too large.

"Sir."

Tang Ye opened his arms and embraced the old man; in the scene, clear tears slid from the elder's eyes.

……

Premier League Official: Wan-Bissaka named the official Man of the Match for the Manchester United versus Mancheng fixture.

Ten Hag: Rodri has fully recovered, but it will still be some time before he returns to match action; Martial is confirmed unavailable for the Round of 16 clash against Real Madrid.

After the match against Mancheng concluded, the Manchester United players gradually shifted their focus to the upcoming Champions League fixtures.

The curse sounds mystical, but such things are just like that; even when you know they are false, your brain unconsciously chooses to believe them.

Precisely because of this curse, both the Manchester United players and the coaching staff generally regarded the match against Real Madrid as their most important mission of the month.

However, there is no need to rush; before then, Manchester United still has two matches to play: one FA Cup tie and one Premier League league match against Everton.

"The schedule is a bit congested; hmm, indeed very congested, so I have already considered it: for the next two matches, we will rotate our starters, alternating them, thus ensuring we can field our full first team when we face Real Madrid."

These were Ten Hag's exact words.

The Manchester United head coach's meaning was already very clear: the team would slightly lower its focus on the FA Cup, but would not directly abandon this match.

"……"

Tang Ye sat in his seat, typing on his notepad with his hand, writing down the key points Ten Hag had mentioned.

Recently, he had been puzzled by one thing: on his birthday, he had received no mission prompt from the system.

Whether due to winning the Ballon d'Or or having passed the threshold of twenty years of age, he had no seasonal mission this year.

To be honest, it felt somewhat uncomfortable.

But it was still acceptable, because Tang Ye knew that even if there had been a birthday mission, he would only receive the reward after the season ended, which would serve no purpose for the ongoing league and Champions League campaigns.

Oh, right!

Suddenly remembering something, Tang Ye opened the system panel to check the progress of his financial management mission.

【Mission Progress: Assists (3/5)】

He was still two assists short of the Naples Star Treasure Chest.

Two assists in two matches should not pose much difficulty for Tang Ye.

He would be able to obtain a new treasure chest before the match against Real Madrid began!

……

Check Dongqiu Di Match Report: Manchester United lost 0–1 away to Everton in a shocking upset; Allé missed a penalty kick, and substitute Tang Ye failed to save the situation. (Comments: 52,832)

【Everton: Mancheng, speak up!】

【They actually won this; awesome.】

【Allé's header fed me until I was full; couldn't Tang Ye have been brought on twenty minutes earlier?】

【The problem is that putting only Tang Ye on the pitch without any wingers is useless; Dembélé and Rashford were either rested or substituted off; Ten Hag's arrangement has major issues】 【The only team in the entire Premier League to defeat Manchester United; Liwupu should hurry up and take them as masters】

As soon as the final whistle blew, news of Manchester United's league defeat quickly surged to the headlines.

With the league season now at round twenty-nine, this was Manchester United's first loss of the campaign, and the opponent was not even one of the Big Six, truly constituting a massive upset.

What made this interesting was that, besides defeating Manchester United, Everton had also beaten Liwupu once.

The blue team had become the killer of the red teams, taking the practice of robbing the rich to aid the poor to the extreme.

Attached: 2019–2020 Premier League standings (as of the end of round 29):

1. Manchester United, 78 points.

2. Liwupu, 75 points.

3. Mancheng, 63 points.

4. Chelsea, 54 points.

5. Tottenham, 49 points.

……

Manchester Evening News – Ty and Rashford donated food worth a total of £150,000 to local schools in Manchester affected by the epidemic through their foundation.

Sky Sports: Due to the severe epidemic prevention situation, UEFA convened a meeting to discuss matters regarding the temporary suspension of the top five European leagues.

Sporting events across Europe were generally affected, because sports gatherings cause tens of thousands of people to congregate together.

Even if the top five leagues did not voluntarily suspend operations, their respective countries would force them to halt.

According to several media outlets including Sky Sports, The Times, and The Sun, the suspension of the Premier League was almost a certainty.

Then the question arose: when would the suspension occur?

Ten Hag, accepting an interview with reporters: We have not yet received any news regarding a suspension; Manchester United's focus is on dealing with each upcoming match.

……

Check Dongqiu Di Match Report: Manchester United washed Derby County away 6–0, successfully advancing to the FA Cup quarter-finals; Tang Ye provided two assists in forty minutes of play, while Rashford scored a penalty.

"Boooo!!!"

The Manchester United players slowly walking toward the player tunnel were met with boos from the Derby County fans.

Actually, Derby County was quite pitiable; it was a match they only needed to lose gracefully, but they happened to encounter a Manchester United side that was enraged after a recent defeat, and in the end, they were force-fed six goals; De Jong and De Ligt did not even take the field.

"Osman"

Tang Ye and Dembélé clapped hands, the two of them walking together toward the locker room.

Derby County's home ground was somewhat small, so they arrived very quickly.

"Actually, you didn't need to play today."

Dembélé said softly.

"Haven't you heard? We're about to be suspended; hurry up and play a few more matches while you can, otherwise there won't be any games left to play."

Placing a hand on Dembélé's shoulder: "I'm not as fond of slacking off as you are; I'm the diligent type, focused on the match."

"Screw you!"

Dembélé pushed Tang Ye away: "I'm begging you, stop pretending!"

"Haha!"

Derby County was truly not a formidable opponent; the Manchester United players returning to the locker room didn't even discuss this match much.

They chose to focus their attention on the upcoming Champions League match.

And of course, the matter of the suspension!

"Hiss..."

Sitting on the ground, Tang Ye browsed the comment sections on Check Dongqiu Di, Twitter, and other major platforms.

Everyone was discussing the suspension, wanting to know the specific duration.

Would the second leg of the Champions League Round of 16 between Manchester United and Real Madrid actually be played or not?

Tang Ye placed both hands on his head.

He didn't know either!

UEFA Official: The Champions League Round of 16 second legs, Manchester United vs. Real Madrid and Juventus vs. Chelsea, will proceed as scheduled; the Barcelona vs. Inter Milan match is postponed to April 12.

Marca Front Page Headline—The Last Great Battle Before the European Leagues Halt? Real Madrid Players Photographed Departing for England.

All signs pointed to a suspension, yet the match between Manchester United and Real Madrid would still take place as scheduled.

Originally already highly popular, it now carried the added buff of "The Last Battle."

Hmm...

That's just how Manchester United is; no matter when, they always manage to pull traffic to the extreme.

With two days remaining until the official start of the match between Manchester United and Real Madrid, Tang Ye was bathing at home.

Body washed clean, face washed clean.

Everything prepared, and then it was done.

【Mission Progress: Assists (5/5)】

"Phew..."

【You have obtained the Naples Chest·Star】

【You have obtained... the Osimhen Box Finish Template (Star)】

Damn!

Got a scare; nearly misread "Finish" as "Ultimate."

【Ball Control: 90→90】

【Shooting: 83→84】

【Physical Confrontation: 87→87】

Three attributes increased, among which Shooting received a 1-point ability value boost.

So the question arose.

Tang Ye now faced a problem: whether or not to put the newly acquired Box Finish Template into the forge for a random drop.

The Osimhen Box Finish Template was powerful, that much was true.

But Tang Ye was ultimately not a striker!

"Hmm..."

His brain was thinking, because Tang Ye knew this was an issue requiring careful consideration.

Martial had been unable to play for some time, and Alex was a target man, which meant Tang Ye would need to linger frequently near the arc in upcoming matches.

Nevertheless, shooting ability remained quite important.

Chewing gum, Tang Ye made his decision.

Keep it for now!

Match Preview: March 13, 3:00 AM, Champions League Round of 16 Second Leg, Manchester United vs. Real Madrid at Home—The Red Devils' Curse?

Click-clack!

Upon disembarking from the bus at the hotel entrance, Real Madrid manager Zidane accepted an interview with an English reporter.

"Of course I know Manchester United is strong; I've always acknowledged that. But we have made extensive preparations for today's match. No matter how excellently Manchester United performs, we will certainly try to win the game; the Champions League is extremely important to us."

Four days after the match against Manchester United concluded, Real Madrid had a La Liga fixture against Atlético Madrid to play.

But what the reporter didn't know was that Real Madrid had already received internal news: this season's La Liga would halt in a few days.

Real Madrid appeared to be facing pressure from both Manchester United and Atlético Madrid simultaneously.

Actually, not so!

Their match against Atlético Madrid had already been postponed to April!

Click-clack!

"Xuuuu!!!!"

"Real Madrid! Trash! Boooo!!!"

The local Manchester United fans behaved arrogantly; they would never agree with Zidane's words.

Time quickly arrived at the day of the match.

The most anticipated match of 2020 so far would be held at Old Trafford Stadium.

And right at noon local time, the Premier League officials and Ligue 1 officials jointly issued an announcement.

Premier League Officials: The current season's Premier League will be suspended after round 29; round 30 matches are postponed to April 12.

Ligue 1 Officials: The Ligue 1 competition is officially suspended, with an estimated resumption date of April 15.

Okay, it truly is the last match of March!

……

(End of Chapter)