Chapter 604: The Two of Us Are Truly Strong!

"Our Manchester United is invincible!"

"Germany cannot beat China; go Tang Tang Qiuwang!"

"Not bad, a strong lineup, just no coach."

"The Benevolent Are Invincible vs. Telepathy."

By this point, the nature of the Champions League semi-final had already undergone some changes.

Originally, it was merely a contest between Bayern and Manchester United, but now it had been forcibly turned into an ultimate PK between ninjas and espers.

So, who is more powerful: ninjas or espers?

Foreigners might not know, but for Chinese people who enjoy reading web novels, this question is truly simple.

It must be that telepathy is superior!

"This should be the strongest opponent we've faced in this season's Champions League."

In the away team's locker room, Tang Ye was conducting the final pre-match mobilization with his teammates: "During the video conference, Mr. Eric said we must handle their wings well, because their wing players run very fast."

"High press."

Rodri whispered quietly beside Tang Ye's ear.

"Oh, right, and their high pressing; they will likely come to steal the ball from us. The handling method remains the same as before: before moving in the backfield, you must first observe the opponents' positions. Don't just look at your teammates' positions; looking only at your teammates is not enough!"

The locker room was very quiet; Rodri and McLaren stood on Tang Ye's left and right respectively, like the two guardians flanking a teacher's podium.

Just as Tang Ye said, Bayern would be the strongest opponent they had encountered in this season's Champions League, bar none, so in this match Manchester United must display their best form; otherwise, elimination would be all that awaited them.

"Come on, two matches left!"

Tang Ye signaled for everyone to extend their hands.

McLaren placed his hand on top, and Tang Ye placed his hand over McLaren's.

"Three, two, one!"

"United!"

"Roar!!!"

Baidu Hot Search.

No. 1: Bayern vs. Manchester United.

No. 2: Tang Ye battles a German team again.

"China Central Television! Here is the live broadcast of the 2019-20 Champions League semi-final match between Bayern and Manchester United."

"The venue for this match is once again the Estádio da Luz in Lisbon!"

The camera cut to Tang Ye on the field communicating with his teammates, focusing on the captain's armband on the Manchester United midfielder's arm, then shifting to McLaren sitting on the substitutes' bench as the second interim head coach.

"Because Manchester United's head coach and tactical coach have both contracted COVID-19, in-game command for this match is being conducted by McLaren; reporters have revealed that in-game command authority might be handed over to Tang Ye, though this news has not yet been confirmed."

As the match was about to begin, the director switched the camera to the VIP box at the very top, where the huge box seated only one person.

Although wearing a mask, for CCTV, judging this person's identity was truly simple.

【Eric Ten Hag】

【Manchester United Club Head Coach】

A few days ago it was severe, but now he has improved considerably; Ten Hag is now able to supervise the battle on-site!

"Alright, the match has begun! Now I will introduce the starting lineups for both sides in this match!"

"First, the home team, Bayern!"

Bayern (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Neuer

Defenders: Alphonso Davies, Alaba, Jerome Jerome Boateng, Kimmich

Midfielders: Thiago, Thomas Müller, Goretzka

Forwards: Kingsley Coman, Lewandowski, Gnabry

Head Coach: Flick

Like Manchester United, Bayern also plays a 4-2-3-1 formation, and the visual impression of their starting lineup on paper is indeed quite good.

Coman, Gnabry, Lewy, and Müller—these four Bayern forwards are all top-tier players through and through, containing not a drop of watered-down quality.

The commentators and the live-stream audience analyzed.

Bayern's tactical characteristics this season are very distinct: wing explosions combined with front-court pressing.

The reason Bayern possesses such a tactical system is mainly because the characteristics of their players in every position are very pronounced.

Furthermore, wing explosions and front-court pressing are exactly what Manchester United fears.

"In terms of paper strength, Manchester United is slightly stronger than Bayern."

"Correct, but if we conduct a comprehensive analysis, the chances of victory for both sides are actually about the same."

"Mm, yes."

The match began with Manchester United kicking off.

When the ball was stolen by Bayern, fans in front of their televisions quickly saw Bayern's tactic in action.

Slap!

Jerome Jerome Boateng sent a long kick forward, giving possession to Coman who charged out on the wing.

A familiar feeling!

This was the Midfield Leap studied by Escrivá!

Coman jumped to stop the ball!

De Jong and Dembélé quickly closed in; Coman performed a few simple feints on the spot, then suddenly kicked the ball toward the baseline, pushing off with both feet and sprinting straight out.

"Koeman's going to use his pace!"

"Mm, I think Manchester United's defence needs to be careful here—after all, pace isn't the easiest thing to deal with…"

Koeman used his speed to blow past De Jong and reached the byline, coming up against Wan-Bissaka.

When Wan-Bissaka is defending Koeman, Manchester United fans can rest easy—after all, beating Wan-Bissaka one-on-one is absolutely no easy feat.

Just as expected, Koeman's attempt to dribble past was useless against Wan-Bissaka.

"Here!"

A teammate came up to offer support, and Koeman passed back to Davies.

Davies to Thiago!

*Snap! *

A through ball pushed toward the byline; Koeman sprinted over to take control, but unfortunately the subsequent cross wasn't accurate.

"Hey, Bayern have clearly done their homework on Manchester United."

"Exactly. Wan-Bissaka is a player you can completely trust in a one-on-one, but once attacking players start combining, things get a bit dicey."

"Mm."

When there are too many attacking players, Wan-Bissaka's brain can't keep up—and Bayern seized on exactly that key point.

"Stay calm, stay calm, it's fine!"

Tang Ye waved to his backline teammates: "Think before you move and pass—keep your focus!"

Tang Ye slapped his own head, reminding his teammates to use their brains when playing.

"Mia san mia! (We are who we are!)"

*Thump thump! *

"Mia san mia!"

*Thump thump! *

There were only a sparse number of fans in the stands, but each of them was expressing their support for the home side in their own way.

Time slowly ticked to the 10th minute of the first half.

The current possession stats…

Mm, unsurprisingly Bayern's possession was higher than Manchester United's—quite a bit higher, in fact.

*Thump! *

Luke Shaw completed a tackle on Müller out wide and sent a low cross straight to Tang Ye up front.

Nice!

Tang Ye took the ball very comfortably and quickly began his work.

Drag-back and turn!

Thiago tried to press up tight on Tang Ye, but he was a bit too reckless.

Tang Ye's composure gave him the upper hand in the exchange—a gentle touch with his left foot nutmegged the defender clean.

"Lovely!"

"Tang Ye!"

A great opportunity—Tang Ye, who had already taken in the scene, of course didn't hesitate.

His shoulder was grabbed by Thiago, but Tang Ye still delivered his pass.

*Snap! *

A low through ball from Tang Ye rolled past Jerome Jerome Boateng's feet and found Rashford with pinpoint accuracy.

Rashford has the ball!

"One-on-one with the keeper—it's a one-on-one!"

"Rashford!"

"Let's see how Rashford handles it!"

Rashford drove the ball forward at pace; goalkeeper Neuer had already come out.