Chapter 623: Chelsea's Excellence, Dortmund's Uncertain Tactics

Match Preview: In the first round of the Champions League group stage, Dortmund travels to Stamford Bridge, where Tang Ye faces the Blues once again.

Front-page headline of "France Football"—The 2020 Ballon d'Or selection is canceled.

"The pandemic caused some European leagues to halt early (such as Ligue 1), and some players were severely affected by the epidemic; after comprehensive consideration, the committee decided to cancel the 2020 Ballon d'Or selection, rendering the original list of 30 nominees void," the original text comes from "France Football."

Related news immediately topped the trending searches, with fans in China and the UK discussing this story more than anywhere else.

Tang Ye's odds for winning this year's Ballon d'Or have surged to 1:1.2, with only Lewandowski and Rodri posing any threat to him.

Objectively speaking, Tang Ye winning consecutive Ballons d'Or was a sure thing, so this sudden suspension of this year's selection is utterly infuriating.

【That's just how the French are; they can't get anything done.】

【I remember voting had already started, right? Where is my list of 30 nominees?】

【Nominees my foot; what significance does this year's nominee list hold? Even Lewandowski and Rodri combined couldn't beat Tang Ye.】

【It doesn't matter anyway; even an idiot knows who this year's Ballon d'Or belongs to, so whether he wins it or not is irrelevant.】

【Messi and Ronaldo fans: This year's Ballon d'Or should indeed be suspended!】

Because rumors had circulated long before, the official announcement from "France Football" did not spark prolonged discussion among fans.

Manchester United fans and Chinese fans were furious, but they also knew that resisting now would have no effect.

"Actually, I think if the selection was going to be canceled, FIFA should have issued the public notice earlier."

Clark, Chairman of the English FA, accepted an interview with ESPN.

"So you believe this year's selection should indeed be canceled?"

A reporter asked.

"No, no, no, of course not. The reason for canceling this year's Ballon d'Or selection is that some leagues like Ligue 1 and the Portuguese Prime League halted early, making it unfair for players with fewer matches, but I think this justification is too far-fetched."

Clark looked at the camera and complained, "Ask those few star players from Ligue 1 to play makeup matches, kick a few more games, score three goals in every match; would they then have a chance to win the Ballon d'Or?"

"Of course they wouldn't have a chance; no matter what, this year's Ballon d'Or belongs to the Premier League. Mbappé and Neymar combined wouldn't garner as many votes as TY. Any idiot knows who this year's Ballon d'Or belongs to, and which league that player comes from."

Clark shrugged his hands: "Canceling the Ballon d'Or selection at a time like this makes it feel utterly meaningless."

While famous legends, newspaper reporters, and football association officials debated the Ballon d'Or, Tang Ye was studying Chelsea's match recordings on his laptop.

The benefit of methylphenidate is that it allows him to calm down while watching videos; during the peak effectiveness of the drug, Tang Ye can even seriously read several pages of a paper novel.

Chelsea has become stronger this season; Kovacic and Reece James, these two full-backs, have performed exceptionally well on both the offensive and defensive ends; if we want to counter this...

【You have received a new mission.】

【Champions League Chain Mission · Phase One】

【Mission Objective: Achieve 3 assists or 3 goals in the Champions League.】

【Current Progress: Goals (0/3) / Assists (0/3)】

The sudden disturbance interrupted Tang Ye's train of thought.

The new season has begun, and thus new missions have arrived.

Last season, Tang Ye completed the entire chain mission; it remains to be seen how far he can go this season.

Time advances to the day of the Champions League match.

Today, many Manchester United fans took buses on an away trip to London to watch the game.

Of course, they were not there to watch Dortmund versus Chelsea; they came to watch Tang Ye.

Tang Ye belongs to Manchester United, not Dortmund.

The pandemic situation in England is much more severe than in Germany, but it doesn't matter, because England has achieved herd immunity.

Cowardly people cannot watch football matches.

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

"The match has begun!"

"Today marks the first Champions League encounter between Dortmund and Chelsea this season; although they finished only fourth in the Premier League last season, Chelsea's standing in this season's Premier League can be described as extremely impressive!"

Currently, Chelsea ranks second in the league, trailing first-place Manchester United by only one goal difference, indicating their form is incredibly good.

On Dortmund's side, they are no slouch either; the addition of powerful new signings has elevated this German team's strength to another level.

With all buffs stacked, this match is full of highlights.

Chelsea (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: Édouard Mendy

Defenders: Chilwell, Thiago Silva, Zouma, Azpilicueta

Midfielders: Mount, Jorginho, Kovacic

Forwards: Werner, Abraham, Odoi

Head Coach: Lampard

Chelsea made a strategic move; the starting lineup did not deploy all main players, and the new rule allowing five substitutions led Lampard to decide to test Dortmund's depth first.

"Up front, move up, move up!"

Tang Ye signaled Pogba to hurry forward.

Once Pogba reached the suitable position, Tang Ye instructed him to draw the defending players away.

Snap! Snap!

Coordinating to create space, Tang Ye then decisively passed the ball out.

The one receiving the ball is Thorgan Hazard on the left!

"Wow!!"

"Stop him, stop him!"

Fans in the stands shouted loudly, signaling Kovacic to slide-tackle Thorgan.

However, Kovačić played more conservatively, and the Blues' full-back chose to let Sørensen go all the way to the baseline.

"Kovačić's one-on-one defending ability is quite outstanding; let's see how Dortmund plans to handle this."

At this moment, Tang Ye was in the center, signaling with his hand for Bellingham to go to the baseline to receive support.

Just as Bellingham was preparing to cut inside from the baseline, Tang Ye suddenly ran over.

"Come!"

Bellingham and Tang Ye executed a crossing run.

Tang Ye arrived at the left-side baseline.

"Inside!"

Snap!

【De Bruyne's Low Cross lv5: Replica (Transcendent State)】

Proficiency: 3145/3500

It was a very powerful cross that smashed into the edge of the penalty area, bounced up, and landed in front of Haaland.

"Fuck!"

Mendy shouted out; at that moment, he had already realized the situation was dire.

Haaland lowered his head, struck it down with a sudden header, and easily scored.

"Roar!!!"

With a roar, Haaland charged straight out of the penalty area.

The 17th minute of the match.

Dortmund's goal!

From the striker Erling Haaland!

"Vamos!"

Escrivá fiercely thrust his fist forward.

Haaland does not possess exceptional heading ability, but Tang Ye's precise control of the pass perfectly compensated for this.

"Jesue..."

Lampard's expression was not good; immediately after conceding the goal, he signaled for Kanté and Reece James on the bench to warm up.

Lampard wanted to first test Dortmund's depth; this was a very wrong move.

"Nice, nice!"

Tang Ye and Haaland embraced; the latter immediately lifted Tang Ye in front of him: "Bravo, Tom!"

"Haha."

He originally wanted his teammates to calm down a bit, but Haaland's action immersed Tang Ye in the joy of the celebration.

"..."

"Chelsea doesn't seem to have brought out their full strength today..."

"Mm, yes. Premier League fans should be able to feel it; Chelsea's league performance this season has been better than today's Champions League match."

"Here it comes... Jorginho!"

"Oh! A very beautiful long pass, switching play to Werner on the weak side!"

Werner received the ball in Dortmund's half.

For some reason, when Werner took possession, there was only one defender beside him.

Dribbling diagonally forward, he moved toward the top of the arc!

Pogba prepared to go defend, and the defenders inside the penalty area also came out.

"Don't go!"

Tang Ye shouted.

But it was already too late.

Werner was actually just a decoy; after drawing the defenders to the center, he passed the ball to Chilwell, who had just moved up behind.

Dodging the defender, Chilwell delivered the pass.

Snap!

It was a low cross to the baseline, precisely delivered to the back post, where Odoi raised his foot for a volley.