Chapter 627: What to Do When There Are Too Many Attacking Midfielders: Get Tang Ye Some Bodyguards

Halftime report: In the first half of the Ruhr derby, Dortmund leads Schalke 04 by 3:0. Tang Ye contributed one goal and two assists, achieving a 100% goal involvement rate.

【"Why didn't you play like this earlier? Bring Bellingham up front; if he loves making forward runs so much, why the hell is he playing as a defensive midfielder?"】

【"That's just how Saint Ed is; he always realizes things too late. Slow to catch on~ slow to catch on~"】

【"Schalke is absolutely trash this season, damn it; what the hell are those two center-backs doing?"】

【"When will Haaland ever develop his heading ability? A €100 million striker who can't head the ball—can you accept that?"】

"Wow!"

Bang!

Bellingham burst through the locker room door.

The victory in this match completely erased the anger lingering from the game against Chelsea.

Acting as a wingman for Tang Ye might seem like lacking core status, which wouldn't appear beneficial for a young player like Bellingham.

But looking at it from another angle, who were the players acting as wingmen for Tang Ye back at Manchester United?

They were top-tier players like Rodri, Dembélé, and Rashford!

Rodri is the perfect example; originally valued at €30 million, he soared to €150 million by serving as a wingman, ranking second among midfielders globally.

Not bad.

Thinking of this, Bellingham lifted his head slightly, suddenly feeling his future was limitless.

The path to becoming a hundred-million-euro player lay right before his eyes.

Shaking his head, Tang Ye sat down on the bench.

"Hey, do you want some water?"

Pogba handed over a bottle of water, essentially offering an apology for failing to track back in time during the first half.

Tang Ye wanted Pogba to apologize to the entire team, but since he wasn't the captain after all, he didn't do so.

Bang!

They fist-bumped Pogba, exchanging words of encouragement.

"We played very well in the first half; we need to maintain this form."

Reus stood up and addressed the players: "With Jude pushing forward, we might face some defensive issues; remember to track back in time."

"Nothing else to add; let's keep it up in the second half!"

The players raised their hands: "Let's go!"

While the players communicated, coaches Escrivá and Martí were constantly analyzing match footage and data.

The tactical shifts for Dortmund's core strategy in today's match were simply too massive, so much so that the two coaches couldn't provide clear instructions in such a short time.

"Like this."

Escrivá looked at the players: "Focus more on combining with Tom; that's the key."

"..."

Haaland just stared at Escrivá.

Ferran had already said this sentence no fewer than five times.

"Ocipka, pass to Matondo!"

"You can cross it!"

"Matondo, still not passing!"

"Here comes Mascarell!"

Schalke executed a cutback attack; receiving a pass from a teammate, Mascarell took a touch to adjust, created space, and fired a shot.

"Goal!"

"Beautiful! Mascarell!"

"Schalke is very smart! They're exploiting the fact that Dortmund is playing with a single defensive midfielder; as we can see, if the forwards don't track back, Pogba alone in the rear is under immense pressure!"

Although Pogba is also a midfielder valued near the hundred-million-euro mark, his technical characteristics inevitably mean he cannot run around intercepting everywhere like Kanté.

Actually, the defensive midfielders most suitable for Dortmund should be Kanté or Rodri.

But you can't demand that much.

After all, no team's squad is perfect.

Rodri and Kanté each have their strengths, but Pogba has his own merits too.

Launching a counterattack, Pogba dribbled the ball toward the front field.

"Take it!"

Tang Ye signaled for Bellingham to drop back, but upon seeing Pogba's action, he immediately signaled for Bellingham to stay forward.

Facing the defender, Pogba pulled the ball back, executed a skill move to shake him off, and immediately launched a long pass.

Nice!

Pogba's pass was intended for Tang Ye.

The ball flew high, but handling such a pass was far too easy for Tang Ye.

He flicked it with his thigh, and just as the defender rushed in, he pulled the ball back underneath his body.

Snap!

He sent the long pass to Reus inside the penalty area.

Reus squared the ball across to Thorgan on the left.

"Gooooooal!!!"

Goal!

From the backfield to breaking through in the front, Dortmund used only four touches in total.

Pogba played a long pass to Tang Ye, who controlled the ball before launching another long pass to Reus inside the penalty area.

From the replay, the scene looked incredibly strange, like playing marbles; the ball bounced twice on the grass and then bounced straight into the opponent's goal.

The score became 4:1.

At this point, for Schalke to hope for a comeback was pure delusion; with Dortmund playing this game of hopscotch, the eleven defenders on the pitch could only watch helplessly as the ball flew through the air.

"..."

"Beep, beep-beep—!!!"

"The match is over!"

"Alright, as we can see, Schalke was almost completely dominated by Dortmund!"

"Mm, mainly because Dortmund suddenly unveiled something new today, and fortunately, this new thing was the right move, leaving Schalke treated as mere cannon fodder. I think if Dortmund wants to win the Fan Fan Dejia title, Pogba and Haaland are key, and additionally, Bellingham, acting as the wingman, must maintain his best form at all times."

"Hey, Coach Zhan, do you think Dortmund will continue with this tactic?"

"That is certain; as for whether they will also adopt the single defensive midfielder formation against strong teams, we will know in the next match, because Dortmund's next opponent is Juventus!"

Check Dongqiu Di Match Report: Ruhr Derby, Dortmund defeats Schalke 04 4:1 at home; Dortmund's new tactic successfully verified, Bellingham's wingman role initially evident. (98,742 comments)

"Ball-Heil-Hurra! Borussia! (Cheer for football! Borussia Dortmund!)"

"Wir zieh'n vergnügt und froh dahin! (We proceed with joy and gladness!)"

"Schwarz-Gelb ist unsere Tracht! (Black and yellow are our colors!)"

"Borussia!"

"Dortmund!"

The match had already ended, but the Dortmund fans in the Westfalenstand did not cease their celebrations.

"TY!"

"TY!"

Black-and-yellow flags waved rapidly in the stands, emitting a "roar-roar" sound.

【Dortmund's new season has only just begun】

This was the German text written on the flags.

Why say that Dortmund's new season has only just begun?

Because judging by the performance in this match, the respected Escrivá seems to have found the instruction manual for the team.

"Sports Pictorial" Front Page Headline—Winning the Ruhr Derby 4:1, Dortmund Finally Reveals Its Championship Fangs!

Attached: Fan Fan Dejia League Standings for the 2020-21 Season (End of Round 5):