[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-football-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back":3,"chapter-football-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back-football-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back-chapter-72":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Football: At 16, Let Me Retire and Come Back?",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2300042,4499,"Chapter 72: I Will Be Fully Recovered by the Day After Tomorrow at 10 AM (20k words, begging for monthly votes!)","football-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back-chapter-72",72,"\u003Cp>Tang Ye sat on the team’s bus returning to base, silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not just Tang Ye, all the Utrecht players were silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The feeling of a draw is excruciating; honestly, for the players on the pitch, it’s no different from losing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Damn it…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye clenched his teeth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although being injured meant he didn’t have to train, Tang Ye didn’t want to lose his chance to play altogether!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s how people are: once you’ve tasted the thrill of success, you can’t accept failure anymore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For footballers, the feeling of success is hearing fans in the stands chant your name after the match ends.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【At 37, you suffered your first injury since returning from retirement; you must admit, middle-aged players have a higher injury rate than ordinary players, even if you have the bone density of an 18-year-old—this is because your body’s metabolism is far slower than that of younger players!】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【As compensation, your metabolism rate doubles during this injury period】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hmm!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye’s eyes lit up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My metabolism rate doubles?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The system’s description wasn’t clear, but Tang Ye understood most of it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Doubling metabolism meant his recovery speed would become twice as fast as before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For this ankle sprain, team doctor Roosevelt estimated Tang Ye would need a full month to recover.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But with his metabolism accelerated, Tang Ye should be fully recovered in just 15 days!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Phew…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye exhaled deeply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sometimes, being middle-aged is just helpless—you really do need some external help…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wait!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shit, I almost got tricked by this damn system!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wasn’t some middle-aged man!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Dongqiu Di】—Tang Ye brutally fouled and trampled, expected to miss one month; Utrecht forward Nieland destroyed Chinese football?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Utrecht official: Player #99 Tang (yetang) suffered an ankle sprain, expected to miss one month.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Utrecht Evening News front page—Ten Hag believes Tang’s injury has nothing to do with the team’s draw: “Utrecht is on the right path.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the next few days, Tang Ye did not train; the club assigned him only rest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sleep in his dorm, then go to the gym for rehab—that was his entire routine these days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The only thing he could do was buy a 【Azar’s Tarta Sauce Burger】 from the system’s item shop and lie on the therapy bed while a Malaysian therapist massaged him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t that he didn’t want to train—he simply couldn’t train at all right now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After lying in bed for several days, Tang Ye was shocked to find his foot healed incredibly fast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Doubling metabolism sounded insignificant, but the actual effect during injury was unmistakable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He sprained his ankle on the 24th; by the 28th, he could walk normally—even passing with the arch of his foot was no problem.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Tang Ye was cunning—he wouldn’t tell Ten Hag he was ready to train until his body was fully fit for official matches!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the afternoon of the 28th and the afternoon of the 31st, Utrecht played away matches against Roda JC and Twente—two Eredivisie games against mid-table opponents.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The results: one draw, one loss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The draw ended 0-0; the loss was 0-2—meaning Utrecht scored zero goals in both matches!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the matches, Dutch football journalists surrounded Ten Hag in the press room, hurling questions at him; Ten Hag answered them all smoothly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though they lost, Ten Hag’s ability to handle media interviews was unmatched among all 18 Eredivisie coaches.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was effortless for him!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides reporters, Ten Hag was also called to the home of team owner Verhof for a talk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You said we’d finish in the top four by season’s end, even qualify for Champions League or Europa League—but now we’ve gone three games without a win!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Verhof’s expression was tense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had tasted the thrill of a winning streak; naturally, his expectations had risen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, right in the middle of the season, Ten Hag suddenly dropped a massive bomb.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three straight wins without a victory? That’s not the performance of a top-four Eredivisie team!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, Mr. Paul, don’t panic.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten Hag calmed Verhof: “Though we’ve earned only two points in three games, rest assured—we’re still third in the league.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten Hag pulled out a notebook he’d prepared in advance, listing Utrecht’s current record: “Look, sir, from matchday seven onward, we’ve always been in the top four.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“From matchday seven to matchday twenty, we’ve never dropped out of the top four!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Ten Hag’s analysis, Verhof fell silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It really was true!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is just a temporary setback. Every great team must face setbacks before achieving glory.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Verhof nodded; his trust in Ten Hag instantly grew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I knew I didn’t choose wrong!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you, Mr. Paul.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Utrecht Evening News front page—Despite three straight losses, Utrecht’s management still has full trust in Ten Hag; staff have already reduced the pitch grass by 2 cm as Ten Hag requested, believing shorter grass benefits passing training.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten Hag himself was also frustrated by the team’s inability to win.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because in his memory, Utrecht always somehow scored goals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But for some reason, for some reason, Utrecht’s players suddenly couldn’t attack anymore!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten Hag couldn’t accept it—he was under immense pressure!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On February 1st, training resumed; the entire training ground felt heavy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because on February 4th, Utrecht would face PSV Eindhoven away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the Dutch Cup quarterfinal!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Utrecht had to face PSV Eindhoven—the league leaders—after three winless matches and terrible form!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Move! Move!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten Hag clapped his hands; the players doing shuttle runs sped up, syncing with the fitness coach. Van der Gaag walked up from behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Eric, if we play Eindhoven in this state, we’ll lose for sure.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Van der Gaag spoke softly—the players running couldn’t hear him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten Hag turned to Van der Gaag: “For sure? Why?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Van der Gaag pointed at the players sprinting back and forth: “Even ignoring match form, our mindset is already wrong—the players don’t believe they can win.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The contrast between the winning streak and the recent losses created a huge psychological gap among Utrecht’s players—this was extremely hard to fix.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We need to find the root problem: why can’t our attack work?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Van der Gaag’s question was exactly what Ten Hag had been pondering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But these past few days, Ten Hag had been busy dealing with reporters and soothing the team owner—he hadn’t deeply studied this issue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Come, Eric, look at this!” Van der Gaag ran off, then returned with his notebook, showing Ten Hag some statistics.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One point caught Ten Hag’s attention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When possession exceeded 50%, Utrecht produced an effective attack only once every six minutes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When possession was below 50%, Utrecht produced an effective attack once every 4.5 minutes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Possession and attack frequency are inversely related?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten Hag widened his eyes. Van der Gaag nodded: “Yes, I told you this before, but we were on a winning streak then, so we ignored it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten Hag took the notebook from Van der Gaag; they walked to the bench, sat down, and examined it closely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was true: in every Eredivisie and Dutch Cup match where possession was below 50%, Utrecht had won.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But in matches where possession exceeded 50%, Utrecht lost two and drew one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to objective logic, higher possession means more attacking opportunities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Utrecht didn’t follow objective logic at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was a completely non-mainstream team!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The content in the Chinese Football Association’s coaching manual could no longer explain Utrecht’s current phenomenon!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching the players run on the pitch, Ten Hag was deep in thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, he thought of a so-called “possession master.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He opened Word, selected “attack,” “tang,” and “expected win rate.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three options, then plotted a linear graph.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten Hag and Van der Gaag stared at each other.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three lines overlapped completely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That afternoon during lunch in the cafeteria, Ten Hag walked straight over to Tang Ye’s seat with his tray.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye saw Ten Hag coming and quickly rolled up his pant leg to show the bandages.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though the act was a bit cold, it was worth it if it made the head coach see his injury.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thanks to the system’s double metabolism bonus, Tang Ye had felt no pain at all when he woke up this morning!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good afternoon, Tang.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten Hag sat down beside Tang Ye, forcing Tang Ye to squeeze inward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luckily, the person beside him was Barazite, not A Lei—otherwise, the bench wouldn’t have been long enough for Ten Hag.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How’s your ankle?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten Hag pointed to Tang Ye’s ankle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uh, it’s okay, but it still hurts a bit when I run.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In front of Ten Hag, Tang Ye twisted his ankle slightly, then feigned pain at the injury site, sucking in a sharp breath: “Ouch!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s wrong? What’s wrong?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten Hag stood up from his chair: “You didn’t secretly train, did you? Ankle injuries are serious—you absolutely cannot train on your own!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I know, I know. I thought I was fine, but I’m not.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye smiled bitterly. Ten Hag nodded and sat back down: “So when do you think you’ll be ready to resume training?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Good question!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye pulled out his phone and quickly checked the schedule.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>February 4th!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten Hag: ?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, I’ll be fully recovered at 2 p.m. the day after tomorrow. I’m ready.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huh?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten Hag frowned, skeptical of Tang Ye’s words: “Are you sure? But you just said your ankle still hurt.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That little pain doesn’t matter.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye spoke with a hint of guilt: “As long as I can recover to… resume training, as long as I can resume training, it’s all worth it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten Hag nodded, but he seemed doubtful, scanning Tang Ye up and down, making Tang Ye feel uneasy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What if, after suddenly recovering, Ten Hag still doesn’t put him in the lineup?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then his French Premium Chest would just sit there unused?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, the base’s public address system blared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Montford Livestock Research: Piglets generally have faster metabolisms than humans, especially growing piglets, whose injury recovery abilities are exceptional, making their skin more elastic than humans’…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten Hag squinted, studying Tang Ye closely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So that’s it…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Snap!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Come on, here!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye actively reached out to his teammate for the ball, then sent it forward with one kick.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【De Bruyne Curved Through Pass Lv3: Simulation】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Proficiency: 18.2\u002F400\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yosten, sprinting ahead, received Tang Ye’s pass and laid it off to Barazite on the flank, who then took the shot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Barazite scored, Tang Ye raised both hands in celebration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was his first training session since recovering—he had to prove himself today, because Ten Hag would announce the starting lineup for tomorrow’s Dutch Cup.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To play tomorrow, Tang Ye had to give everything in today’s training!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had to fight for his chance!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As expected, after the morning session ended, Ten Hag called Tang Ye straight to the second-floor office.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll include you in tomorrow’s match squad—you might come on as a substitute. Are you certain your ankle is fully recovered?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye answered without hesitation: “But… Mr. Eric, if possible, could I start?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, impossible!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten Hag stood up from his chair: “You haven’t trained at all until today, and now you suddenly want to start?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye rubbed his head: “Training and matches aren’t really connected. I just didn’t train—I didn’t say I can’t play.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Nonsense!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten Hag glared at Tang Ye: “Training and matches are closely linked! How can you say they’re unrelated? Tang, I need to correct your wrong thinking.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten Hag stepped toward Tang Ye: “Hard training gives you excellent skills—that’s why you start. Do you understand? Your thinking is wrong. Absolutely wrong.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But my ankle really is fully healed…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye shook his ankle again in front of Ten Hag.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re sure?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten Hag eyed Tang Ye skeptically; the latter nodded vigorously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm… then starting you is fine. Alright, you start.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Utrecht Evening News, front page headline: Utrecht Announces Starting XI for Away Match Against PSV—Tang Returns from Injury, Starts Immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1989,"2026-06-20T06:50:08.245Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","3f22c756c1089a593d926c1e855a14f61ae5fb277b5d3ad765a44e0b77b9e405","football-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back-chapter-73","football-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back-chapter-71",918,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Ffootball-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back-cover.jpg"]