Chapter 720: Mr. Escrivá's Debut Comes with Great Pressure

Match Preview: Asian Qualifiers Round 3, Matchday 1, China plays away against the UAE; new coach Escrivá makes his debut.

The Chinese national team is nicknamed "Little Manchester United," and indeed, in terms of popularity, it rivals Manchester United itself.

Changing coaches after the Round 2 qualifiers and deploying a new manager for the first Round 3 match means that if you are a fan of the Chinese team and want to support them, your heart must be strong enough to withstand the potential pressure.

Hot topic on Check Dongqiu Di: Away match against the UAE, can the Chinese team under Saint Escrivá secure their first Round 3 victory?

Discussion about the Chinese national team on Check Dongqiu Di is even hotter than that about Manchester United; Chinese fans, skilled in mathematics, have already begun their calculations in the comment section.

UAE vs. China: China holds many advantages.

1. The market value of the UAE's starting lineup is approximately 7.5 million euros, while China's starting lineup is valued at around 318 million euros; this counts as China's first victory.

2. The UAE has zero players from the top five European leagues, whereas China has three; this counts as the second victory.

3. The UAE's head coach is merely an unknown figure, while China's head coach is a double champion of Fan Fan Dejia and the Champions League; this counts as the third victory.

The actual situation of the match remains unknown, but from a data perspective, the Chinese team has already won overwhelmingly.

Currently, the only potential weakness for the Chinese team might lie in tactics, because unlike the UAE with their stable head coach, China has just changed managers.

Titan Sports reporter: Escrivá's arrival may further elevate Tang Ye's tactical status; this could increase the Chinese team's reliance on Tang Ye, but the benefit is an improved win rate.

Given Escrivá's notorious nature, Tang Ye's status within the Chinese team will likely be raised even higher.

However, the good news is that Escrivá is no longer at Villarreal or Borussia Dortmund, and Tang Ye is no longer a loaned player.

Nationality certainly cannot change; even if Tang Ye leaves Manchester United, he will not leave the Chinese national team.

Since that is the case, the so-called side effect of "increasing the Chinese team's reliance on Tang Ye" can be directly ignored.

Tang Ye is only 22 years old now; even if a reliance forms, he can protect the Chinese team for at least another decade!

Ggbond's great hand will suppress everything!

……

Xinhua News Agency.

"Dear football fans, you can see that behind me is the Sharjah Stadium in the UAE, the venue for this Round 3 of the Asian Qualifiers..."

"Tang Ye is awesome!"

Before the reporter could finish speaking, a passing fan shouted first, quickly triggering more cheers.

"Tang Ye!"

"Team China!"

"Team China is awesome!"

The crowd slowly gathered toward the Xinhua News Agency camera, and the reporter soon noticed He Sheng.

This was the famous "Valuable Brother," the man who shouted during the last Asian Qualifiers that watching the Chinese team play was valuable!

"Mr., what are your thoughts on today's match?"

"Hey, I think the UAE is still quite strong in certain aspects, and their form is good too, but I still favor the Chinese team more; China will definitely win!"

He Sheng clenched his right fist, eliciting a "wow" from the Chinese fans nearby.

Flying from within China to the UAE just to watch one match, these few thousand away fans today are absolutely die-hard supporters of the Chinese national team in the truest sense.

"Then do you think the new coach will be a risk for the Chinese team today? Escrivá doesn't have experience like Lippi."

"Risk? Non-existent!"

The one answering was not He Sheng, but an uncle standing next to him wearing a red jersey.

The uncle's jersey was very distinctive; although it featured the Chinese national flag, the belly area displayed GG Bond, while the name and number on the back were "Ggbond" and "10."

"Impossible to lose."

"Not losing even a little bit!"

Waving their great hands, the Chinese fans were incredibly confident.

Everyone says Manchester United fans are the most confident, but in reality, the die-hard supporters of the Chinese national team are the most confident group.

Before Tang Ye returned during the previous Round 2 qualifiers, Chinese football fans had already made the bold claim of a "clever victory" against South Korea, which of course ended in failure.

"Then let us also wish the Chinese team good results today and secure their first victory in Round 3!"

……

Baidu Hot Search.

No. 1: China vs. UAE.

No. 2: Asian Qualifiers.

No. 3: Tang Ye's first appearance for the Chinese team since the Asian Cup.

No. 4: Saint Escrivá's debut with the Chinese national team.

No. 5: GG Bond versus the Desert Camel.

On-site reporter: Three hours before kickoff, Al Qasimi, the Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Sharjah, UAE, visited the Chinese team's locker room.

Al Qasimi firmly grasped Tang Ye's hand: "I have been watching football for quite a long time, so I heard your name back when you were at Villarreal; they said an outstanding football player had emerged in Asia. Haha, I've long admired your great name!"

"Hello, Mr."

At Al Qasimi's invitation, Tang Ye and Al Qasimi took a commemorative photo in the stadium's circular tunnel.

"Your stadium is built really well; although the weather is very hot, the air conditioning in the stands can directly affect the pitch."

Tang Ye praised the UAE's match venue: "I love the turf here!"

"Haha! We will provide the best support for athletes; the world's best athletes should play in the best stadiums."

Al Qasimi held Tang Ye's hand again: "Although I am a supporter of the UAE, but... welcome to you all, and I wish you success in today's match!"

"Thank you."

"Additionally."

Changing the subject, Al Qasimi said jokingly: "Our committee is discussing whether spending enough money could bring the world's greatest current player to play in the UAE league; I think this is a very good proposal, haha!"

"Mm..."

Tang Ye took a deep breath, recognizing the probing intent behind Kasimi's words: "Haha, 'the world's greatest player'—that title invites too much dispute; everyone holds different views, and your committee must take that into consideration during your discussions."

"Actually, we already have an answer."

Kasimi placed a hand on Tang Ye's shoulder: "I hope our country's athletes won't feel too much pressure when facing the GOAT."

"Let's give it our all together!"

After parting from Kasimi, Tang Ye felt a strange sensation.

This strangeness stemmed not from Kasimi's sudden visit, but from Kasimi's excessive recognition of him.

Tang Ye and Kasimi had barely met a few times, yet the latter had directly dubbed him "the world's greatest player of the present," a title that Tang Ye, for now, found somewhat unbearable.

Forget it; no point dwelling on these matters for now.

The match is about to begin!

"Now playing the National Anthem of the People's Republic of China, 'March of the Volunteers'!"

"Deng deng deng deng deng deng, deng deng deng!"

"Deng deng deng, deng!"

【To be honest, I'm a bit excited; the difference with and without Tang Ye is huge—it feels like watching the Premier League.】

【The person above is losing it; the match hasn't even started, and you're already getting Premier League vibes, haha.】

【Can anyone see the backend data? How many viewers does Channel 5 have right now? Is it up to 30 million?】

【UAE's lineup has changed a lot; I remember it wasn't like this back in 2017, whereas the Chinese national team's changes are far fewer.】

【Fewer my ass! In 2017, the Chinese national team's starting lineup was valued at 120 million; now it's over 300 million—how can that be the same? They've completely refreshed the bloodline!】

【666666, Saint Ai is awesome, Saint Ai forever!】

"China Media Group! Good evening, dear audience friends; this is the live broadcast of the 2022 Qatar World Cup Asian Qualifiers..."

"Beep!!!"

"The match has begun; I will now introduce the starting lineups for both sides, starting with the home team, UAE!"

UAE (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Hassan Yousif

Defenders: Hassan, Abbas...

China (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Yan Yan Junling

Defenders: Zhang Zhang Linpeng, Yu Yu Dabao, Jiang Guangtai, Wang Wang Shenchao

Midfielders: Zhang Zhang Xizhe, Tang Ye, Wu Xi

Forwards: Wei Wei Shihao, Ai Ai Kesen, Wu Lei

Head Coach: Escrivá

The 4-2-3-1 is the mainstream formation in today's football world, favored by both strong and weak teams.

So when did the 4-2-3-1 system become popular?

That traces back several years.

A young GGBond arrived in Spain on loan from Utrecht and met Escrivá, who was then the head coach of Villarreal.

Nowadays, everything has changed.

But the people remain the same two: GGBond and his Mr. Ferran have not changed!

Saleh passes forward to Cañedo!

The UAE striker receives the ball as the Chinese players on the field make their way back.