Chapter 728: Catching a Turtle in a Jar and Inviting a Wolf into the House

Match Report: Tang Ye with 2 assists and 1 goal, C. Ronaldo scores twice in his debut, Manchester United thrashes Newcastle 5:1 at home to secure four consecutive wins to start the new season. (297,842 comments)

The first collaboration between Tang Ye and C. Ronaldo is considered highly successful; the 5:1 scoreline says it all.

But attentive fans also noticed something else.

Although 36 years old, C. Ronaldo still gives off a sense of undiminished ambition, which is what some Manchester United fans worry about.

The coexistence of C. Ronaldo and TY is absolutely not as easy as it appears on the surface!

"Ronaldo is an outstanding player, a legend; he can integrate into Manchester United."

Ten Hag seems very optimistic.

The reporters in the audience naturally didn't believe him; everyone thought he was lying.

Every time Erik speaks, he only says what he himself believes to be true!

"If we could now return to July, to before Ronaldo's transfer, would you have blocked this transfer or pushed it through?"

The reporters wanted to clarify which faction Ten Hag belonged to, but the Manchester United manager clearly would not let the media succeed.

"That depends on the form he showed at the time; if he had performed well in Serie A and the Champions League last season, then I would consider him suitable for Manchester United, otherwise not. So your question is actually unnecessary; it has nothing to do with time. Similarly, it has nothing to do with the number of choices; making one choice is no different from making two."

"..."

The press conference fell silent for a moment, after which a new reporter raised his hand and stood up.

"In the Asian Cup qualifier between China and Vietnam, Escrivá kept TY on the pitch until the end of the match despite a 4:0 lead, resulting in a final score of 5:0. This decision sparked some controversy among fans."

Ten Hag listened carefully to what the reporter said.

The implication was that most fans believed Escrivá should have substituted Tang Ye out early, since Vietnam was hardly a threatening opponent for the Chinese team, especially given China's substantial lead at the time.

"Have you watched that match?"

"Um... I've seen some news reports, so I understand a bit about it."

"Then do you approve of Escrivá's approach?"

"..."

This question...

"The Chinese team scored immediately at the start and had established a 3:0 lead before halftime..."

Ten Hag said slowly.

Worried the reporter had forgotten the details of the match, Ten Hag recounted some specifics of the China-Vietnam clash, specifically emphasizing the overwhelming advantage the Chinese team held throughout the game.

"Ferran is the coach of the Chinese team; I am not. Therefore, I cannot comment on his actions."

"But from another perspective, if Ferran were coaching Manchester United and I were coaching the Chinese national team, I would have substituted Tang off after going up 3:0, because I know the grueling Premier League and Champions League matches he faces next."

Click-click!

"So your meaning is that Escrivá has poor character and needs to learn from you?"

"Well... that's not absolute; everyone has their strengths and weaknesses; perhaps in certain aspects I would indeed perform better."

"Of course, everyone has areas where they excel."

Ten Hag appeared candid: "It's just that if it were me, I would indeed do so. Sometimes as a coach, I think we should take a longer-term view, or rather a broader one, considering the players more, rather than just focusing on our own results."

Click!

"Mr., you just said you wouldn't comment on Ferran's actions."

"Yes, I made no evaluation; I was speaking about my own situation and incidentally pointing out some phenomena existing in today's football world."

Ten Hag wore an expression of helplessness: "Some coaches are too selfish."

Ten Hag subtly criticizes Escrivá in post-match interview: Is failing to substitute Tang Ye early a selfish act?

This interview by Ten Hag went viral among netizens.

While he didn't directly name Escrivá during his criticism, the Dutchman was subtly mocking Escrivá from start to finish.

Fans debated for a long time, but even with tens of thousands of people trying, they couldn't reach a unified conclusion.

Some believed Ten Hag was right, because China's advantage in the second round of the Asian Cup qualifiers was indeed visibly huge; if one truly cared for Tang Ye, or simply wanted to help Manchester United, substituting him out early would have been necessary.

But others believed Ten Hag might be wrong.

Just as Ten Hag himself said, the Manchester United manager and the Chinese national team manager are two completely independent entities, meaning Escrivá had no obligation to think about Manchester United's interests.

As for Tang Ye.

Based solely on not making an early substitution, you cannot claim that Escrivá wasn't looking out for Tang Ye.

Because everyone knows the Spaniard had just arrived to coach the Chinese team and needed time to gel with the squad.

After taking a big lead, Escrivá kept Tang Ye on the field while making substitution adjustments in other positions. This wasn't necessarily meant to annoy Ten Hag; it could have been to create a new tactical system for the Chinese team's development.

So who is right and who is wrong?

Li Li Laoba has something to say.

"Burp~"

"There's no need for you to keep dwelling on whether Ten Hag or Escrivá is right or wrong. Let me put it this way: ever since Escrivá left Dortmund, there have been some issues between these two."

"You might not understand what I'm saying because I'm approaching this from a psychological perspective; many of you don't know that although I am a football blogger, I also have some expertise (should be 'expertise') in psychology. The point is, the minds of both Ten Hag and Escrivá are currently not functioning normally."

Li Li Laoba pointed at his temples: "Originally, there was no particularly serious conflict between them, but it was forcibly turned into a deadly rivalry."

"Let me tell you, if you go ask Escrivá right now why his relationship with Ten Hag is so bad, he wouldn't be able to answer!"

As expected of someone experienced, Li Li Laoba chose to approach the issue from a psychological angle, which suddenly enlightened many confused fans in the livestream.

"Do you know what's currently filling Ten Hag's mind?"

Li Li Laoba questioned the livestream audience, then held up his fingers: "Come, let me count them out for you."

"In Ten Hag's mind..."

"First, Tang Ye is the best player in the world."

"Second, I cannot make mistakes. Fans and the media are my toys; they cannot question what I say. Every decision I have made at Manchester United is correct."

"Third, the three Glazer brothers are all idiots. If they don't understand football, they shouldn't interfere with my decisions."

"Fourth, Escrivá is my sworn enemy. From the moment I was born, we could not coexist under the same sky. We cannot live in one world!" (London accent: "Cannot live in one world!")

In total, four fingers were raised. Li Li Laoba looked as though he wanted to extend a fifth finger, but after thinking hard for a long time and failing to come up with anything, he finally tucked his pinky back in.

【Saint Teng and Saint Es have gone mad, Li Gan, why have you gone mad too?】

【Saint Teng doesn't like Cristiano Ronaldo; can this Li Laoba tolerate that? Of course he's going to roast him!】

【Streamer, do you know psychology? If you're so good, can you analyze what I'm thinking right now?】

……

Mundo Deportivo — Four consecutive victories securing 12 points: Has the CT duo forged an invincible Wang Chao for Manchester United?

The Times — A brace on his debut? The hidden crisis behind Manchester United's four-game winning streak; will the Champions League matches expose all their problems?

It wasn't just fans and streamers arguing; several newspapers had also voiced their opinions on the current state of Manchester United.

Setting aside the news articles analyzing Manchester United's strengths and weaknesses, attention turned to the unscrupulous media outlets, whose members had already begun spinning conspiracy theories.

Inside the Taiwan radio broadcast studio.

One person stood while another sat; behind them were a blackboard and a multimedia projection screen, a very standard Taiwanese style.

"So, let's say, Tang Ye—why did he agree to let Cristiano Ronaldo return to Manchester United, coming back from Juventus?"

The standing host asked the seated host: "If you ask me, this is like catching a turtle in a jar!"

"Catching a turtle in a jar?"

The seated host first glanced at the camera, then posed the question with a look of utter confusion.

"Yes, exactly like catching a turtle in a jar. Previously, we kept saying that between Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi, one must be determined superior to the other. But now, Tang Ye, oh, is slowly rising."

Thump!

A knock on the blackboard.

Here comes the key point.

"Everyone says Tang Ye is ending the era of 'West-Ronaldo' and Messi, but exactly how is he going to end it?"

"Ah, Tang Ye has given us the answer."

"First, throw bait into the room. This bait consists of the Premier League title and the Champions League title. Tang Ye used this bait to lure Cristiano Ronaldo in."

"And then what?"

"Ah, snap! I directly shut the door. Now, what can you do if you want to get out? You can't get out!"

The seated host nodded: "Mm, right, you can't get out. So what happens then?"

"There's no way out. Why did Tang Ye set the bait? Precisely to lure you into the room, and then personally beat you up."

The two hosts were performing a crosstalk routine here, yet logically, these points actually held water.

"This is the trap Tang Ye set: making Cristiano Ronaldo play on the same team as himself, thereby exposing every area where Cristiano Ronaldo falls short."

"Ah, Cristiano Ronaldo is already 36 years old; how can he possibly compete with Tang Ye? So he's definitely doomed!"

Snap!

The standing host clapped his hands.