Chapter 747: That Year, Aged 36, Sitting Like a Minion

"No, I saw it very clearly!"

Tang Ye pointed at his own eyes.

In Tang Ye's observation, at the moment Rodri scored, Cristiano Ronaldo did not appear particularly happy.

This was a very disappointing thing.

"You're overthinking it; how could that be possible!"

Rebutted by Cristiano Ronaldo, Tang Ye prepared to say a few more words, but was pushed by Rodri and Rashford to sit down in his position.

Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo was also pulled away by Dalot.

"It's over! It's over!"

Arriving late, Ten Hag heard the commotion in the locker room; upon entering, he immediately signaled for everyone to keep quiet: "Don't think about other things; right now it's 2:2!"

"We need to adjust and strictly execute the tactical plan!"

Bang!

Ten Hag slapped the tactical board: "High pressing is the core of our tactics. Everyone's Ren De Xiang Fa must make way for this."

"I am not specifically targeting anyone, but I must say that our core tactics will only undergo minor adjustments; there will be no major changes!"

"..."

The players closed their mouths and said nothing.

Whether Ten Hag was specifically targeting someone, you cannot determine.

But what can be confirmed is that Ten Hag and Tang Ye belong to the same faction; they are both loyal followers of high pressing and full-back overlapping tactics.

Therefore, even if Ten Hag does not favor Tang Ye, in the eyes of the Manchester United players, he is still on Tang Ye's side.

Asking Cristiano Ronaldo not to overthink it, to be honest, is basically impossible.

"Alright!"

Indicating that the previous matter was entirely in the past, Ten Hag told the players to focus on the second-half match.

"You should have also seen that Salah is in very good form today. This is a problem we need to address, especially in the defensive positions; we must strictly maintain tight marking."

"Matthijs, I feel your recent form has not been very good."

Ten Hag looked at De Ligt, who gently lowered his head.

For some reason, he felt it was difficult for him and Varane to produce good coordination.

"So my plan is to make one adjustment among the center-backs for the second half; counting Diego (Dalot), we will adjust two defenders in total."

In Ten Hag's view, Manchester United's main problem still lay in defense.

Looking into Cristiano Ronaldo's eyes.

"No adjustments to the attacking style! There are no problems whatsoever with our attack!"

"..."

Cristiano Ronaldo's mood was somewhat poor, but he had no way to say anything.

Because he currently occupied a rather awkward position at Manchester United.

Apart from fellow Portuguese players Bruno Fernandes and Dalot, other players including the coach were not on his side, resulting in him having basically no voice in the Manchester United locker room.

For Cristiano Ronaldo, who had always been regarded as the core around which the team was built, one can imagine how huge this gap was.

"It's fine, just relax a bit."

Rodri placed his hand on Cristiano Ronaldo's shoulder and comforted him in a low voice: "Actually, I think even if you hadn't taken Tom's free kick, he wouldn't have said anything to you."

"... Mm."

Cristiano Ronaldo nodded.

Time quickly arrived at the second half!

Compared to the starting lineup, Manchester United made two changes.

Dalot replaced Luke Shaw, who had withdrawn due to injury.

Lisandro Martinez replaced De Ligt, who had performed poorly.

"De Ligt indeed needs some time to adjust his form."

"Mm."

The two commentators in the live broadcast room did not lay the matter out openly.

But the fact was that, as a Dutchman, De Ligt had received excessive "privileges" at Manchester United last season.

Ten Hag had largely aided De Ligt's growth, but if he wanted to move forward further, relying solely on Ten Hag's opportunistic support was clearly insufficient.

Shortly after coming on, Dalot dribbled the ball wide.

Seizing the opportunity.

With a slight pass back, Dalot delivered the ball to Rashford beside him.

Rashford trapped the ball under his foot, gently pushed it forward, and passed it to Tang Ye.

"Go up!"

As expected, Tang Ye was quickly marked by Liwupu's defensive players.

!

Bang!

Tang Ye collided with Henderson, using his body to forcibly shield the ball.

"Here!"

De Jong's support.

Tang Ye made the pass.

Slap!

A through ball is played out; on the edge of the penalty area, Cristiano Ronaldo quickly turns and makes a forward run.

He beats Van Dijk by a step to receive De Jong's through pass.

He strikes it with a shot!

"Beautiful!"

"Goal!"

"Cristiano Ronaldo!!!"

"But they need to check for offside!"

"... No offside!"

"Beautiful!"

The goal is confirmed; just moments ago dejected, Cristiano Ronaldo's eyes suddenly gleam with light.

"3, 2, 1!"

The Manchester United fans in the stands are already prepared.

"Siuuuu!!!!"

Arms flung downward, the players on the field quickly run toward Cristiano Ronaldo.

"Nice!"

Tang Ye jumps up and embraces Dembélé.

Athletes are like this; even the slightest exciting event can make them forget all previous dejection.

"Haha!"

Cristiano Ronaldo spreads his arms to embrace a few Manchester United fans at the bottom of the stands, yet he could not avoid the fate of being attacked by opposing fans.

"Idiot!"

"Foul! Foul!"

"Referee, blow the whistle on this goal!"

The 62nd minute of the second half.

Liwupu and Manchester United make substitutions simultaneously.

"On Klopp's side, the choice is..."

"Eh, Manchester United is substituting Cristiano Ronaldo!"

The fourth official's board is already raised, but Cristiano Ronaldo seems not to have fully reacted yet, explaining something to Rashford.

"Hmm?"

Rashford looks toward the bench, then gently pats Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Portuguese turns his head; the first thing he sees is his own number.

Number 7.

"Wait, hey!"

Cristiano Ronaldo spreads his hands, expressing his confusion over this substitution: "What is this?"

It is not only Cristiano Ronaldo; Rashford is also substituted off.

The players coming on as substitutes are B. Fernandes and Martial.

"Could there be a mistake?"

Cristiano Ronaldo gestures for Fan Fan Dejiahe to confirm again, but receives a reply unfavorable to himself.

"..."

He glances in the direction where Ten Hag is located, only to find that Ten Hag's attention is not on him at all.

Cristiano Ronaldo no longer knows what to say; after clapping hands with B. Fernandes, he walks toward the bench.

Sitting down and putting on his jacket, Cristiano Ronaldo remains quiet on the substitutes' bench.

【Panicking, panicking】

【Wait, subbed off right after scoring? Treating him like a tool person here; what kind of operation is this, Ten Hai???】

【Better to sub him off anyway; Cristiano Ronaldo lacks pressing ability.】

【Cristiano Ronaldo lacks pressing? Then does Martial have pressing ability?】

【Martial lacks pressing, but B. Fernandes has pressing ability. However, Ten Hag's move this time is indeed somewhat chilling; when Cristiano Ronaldo joined the club, did he know he was meant to play a supporting role?】

"Don't make substitutions!"

Some Manchester United fans in the stands also express their confusion over Ten Hag's substitution.

But looking at all the fans present, those who actually hold opinions against Ten Hag are ultimately in the minority.

As a coach with four league titles, the mere existence of this accolade has already granted Ten Hag sufficient immunity from criticism.

With the current score at 3:2, Ten Hag's decision to substitute off Cristiano Ronaldo is considered conservative, since Manchester United only needs to maintain the current score for another half hour to secure victory.