Chapter 76: Double Kill Eindhoven! Is Ten Hag a Fraud? (230k update, request monthly votes!)

「Clang!」

「Clang!」

The gym echoed with the clatter of weight plates—Tang Ye was doing barbell squats.

Fifty-five kilograms on each side wasn’t a heavy load for Tang Ye, but his fitness coach had already refused to let him increase the weight further.

This was a form of protection—exposing him to maximal loads too early could restrict his future physical development.

Never pull up seedlings to help them grow—that was the consistent philosophy of the Utrecht coaching staff.

「OK!」

Tang Ye set the barbell down and jumped out: 「I feel invincible right now!」

Tang Ye charged toward Amrabat, slamming his left shoulder into Amrabat’s right shoulder—then bounced back.

「Holy shit, Sofyan, your muscles are insane.」

Tang Ye grabbed Amrabat’s bicep hard.

Though Amrabat wasn’t much taller than him, his muscles were far from negligible!

「You wanna bump me again?」

Amrabat stripped off his jacket, leaving only the black vest underneath.

Then…

He showed off his biceps to Tang Ye!

「Hahaha, Tang, this is what real resistance looks like!」

Amrabat placed Tang Ye’s hand on his biceps: 「Feel that? You need muscles like this to overpower opponents on the pitch. Yours are only good for U15 matches. You know what U15 is? Kids running around on grass.」

「You’re just full of shit.」

Tang Ye didn’t argue further with Amrabat; he sat down on a giant yoga ball and felt the changes in his thigh muscles.

Normally after squats, Tang Ye’s thighs felt tight—but after eating Ronaldo’s chicken breast, he now felt not just tightness, but a tingling sensation too.

It felt like something was crawling on his thighs!

「Whew…」

Tang Ye exhaled slowly, imagining that in a few months he’d have muscles like Amrabat’s.

「Next up: core training.」

Coach Antunes from the fitness team walked in from the next room and announced the next drill.

Everyone’s training was different—Tang Ye had to stand on this yoga ball.

Carefully stepping onto it…

「OK!」

Tang Ye gave a thumbs-up. Antunes stood beside him holding a small ball: 「Tang, lift your right leg.」

「Wait, wait.」

Tang Ye adjusted his breathing, waited until his body stabilized completely, then shouted to Antunes, who tossed him the ball.

Tang Ye caught it—and stayed balanced. But the instant he threw the ball, he lost control of his center of gravity and plopped onto the yoga ball.

「Damn it!」

That wasn’t Tang Ye speaking—it was Aale beside him: 「Tang, you meant to say this, right? Like this?」

「…」

Tang Ye opened his mouth to speak, then shut it again.

Because he’d just been thinking: 「Aale, stop copying my words, okay?」

「Don’t you think it’s funny?」

Tang Ye lay on the floor as Aale crouched beside him: 「Damn it—that’s Chinese, right? What does it mean?」

Aale’s question left Tang Ye speechless; he paused to think how to explain.

「Hmm, it’s an exclamation, like ‘fuck.’ You know ‘fuck’?」

「Who doesn’t?」

Aale gave a dismissive look: 「My English is great. What’s yours? You only know ‘fuck.’」

「…」

「Alright, stand up. I’ll teach you.」

Aale rose, picked up the small ball: 「When doing this, keep your core tight the whole time. The hardest part is releasing the ball—you must control your body. No matter how heavy the ball, your core never moves.」

…

Amsterdam time, February 7, 12:00 PM—five hours until Utrecht’s home match against PSV Eindhoven in Eredivisie Matchday 22.

Erik ten Hag walked alone into the stadium’s press room.

「This is Utrecht’s first home match against Eindhoven this season. Before this, your record against them was one win and one draw. Erik, do you think you can win today?」

「Of course, why not? We won away—home will be even easier.」

After their last-minute 3-2 win over Eindhoven, Ten Hag spoke with far more confidence.

「There were rumors that if Eindhoven loses today, Cocu might be fired. What do you have to say about that?」

「Fired?」

Ten Hag frowned: 「If that’s true, I can only wish him luck. But we can’t afford to be soft—you know how professional football works.」

Click-click-click!

Click-click-click!

As the match began, the Utrecht anthem blared through the De Goffert Stadium.

Utrecht’s anthem wasn’t easy to sing—Tang Ye strained his ears, trying to distinguish every Dutch word in the lyrics.

「Are you stunned?」

Aale shouted at Tang Ye: 「Don’t think about anything else—focus on the game! My goals depend on you!」

As he spoke, the referee blew the whistle. Aale passed the ball back to Ramsey.

It began!

【You purchased Valdi’s Red Bull】

Players sprinted across the pitch; the broadcast camera zoomed in on Cocu on the away bench.

Cocu’s expression was grim—he was under heavy pressure.

Having won the title last season, Cocu had requested a raise at the start of this season.

Cocu’s raise wasn’t ordinary—he demanded a 50% salary increase. Because of this unreasonable demand at the season’s start, he now found himself in a difficult position.

The club’s management had already prepared a replacement coach from day one—if the league situation turned bad, the ruthless owner would fire Cocu immediately!

Glancing over at Ten Hag, Utrecht’s head coach wore a smile.

「Damn it!」

Cocu complained to his assistant Rudy: 「Utrecht isn’t strong—Ten Hag shouldn’t be so confident!」

Rudy nodded: 「I agree with you.」

The moment Rudy finished speaking, a sharp “thwack” came from the pitch.

The pass came from Tang Ye—the young Utrecht player delivered a precise long ball to Balazic, who lurked near the right touchline. Balazic took one touch and fired a shot.

Cocu and Rudy locked eyes.

「Hmm… I’m not so sure I agree anymore.」

「Damn it!」

Cocu jumped out of his seat: 「Vision! Watch your vision! Mark their forwards!」

「Wwwoww!!」

「Utrecht!」

Boom! Boom!

「Utrecht!」

Boom! Boom!

The stands erupted with home fans’ cheers.

Less than ten minutes into the match, Utrecht led 1-0.

Even though Utrecht had performed well against Eindhoven this season, this opening was too perfect.

Sharp-eyed fans had already noticed: Eindhoven was under immense pressure—their players couldn’t even find their early-season form!

【You gained 5 Comeback Points】

【French Premium Chest upgrade progress: 3/5】

Another step forward!

Tang Ye spread his arms and sprinted toward Balazic.

The match continued. Cocu, trailing, made an unexpected move.

He substituted.

Only fifteen minutes into the match, with no injuries, he made a substitution.

Narsingh replaced Joseph Zongo!

Cocu brought on Narsingh, who had performed well last match—his intent was crystal clear.

Counterattack!

「Holy shit, they’re coming at us hard!」

Einhorn’s corner kick was cleared, and Tang Ye sprinted back to his own half.

Stick out a foot to intercept!

It failed, as expected.

“Left! Watch left!”

Ramselaar shouted, and Tang Ye voluntarily ran to the left flank to support.

Pereiro had only dribbled past one man, but Tang Ye rushed in from the center, forcing Pereiro to burst straight through between Tang Ye and Ramselaar.

Aah…

Ten Hag covered his forehead with his right hand.

Tang Ye’s defensive cover still needs work!

“Pereiro is running too fast—Tang the King is being left behind!”

“It’s tough—Klebe, can you handle this?”

“Pereiro crosses!”

“…”

“Perfect! Little Einhorn, do you really think you can break through Utrecht’s goal?”

At the 40th minute of the first half, Einhorn’s ball possession reached a staggering 71%.

It looked impressive—and it truly was. Though Einhorn’s players had been in poor form lately, their title as one of the Eredivisie’s Big Three was no accident; many of their players were worth over ten million euros, and these stars kept the team’s floor from collapsing.

Of course, Einhorn still hadn’t scored.

Ten Hag’s face still wore a smile.

This season, Utrecht’s midfield and attack had serious problems, with the midfield being the worst, but their defense held up well.

Utrecht’s defenders, as a unit, ranked among the top tier in the entire Eredivisie.

In the second half, just minutes after kickoff, Jansen suffered a malicious foul from Proppe.

Roosevelt rushed over to check Jansen’s injury, then made a crossed-fists gesture toward Ten Hag at the bench.

Substitution!

Frank de Jong, warming up, pulled off his jersey.

Utrecht’s substitution was forced early!

“Holy shit, are you okay?”

Tang Ye sprinted toward Jansen—he’d been standing nearby when Jansen got tackled on the calf.

!

That looked fucking painful!

Tang Ye patted Jansen’s hand; his expression was grim—he hadn’t recovered from the pain.

“…”

Jansen’s injury threw Tang Ye into a panic.

If the opponents did the same to him later, wouldn’t it kill him?

Tang Ye narrowed his eyes, thinking—Jansen’s injury made him cautious.

Protect your body—that’s crucial!

The game resumed; Jansen’s injury gave Kock a chance.

This was his chance to save himself!

Soon, under Kock’s direction, Einhorn launched a new attack; Hendriks and Van Ginkel displayed exceptional ball control, passing the ball back and forth in the center, leaving Tang Ye dizzy.

Damn it!

Tang Ye couldn’t take it anymore—he charged at Hendriks, but the opponent executed a “V” drag move and easily shook him off.

His gum fell onto the grass because of it!

Luckily, Ramselaar arrived in time and intercepted the ball while Hendriks was focused on Tang Ye.

“Oh?”

With his teammate in possession, Tang Ye scrambled up from the ground.

Attack! Attack!

“Tang Ye is up from the ground—Hendriks’ foul clearly meant nothing to Tang the King!”

“Push forward! Tang Ye isn’t fast, but his aggression is intense!”

“Ramselaar drives toward the center!”

“Pass to Tang Ye!”

Here it comes!

Tang Ye grinned, stopped the ball right in front of Bruma, then did two stationary bicycle moves.

Bruma was confused—because Tang Ye was doing stationary bicycles!

Is he performing?

Wait!

Tang Ye suddenly sent a through ball into the box!

Bruma turned back and saw Ale sprinting out from his side.

No stationary bicycles.

It was his teammates dragging down Tang the King’s rhythm—he deliberately stopped to wait for them!

Ale!

Boom!

A low drive—ball firmly in the net.

“gooooo——aaaaa——lllll!!!”

“Ale, goal!”

“Utrecht’s two wingers both scored!”

“2:0—Utrecht now leads Einhorn by two goals at home!”

Beyond Wang Chao, who couldn’t control his emotions in the livestream, the home fans in the stands erupted in frenzy!

Perfect combination!

Ale, Ramselaar, and Tang Ye executed a flawless trio move!

【French Premium Chest upgrade progress: 4/5】

The system’s voice came through—after this assist, Tang Ye needed only one more league assist to upgrade the chest.

Could he get that final assist today?

Tang Ye grew more excited—he really wanted to see what the French Super Chest would reveal.

Unfortunately, after going up 2-0, Ten Hag slyly substituted Tang Ye for Amrabat.

The logic was simple: they led by two goals; all Utrecht needed was to hold on to win.

So, a player with zero defensive contribution could rest early.

“Mr. Eric, why are you subbing me off?”

Tang Ye spread his hands, confused by Ten Hag’s early substitution.

He was even a little angry!

Ten Hag shoved Tang Ye toward the bench: “Top players should be subbed off early to rest.”

Wow?

Tang Ye’s ears suddenly grew warm.

Not angry anymore!

Full-time: Utrecht held off Einhorn’s final assault and won 2-0; Kock slumped back onto the bench, defeated.

The camera cut to Ten Hag at the sideline.

Ten Hag opened his arms wide.

“Teng Haha!”

Boom! Boom!

“Tenhag!”

Boom! Boom!

Einhorn’s head coach Kock collapsed.

Utrecht’s head coach stood up!

After the match, Kock walked to the press room with a blank expression.

Click!

Click-click-click!

The press room was packed with reporters—for two reasons.

1. This was a match between the defending champion and this season’s underdog—naturally high popularity.

2. Reporters from the Einhorn Forward believed this match could determine Kock’s fate—his job might be on the line—and reporters naturally came to witness the drama.

“Mr. Kock, after this loss, you’ve surrendered first place on the table to Utrecht and now sit in third.”

The reporter spoke slowly: “Rumors say Einhorn has already found a suitable head coach. Do you think you’ll still be with the club after this match?”

Kock glared at the reporter who asked.

"I don't know if I'll stay, but I don't think you need to ask such a question."

"Although we lost to Utrecht, we're still third in the league table, and third place in the Eredivisie qualifies for the Champions League playoffs, so I don't think our performance is poor."

Koop said.

"But you haven't beaten Utrecht once this season."

"..."

The reporter's words left Koop speechless.

Koop was suppressing his emotions, but soon he could no longer hold them back.

Because the reporter mentioned Ten Hag.

"Ten Hag won the Eredivisie's Monthly Best Coach award as a new manager; it was under his guidance that Utrecht became this season's surprise team..."

"Eric? No, no, not like that."

Koop shook his head repeatedly.

It was clear he was already angry.

"Eric didn't bring any real tactics in the matches; Utrecht's overall strategy this season is the same as last season. Eric isn't nearly as capable as you think."

"He doesn't know anything—he's just a pig."

???

The reporters below exchanged stunned glances.

Ten Hag was this season's most popular coach, and every report about him was positive.

Koop had just publicly attacked Ten Hag in front of reporters!

Is he that bold?

"I know you might be shocked, but everything I said is true."

Click-click-click!

The room filled with the sound of camera shutters.

The reporters didn't care whether Koop's words were true.

They only knew that one Eredivisie head coach had insulted another after the match!

This was big news!

"Mr. Koop, could you briefly explain your reasoning? Why do you call Ten Hag a 'pig'?"

"I don't need a reason."

Koop spread his hands, staring straight into the camera: "Utrecht's stats are all worse this season. Why? Because their tactics are flawed. Eric didn't give Utrecht a proper strategy."

The reporter stared wide-eyed: "If the tactics aren't proper, how did Utrecht become this season's surprise team?"

"It's simple."

Koop shrugged: "Some players changed the team. As for Eric... Eric is just a fraud."

???

Ten Hag is a fraud?

"I think I said too much. Sorry."

Koop took a deep breath.

"I had a drink earlier. Sorry—I had a drink... uh, those words weren't my real thoughts."

Reporters: ???

(End of Chapter)