Chapter 77: French Treasure Chest Superstar (230k words update, seeking monthly votes!)

Cocu left the press conference venue; about 15 minutes later, Ten Hag entered the room.

Although they had won the match, Ten Hag's expression was far from pleasant.

The reason was simple: he had watched Cocu's entire interview on the locker room television screen.

Damn you, Cocu!

Damn you, PSV Eindhoven's head coach!

Creak—

Ten Hag pulled out a chair, sat down, and placed both hands on the table.

He said nothing, while the reporters below could no longer wait.

"Mr. Sitting Like, do you know what Cocu just said?"

"Mr. Sitting Like, Cocu called you a 'pig' in his post-match interview; what is your response to that?"

"Sitting Like!"

Ahem! Ahem!

Ten Hag cleared his throat twice, and the press conference venue suddenly fell silent.

"I know what Cocu said; I know everything. Cocu might be a bit angry; his temper isn't very good."

Ten Hag was in no hurry; he had plenty of time.

"Cocu called me a 'pig' and said I'm a fraud; let him say whatever he wants. Coaches often become extremely angry after losing a match, and when angry, people always talk nonsense; words spoken in such moments hold no reference value."

The reporters looked at each other.

"I am different from Cocu; I like facts, and I like to speak with facts."

Ten Hag held up three fingers: "This season, we have faced PSV Eindhoven three times."

"In the first encounter, we drew; in the second, we led by one goal and won the match; in the third, which is today, we won again, and by two goals."

Ten Hag withdrew the three fingers he had just raised.

"Do you know why the number of matches we win keeps increasing?"

The reporters shook their heads; Ten Hag raised his right index finger again.

"In the first encounter, I had only been coaching the team for four months; some things were still unfamiliar to me, so I regret that we did not secure a victory."

Then he raised his middle finger: "In the second encounter, I had been coaching the team for seven months, three months more than before, so we turned a draw into a victory."

The reporters below widened their eyes.

They remained silent not because they were unwilling to interrupt Ten Hag.

Rather, these reporters had completely lost track of what to say.

Finally, Ten Hag raised his ring finger: "The third match, which is today, I comprehensively considered the experience from the second match and made targeted tactical adjustments for the team, so we won by two goals."

"Cocu claimed I made no tactical adjustments; this is absolutely, absolutely wrong. If I hadn't made tactical adjustments, how could we have won?"

Ten Hag spoke with facts, directly completing his counterattack against Cocu.

"A fraud?"

Ten Hag spread his hands: "If I were a fraud, I would not have come to this team. Precisely because I know I can lead this team to success is why I came to this team."

Ten Hag knew he was not a fraud.

There might be frauds in Utrecht.

But it absolutely cannot be Ten Hag!

The venue fell silent, then suddenly erupted with clapping sounds.

Without exception, every reporter below had been conquered by Ten Hag!

After the match ended, Utrecht's players and coaching staff members arrived at the parking lot one after another.

The team bus was already ready, but Ten Hag did not let the players board immediately.

Tang Ye chewed his gum and whispered to Amrabat beside him: "Mr. Sitting Like seems very angry? Was he scolded by someone?"

Amrabat nodded: "He was scolded by PSV Eindhoven's head coach; it happened while you were in the restroom. We stayed in the locker room and didn't even dare to speak."

Scolded by the opposing head coach?

The corners of Tang Ye's mouth curled upward.

Good people get good rewards, bad people get bad retribution; that fellow Ten Hag deserves to suffer consequences!

Suddenly, Tang Ye's upturned mouth returned to normal because he noticed Ten Hag looking at him.

"Go, Mr. Sitting Like! I will always support you!"

Tang Ye clenched his right fist.

Ten Hag said nothing; soon, Cocu descended from upstairs together with the PSV Eindhoven players.

Ten Hag walked straight toward Cocu; the latter immediately stopped upon seeing Ten Hag: "What do you want to do?"

"You think you're very clever; you said many things to the reporters."

The PSV Eindhoven players surrounded Cocu to protect him; Ten Hag could not get through, so he shouted from outside the circle.

"I have someone to save me; do you?"

"My good friend, you're about to be fired!"

Check Dongqiu Di: Clean sheet against PSV Eindhoven returns to first place in the standings; head coaches trade insults in post-match interviews.

Utrecht Evening News front-page headline: After the match, Ten Hag waited for Cocu in the parking lot; upon seeing Cocu, Ten Hag mocked him: I have someone to save me; do you?

In just a few short days, news about Ten Hag on Check Dongqiu Di suddenly exploded in popularity.

Any news headline containing the three characters "Ten Hag" garnered no fewer than 1,000 comments below.

Logically speaking, a head coach of a Dutch Eredivisie team shouldn't receive this much attention in China, but there's no helping it; this is simply Ten Hag's charm.

【Is Ten Hag really this cocky?】

【Uh... this is a bit heaven-defying.】

【To be honest, I feel Ten Hag is truly going to lead Utrecht to greatness; I've watched the Eredivisie for a long time, and Utrecht has never been this fierce in a season as they are now.】

【????】

【Is no one going to look at my brother Meng? His contribution to the team is also huge.】

【Oh right, there's also Tang Ye; to be honest, Ten Hag bringing Tang Ye from the reserve team to the first team—just this move alone makes me want to praise him for the rest of my life; Saint Ten!】

【I feel Cocu was right; it seems Ten Hag really has no tactics, relying entirely on Tang Ye to carry everything up front.】

【Can someone tell me what that phrase "I have someone to save me, do you?" means?】

Fans engaged in fierce discussion over Ten Hag's remarks, with the most puzzling aspect being that statement made in the parking lot: "I have someone to save me, do you?"

That no one saved Cocu was something everyone knew.

But what did Ten Hag mean by "I have someone to save me"?

Who was saving him?

It wasn't just Chinese fans; local Utrecht supporters were also very curious about this question.

Under pressure from the fans, Ten Hag was forced to provide an explanation on social media.

【I am a devout Christian; yesterday's match was very lucky because God helped us. Undoubtedly, the one who saved me was God.】

Besides Ten Hag himself, some local Dutch journalists also voiced their strong support for him on their respective social media platforms.

Fan De, the chief reporter for Utrecht RTV, wrote an article about Utrecht FC on Twitter.

In this article, Fan De analyzed Ten Hag's tactics, stating that they possessed an extremely deceptive quality.

"This deception makes fans who don't understand football think Erik is not a qualified head coach, yet the opposite is true; Erik is great."

Cocu's post-match interview had once caused the club's upper management to harbor some doubts about Ten Hag, but after seeing these journalists' comments online, the management felt nothing but guilt toward Ten Hag.

They had made a mistake!

Doubting Ten Hag was an error that absolutely, absolutely could not be committed by any member of the club's upper management!

Snap!

【De Bruyne Far-Corner Curling Shot, Lv2: Simulation】

Proficiency: 23.6/70

"Phew..."

Tang Ye exhaled deeply and gave Ruiter, standing before the goal line, a thumbs-up.

Over the past few days, the first team had conducted shooting drills numerous times, and Tang Ye's 【Far-Corner Curling Shot】 ability had improved significantly.

Based on Tang Ye's estimation, he should be able to upgrade this shooting ability to Level 3 within two to three months.

Upgrading Far-Corner Curling Shot was much harder than upgrading Curved Through Pass, but Tang Ye had to put in the effort for this skill's proficiency.

Because this was his only shooting skill!

If he didn't curl shots into the far corner, the only way for Tang Ye to score in a match would be to poach near the penalty area!

"Tang, don't go to the base for dinner after training today."

Amrabat shouted, "There's an Indian restaurant in Montfoort; we're going there today!"

"Indian food?"

Tang Ye raised his eyebrows: "Sofyan, do you like Indian food very much?"

"I like it too."

Haller walked over from somewhere and interjected, "Lots of people are going; tonight we must celebrate, we're first now, first in the league!"

After defeating PSV in the previous round, Utrecht's league ranking surged two spots; they now had the same points as Ajax and occupied first place in the standings thanks to a superior goal difference.

This was the third time this season Utrecht had topped the standings; they definitely needed to celebrate properly!

With Amrabat and Haller extending such enthusiastic invitations, Tang Ye naturally would not refuse.

When afternoon training ended, Ten Hag and Fan Fan Dejiahe arrived at the first team's canteen to find not a single player present, only a few fitness coaches sitting together chatting.

"What's going on? Where is everyone?"

Ten Hag turned to look at Fan Fan Dejiahe, who looked left and right: "Maybe Tang called them to play video games?"

In the parking lot, Utrecht's players, dressed in casual clothes, followed their captain Ramselaar, who led the way: "I've already made reservations; tonight we'll eat at the restaurant first, then head to a bar. Damn, it's been so long since I went to a bar!"

The players were somewhat excited, while Haller led Tang Ye to his white Mercedes: "Come on, Tang, you ride with me; this is a Mercedes, do you know what a Mercedes is?"

"How could I not know? Haller, Tang is sixteen, not six!"

Jansen shook his head and asked Tang Ye whether he wanted to sit in the front or the back.

"I'll sit in the back!"

Tang Ye ran laughing to the rear, and after a moment stuck his head out: "Isn't there something to rest your legs on?"

"Something to rest your legs on?"

Haller didn't understand what Tang Ye meant, so Tang Ye got out of the car and described it with hand gestures: "It's a thing connected to the seat where you can put your legs up; it saves effort. Don't all Mercedes cars have this?"

Huh?

"That doesn't sound right."

Haller frowned: "Are you sure it's a Mercedes?"

"Yes, it's a Mercedes. But your Mercedes doesn't have a zongzi; do you know what zongzi is? It's a Chinese food; a Mercedes should have a zongzi sticker on the side."

Tang Ye described it, but since Haller seemed to have no idea what zongzi was, he didn't intend to continue discussing the matter.

"It's fine, it's all the same."

Fan Fan Zhiyi waved his hand, then ran to the front passenger seat: "I'll sit in front, I'll sit in front!"

The Utrecht players' sedan drove down the road, soft English songs playing inside the car.

Although the ride wasn't very comfortable, Fan Fan Zhiyi thoroughly enjoyed the feeling.

"So, what are we eating later?"

Ale, driving the car, turned his head to look at Fan Fan Zhiyi in the passenger seat.

"What we eat isn't the point; the point is drinking alcohol. A group meal means drinking!"

"Screw you, haha!"

Jansen and Amrabat in the back both laughed: "Drinking? Haha! Come on, why is a kid trying to join the fun?"

Amrabat slapped the headrest behind Fan Fan Zhiyi's neck: "Tang, have you ever drunk alcohol?"

"... I've had a tiny bit."

Fan Fan Zhiyi, feeling slightly guilty, used his hand to gesture a tiny amount.

"Screw your 'tiny bit'; later when we drink, you can Uber back to the dorms yourself."

Amrabat reached his hand forward, grabbing Fan Fan Zhiyi's shoulder: "Minors in the Netherlands aren't allowed to drink; be careful you don't get caught!"

"If I don't say anything, how will they know my age?"

Fan Fan Zhiyi was extremely cunning.

The System said he was 37 years old.

Is a 37-year-old still a minor!

The Indian restaurant wasn't far from the Utrecht base; it took about twenty-plus minutes of driving to reach the location.

"Tang, Fan Fan Zhiyi? (in Chinese)"

Just as he got out of the car, Fan Fan Zhiyi heard someone calling his name and quickly turned his head.

They were three boys with Asian faces; unsurprisingly, they were all Chinese.

"Wow, a star player, someone's calling you!"

Ale feigned a look of great surprise.

The entire Utrecht team was here, yet those three Asians across the way had only called out Fan Fan Zhiyi's name.

This was the charm of Utrecht's top star player!

"Ahem, ahem."

Fan Fan Zhiyi cleared his throat twice, and soon the fans from across the street ran over: "Fan Fan Zhiyi, damn, I watched the match a few days ago, the one against PSV Eindhoven!"

Blocked by three Chinese people in the Netherlands, Fan Fan Zhiyi felt somewhat at a loss; the boy in the middle took the initiative to introduce their identities.

These were three international students from China, two of whom were seasoned football fans, though they were not supporters of any Eredivisie team.

Their main team was in Spain, but because they were studying in the Netherlands, they often watched some Eredivisie matches.

Since Fan Fan Zhiyi was Chinese, he naturally sparked their interest.

"By the way!"

The boy took out his phone, swiped and scrolled a few times, then displayed the screen content in front of Fan Fan Zhiyi.

These were electronic match tickets, and all for six people.

A quick glance revealed that these three had watched almost every Utrecht match this season.

"Hiss—"

Fan Fan Zhiyi took a deep breath, signaling Ale and the others to go ahead while he stayed behind: "Damn, you watched every single match?"

"Yeah, more or less, though we didn't watch the previous match against Ajax."

The fan scratched his head: "I didn't buy them immediately; later the tickets cost over 500 euros, so we didn't watch."

After speaking, the boy standing on the right took a writing pen from his backpack and asked Fan Fan Zhiyi if he could sign their clothes.

"An autograph..."

Fan Fan Zhiyi took the pen and took a deep breath.

This was only the second time he had been asked for an autograph.

"Can't you...?"

"I can, I can; come on, turn around."

Fan Fan Zhiyi asked the Chinese fans in front of him to turn their bodies around, then used the pen to write on their clothes.

It wasn't a professional marker, so writing on clothes was a bit difficult, but not entirely impossible.

"There are six of you in total?"

Fan Fan Zhiyi asked a strange question, and the fan immediately replied: "Yes, the six of us are together; the other three are working part-time jobs and haven't gotten off work yet. What a pity, they don't have our luck, haha!"

"I see."

Fan Fan Zhiyi returned the pen: "I have home game family tickets; six spots are just right. I don't need them anyway; do you want them?"

Huh?

Fan Fan Zhiyi's words left the three fans stunned on the spot; Fan Fan Zhiyi continued, "Those tickets seem to be for the East Stand; the view is great, but sometimes you get hit by the ball..."

"Uh, do you mean you'll give us your family tickets for all future matches?"

"Yeah, do you want them? It's very convenient; it's just a matter of writing down names."

"Yes! Yes, yes, yes! We want them, we definitely want them!"

Utrecht Evening News front-page headline—Reporter discovers via telescope that the Utrecht first-team cafeteria is completely empty; is Ten Hag suspected of banning all players from entering the first-team cafeteria?

February 12, Utrecht plays an away match against Cambuur.

Before this match, Ajax defeated ADO Den Haag 4:2, which means that if Utrecht fails to defeat their opponent in this game, they will lose their position at the top of the league table once this round concludes!

Of course, with Ten Hag in charge, Utrecht this season will never disappoint the fans!

"Tang Ye, moving left and right, very agile!"

"Although he can't run fast, Tang Ye's positioning is extremely deceptive!"

"Passed forward to Josten!"

"Josten passes to Haller!"

"Haller shoots! Goal! Beautiful! Utrecht opens the scoring!"

"..."

Tang Ye slowly jogged toward the corner flag area; he was playing seriously in this match.

Currently, he had a total of four league assists, while the upgrade requirement for the French High-Level Chest was five league assists.

Just one assist away.

Truly a step away in the real sense!

Utrecht scored another goal in the first half, but unfortunately, Tang Ye still did not get a chance to record an assist.

Just as the second half began, Tang Ye actively demanded the ball and, imitating De Jong, started driving forward.

"Cambuur's defenders press toward Tang Ye."

"A sudden stop and turn, passing back to Ramselaar!"

"A very nice combination; Ramselaar passes back to Tang Ye!"

"A classic one-two; we can take a look at this Utrecht attack!"

"Tang Ye, is he going to shoot?"

"Passes to Josten."

"Goal!"

"GOOOO——AAAA——LLLLL!!!"

The stadium announcer let out a hoarse roar of fury as Josten ran out to celebrate.

Tang Ye remained very calm.

He was waiting.

Waiting for something very important!

【French High-Level Chest Upgrade Progress: 5/5】

【French Chest · High-Level → French Chest · Superstar】

It's here!

Tang Ye excitedly ran toward Josten, who was celebrating at the far end.

Currently, he possessed only one shooting technique, 【De Bruyne Far-Corner Curling Shot】, which was extremely monotonous.

But it was not a big problem.

Because he now had a new Superstar Chest!

(End of Chapter)