Chapter 803: Just a Phased Adjustment

"..."

After Ten Hag announced the starting lineup, the Manchester United training ground was unusually quiet.

Dembélé looked at Rodri, then at De Jong, and finally turned his gaze to Tang Ye.

Tang Ye simply exchanged a glance with Dembélé before shifting his eyes away.

It seemed the Manchester United midfielders were not surprised by today's starting lineup?

However, Dembélé had no idea what was actually happening, so he and De Jong remained silent.

The most shocked person had to be Cristiano Ronaldo.

As the "protagonist" in the starting lineup, he actually knew nothing about it.

Clearly the main character of the event, yet he had been forcibly turned into an outsider?

"... What is going on?"

After Ten Hag left, Dembélé and De Jong immediately caught up with Tang Ye to express their astonishment over the matter.

"What's wrong?"

Tang Ye continued chewing his gum, appearing as if he knew very little about the whole situation.

"This..."

Dembélé took a deep breath: "Eric actually gave Ronaldo a starting spot? I truly never expected that."

Judging by Tang Ye's reaction, Dembélé was convinced the captain had nothing to do with this.

Then it must be Ten Hag's doing.

"Could it be that Eric has changed his opinion of Ronaldo?"

De Jong voiced his thoughts, but Dembélé quickly dismissed them: "No, it should just be a phased adjustment."

Dembélé looked thoughtful, acting like an enlightened Gao Seng who understood worldly principles and stood above mundane affairs.

"Eric probably wants to shift the blame, making others think he has nothing to do with this, so he's letting Ronaldo start once."

"Come on!"

"Ousmane, you're thinking too maliciously of Eric!"

Tang Ye seemed quite disapproving of Dembélé's view.

"No, no, no, trust me, it's definitely like this. Tom, you should know Eric better than anyone; he wouldn't even listen to people like Rodmarkus, and no one can make him change anymore."

"This just proves it's merely one move in his chess game."

Dembélé reached his conclusion.

"Jesus!"

Tang Ye waved his hand: "In your eyes, Eric is far too malicious; you're overthinking it."

"Don't you think what I said makes perfect sense?"

Dembélé placed his hand on Tang Ye's shoulder.

No matter what Tang Ye said, Dembélé would never feel his judgment was wrong.

"What do you mean by this?"

Following Ten Hag's request, Cristiano Ronaldo found the coach before dinner started, without even having time to change his clothes.

"Do you have objections to the starting lineup?"

At that moment, Ten Hag was packing things up in the office with Fan Fan Dejiahe; seeing Ronaldo enter, he straightened his body.

Ten Hag sized Ronaldo up and down: "You think your form isn't good, so you shouldn't start?"

"No."

Ronaldo shook his head: "I just want to know what you mean by this. Is it charity?"

"If it's charity, I don't think I need it. Just proceed according to your original thoughts."

Ronaldo had already prepared to launch his revenge against Ten Hag, only for this sudden twist to occur.

The gun was loaded, so how could you pull the bullet out!

"What do you mean by my original thoughts? You're overthinking it."

Ten Hag sat down, while Fan Fan Dejiahe slipped away immediately.

"My meaning is simply that I want you to start, because your goal-scoring ability will benefit the team. I need your goal-scoring ability; do you understand what I mean, Cristiano?"

"... So, because we already lead 4:1 from the first leg, you want to save stamina for Martial and others?"

"... Fuck!"

Never expecting Ronaldo to become so sensitive, Ten Hag was left speechless.

"I have no other intentions. Moreover, leading by three goals in the first leg doesn't mean we'll let go in the second leg. With Tom and Ousmane on the field, do you think we intend to let go in the second leg?"

Ronaldo fell silent.

With both Tang Ye and Dembélé present, it proved Manchester United's attitude toward the match was undoubtedly fine.

Since that was the case...

"Don't think so badly of me!"

Ten Hag interrupted Ronaldo's thoughts: "If you don't want to start, I don't mind substituting you off."

"... Then, how long can I play in tomorrow's match against Yellow Submarine?"

Ten Hag shook his head: "I don't know; that's not a question you should be asking right now."

"However, according to my habits, if the lead is substantial enough, I will substitute off key players early. That's all I can say."

"I still have matters to handle; if possible, I hope you leave quickly."

Ronaldo said nothing and left directly as Ten Hag requested.

Upon exiting, he encountered Fan Fan Dejiahe sitting in a chair waiting; Cristiano Ronaldo offered no greeting to the Manchester United assistant coach and simply turned his head to walk away.

"Don't overthink it."

Fan Fan Dejiahe's voice came from behind; Cristiano Ronaldo slowed his pace and turned his head back.

"Just play well. Good luck."

Fan Fan Dejiahe raised his right hand.

He intended to fist-bump Cristiano Ronaldo across the distance, but unexpectedly, the Portuguese man did not raise his own right hand.

Sigh.

How boring!

……

"Sports Weekly" interviewed Escrivá: "Argentina and Germany are world-class powerhouses; currently, it remains unclear how to handle the World Cup, but I believe we will be more confident after the team gathers for joint training during the off-season; Ukraine has the capability to qualify for the World Cup finals, but I am unwilling to make any comments regarding Ukraine."

Escrivá was also having a hard time; even after the Asian qualifiers ended, reporters still caught him for interviews.

Among these, the group draw for the Chinese national team was naturally one of the core topics.

Group C, where the Chinese team was placed, included teams from the European zone playoffs, among them Ukraine, which is embroiled in war, bringing even more controversy to this group.

"The Ukrainian national team has a rookie striker from Shakhtar Donetsk; his sprinting speed is astonishing, even offering a chance to compete in high-level hundred-meter races," the reporter mentioned.

Escrivá was no fool; he would never answer any questions concerning Ukraine.

"I have not heard of this rookie striker you speak of, but I believe sprinting speed is crucial for a striker; he should be a very excellent player."

"Then... regarding Ten Hag, he expressed willingness to share a dinner with you; are you prepared?"

"If he is willing, that is certainly good. But I am not a petty person like him; Manchester United is currently in a critical match period, so I will give him some time, because if a head coach is hospitalized due to injury, it will still impact the team's results, although I do not consider Ten Hag to be a competent head coach."

"……"

"I feel like he isn't joking?"

Outside the home team's locker room at Old Trafford, Fan Fan Dejiahe looked at Ten Hag with an awkward expression: "What you said before was that he was joking."

"……I don't know."

Ten Hag shook his head: "It's just that his attitude is convincingly acted; I think Ferran is very hypocritical; he can fake such an expression."

"Michel, don't forget we are football coaches, not combat athletes. There is no need to rely on fighting to solve problems; he could have spoken to me properly."

"This... alright."

Fan Fan Dejiahe and Ten Hag fist-bumped, preparing for the upcoming Champions League match.

Meanwhile, Tang Ye was in the restroom, standing before the urinal contemplating his mission.

【Champions League Knockout Stage Chain Mission - Phase Two】

【Mission Objective: Advance to the Champions League semifinals with an all-win record, and ensure the combined total of goals and assists exceeds the sum of Messi and Ronaldo's goals plus assists.】