Football: I am only 16 years old, and you want me to retire and make a comeback?

Chapter 386: Using the warm-up match as an opportunity to find a suitable match rhythm, will we play France in June?
KFC China: Tang Ye invites you to enjoy a spicy chicken burger. KFC supports the Chinese national team's World Cup journey.

Brothers, I guessed it right! It was definitely either KFC or McDonald's, or it was Burger King.

[Holy crap, endorsing KFC? Aren't you afraid of public backlash?]

[Try criticizing Tang Ye yourself!]

[Does anyone have a way to watch the match against Saudi Arabia?]

What's so interesting about Saudi Arabia? They can win easily. But if you find a broadcasting channel, remember to message me.

Time quickly came to the day of the match between the Chinese national football team and Saudi Arabia.

The weather was unusually hot today, but thankfully there was air conditioning in the stadium, so it wasn't too uncomfortable.

"Please note that this match is primarily for practice; don't worry too much about the score."

"Be decisive when passing the ball out from the backfield, don't hesitate."

After Lippi finished his final instructions, the players slowly stood up.

"come on!"

"Go for it, Lei Ge!"

The competition has begun, and Wang Chao's Happy Beans live stream room is ready.

"Saudi Arabia is definitely not as strong as Shanghai SIPG, I predict the Chinese national team will most likely win this match."

"Score predictions... I still suggest everyone avoid betting on warm-up matches; there are too many uncertainties. Today, the main focus should be on assessing the national team's form in preparation for the World Cup."

Analyze the performance in the warm-up matches so that we know what to do when the World Cup finals begin.

All I can say is that Wang Chao is incredibly professional!

"Hey guys who haven't joined the live stream yet, hurry up! Tang Ye is starting in this match!"

The football atmosphere in Saudi Arabia doesn't seem very good; there were hardly any people at the warm-up matches.

But it didn't matter anymore; Tang Ye focused his attention on the game.

Lippi demanded that the Chinese national team pick up the pace of the game right from the start, so Tang Ye needs to get into form quickly.

According to Tang Ye's experience, the best way to speed up the pace is to increase the frequency of passing.

"Look at me, look at me, take a look at me!"

Zhang Xizhe passed the ball to me!

boom!
With his back to the defender, Tang Ye backheeled the ball to Wu Lei, who was behind him.

Wu Lei dribbles the ball himself first!
A shout-out to Gao Lin!

A long, low pass came out, and Gao Lin gained possession of the ball.

However, Gao Lin was quickly pressured by Saudi defenders.

He couldn't turn around and hit the door!

Tang Ye pointed at Yu Hanchao, and Gao Lin quickly passed the ball.

Yu Hanchao gave it to Zhang Linpeng again!

Snapped!
A cross from a 45-degree angle was delivered.

However, Zhang Linpeng didn't pass to Gao Lin in the penalty area, but to Tang Ye behind the edge of the penalty arc!
Chest control!

Just as the ball was about to hit the ground, Tang Ye lifted his foot and hit the ball downwards.

The ball bounced off Gao Lin and landed right in front of Wu Lei.

Wu Lei takes a shot!

The ball went in!
1: 0!

The match had only been going on for 12 minutes when the Chinese national team opened the scoring against Saudi Arabia!

The players high-fived each other in celebration, while Lippi nodded repeatedly from the sidelines.

Indeed, the key is still the rhythm.

The biggest difference between China and other traditional powerhouses lies in their pace.

If the Chinese national football team wants to compete with teams participating in the World Cup, they must increase the frequency of their passes!

"Faster! Faster!"

Lippi asked Wen Qianshi to shout for him.

"Mistakes are okay, mistakes are okay, Tang Ye, go faster!"

Tang Ye, who was walking towards his own half of the field, turned to look at Lippi and shrugged: "Faster, are you sure?"

This pace wasn't the fastest for Tang Ye, but he could sense that Zheng Zhi and Zhang Xizhe were already struggling.

"It's okay, a mistake is a mistake. Let's see what the fastest pace looks like!"

Upon confirmation, Tang Yechao gave a thumbs-up from the bench.

Tang Ye put a new piece of chewing gum in his mouth and got ready.

You purchased Vardy's Red Bull +7.

Looking around at his teammates, Tang Ye now resembled a parent worried about their child.

Come on!
"..."

"Tang Ye got the ball. Wow... I feel like Tang Ye's speed suddenly increased."

"Um, it seems like the others are running too slowly. Let's take a look..."

"Continuous passing combinations"

"But the ball is out of bounds!"

Zhang Linpeng didn't react in time!

Unexpectedly, Tang Ye passed the ball back to him so quickly that Zhang Linpeng didn't have time to stop it.

"It's alright, it's alright, Brother Peng."

Tang Ye raised his hand to indicate: "Take your time, take your time."

The game continued, and the Chinese national team played aggressively after speeding up the pace, but the number of mistakes also gradually increased.

This leads to a problem: although the game is very tiring, the ball possession rate does not increase at all.

This is a very serious problem...

Lippi and Madaloni both had furrowed brows.

Every warm-up match exposes new problems for the team, which is a huge test for the coaching staff.

21th minute of the match!

boom!
The Saudi midfielder unleashes a long-range shot.

The score has been tied!

"I rely on..."

Shaking his head, Tang Ye felt a little uncomfortable.

Logically speaking, this kind of attack shouldn't pose a threat.

But it doesn’t matter.

According to the coach, we shouldn't focus too much on the score of this game; finding our rhythm is the most important thing.

Dongqiudi live match report: Tang Ye's long pass assisted Gao Lin's goal, but the goal was disallowed for offside, and the score remained 1-1.

They played alright, at least better than Shanghai SIPG in that game.

[No, where are you all watching the game? Don't you not have broadcasting rights?]

Tang Ye still needs more ball possession.

The key is still the team's coordination in the midfield and attacking third. If the Chinese national team can avoid making mistakes with such fast passes, they will be very strong.

It's the 37th minute of the first half!

Right baseline!

He feigned a cross but actually dribbled past his opponent, using a Cruyff turn to shake off the Saudi full-back!
Snapped!
He crossed the line to find Gao Lin, who was making a run into the penalty area.

Gao Lin controls the ball!

Break down the door!

"The ball is in!"

"2:1!!!"

"Damn, that's awesome!"

On the court, Tang Ye raised his arms high.

As it turns out, Lippi was indeed right.

The pace is faster and there are more mistakes.

But as teammates get used to the rhythm, the number of mistakes will decrease.

If Tang Ye can minimize mistakes, his offensive rhythm will put a lot of pressure on the Saudi players.

The first half was drawing to a close.

The Chinese national football team was awarded a penalty kick, and Tang Ye stepped up and easily scored.

The score has been extended to 3-1!

This is the final score of the first half!

……

"call……"

With his hands on his knees, Tang Ye was breathing heavily, which made the fans in the live broadcast feel very sorry for him.

"Holy crap, holy crap!"

"huhu"

Wu Lei walked over and put his hand on Tang Ye's back, and the latter quickly stood up.

Shake your head!
The pace was slower than when I played for Manchester United, but the physical exertion was much greater!
At halftime, Lippi indicated that he would begin making a large number of substitutions around the 65th to 70th minute.

Then there are tactical issues.

Based on the performance in the first half, the team needs to make adjustments in the second half.

"You guys need to pass the ball to Tom as many times as possible; that's key for us."

After Lippi finished speaking, the players in the locker room all turned their gazes to Tang Ye.

Tang Ye was speechless.

GGBond is suffering inside, but he doesn't say it.

"Um... well, Mr. Marcello, I support your tactics, but I have to say, I can't play 90 minutes if we keep playing like this."

Just to be on the safe side, Tang Ye brought up the issue.

If they continue playing like they did in the first half, the last 45 minutes will be fine.

However, in a 90-minute World Cup match, even if Tang Ye boosts [Vardy Red Bull] to +10, he still wouldn't be able to play the entire game.

"I know, I know, we're just looking for the right way to play. You don't need to play like this all the time in official matches."

Madaloni answered Tang Ye's question, and the latter nodded slightly.

Lippi and Madaloni seem to have already made initial tactical arrangements, so there's no need to worry.

The second half was about to begin. Tang Ye took a piece of chewing gum out of his pocket and handed it to Wu Lei: "Brother Lei, here you go, you're welcome."

Tang Ye could see that Wu Lei could keep up with his pace.

Therefore, the key to the game is to cooperate more with Wu Lei.

"Saudi Arabia has made a substitution, replacing their striker..."

"Brothers, I have a feeling Saudi Arabia is planning a counter-attack to equalize the score, but let's not panic and see how the Chinese national team responds."

"The strongest player, King Tang! He seems a little tired, but it's okay. Even when he's tired, King Tang is still far superior to Saudi Arabia."

The second half maintained the same rhythm as the first half.

The Chinese national football team players are quite adaptable, and Zhang Xizhe gradually found his rhythm in playing with Tang Ye.

Pass the ball over there!
Run forward!

Hold onto the ball!

This was a pretty good opportunity. Zhang Xizhe played a through ball to Wu Lei up front. Tang Ye ran past Zhang Xizhe and came directly behind Wu Lei.

Zhang Xizhe understood Tang Ye's idea and quickly went to fill the mid-lane position.

Wu Lei and Tang Ye went down the right flank together!
Wu Lei dribbles with the outside of his foot, trying to compress the defense!
Give it to me! Give it to me!

Tang Ye's voice came from behind, and Wu Lei decisively stepped on the ball and pulled back.

Snapped!
[De Bruyne's cross from the byline lv4: Realistic]

Proficiency: 803/800
[De Bruyne's cross from the byline lv4: Realistic → lv5: Replica]

A first-time cross, unexpectedly, the cross from the byline was a game-changer.

Look at the quality of that ball...

Back position!

Yu Hanchao!
The ball was headed into the penalty area.

Gao Lin tried to get a shot off, but he couldn't get to it.

Just when the audience thought the ball was going out of bounds, Wu Lei appeared out of nowhere and successfully opened the goal with a push shot.

4: 1!

"Wow!!!"

"China! China!"

There were about 3 to 400 Chinese fans present today, 90% of whom were local Saudi students.

Although the number of people was small, they still had a great presence.

Continuing at this pace, Saudi Arabia scored two goals in the next five minutes, bringing the score to 4-3.

Both teams' benches were packed with people, and it's likely that a major substitution is on the way!
Seize this last opportunity!

Corner kick!

Grab the spot!

Snapped!
With his right foot outstretched, Tang Ye pounced on the opportunity and scored.

"5:3!"

"King Tang, you're awesome, King Tang!"

If the Chinese national football team played like strangers in the last match, then this match can be said to have shown some understanding and chemistry.

Tang Ye and Wu Lei's numerous successful connections in the second half left a deep impression on the players!

"come on!"

"come on! Come on!"

Tang Ye gave Zhang Yuning and Wei Shihao a high-five before walking off the court.

"Jersey!"

"Tang Ye! Jersey!"

The fans in the stands were very enthusiastic, so Tang Ye took off his shirt and went over to them.

Just as Tang Ye was about to throw the jersey to the fans, he suddenly stopped what he was doing.

"Wait, wait, let me count..."

Quickly recalling in my mind, I should still have 1, 2, or 3 jerseys.

"Damn it, bro, I can't give you this shirt."

Feeling somewhat apologetic, Tang Ye withdrew his hand.

"If I give it to you, you might not have any clothes to change into later."

Tang Ye put his clothes back on.

The fans in the stands looked dejected, which made Tang Ye feel embarrassed.

How to do how to do……

Hey, there it is!

Thinking quickly, Tang Ye unbuckled his belt and pulled down his basketball shorts: "Here, bro, this is for you, this is for you."

The temperature on the court is around 25 degrees Celsius, so it doesn't matter whether you wear shorts or not.

Dongqiudi live match report: In the 72nd minute of the match, Tang Ye was substituted off and then gave his pants to the away fans in the stands.

[Frontline report: Tang Ye's underwear is Adidas]

Okay, I'll go get the same one now.

Instead of clothes, they gave us pants; goats really are something else!

The match ended with a final score of 4-5, with the Chinese national team securing a one-goal victory.

Judging from the actual situation of the match, if both sides field their strongest lineups for the entire game, the Chinese national team will most likely have the advantage.

The only question is, with such a fast pace of organization, can Tang Ye maintain the game for the full 90 minutes?

……

Gurgling.

puff!
After quickly rinsing his mouth, Tang Ye returned to the player tunnel with the players who had just come off the field.

Lippi was chatting with Wu Lei when he suddenly stopped when he saw Tang Ye.

"What's wrong, Mr. Marcello?"

"Where are your pants?"

"Oh, I gave it away."

Tang Ye pointed his thumb outwards.

He's always been very generous; it's just a pair of pants, he has extras anyway, so he'll just give them away!
Lippi reached up and touched his forehead, unsure of what to say for a moment.

"Um... I still suggest you go back to the locker room and put your pants on quickly."

"Okay, okay, I'm going now."

Click, click, click!

After the match, Lippi gave an interview to Chinese reporters.

"Well, we encountered some problems when arranging training matches, but those problems have been resolved now. We've contacted some European and American teams through Tom, and we should have 2-3 warm-up matches in June. The opponents aren't all confirmed yet."

To be honest, Lippi is getting old and his thinking isn't as sharp anymore.

There's a person with connections in the football world within the national football team that they don't even know how to utilize.

Tom could have his friends bring their national team teammates to play a friendly match against the Chinese national football team!

What is a warm-up match?
A warm-up match is a friendly match.

A friendly match, as the name suggests, is meant to be played with friends; otherwise, it wouldn't be a friendly match, but rather...

A match between strangers!

A game between strangers is meaningless.

Friendly matches are different; Tang Ye can have a high-level competition with his good friends.

When speaking to reporters, Lippi briefly outlined the team's upcoming plans.

Then there's Tang Ye's side. This is Tang Ye's first interview with reporters since returning to China.

Because the person opposite him was a Chinese reporter, Tang Ye immediately switched to Chinese, which he was most proficient in.

"As the best playmaker in the 2017-18 Premier League season, would you feel uncomfortable being asked to return to the national team as a playmaker?"

"It's alright. I feel like we're gradually working together, but there's still a gap between us and the top teams. We need to reduce our mistakes as the pace of the game gets faster."

"If we make fewer mistakes, our overall strength will significantly improve."

Tang Ye shared his thoughts.

The team is gradually improving, and as a playmaker, he can feel that very clearly.

"You'll be facing the top seed, Germany, in your first group stage match. Will that put pressure on your warm-up games?"

"Hush...huh..."

Biting his lower lip, Tang Ye looked somewhat distressed.

Germany is very strong, very strong, that's something everyone knows.

"I'll do my best. I've only played against some of the German players a few times, and they are indeed very strong. If I had to say something, I could only say I'll do my best."

……

France.

"China's overall strength is too weak. We won't gain much from playing them in a warm-up match. I think we should play against Italy instead."

The French coaching staff had a disagreement regarding the arrangements for the upcoming warm-up matches.

After listening to the assistant coach, head coach Deschamps spoke up: "We will definitely play Italy, but we'll have eight days free after that, and we should have a match during those eight days. China's willingness to come is good news for us."

"I know China's overall strength is relatively weak, but you also know that this is the best opportunity to directly study the world's number one midfielder."

Deschamps shrugged: "We need to learn how to deal with top attacking midfielders; it will help us in the knockout stages."

"..."

After Deschamps spoke, the other coaches in the office remained silent.

The Chinese team is indeed not strong, but it is still a team that has qualified for the World Cup.

And Deschamps is right, being able to play a match against Tang Ye head-on to feel the intensity and study the way the defense penetrates the attack is still quite important for the French team.

……

"Play against France? Us?"

In the hotel conference room, Zhang Yuning pointed to his nose, looking somewhat surprised: "Isn't this a bit of an exaggeration?"

"Um... I don't know either, you guys told me to make the appointment..."

Tang Ye felt a little wronged.

A day student brought breakfast to a boarding student, but was criticized by the boarding student for bringing the wrong thing.

Tang Ye is now suffering in silence!
"It doesn't really matter. France won't play too seriously in a warm-up match; a goal difference of 3 is the most they'll achieve."

Feng Xiaoting remained relatively calm.

Lippi was also thinking at this moment.

Playing a friendly match against France is a great help to the Chinese national football team.

But he was also worried that the intensity of the French attack would destroy the confidence of the Chinese national football team players.

"Tang Ye, can you contact other national teams? There should still be a few national teams with unfinished warm-up match schedules."

Upon hearing Zhang Yuning's question, Tang Ye squinted, his mind racing.

"Um……"

"England is fine, Spain is fine, and I can also arrange a match against Brazil. To be honest, Brazil is quite interested in playing against us, and they're going to Europe, which happens to coincide with our own trip to Europe."

"Should we exchange it? If so, we'd better hurry; they can only wait one day at most."

"..."

Zhang Yuning and Feng Xiaoting exchanged a glance.

The intensity didn't decrease even after you changed it...

"Then let's not change it, let's go to Europe, let's go to Europe..."

Don't be afraid.

Madaloni walked over: "We're going to participate in the World Cup soon. What's the point of you being afraid of European teams? You'll have to face this sooner or later."

"Is such that"

Tang Ye nodded quickly: "When we play France, you'll see they have a number 11 on the other side, his name is O... Dembele, he's a friend of mine, very easy to talk to. Kante and Mbappe are too."

……

L'Équipe reports that France's second friendly match in June will be against the Chinese national team on June 6th at Old Trafford. Manchester City and Manchester United will provide training facilities for the French and Chinese teams respectively.

"TA" - There is a "gentleman's agreement" between France and China that, unless there are unforeseen circumstances, Tom's playing time must not be less than 60 minutes.

……

(End of this chapter)