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

Chapter 690 The Battle to Break the Stalemate in Etihad

Chapter 690 The Battle to Break the Stalemate in Etihad (Bonus Chapter for Monthly Tickets!)

[De Bruyne's 45-degree cross lv5: Replica → lv6: Humility in Asking Questions]

[Passes: 95 → 96]

!!!

Upon receiving the system message, Tang Ye immediately smiled happily.

I originally thought that a level 6 growth template wouldn't be enough to help the passing attribute break through the 95 threshold, but now it seems that he underestimated the value of the phrase "not ashamed to ask questions".

Reaching a passing attribute of 96 is a significant improvement for Tang Ye.

It comes with a 10% bonus to the first touch.

So, what level is Tang Ye's first pass at now?
Answer: 105.6
This thing can only be displayed on the calculator; you can't see it on the FIFA website or even on Tang Ye's panel.

Because there was just too much overflow...

Tang Ye (22 years old)
[Ball possession: 92; Passing: 96]

[Shots: 91; Headers: 62; Set pieces: 93]

Speed: 82; Endurance: 85; Physical Strength: 89

[Defense: 78; Vision: 99]

Overall rating: 95
To his shame, Tang Ye hadn't actually planned to pursue a career in numerical analysis, but he hadn't expected to be so deeply involved and unable to escape it.

Once Tang Ye's "Inverted Triangle Cross" skill reaches its maximum level, the last remaining growth template he hasn't fully upgraded is "Far Corner Claw Shot".

[De Bruyne's long-range curling shot lv5: Replica (Beyond the current state)]

Proficiency: 688/3000
"..."

This is way too far off.

Tang Ye gently shook his head.

Let's keep it for now, and then give it a intensive training session when it's close to leveling up!
……

Match Preview: At 3:4 AM on April 29th, Dortmund will visit the Etihad Stadium to face Manchester City in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final. With Haaland sidelined due to injury, can Tang Ye lead the team to victory?

Tomorrow is the match day, but Dortmund players arrived in Manchester a day early.

Playing the away game first is indeed a great idea, but on the other hand, if Dortmund loses too badly in the first leg away from home, then they're doomed for the rest of the season.

Therefore, this match is very important for Dortmund.

According to Escriva's plan, Dortmund needs to keep their number of losses to one.

Of course, a draw would be the best outcome (that's the ideal situation).

"You are restricted from coaching the team in the two semi-final matches due to a penalty. Do you think this will cause problems for the team?"

Click!

"...First of all, it's certainly a regret. I wish I could be there for the players when they needed me most, but because of the mistake I made last month, I can't do that now. As for the impact of my absence on the team..."

Escriva didn't change the subject, but chose to tell the truth: "To be honest, there is definitely an impact, but it's certainly not as big as you imagine. My suspension happened last month, and some time has passed since then. Our players have had enough time to prepare for all of this."

"Well... I wish you success."

The Munich Times reporter concluded his interview with Eskeriva.

They wanted to continue interviewing Tang Ye, but the information they received from club staff indicated that Dortmund players would not give any interviews before the first leg of the match was completely over.

……

Pinned Post: Breaking News!!! Manchester United's China tour is confirmed for July, with matches to be played at the Bird's Nest Stadium. Ticket sales dates and platforms will be announced later. (153842 comments)

[You know, this is the kind of news I want to see.]

[July is perfect, right after the college entrance exams. I can go straight to Beijing for a trip, first to see GGBond, and then to the Great Wall.]

[Upstairs, you're amazing for managing to snag a ticket. I think the only way to get one is through scalpers. Tens of millions of people vying for 8 tickets, wow!]

[This is how journalism works: the entire article never mentions whether Tang Ye will come or not. If Tang Ye doesn't come, what else is Manchester United going to do? What else is there this season besides the Club World Cup and the Community Shield?]

[The loan ended in June. If Tang Ye hasn't returned to Manchester United by July, Dortmund should start their China tour soon. The management there is very shrewd.]

Whether or not they're good enough for China, let Dortmund and Manchester City face off first, and get revenge for Manchester United, okay?

Most Chinese fans are Manchester United fans. After winning the league title for two consecutive seasons, the gap between them and Manchester City widened this season, which is unacceptable to the fans.

Especially for die-hard Manchester United fans, losing to their favorite player, and then having their favorite player fall to their city rivals, would be absolutely terrible.

If possible, Manchester United fans hope that Dortmund can upset Manchester City.

But judging from the odds... well, actually there aren't many fans who are optimistic about Dortmund.

There's no way around it, Manchester City is just too strong this season!

……

Manchester City unveils a promotional poster for their Champions League semi-final home game: "[Godslayer]".

The poster features Guardiola with his back to the camera; it looks unremarkable, much like Dortmund's posters—understated.

However, the caption accompanying this poster is far too obviously targeted.

The story begins with the killing of a god. I won't tell you who it is; you'll have to guess for yourselves!

On match day, at the Etihad Stadium.

A poster was hung on each side of the stadium gate, featuring Kyle Walker and Reus respectively.

Logically, the poster should have featured De Bruyne and Tang Ye, but Manchester City staff paid excellent attention to detail, thus preventing Dortmund fans from comparing Tang Ye with De Bruyne.

"Blue moon~"

You knew just what I was there for~

You heard me saying a prayer for~

"Someone I really could care for!"

"..."

"Na na na na... City! City! City!"

"City! Come on City!"

Standing in the players' tunnel, Tang Ye could clearly distinguish every word sung by the Manchester City fans.

I don't know if it's because my English is too good or my hearing is too sharp?

"Tom."

De Bruyne and Ruben Diaz came up together, and the two hugged Tang Ye.

They're old rivals.

Unlike their last encounter, Aguero was not present today.

In addition, new talents are slowly emerging at Manchester City.

"Can I have your jersey? I mean, after the game?"

Fu Deng came up and cautiously made his request.

"Okay, sure."

Tang Ye patted Fuden on the head.

"Beep!!"

Tang Ye gave Reus a gentle push from behind, and the players from both sides came onto the field one after another.

"China Media Group! This is a live broadcast of the 2020-21 UEFA Champions League..."

"As you can see, the players from both sides are walking out of the player tunnel!"

The camera focused on Tang Ye, and the Dortmund midfielder immediately received boos from the Manchester City fans in the stadium.

Tang Ye and Manchester City don't have much animosity, but this is how opponents are treated at the Etihad Stadium, and Manchester City fans won't give GGBond a friendly look!
Tang Ye and Brandt stood on either side in the middle, with Dortmund being the team responsible for kicking off today.

"Beep!!!"

Wow!!!

boom!
With a low, ground-based pass, Tang Ye delivered the ball directly to Hummels in the backfield.

At the same time, all Dortmund players began to press forward aggressively.

De Bruyne, playing as a makeshift center forward, charged toward Hummels!

"Oh!!!"

Snapped!
Hummels moved quickly, passing the ball before the opponent could press him into position.

The goal is clear: to find Tang Ye, who is wandering around in the middle of the field!

boom!
Tang Ye collided with Bernardo Silva, but Tang Ye used his physical advantage to successfully win the ball.

"Pretty!"

Marty called out.

Bernardo Silva got up from the ground, wanting to counter-attack.

At this moment, Tang Ye executed a textbook example of ball protection, stepping on the right side of the ball with his right foot.

Bernardo Silva gets a card every time he makes a tackle!

Tang Ye turned around at a 45-degree angle as Foden ran towards him from behind.

boom!
Foden struck Tang Ye from behind.

It was indeed a foul, but Tang Ye had already passed the ball at the moment of the collision. "Dortmund has the advantage in attack, but the referee didn't rush to blow the whistle!"

"Bellingham gets the ball and moves towards the left byline!"

"To Royce in the back!"

After a series of maneuvers, Reus successfully gained possession of the ball.

Tang Ye looked around to confirm the positions of the other players on the field.

"Come."

Tang Ye and Jingduoan hugged each other and pushed each other, each trying to disgust the other.

Reus took a step forward!
!

At that very moment, Tang Ye and Brandt accelerated together and rushed straight into the penalty area.

Reus passes the ball over here!
"You come!"

Brandt blocked Stones' position, then let Tang Ye make the move.

Stop the ball!

Tang Ye was quite confident after handling the situation well on the first try.

He lifted his left leg and executed a mid-air stance pull-out.

Snapped!
The sound is crisp and clear.

The angle was also very well chosen.

But Ederson saved the ball!

"..."

"Fuck!!!"

Tang Yechao roared at the gas explosion.

"Oh!"

"xuuu!!!"

The Manchester City fans at the scene were clearly taken aback.

Based on their strength, Manchester City, playing at home, should be the better team. It would be too outrageous for them to score the first goal in the game!
"What a pity..."

"Yes, but I have to say, Dortmund's opening fast break was really good; it must have been specially designed."

The camera panned to Eskreva in the stands, where the commentator briefly explained the coach's suspension before introducing the starting lineups for both sides.

Manchester City (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: Ederson
Defenders: Cancelo, Ruben Diaz, Stones, Kyle Walker
Midfielders: Gundogan, Fernandinho, Bernardo Silva

Forwards: Foden, De Bruyne, Mahrez

Head Coach: Guardiola
Just like what the fans saw at the start of the game, Guardiola did something rather special in today's match.

That means having De Bruyne play as a makeshift center forward!

If you're a die-hard City fan, you'll remember that this is the third time De Bruyne has played as a center forward this season.

"The first two times it worked quite well; Manchester City used this tactic to beat Manchester United at Old Trafford."

"We say that Manchester United and Dortmund have very similar tactics, but in reality, Manchester United is Manchester United and Dortmund is Dortmund. There are still big differences between the two, so you can't just copy them directly."

Because of Tang Ye's influence, the commentator couldn't directly state that he didn't think highly of Dortmund, otherwise his Weibo account would be flooded with criticism from fans.

So, if you want to get the real opinions of the two CCTV commentators, it's honestly a bit difficult, at least when they're commentating on Dortmund matches.

12th minute!

"Eh!"

Tang Ye delivered a V-shaped loop shot.

Although it was a very simple move, he did it so well that Gintoki dodged Tang Ye's attack again.

"Fuck!"

Jingduoan spoke up, trying to pull Tang Ye directly to the ground.

He grabbed Tang Ye's clothes!
Despite feeling the pull from behind, Tang Ye still managed to pass the ball successfully.

boom!
He crashed to the ground and rolled around repeatedly; now it's up to his teammates!

"Dortmund has an advantage on the offensive..."

"Sancho!"

"One-on-one against Cancelo!"

"Let's see how Sancho handles this!"

Sancho was trying to gradually compress Manchester City's defense by alternating between his left and right feet to control the ball.

Upon discovering that Cancelo had made a mistake, Sancho decisively executed a bicycle kick past him.

Cancelo took the lead.

Sancho appeared to be safe, but just as he accelerated to dribble past his opponent, Cancelo stretched out his foot and intercepted the ball from Sancho.

"Hey! This ball!"

“Sancho could have waited a bit longer, since Bellingham could have provided support from behind, but he could have handled it himself without any problems.”

Sancho got up from the ground and the first thing he saw was Bellingham spreading his hands at him: "Look at my space, I'm all empty and you didn't pass!"

Sancho got a little carried away and didn't notice Bellingham, which was a serious mistake for the winger.

"it's okay no problem!"

Reus shouted a few times, "Steady, don't rush!"

Bellingham and Sancho clapped.

Although they were shouting to communicate, the two players actually have a very good relationship.

The time has reached the 20nd minute.

At first, they didn't think much of it, but when the possession percentage was displayed at the bottom of the screen, Dortmund fans in front of their TVs finally panicked.

MCI: 72%.

BVB: 28%.

hiss! !

The ball possession rate is significantly lower than expected.

If it weren't for the incredible plays by Tang Ye and Reus, Dortmund would probably have had less than 20% possession left.

Look at Eskreva in the sky, his face full of sorrow.

He could certainly see the problem: Manchester City's short passing pace was too fast for Dortmund.

But what can you do even if you know the problem?

There's no way to solve this problem!

28th minute!

"Fuck!"

Tang Ye was brought down in the penalty area by Stones, but the referee did not make any call, which immediately aroused dissatisfaction among Dortmund players.

Dortmund wanted a penalty, but the referee didn't award it.

I'm a little unwilling, but it seems there's nothing I can do.

"..."

Manchester City continued their attack, with Cancelo making a run from behind to collect the ball.

Manchester City's rapid-fire short passes near the byline made it very difficult for Dortmund to play.

Thump thump!
The heart beats faster and faster, supplying blood to the brain.

Tang Ye's pupils suddenly contracted.

Have the opportunity!
"Find Kevin!"

"Go over there! To the right!"

The Dortmund players understood all too well what Tang Ye's instructions meant, and Pogba and Piszczek followed his instructions.

Snapped!
Gundogan passed the ball to De Bruyne, who then passed it to Cancelo.

But when Cancelo got the ball, he realized something was wrong.