Chapter 24 Ten Hag: Just Say Whatever You Want

"Beep, beeeep—!!!"

The final whistle blew. With a hat-trick from Haller, the team successfully dismantled Willem II 3-0 on the road. While Haller was undoubtedly the protagonist of the match, another individual had captured the attention of both fans and reporters.

At the invitation of the press, Ten Hag brought Tang Ye along to the post-match press conference. It was Tang Ye's first time attending such an event and his first time facing reporters. He felt a bit nervous.

*Click! Click-click!*

Amidst the barrage of camera shutters, Tang Ye took his seat beside Ten Hag.

"Tang, you delivered an astonishing performance today. That pass in the second half helped Sebastian secure his hat-trick. What were you thinking when you made that pass?"

"Uh..." Tang Ye pondered for a moment. What *was* he thinking at the time?

"Well, I was in the backfield, quite a long way from our attacking players." Tang Ye spread his hands to indicate the distance. "If I wanted to join the attack, I would have had to run all the way up there, and that would be very tiring."

"Tiring?" The reporter frowned. "What does that have to do with your brilliant pass?"

"It has everything to do with it. If I passed the ball directly to Sebastian, then I wouldn't have to run."

The room fell into stunned silence, soon broken only by the sound of camera shutters. The reporter didn't know what to say. To avoid running such a long distance, he simply launched the ball to his teammate from the backfield. The reporter felt there was something wrong with the answer, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

After a brief silence, the reporter decided not to dwell on the topic. "According to an investigation by *Utrecht Sports*, you seem to have been banned from the first-team canteen. Is this news true?"

Tang Ye didn't answer immediately; he turned his gaze toward Ten Hag.

Ten Hag smiled. "It's fine, just speak freely."

"Oh, I see." Tang Ye nodded. "It is indeed—"

He suddenly stopped mid-sentence. Under the table, Ten Hag’s leather shoe had stomped firmly on Tang Ye’s foot.

Tang Ye looked at Ten Hag again, who was still smiling and nodding. "It's alright, tell the truth. We at Utrecht have always been very transparent with the media. What has been done has been done, and what hasn't, hasn't!"

Tang Ye rubbed his chin. "That must be fake news. First-team players should eat in the first-team canteen. Since I left the second team, I haven't been to that canteen at all."

The reporter stared into Tang Ye's eyes.

...

*Haller Hat-trick: Utrecht Shuts Out Willem II 3-0, Chinese Prospect Tang Ye Provides Incredible Long Pass.*

*The "Dragon Overlord" of Football? Tang Ye Says He Passed the Ball Because He Didn't Want to Run Too Far.*

*Tang Ye Denies Being Banned from First-Team Canteen!*

[Not wanting to run too far—classic, fits my impression of 'Brother Meng'.]

[If any other player said that, I'd think they were showing off, but since it's Brother Meng, he probably really just didn't want to run.]

[Can the mods ban these haters? My King Tang has always been very hardworking!]

[Brother Meng: Running is too tiring, just hoof it!]

[No bias, but Tang Ye covered over 2km yesterday. Are you guys still not satisfied?]

[Utrecht hasn't lost since Brother Meng started coming off the bench. Is Ten Hag really not considering starting him?]

[Ten Hag, you're incompetent!]

...

The day after the match, the entire first team was given the day off. Everyone, that is, except for Tang Ye.

"This is the price you must pay to avoid doing your homework!"

Tang Ye was doing half-squats with a barbell on his shoulders, while van der Gaag hyped him up from the side. "Think about your assignments, think about that hundreds-of-words Dutch essay. If you don't want to write those things, then put in the effort to train."

"Use your training results to earn the right to be exempt from homework!"

*Clang!*

Tang Ye stood up abruptly with the barbell, the iron plates clattering against the bar.

"Two more, come on!" van der Gaag shouted. Tang Ye took a deep breath, squatted, and rose again.

Judging by his expression, it looked like a grueling heavy-lifting session, but that wasn't the case. Tang Ye was only 16, and to ensure the healthy development of his bones and muscles, van der Gaag didn't put him on heavy loads. Instead, Tang Ye was training for "strength endurance"—the ability to maintain explosive power over a sustained duration. While not as taxing as speed endurance, it was still difficult to train.

"Okay, that's it, great job!" Tang Ye finished his set, and van der Gaag made a small checkmark on his clipboard.

Since extra training began the week before last, Tang Ye’s physical strength metrics had improved significantly.

"I didn't know until we started, but Tang, your natural physical talent is actually quite good." van der Gaag patted Tang Ye on the shoulder. "If you keep going like this, you will definitely reach the physical condition required to start in the Eredivisie by the time you're 17!"

"Endurance is hard to say, but strength will definitely be there."

Speaking of strength, van der Gaag remembered something and checked his watch. It was about time. He led Tang Ye to the door, where a red lunch box labeled "99" was waiting.

"This is what you need to eat tonight." van der Gaag shoved the box into Tang Ye's hands along with a pair of forks.

Tang Ye’s current training volume couldn't be sustained by three meals a day. After consulting with the fitness coach, Ten Hag decided to add a late-night snack to Tang Ye's daily regimen.

"Thanks, Mitchell!" Tang Ye was feeling a bit hungry, and this replenishment was a welcome relief.

He opened the box: rye bread, pasta, Dutch pancakes, and several huge pieces of herring. Tang Ye immediately recognized it as food from the first-team canteen. There was one obvious clue: the herring in the first-team canteen was always served raw, whereas the second-team canteen only served cooked herring.

"Mitchell, this stuff is raw," Tang Ye said, lifting a piece of herring with his fork to show van der Gaag. "I never eat raw herring."

"Then what do you want to eat?" van der Gaag turned around.

"Hmm... Tomato scrambled eggs, boiled pork slices, sweet and sour spare ribs... oh, and poached chicken. Poached chicken is my favorite."

"Screw that!" van der Gaag rolled his eyes. "I've never even heard of those things. Man, this is it. Just eat up."

"But I really don't eat raw herring."

"This is the closest you’ve ever been to the first-team canteen."

*Damn it!*