Chapter 42: Footwork!

At 3:45 AM Beijing time, Utrecht welcomed Groningen to the Stadion Galgenwaard.

Groningen was also one of the teams in the Eredivisie, and this was the second encounter between the two sides this season.

There were slight differences between the two meetings.

The biggest difference among them lay with Utrecht.

Brother Meng had been promoted from the substitute bench to the starting lineup!

Having witnessed the lesson learned by PEC Zwolle, Groningen manager John appeared somewhat more modest when facing reporters.

"Tang is an exceptional player, and I am very glad to see such a genius appear in the Eredivisie."

These were John's exact words.

While he said that, John was certainly unconvinced in his heart. Inside the locker room, he emphasized several points to his players regarding Tang Ye making the starting lineup.

"We lost the last match against Utrecht, and today in the KNVB Cup, our opponents have sent on a 16-year-old midfielder who isn't even of legal age yet! Lads, I must say this is our opportunity, and we need to make them pay!"

John pulled the tactical board closer. "Tang is an extremely extreme player. He is capable of executing remarkably brilliant passes, which is something we must pay attention to. So, how should we deal with him receiving the ball in the frontcourt?"

Thump! Thump!

He tapped the tactical board twice with his marker. "Pressing! High-intensity pressing! He runs very slowly, or rather, he doesn't like running at all. Our forwards need to press up, press up, and then he won't be able to pass!"

As the manager of Groningen, John felt quite confident about this match.

Ten Hag actually deployed a player who refused to run into the starting lineup.

And high-intensity pressing in the frontcourt happened to be Groningen's greatest strength!

...

"Welcome back to Xiao Wang's live streaming room, my friends!"

"Pay attention to the screen! Today is another Utrecht match, playing at home against Groningen!"

"Friends in the stream who haven't joined the fan group are welcome to join the anchor's QQ group, where daily guaranteed refund slips and winning predictions are shared..."

"Alright, the match is underway now, and Utrecht gets the first touch!"

Wang Chao shouted loudly and began to introduce the starting lineups of both teams.

Vandermeer received a direct red card in the previous match and, according to FIFA rules, was suspended for 3 matches. Over the next three games, his position would be filled by Rieuwers.

"Utrecht!"

Bang, bang!

"Utrecht!"

Bang, bang!

Though not a massive fixture, the fans in the stands were still full of passion.

Droste carried the ball toward the right flank and, judging his position to be right, distributed the ball to Tighadouini on his right!

Tighadouini was extremely cautious. Instead of hurrying forward with the ball, he came to a complete halt on the spot.

Amrabat rushed toward him, at which point Tighadouini executed a feint to shake off his marker and passed the ball ahead to Antonia, who was making a run down the flank.

A standard flank attack!

Groningen completely displayed their characteristic ability to utilize the width of the pitch!

...

"The pressure on Utrecht's defensive line is quite heavy right now."

"We are already in the 4th minute, and Tang Ye hasn't had a chance to touch the ball yet."

"As for the defense later... never mind, he probably won't participate in defending anyway. Let's look at Utrecht's center-backs!"

"Ngcongca! One-on-one defending against Antonia!"

"Ngcongca passes horizontally into the middle; De Leeuw is getting ready to receive."

"Strieder! Brilliant! Strieder clears the ball away!"

With a magnificent long-range clearance, Strieder booted the ball into the opponent's half, and Utrecht successfully defused the crisis!

[Not bad at all. Utrecht's defense is finally stepping up. I hereby declare Utrecht my favorite team for this season, I'm betting on them every day!]

[Why hasn't Tang Ye touched the ball yet? Didn't they say he's a possession-style midfielder?]

[The guy above clearly hasn't watched enough of Brother Meng's matches. Brother Meng plays like the King of Football; he doesn't need to defend.]

[My Brother Meng only has two defensive skills: one is slide-tackling, and the other is staring them down!]

[With the opposing forwards applying so much pressure, I feel like our King Tang is going to have a very tough time in this match today!]

[Pressure? What's there to be afraid of? King Tang treats you guys to foot baths every week, and this is how little trust you have in him?]

[I have sinned! I'm continuing to bet on a Utrecht victory today!]

"What a pity, but it's fine!"

As the initial flank attack was cleared by the opposing defender, John began to console his players.

Although the attack didn't yield a goal, John saw things clearly.

Groningen's chances of winning this match were still quite high!

In the frontcourt, Tang Ye and Barazite were searching together for the dropping trajectory of the ball.

The experienced Barazite secured his position in advance and headed the ball to Tang Ye.

"Wow? Thanks!"

Tang Ye hastily brought the ball down to the ground.

This was his first touch of the match!

No need to rush, look left and right!

Take another glance back!

Bonet was running toward him.

Bonet was Groningen's left-back, and if he ran out of position, the left flank of Groningen's defensive baseline would be left vacant.

With his train of thought crystal clear, Tang Ye delivered a pass toward the baseline on the right flank.

The ball returned safely to Barazite's feet!

"A perfect through ball! Tang Ye's very first touch has unlocked the attacking phase for the team!"

"Groningen is under immense pressure because they are facing the King of Football!"

Barazite drove down the flank and began a one-on-one duel with Kapteynborm.

To prevent Bonet from tracking back to double-team Barazite, Tang Ye diagonally drifted into the penalty area.

Bonet had no choice but to follow Tang Ye, but Tang Ye's behavior drove him slightly crazy.

"Will you fucking run?!"

Tang Ye kept walking leisurely, and Bonet was forced to walk along with him.

Back and forth, Bonet felt as though he had completely given up, and anxiety inevitably crept into his mindset.

Huh?

The berated Tang Ye glanced sideways.

These professional players really had fragile mentalities nowadays, getting anxious one after another.

Let's look ahead.

Ah, the opportunity has arrived!

Barazite outmuscled Kapteynborm in their one-on-one, showcasing his individual brilliance to the fullest.

Tang Ye needed to showcase himself as well!

He suddenly accelerated and strode into the penalty area.

"Haller!"

Barazite shouted, releasing a cross. Biting his lower lip, Tang Ye sneaked into a blind spot of the defense and completed the goal with a deft sliding push!

"Brilliant, Haller!"

Barazite rushed over, but upon catching sight of Tang Ye's head in the box, he suddenly realized something was amiss. "Wow, Tang, why is it you?!"

"It's all the same, all the same! Beautiful, Tang!"

Barazite took a running jump and plastered himself directly onto Tang Ye's back.

"Awesome! Absolutely awesome, King Tang!"

"What is going on with King Tang?! He's starting to exert force as early as the 6th minute!"

"If you exert force this early, how are the opponents supposed to survive?!"

Wang Chao roared loudly inside the streaming room.

Based on experience, Tang Ye usually only started exerting himself in the second half, but today was different.

The opposing three forwards were pressing with high intensity?

It didn't matter. Tang Ye simply ran straight into the frontcourt, masquerading as a forward so he wouldn't get pressed.

First touch to open up the attack!

Second touch to directly score a goal!

Such damned individual charisma!

Who needs possession rate anyway?!