Leader

Due to Volendam's promotion to the Eredivisie this summer, they began upgrading the hardware facilities at Karas Stadium, making the already rudimentary away locker room even more shabby. However, at least there was a place to sit and shower.

Returning to the locker room trailing by a score of 0-1, everyone at Almere was dejected.

This was the first time they had been trailing at halftime since the start of the competition. Even in the first round against AS80, they had managed a draw. But this time, facing Volendam, they were completely outmatched and unable to retaliate.

After all, Volendam was a newly promoted team in the Eredivisie. Even the strength of their young players was something Almere couldn't contend with.

More importantly, their four Ajax youth academy players were exceptionally skilled.

Yang Yang had heard people say that the youth academies of Ajax, Feyenoord, and Eindhoven, the three traditional powerhouses, gathered the most elite young players in the Netherlands. Now, he personally experienced the prowess of the players Volendam had on loan from the Ajax youth academy. He had to admit that there was still a significant gap between himself and them.

Ajax loaning them to Volendam had a very clear intention: they hoped these players would get more playing experience at Volendam. In other words, these players weren't considered outstanding even within the Ajax youth academy.

Yet, they were already this formidable. One could only imagine how strong the renowned Babel and Amrabat must be.

They were all the same age, but the vast difference in skill made Yang Yang feel miserable.

The other Almere players were equally disheartened, even Henk Dimer.

He had always aspired to join Ajax, but now he clearly felt that his skills were inferior even to the players loaned to Volendam. How could he possibly get in?

The locker room was deathly quiet, with only the sound of the players' breathing. Everyone was lost in their own thoughts, yet no one dared to speak, as if speaking would invite criticism from everyone else.

Yang Yang quickly calmed the suppression and frustration in his heart.

He was never a person with extraordinary talent. Just over two months ago, he had been repeatedly discouraged by head coach John Rep. Yet now, his performance on the field was no less than any other player on the team, including Henk Dimer.

He was confident that with a little more time, he could completely crush the team captain.

If that was the case, then what was the vast gap between him and the players loaned out by Ajax?

As long as there was time and a willingness to work hard, he firmly believed there were no insurmountable gaps.

"Alright, everyone, don't be discouraged. Don't hang your heads," Yang Yang said, standing up from his seat and calling out loudly.

Everyone in the locker room looked up at him.

In the past few matches, whenever they encountered difficulties, Yang Yang would step forward.

It was like that against AS80, against Vlaferlants, and now against Volendam.

If anyone else had said this, someone would have surely retorted. But with Yang Yang speaking, no one did.

He was the most qualified person on the team to say these words.

Without Yang Yang, Almere would have been eliminated by AS80 in the first round. Without him, Almere would have had a very difficult time winning in the second, third, or even fourth round against Vlaferlants.

It could be said that Yang Yang led the team to the fifth round.

"Yes, everyone, lift your spirits and don't give up. We still have time and opportunities," Captain Henk Dimer said, also standing up after seeing Yang Yang step forward.

Yang Yang nodded slightly at Henk Dimer and said loudly, "Volendam's strength is definitely greater than ours, but you all know that we haven't encountered opponents like this before. In the first round against AS80, the opponent was stronger than us. In the fourth round against Vlaferlants, the opponent was also stronger than us. But what was the result?"

"We are the ones standing on Volendam's Karas Stadium!"

Yang Yang's words made many players in the locker room lift their heads.

Almere had defeated stronger opponents before; this wasn't their first time.

Although, this time, Volendam was indeed the strongest opponent they had faced in the competition.

"There's still the second half of the match. There are only two paths before us: either we fight them with everything we've got, and leave with our heads held high regardless of the outcome, or we lose shamefully. But what will we use to face those who accompanied us to the away game, and those fans waiting in Almere?"

Almere's performance in the amateur league this summer had been excellent, reaching the fifth round. This had caused a significant stir in the city. Coupled with AS80's early elimination in the first round, many citizens had come to support Almere, and the players were more popular than ever.

Faced with Yang Yang's questioning, all the players began to become resolute.

Losing was a matter of skill, and there was nothing to say. But to lack fighting spirit was more than just losing.

With this thought, most people in the locker room regained their fighting spirit, determined to fight to the end.

"Brothers, don't give up. I believe there's still a chance," Yang Yang encouraged.

As soon as he finished speaking, the locker room door was pushed open from the outside, followed by the familiar voice of head coach John Rep, who exclaimed loudly, "Well said. As long as you don't give up, there's always a chance."

Everyone in the locker room was surprised, not expecting John Rep to be there.

"Mr. Rep, why are you here?"

"Oh, Mr. Van Pool is here too. That's great."

Everyone was overjoyed. With both coaches present, they could help them strategize.

Without a head coach, they felt lost on the field, like headless flies.

John Rep and Dick Van Pool had not informed the team before their arrival, but after seeing the team's predicament in the first half, they couldn't sit still any longer and decided to visit the locker room. They happened to hear Yang Yang encouraging his teammates, which deeply moved them.

Who could have imagined that just over two months ago, Yang Yang had been written off by everyone in the team?

And now, they suddenly felt that Yang Yang was more suitable to be the captain than Henk Dimer.

However, this thought was fleeting. After all, Henk Dimer was a direct descendant of the team's youth academy and a local from Almere, possessing a natural advantage. It might not be very appropriate to have Yang Yang as captain.

But undeniably, Yang Yang was the leader of this team.

"Alright, as Yang Yang just said, we're only down by one goal. There's still a chance," John Rep said with great certainty.

Everyone trusted this first-team coach far more than Dick Van Pool. With the former international player saying this, everyone became even more convinced.

John Reip had also come prepared. He had been observing from the sidelines throughout the first half, thoroughly understanding the matchup between the two teams. He immediately made adjustments to address the defensive issues exposed in the first half and laid out the strategy for the second half, particularly how to execute effective counter-attacks.

"We need to make a substitution. We'll keep just one player up front," Henk Dimer turned to look at Yang Yang. "Yang Yang, your task is to stay up front. We don't need you to track back. You need to hold off their two center-backs."

Yang Yang was startled. Was he being entrusted with the entire offensive burden?

John Reip didn't have time for lengthy explanations. "The defense and midfield will adopt a four-defender and five-midfielder formation. Everyone must strictly maintain their positions at all times. Henk, even you should try to minimize forward runs unless you have a clear opportunity and confidence."

Everyone listened, looking at John Reip and then at Yang Yang in disbelief. It was as if they were placing all their bets on Yang Yang alone. Could he handle it?

But soon, everyone came to terms with it.

Yang Yang had been instrumental in the team's journey to this point. He was also the team's best-performing player. If even he couldn't handle it, who else could shoulder such a responsibility?

"We all know Yang Yang's weakness, so we're changing the strategy in the second half. All passes to Yang Yang should be long balls forward, directly into his path."

Yang Yang's weakness was his poor fundamental skills, leading to many first-touch errors, especially under tight marking. However, his strengths were his speed and ability to dribble past opponents at high speed. If the ball was played into space in front of him, letting him run, no one could stop him.

John Reip's adjustments and deployment were insightful and highly targeted, earning Yang Yang's deep admiration.

He even began to feel that he might need to study this aspect of the game more thoroughly, as it would help him understand and even control matches better.

With John Reip's arrival, Almere's players regained their composure and a clear sense of direction.

When both teams returned to the field, Volendam, leading by one goal, clearly had higher morale, but Almere was not to be outdone.

Soon, everyone noticed Almere's formation change to a 4-5-1. The defensive and midfield lines became more compact and tight, especially in the center of the midfield. Henk Dimer and two teammates formed a protective wall in front of the defense, steadfastly guarding the back line.

Yang Yang, meanwhile, ran tirelessly up front. When his team had possession, he constantly made runs into open spaces, searching for opportunities. When Volendam had the ball, Yang Yang harassed their defenders, particularly the two center-backs.

In this regard, Yang Yang was clearly performing better than the previous number 11 center forward, causing the Volendam defenders to secretly groan and struggle to adapt.

With an unstable defense and an inability to effectively launch attacks from the midfield, coupled with Almere's tight defensive formation, the game entered a stalemate. John Reip's in-game command was indeed impressive.

The only downside was that it was difficult to pass the ball long to Yang Yang from the defense and midfield. The passes were never quite right, either too short, too long, or on the wrong trajectory. This meant that despite Yang Yang's active presence up front, he was unable to create any real chances.

However, since the tactical adjustments in midfield were working, everyone in Almere was filled with confidence, believing that an opportunity would eventually arise.

Yang Yang, in particular, continued to meticulously execute his task up front without any slack.

This tactical execution also earned the admiration of Van Gaal, who was among the spectators on the sidelines. He favored players of this type the most.