Leader

Since Volendam had been promoted to the Eredivisie this summer, they had begun upgrading the facilities at Karas Stadium. As a result, the already crude away-team changing room looked even more shabby, but at least there was somewhere to sit and shower.

Returning to the changing room one goal down, everyone at Almere was utterly dejected.

This was the first time they had trailed at halftime since entering the competition. Even in the opening round against AS80, they had managed to hold on to a draw, but this time they had been completely powerless against Volendam.

After all, they were a newly promoted Eredivisie side. Even Volendam's younger players were beyond anything Almere could match.

More importantly, the four Ajax Youth Training Camp graduates in their squad were simply outstanding.

Yang Yang had once heard that the Youth Training Camps of the three traditional Dutch powerhouses—Ajax, Feyenoord, and Eindhoven—gathered the most elite young players in the Netherlands. Now that he had personally experienced the strength of the players loaned to Volendam from Ajax's Youth Training Camp, he had to admit that there was still a considerable gap between them and him.

Ajax had loaned them to Volendam with an obvious purpose: to give them more opportunities to gain match experience. In other words, these players were not even considered exceptional at Ajax's Youth Training Camp.

Yet they were already this formidable. One could only imagine how strong famous players such as Babel and Amrabat were.

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

Almere's other players had been hit just as hard. Even Henk Dimer was no exception.

He had always set his sights on joining Ajax, but now he could clearly feel that he was not even as strong as the players loaned to Volendam. How could he possibly get in?

The changing room was lifeless, so quiet that only the players' breathing could be heard. Everyone was preoccupied, yet no one was willing to speak, as though whoever opened his mouth would be attacked by everyone else.

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

He had never been someone with extraordinary talent. Just over two months ago, Head Coach John Rep had repeatedly tried to persuade him to leave, but now his performances on the field were no worse than those of any other player on the team, including Henk Dimer.

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

If that was the case, then what did the huge gap between him and Ajax's loaned players matter?

As long as he had time and was willing to work hard, he firmly believed that no gap was impossible to close.

"All right, everyone, don't get discouraged. Don't hang your heads." Yang Yang rose from his seat and called out loudly.

Everyone in the changing room raised his head and looked at him.

In the past few matches, whenever they encountered trouble, Yang Yang had stepped forward.

That had been the case against AS80, against Vlaferlants, and now against Volendam.

If anyone else had said those words, someone would certainly have argued back. But when Yang Yang stepped forward, no one did.

He was the person on the team most qualified to say them.

Without Yang Yang, Almere would have been eliminated by AS80 in the first round. Without him, they would have stood little chance against Vlaferlants in the second, third, or even fourth round.

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

"That's right. Everyone, lift your spirits. Don't lose heart. We still have time, and we still have a chance." After seeing Yang Yang step forward, captain Henk Dimer immediately stood up as well.

Yang Yang nodded slightly at Henk Dimer and said loudly, "Volendam is definitely stronger than us, but remember, we aren't facing this kind of opponent for the first time. AS80 was stronger than us in the first round, and Vlaferlants was also stronger than us in the fourth round. But what happened?"

"The ones standing at Volendam's Karas Stadium are us!"

Yang Yang's words made many players in the changing room raise their heads.

Almere had beaten stronger opponents before.

Although Volendam was indeed the strongest opponent they had faced since entering the competition.

"The match still has a second half. There are only two roads before us. Either we fight them to the end and leave with our heads held high, win or lose, or we lose pathetically. But how will we face the fans who came with us to the away match, and those waiting for us in Almere?"

Almere's amateur side had performed very well this summer, reaching the fifth round and causing a great stir throughout the city. On top of that, AS80 had been eliminated miserably in the opening round, leading many citizens to support Almere. The players had also received more attention than usual.

Faced with Yang Yang's challenge, all the players began to harden their resolve.

Losing because they were inferior was nothing to be ashamed of. But if they lacked fighting spirit, it would be about far more than simply losing a match.

With that thought, most of the people in the changing room gradually regained their fighting spirit and resolved to fight until the end.

"Brothers, don't give up. I believe we still have a chance." Yang Yang encouraged them.

As soon as he finished speaking, the changing-room door was pushed open from outside. Then Head Coach John Rep's familiar voice rang out with loud praise: "Well said. As long as we don't give up, there will always be a chance."

Everyone in the changing room was startled. No one had expected John Rep to be there.

"Mr. Reip, why are you here?"

"Oh, Mr. Van Pul is here too. Great!"

Everyone was delighted. With both coaches here, they could help devise a strategy.

Without a Head Coach, they felt lost on the field, like headless flies.

John Rep and Dick Van Pul had not informed the team before coming. But after seeing the team's predicament in the first half, they had been unable to sit still and decided to visit the changing room. They had not expected to hear Yang Yang encouraging his teammates, and the sight had filled them with emotion.

Who could have imagined that just over two months ago, everyone at the club had already sentenced Yang Yang to death?

And now, they suddenly felt that Yang Yang was more suited to being captain than Henk Dimer.

But the thought flashed by. After all, Henk Dimer was a true product of the club's Youth Training Camp and a native of Almere, giving him natural advantages. Having Yang Yang serve as captain probably would not be appropriate.

Yet there was no denying that Yang Yang was the leader of this team.

"All right. Just as Yang Yang said, we're only one goal behind. We still have a chance," John Rep said with complete confidence.

Everyone trusted the First Team Head Coach far more than Dick Van Pul. When the former international said this, everyone believed it even more firmly.

John Rep had also come prepared. He had watched from the sidelines throughout the first half and understood the contest between the two teams extremely well. He immediately adjusted the various defensive problems exposed in the first half and laid out a strategy for the second half, especially how to execute counterattacks effectively.

"We have to make substitutions. Leave only one man up front." Henk Dimer turned to Yang Yang. "Yang Yang, your task is to stay up front. You don't need to track back. You have to hold off their two center-backs."

Yang Yang was startled. Were they handing the entire burden of the attack to him?

John Rep had no time to explain further. "We'll use four defenders and five midfielders in the middle and back. Everyone must guard his position at all times. Henk, even you should limit your forward runs unless you have a clear opportunity and sufficient confidence."

Everyone stared at John Rep in disbelief, then looked at Yang Yang. They were putting all their bets on one person. Could he really do it?

But soon, they understood.

Yang Yang had been indispensable to the team's journey to this point and was its best-performing player. If even he could not shoulder this burden, who else could?

"We all know where Yang Yang's weakness lies. So in the second half, we change our approach. Every pass to Yang Yang should be sent forward with a long ball, straight into the space ahead of him."

Yang Yang's weakness was his poor basic technique, which led to many mistakes with his first touch, especially when closely marked. But his strengths were his speed and his ability to dribble past opponents at high speed. As long as the ball was sent ahead of him and he could build up speed, no one could stop him.

John Rep's adjustment had struck directly at the heart of the problem and was highly targeted, earning Yang Yang's admiration.

He even began to feel that he might need to study this aspect of the game properly. It would help him understand matches better and perhaps even control them.

With John Rep's arrival, everyone at Almere steadied themselves again and found their direction.

When the two sides returned to the field, Volendam, holding a one-goal lead, was clearly in higher spirits, but Almere was just as unwilling to back down.

Soon, everyone noticed Almere's change in formation. They had switched to a four-five-one, with the two lines in the middle and back holding a much tighter, more compact shape. In the center of midfield especially, Henk Dimer and two teammates built a wall in front of the defense, firmly protecting the back line behind them.

Yang Yang ran tirelessly up front. When his team had the ball, he constantly moved into open spaces and searched for opportunities. When Volendam had possession, he continually harassed their defenders, especially the two center-backs.

In this regard, Yang Yang was clearly doing a better job than the previous number eleven striker. Volendam's defenders suffered in silence, and some of them even struggled to adapt.

With the defense unstable, the attack from the middle and front was difficult to unleash freely. Combined with Almere's disciplined defensive shape, the two sides fell into a stalemate. It had to be said that John Rep's in-game management was highly effective.

The only disappointing point was that it was difficult for the middle and back lines to launch long balls right in front of Yang Yang. The passes were never quite accurate enough—either the distance was wrong or the angle was off. As a result, although Yang Yang was active up front, he still failed to get a chance.

But since the tactical adjustment in midfield was working, everyone at Almere was filled with confidence and firmly believed that an opportunity would come.

Yang Yang in particular continued to carry out his task meticulously up front, not daring to slack off in the slightest.

This tactical discipline also earned Van Gaal's praise from the crowd beside the pitch. This was exactly the type of player he liked most.