Don't Waste the Broccoli

Don't Waste the Broccoli

You have obtained Cristiano Ronaldo's broccoli. For the next 12h, the effectiveness of football training will be doubled.

De Bruyne Curved Through Ball, lv2: Similar

Proficiency: 5/50

At Utrecht's training ground, the first-team players were playing a scrimmage.

Erik ten Hag told Tang Ye to boldly attempt long passes, and Tang Ye did exactly that.

Unfortunately, his De Bruyne Curved Through Ball was only at lv2 Similar. He still had a long way to go before reaching the next stage, lv3 Simulation.

Of his twelve long-pass attempts, four reached the attacking third, and Haller got on the end of one of them.

According to the system's calculations, as long as the ball was passed near the attacking third, it counted toward proficiency regardless of whether the striker received it.

But since this was training, each successful pass only earned one point of proficiency.

Tang Ye's four passes, boosted by the broccoli, successfully earned him four points of proficiency.

The lv2 progress bar instantly rose by a fifth!

"Mm, I'm getting the feel for it!"

Tang Ye rolled his shoulders.

Cristiano Ronaldo's broccoli really was damn useful!

"Tweet!"

Mitchell van der Gaag blew the whistle to stop the scrimmage. Erik ten Hag walked over and gradually relayed the issues he had observed to the Utrecht players on the pitch.

"Beautiful pass!"

Haller high-fived Tang Ye in celebration.

Four out of twelve passes had reached suitable positions.

That looked like only a one-third success rate, but Tang Ye's passes had come from the backfield.

He had been at least thirty, perhaps even forty meters away from Haller and Balazhit!

Haller placed a hand on Tang Ye's shoulder. "I told you, if you're willing to train hard, you'll become incredibly good!"

"Quiet!"

Erik ten Hag told the players to settle down, then announced that afternoon's training was over.

"It's over? Wait, why?"

Someone grew anxious, but Erik ten Hag had not expected that person to be Tang Ye. "Come on, lazy pig, what are you so anxious about? Don't you love resting the most?"

"Of course I'm anxious. I've always trained the hardest. I don't like resting!"

"Wow~~"

The moment Tang Ye finished speaking, jeers immediately rose from the crowd. Amrabat kept waggling his eyebrows at Tang Ye.

"Oh~ I've always trained the hardest, wow~"

Tang Ye turned away and ignored Amrabat.

That guy was his hater.

His biggest hater!

He had spent a whole ten comeback points on that broccoli today.

And training ended an hour early.

Wasn't that a massive loss?! Tang Ye looked at Erik ten Hag, who was watching him with amused interest. "We have a Dutch Cup match tomorrow. The schedule is very tight, and you need time to rest."

The facts were exactly as Erik ten Hag had said.

The Dutch Cup was about to begin this season.

With such a packed schedule, coaches had to reduce the players' training workload to ensure they could perform well in matches.

Erik ten Hag also wanted Utrecht's players to train a little longer.

But circumstances would not allow it!

Erik ten Hag gave a brief summary of the day's training, then sent the players to the treatment room for muscle massages.

After taking care of those matters, Erik ten Hag and Mitchell van der Gaag went up to the second floor of the training base together.

That was where Utrecht's coaches' offices were located. Erik ten Hag and Mitchell van der Gaag needed to use the time to finalize tomorrow's matchday squad.

There was basically no debate over which players to bring. Utrecht's first team only had twenty-four players, and choosing eighteen from them for the squad was very easy.

Moreover, because the gap in quality among Utrecht's players was rather pronounced, Erik ten Hag put together the starting lineup very quickly.

"Goalkeeper: Ruiter."

"Defenders: Nganioni, Strieder, Timo Letschert, Van der Maarel, Kleiber."

"Forwards: Haller, Balazhit."

There was no real dispute over the goalkeeper, defenders, or forwards.

As for the midfield...

Erik ten Hag's pencil hovered in midair. He had already written down Ramselaar and Janssen.

Now he needed to choose between Ayoub and Amrabat.

Both had their own strengths and weaknesses.

Ayoub was a veteran of the Dutch Eredivisie with plenty of experience, but the downside was that he had not been in good form over the past two seasons.

Amrabat was the exact opposite. As a second-team player, this was his first season in the Dutch Eredivisie.

Amrabat had delivered performances good enough to win Erik ten Hag over.

But due to his lack of experience, Erik ten Hag and Amrabat had not yet built enough trust between them.

"Forget it. Let's give it a try!"

Erik ten Hag made up his mind and wrote down Amrabat's number on the paper.

"You're really going to start Sofyan?"

Mitchell van der Gaag was somewhat surprised by Erik ten Hag's decision.

"Whatever. Sofyan has indeed performed well, so we can try it first."

"And besides..."

Erik ten Hag suddenly stopped halfway through his sentence.

"And besides what?"

"In a competition like the Dutch Cup, it's meaningless unless you win the title. Do you think we can win it this season?"

"No." Mitchell van der Gaag decisively shook his head.

"Exactly."

Erik ten Hag spread his hands. "The task of fighting for league positions this season is already tough enough. What I mean is, we should treat the Dutch Cup as a chance to experiment. Let Sofyan have a go. He's really in great form."

Erik ten Hag's attitude made it clear that he had no intention of going very far in this season's Dutch Cup.

They would win as many matches as they could.

And if they could not win? Then so be it.

Once the starting lineup was confirmed, Erik ten Hag was about to discuss tomorrow's match plan with Mitchell van der Gaag when someone knocked on the office door.

Haller walked in.

Utrecht's top scorer! "Erik, Mitchell!"

Haller entered and immediately spotted the notebook on Erik ten Hag's desk.

Erik ten Hag did not hide anything from Haller, one of the team's key players. He directly spread out the starting lineup for Haller to see.

"We made a few adjustments. Sofyan will replace Ayoub. I know you and Ayoub are close, but I think Sofyan is the better choice."

Erik ten Hag had assumed Haller would speak up for Ayoub.

But he did not.

His attention remained on the starting lineup. He seemed to be looking for someone.

But he did not find the person he wanted to see.

Haller raised his head and asked a question Erik ten Hag had never expected him to ask. "Erik, have you considered starting Tang?"

"No, Sebastian, that's impossible."

Erik ten Hag lightly pushed off with his feet, and his office chair rolled backward. "He lacks experience. Have you ever seen a sixteen-year-old start in the Dutch Eredivisie, the top football league in the Netherlands?"

"Besides, he's a lazy pig. If Mitchell and I don't push him to train, he'll only hide in his dorm room and sleep!"

Haller said nothing. Instead, he pulled open the curtains and motioned for Erik ten Hag to look outside.

Hm? Erik ten Hag and Mitchell van der Gaag exchanged a glance. The two walked to the window and looked down.

Tang Ye was on the pitch in his training gear.

He was...

Practicing simulated backfield passing!

"What is this?"

Erik ten Hag looked at Mitchell van der Gaag and pointed at Tang Ye on the first-floor pitch. "Did you hold a gun to his head?"

"No, how could I?"

Mitchell van der Gaag took a step back, while Haller spread his hands at Erik ten Hag. "It's true that no sixteen-year-old has started in the Dutch Eredivisie."

"But have you ever seen a sixteen-year-old make passes like that?"

"I'm a striker. I know who makes a suitable midfielder. Erik, you have to believe me. I can tell!"