Chapter 157 150: Conscription

For the two-legged semi-final, Ajax would play at home first, then away. While this schedule was relatively unfavorable, it also gave Ajax the chance to strike first. Therefore, Ronald Koeman's strategy was to secure a home victory against Monaco.

Ajax's strengths lay in their passing, possession, and high press. Since their match against Real Madrid, the Ajax coaching staff had been focusing on a specific tactic: how to force Monaco's strikers, Molentes and Puljic, out of the penalty box and away from the danger zone, while simultaneously neutralizing their wingers and preventing them from breaking the offside trap.

Monaco hadn't been performing well in Ligue 1 this season, currently sitting in just third place, and their overall strength wasn't considered formidable. Ajax held the advantage in comparison, but any team that reached the semi-finals was not to be underestimated.

Judging by their performance in this season's UEFA Champions League, Monaco had delivered two spectacular matches. One was an 8-3 thrashing of Deportivo La Coruña at home in the group stage, and the other was a 3-1 home victory against Chelsea. The match against Chelsea, in particular, demanded close attention.

After the opponent equalized to make it 1-1, the team received a red card in the second half, leaving them a man down. And yet, thanks to goals from Molentes and Nonda, they still managed to defeat Chelsea 3-1. This spoke volumes about Monaco's fighting spirit and tenacity.

However, in their round of 16 matchup against Moscow Lokomotiv, Monaco lost 2-1 away and scraped by with a 1-0 win at home. Both matches exposed a core problem: Monaco's attack struggled to break down defenses, and the team made frequent passing errors.

In response to Monaco's various characteristics, Ajax focused on drilling their offside trap and a high-pressing game in the midfield and attack.

Even on the morning of the day before the match, Ajax was still conducting their targeted training.

Barring any surprises, Yang Yang would once again be coming on as a substitute in the second half of this match.

...

Arie Haan and his entourage arrived at De Toekomst in the middle of the training session.

Yang Yang had already learned of their itinerary from Wei Zhen, a reporter from National Television who was traveling with them. Apparently, Arie Haan had specially made time to fly over, insisting on meeting Yang Yang in person and watching the Champions League semi-final the next night.

Traveling with them, besides assistant coach Dejan and Wei Zhen, was Captain Zhu from the National Team.

But at De Toekomst, what surprised Yang Yang was that in addition to Technical Director Van Gaal, who he expected to be there to host them, Almere's head coach John Reep was also present. This gave Yang Yang quite a shock.

As soon as the training session ended, Yang Yang grabbed a towel, wiped the sweat from his body, and ran over to the sidelines to greet them.

"I really didn't expect to see you here, Mr. Reep." Yang Yang was still very respectful of his former head coach.

John Reep had truly taught him a great deal. Even after he came to Ajax, Yang Yang would often see him when he returned to Almere, and their many conversations were always incredibly beneficial for him.

"Your frame is still a bit too slight," John Reep said with a cheerful laugh.

This was clearly his assessment of his former favorite player after watching the training session.

Yang Yang chuckled as well. He was only seventeen, a crucial period for physical growth, so the club hadn't scheduled excessive strength training for him. Coupled with his naturally lean build, he of course looked slight among a group of muscular men.

Wei Zhen took the initiative to introduce National Team head coach Arie Haan and the others to Yang Yang. Arie Haan, in turn, asked caringly about Yang Yang's life in the Netherlands and how things were going for him at Ajax.

As a former top-tier football star himself, he knew very well how important it was to integrate into the local life when playing in a foreign country. This would allow a player to be free from worry and devote themselves completely to matches and training.

Yang Yang had no trouble adjusting to life in the Netherlands; after all, he had lived in Almere for a year before this. He felt things were going very well at Ajax, too. He had basically integrated into the team, and both the management and the coaching staff valued him highly.

Of course, these were just routine pleasantries. Seeing Yang Yang's performance in the Champions League, it was easy to understand how highly he was regarded by the Ajax team. Still, Arie Haan tactfully suggested that Yang Yang should remain at Ajax.

"You're only seventeen. As John said, your frame is too slight. You need more match experience, more time to grow and mature. There is no better platform in the world for you than Ajax."

Yang Yang deeply agreed and nodded repeatedly.

His teammates left the training ground one after another, not forgetting to say hello as they passed by Yang Yang. Ibrahimovic and Maxwell even stayed behind to ask if they should wait for him, but Yang Yang told them to go on ahead.

After seeing the players off, head coach Ronald Koeman and assistant coach Luther Carroll also gathered around.

What shocked Yang Yang even more was that he had never imagined that Luther Carroll, John Reep, and Arie Haan had been teammates. So, as soon as Arie Haan had planned to return to the Netherlands, he immediately notified John Reep and Luther Carroll. It was also clear that he had already heard about Yang Yang's situation from his two former teammates.

Although Wei Zhen and Captain Zhu were in the crowd, they couldn't get a word in edgewise among this group of legendary former stars and current famous European coaches. However, they learned from the translator that the topic of discussion was all about Yang Yang.

"Good kid, you're a massive star back home these days," Wei Zhen said, pulling Yang Yang aside and praising him with a hearty laugh.

Through his younger brother Wei Zheng and Shen Yuzhu's relationship, he was now practically family with Yang Yang. Add to that the fact he had come to the Netherlands before to film a documentary and had built a good rapport with Yang Yang, their relationship was now closer than ever.

"Not at all," Yang Yang said with a polite smile.

"You have no idea. Recently, your popularity back home has even overshadowed the NBA's Yao Giant. If you push a little harder, make it to the Champions League final, and even win the Champions League..." Wei Zhen shook his head in disbelief. "My god, you'll become a standard-bearer for all of Chinese sports."

"That's thinking too far ahead, Brother Zhen," Yang Yang said with a wry, shaking head.

He had never been one to pay much attention to such things. Right now, he just wanted to focus on playing football and working hard to improve his skills and competitiveness.

Wei Zhen understood Yang Yang's personality and knew what he was thinking, so he didn't press the matter. Instead, he brought up this summer's Asian Cup. It was the first time China would host the tournament, and the entire nation was placing immense importance on it.

After the Korea-Japan World Cup, where the Chinese Team suffered a dismal defeat—a true reflection of their strength at the time—the football atmosphere in the country had grown somewhat sluggish. They badly needed a good result in the Asian Cup to boost national morale and build momentum for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers.

"We've already reached a basic agreement with Ajax. Now we want to ask for your personal opinion." This time, Captain Zhu was representing all the national-level teams, not just the senior National Team, but also the National Youth Team.

"Right now, both the National Team and the National Youth Team need you. The National Youth Team's goal is this year's AFC U-19 Championship, where we'll fight for a spot in next year's FIFA U-20 World Cup in the Netherlands. Our long-term goal is the 2008 Olympics on home soil."

Yang Yang nodded firmly. "It is my duty to play for my country; I will not hesitate."

'Both the Asian Cup and the Olympics are being held on home soil. For that reason alone, as long as the National Team needs me, I have no reason to refuse the call-up.'

"Good." Captain Zhu could feel the patriotism in Yang Yang's tone. "After negotiating with Ajax, our plan is to have you play in the Toulon Cup first. It's in France. After you finish the Eredivisie season, you can rest for a bit, then fly from the Netherlands to France to meet up with the team. This cup is mainly for training and building experience; there are no expectations for results."

Yang Yang nodded. "No problem."

"After the Toulon Cup, you'll fly directly to Beijing to prepare for the Asian Cup. This is the first time we're hosting it, so it has the whole country's attention. Everyone, from top to bottom, is hoping the team can make a strong showing. The entire squad is full of fighting spirit, and Arie Haan has personally requested you for the team. He's certain you'll be a sharp blade on the right wing and play a crucial role."

"Thank you."

"Since Ajax also values you highly, we've discussed it internally among the national-level teams and decided that we should have you participate in the AFC U-19 Championship. Therefore, you won't be called up for the World Cup qualifiers. We'll call you up next year once we've made it to the final qualifying round."

'The AFC U-19 Championship schedule conflicts somewhat with the World Cup qualifiers, and I also have to balance my commitments to Ajax. It's only natural for the National Team to make this decision.' From Captain Zhu's words, it wasn't hard to tell that the National Team was full of confidence about these World Cup qualifiers.

The main reason was a lucky draw, pitting them against three opponents: Kuwait, Hong Kong, China, and Malaysia. In the first two matches, the Chinese Team had secured a 1-0 home win against Kuwait and a 1-0 away win against Hong Kong, China. It looked like qualifying from the group would basically be no problem.

After the group stage, the final qualifying round would begin in February '05, by which time Yang Yang would be available.

"Okay, I have no problem with that. As long as you clear it with the club, I'll follow the arrangement," Yang Yang agreed without hesitation.

Whether it was due to the education he had received growing up, the influence of his parents, or simply his own beliefs, he would have made this choice.

Seeing how readily Yang Yang agreed, and adding that to what he had learned from Wei Zhen earlier, Captain Zhu now had a good sense of Yang Yang's character. He didn't say much more, just offered a few words of encouragement.

Wei Zhen, on the other hand, pulled Yang Yang aside for a long chat. It soon became clear that his main objective was to ask for Champions League final tickets in advance.

"I've heard that tickets for the Champions League final are incredibly hard to get, but players on the participating teams receive complimentary ones. You've got to give some to me! I'll bring your parents, and your uncle's whole family, to the stadium to cheer you on in person."

Yang Yang's heart skipped a beat at the thought, but then he gave a wry smile and reminded him, "Brother Zhen, we're only in the semi-finals right now."

"Then just work harder and knock out Monaco, and you'll be in the final, right?" Wei Zhen laughed heartily.

When Yang Yang heard this, he realized it was Wei Zhen's roundabout way of encouraging him. He couldn't help but smile and immediately promised to give him a few tickets for the final.

'Forget that the tickets would be free; if they could just make it to the final, he'd be happy to pay for them out of his own pocket to give to him.'

'The Champions League final…'

'How many professional players go their whole lives without ever playing in one?'