Chapter 177 170: Big Shot

Tie Sheng woke up on a sofa in the coffee shop, his body aching unbearably.

His assistants sat across from him, all still fast asleep, each one snoring louder than the last.

The team had arrived in Toulon late last night, and the players had gone straight to their rooms to rest without even grabbing a bite to eat. The coaching staff, however, had no such luxury. They had gathered in the coffee shop, each ordering a cup of coffee, to study the day's upcoming match.

The most pressing issue for the coaching staff was how to best utilize Yang Yang.

It was a good problem to have.

A right winger who had shone in the European League and scored the winning goal in the Champions League final was, for the current National Youth Team, almost too good. Figuring out how to use him effectively had become a major headache for the coaching staff.

Yang Yang was two years younger than the other players on the National Youth Team, but his skill was extraordinary. Having been tempered by a major event like the Champions League final, his on-field ability was undoubtedly the best on the team. Used correctly, he would be the team's sharpest weapon. But the key question remained: how could they use him correctly?

Building the team's tactics around him was the obvious answer, but that was just a general idea. How, exactly, were they supposed to do that? How should the other players coordinate with him? How could they unleash his full potential as a threat on the field?

At Ajax, Yang Yang's teammates were European superstars like Ibrahimovic and Van der Vaart. His partner on the right flank, Talabesi, was a Tunisian international and a top-ten candidate for World Footballer of the Year. Players like Sneijder, De Jong, and Wesley Sonck were all internationals who played for powerful European clubs.

It was safe to say that the support system Ajax provided him was something the current National Youth Team simply couldn't replicate.

But for both professional and personal reasons, they had to use Yang Yang well.

The National Youth Team was a representative of the country, and Tie Sheng certainly wanted to lead it well. Using Yang Yang effectively would be a massive boost to the team's strength. But if he failed, then regardless of the team's performance, both he and the Football Association would face public scrutiny.

More importantly, Arie Haan had arranged for Yang Yang to play in the Toulon Cup partly to let him build chemistry with the domestic players. After all, the Asian Cup was scheduled right after the tournament.

This was the first time China had ever hosted the Asian Cup, and the entire country was filled with anticipation and longing.

In the decades of Chinese Football history, the nation had never once won an Asian Cup.

But the coaching staff had talked for hours last night without reaching any real conclusion. It wasn't until early morning, when they simply couldn't stay awake any longer, that they finally gave up and crashed on the sofas.

Tie Sheng suddenly thought of Wei Zhen. Perhaps he could offer some insight.

A man of action, Tie Sheng immediately returned to his room. After freshening up, he went and knocked on Wei Zhen's door.

Wei Zhen was a reporter for National Television's sports channel, and the two had known each other for a long time.

But to his surprise, Wei Zhen wasn't in his room. Tie Sheng had to call him and finally tracked him down in the hotel lobby.

"Xiaowei."

Tie Sheng hurried over, glancing around in surprise. "Where's Yang Yang?"

"He went out."

"Out?" Tie Sheng's expression immediately darkened.

Back in China, he had the nickname "Tie Dan." As the name—which literally means "Iron Egg"—implied, it perfectly captured his personality and coaching style.

'Even though Yang Yang plays great for Ajax and is the biggest star on this National Team,' Tie Sheng thought, 'we have a match tonight. Isn't it a bit out of line for him to be out having fun right now?'

"Xiaowei, why didn't you stop him?"

Wei Zhen noticed the change in Tie Sheng's expression. Mulling over the coach's tone, he instantly realized there was a misunderstanding. He stood up with a smile and pulled Tie Sheng down to sit. "Coach Tie, you've misunderstood. He didn't go out to have fun, he went for his morning training."

"Morning training?" Tie Sheng was taken aback.

"That's right. It's a habit he developed in the Netherlands. He goes to bed early and wakes up early. Every morning, he gets up and goes for a run with a ball. He won't come back until he's covered a few kilometers."

Tie Sheng was stunned. "He does that every day?"

"Yep, pretty much. At least, that's what I've heard from the coaches and players at Ajax and Almere. There's a park in Almere where they've purposely preserved a concrete wall that Yang Yang damaged with his kicks. They say they plan to turn it into a tourist attraction someday."

Now Tie Sheng was truly shocked, but also a little ashamed. He had completely misjudged Yang Yang.

"Don't worry, Coach Tie. I can guarantee you, he is absolutely the most professional player I've ever seen."

Tie Sheng gave Wei Zhen a long, deep look, then nodded, showing that he believed him.

"That's actually why I was looking for you. Our coaching staff was agonizing over it all night. How on earth should we use Yang Yang?"

"Can't you just put him on the field?"

"Easier said than done. How are the other players supposed to coordinate with him? He just joined the squad and hasn't even had a single practice session with us. We're completely in the dark about him. You know," Tie Sheng said with a wry smile, "we've never had to handle such a big-name player before."

He was a key player for a Champions League-winning team, the hero who scored the game-winning goal in the final. Forget the National Youth Team; even on the senior National Team, Yang Yang was a bona fide superstar.

Wei Zhen, however, just chuckled. "Coach Tie, you know what? Yang Yang was just talking to me about this very issue yesterday."

"And what did he say?" Tie Sheng pressed, his interest piqued.

"Yang Yang feels the same way. He's never practiced with the team, so he has no idea about his teammates' strengths or the team's overall situation. The worst part is, the match is tonight, so he doesn't even have time for one practice session. He's also very worried that he won't play well and will negatively impact the team's performance."

"He... really said that?" Tie Sheng asked, surprised.

'This isn't how big-name players usually act,' he thought.

"He really did." Just as Wei Zhen was speaking, he saw Yang Yang enter through the hotel's main entrance, juggling a ball. He immediately pointed. "He's back. If you don't believe me, ask him yourself. Yang Yang, over here!"

Yang Yang returned, drenched in sweat and planning to head straight to his room for a shower. He was surprised to see Wei Zhen in the lobby, and next to him was a man whose picture he had seen online: Tie Sheng, the current head coach of the National Youth Team.

"Hello, Coach Tie. It's a great pleasure to meet you. I'm Yang Yang," he said, walking over at once.

Tie Sheng had been sizing up Yang Yang as well. Seeing the boy drenched in sweat, he now completely believed what Wei Zhen had said.

"Hello, Yang Yang. I'm very happy you could join the National Youth Team. On behalf of the entire coaching staff and all the players, welcome."

"Thank you, you're too kind, Coach Tie."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, the three of them sat down in a corner of the lobby.

Wei Zhen knew that since this was their first meeting, things might be a little awkward, so he took the initiative to steer the conversation toward the match that evening.

"Coach Tie, this is what I was thinking," Yang Yang began.

"Go on, I'm listening," Tie Sheng replied, giving him his full attention.

"Well, I'm new here. I probably don't even recognize all my teammates yet. I don't think it's a good idea to put me in the starting lineup right away. If it's okay, I'd like to start on the bench and observe my teammates' playing styles and the team's tactics from the sidelines first."

Yang Yang's proactive suggestion caught Tie Sheng completely off guard.

'A star player is supposed to be in the starting lineup, of course.'

If Yang Yang had demanded to start, Tie Sheng would have had no choice but to agree. But now that Yang Yang had actually asked to be on the bench, Tie Sheng felt a wave of relief. He couldn't help but marvel inwardly; 'There's a real reason Yang Yang made it at Ajax. He's the real deal.'

"Since you're being so frank, I'll be straight with you too," Tie Sheng said. "The coaching staff was up all night, but our understanding of you is limited, so we honestly weren't sure how to best deploy you. Let's treat this first match as a practice run. I'll give you the first half to watch from the sidelines and get familiar with the team. Then, I'll put you in for the second half. How does that sound?"

"No problem at all. I'll follow the coaching staff's arrangements completely," Yang Yang immediately assured him.

Tie Sheng was a former international player and had been coaching for many years. He had seen all kinds of people, and he could tell that Yang Yang was being sincere. He also understood just how difficult it was for a player of his stature to maintain such a humble attitude.

Staying humble and level-headed is easy to talk about, but incredibly difficult to do.

As he thought about this, Tie Sheng was suddenly struck by an impulse. He looked deeply at Yang Yang. "Keep up the good work. Keep striving. The future of Chinese Football rests on the shoulders of your generation. The environment back home is... complicated. If you can make a career in Europe, do everything you can to stay there."

As he spoke those last words, Tie Sheng's eyes turned red. He wasn't sure if it was from the lack of sleep or the sudden surge of emotion.

It was their first meeting, yet the coach was speaking with such profound gravity. Yang Yang didn't know how to respond and could only nod repeatedly in acknowledgment.

In truth, he had never considered returning to China to play.

"It's not easy for them, either," Wei Zhen sighed, watching Tie Sheng's retreating figure.

"What do you mean?"

Wei Zhen shook his head, deciding there were some things best left unsaid to Yang Yang. "It's nothing. I just heard from the hotel receptionist that they didn't arrive until one in the morning. After that, the coaching staff was in the coffee shop analyzing tonight's match until dawn. Coach Tie probably got less than three hours of sleep."

A surge of respect rose in Yang Yang, but it was accompanied by another question. "Then why didn't they come to France earlier?"

"A lot of the players had league matches," Wei Zhen explained with a wry smile. "But the main reason is that our logistical support isn't professional enough."

Yang Yang nodded repeatedly. At Ajax, the players basically only had to focus on football. Everything else was handled by dedicated staff. For example, when Yang Yang transferred schools from Almere to Amsterdam, a support staff member, Miss Purice La Jansen, was so professional that she handled everything perfectly without him having to ask for a single thing.

'Maybe this is the gap between us and them,' he thought.

This also made Yang Yang worry about the upcoming match. After all, the players had just endured a long journey; could their form be guaranteed? How much of their true strength the team could display was a serious question.

No wonder Tie Sheng and the coaching staff had been agonizing over it all night.

"I've heard many of my seniors at the sports channel and many veterans in the football world say something that I want to share with you today," Wei Zhen said, his expression suddenly serious.

"What is it?"

"Out of all the professions in the world, only sports gives you the honor of seeing your national flag raised and hearing your national anthem played before you even begin."

Yang Yang's heart stirred. 'Isn't that the truth?'

Besides sports, what other profession grants you that honor?