Chapter 184 177: Psychological Tactics

After Yang Yang treated the entire team to a lavish lunch, they set off again.

Their destination this time was a small town on the Italian border, but unfortunately, the town's shops were closed that day. Everyone came back empty-handed and instead headed to Cannes.

After spending the afternoon in Cannes, everyone returned to their hotel in Toulon, still feeling like they hadn't had their fill.

The first thing Yang Yang did upon returning was to go out and train, juggling a ball, which deeply impressed the coaches and players on the team.

It was only before they set out that morning that they discovered Yang Yang had already woken up early and returned from his morning training session.

And in the evening, after the team had spent the whole day having fun, many were exhausted. Yet, Yang Yang was still able to go out and train. This not only spoke to his strong self-discipline but also made it clear that his physical fitness was far superior to that of his teammates.

Yang Yang only returned as night fell.

After showering, changing his clothes, and eating dinner, Yang Yang gave Van Gaal a call to check in on him.

Over the phone, Van Gaal was in good spirits, his hearty laughter constant. He said he had read about Yang Yang's performance in the Toulon Cup in the newspapers in the Netherlands and praised him for it.

Regarding his coaching position at Alkmaar, Van Gaal said he had already prepared a long-term plan and was very confident.

Yang Yang felt a little wistful but wished him good luck, adding that he still hoped for a chance to play under Van Gaal again someday.

"Then I'd better work harder. You're playing better and better, and just as you said, in two or three years you'll be off to one of the Four Major Leagues. You'll surely join a strong team, maybe even a giant. If I don't produce results quickly, I'm afraid I'll never get to be your head coach again in this lifetime," Van Gaal chuckled.

Yang Yang couldn't help but laugh on his end of the line. "Then you'd better get to work. Be faster than me, and then you can sign me."

Now that they were no longer on the same team, they could joke around with each other so freely.

Yang Yang felt a heartfelt admiration and respect for Van Gaal, because he had truly helped him a great deal.

Sometimes he would look back and think, 'Without those words from Van Gaal back then, how could I have made the squad for the match against Bruges?'

'If I hadn't made the squad, how could I have come on as a substitute? How could I have made an impression? How could I have secured a place in the first team?'

Of course, Van Gaal might not have intended to promote him at the time; it could have been purely for personal reasons. But no matter the cause, the result was that Yang Yang seized the opportunity to break into the first team and secure his spot.

Yang Yang firmly believed that if he was a prized stallion, then Van Gaal was the first talent scout to ever recognize his worth.

After hanging up with Van Gaal, Yang Yang called his parents back in China.

His parents, his cousin Shen Yuzhu, and Wei Zheng were all busy, but they were still thrilled to get his call.

"These past few days, the newspapers and television back home have been covering you nonstop. Everyone around here is constantly praising you, and I've heard so much praise my ears are about to fall off," his mother, Shen Lifang, said with a proud laugh.

Yang Yang was happy too. He was level-headed enough to know the Toulon Cup wasn't a major tournament, but making his family and friends proud of him was something worth celebrating.

After returning to China, Wei Zheng had begun to handle matters of company and brand promotion, none of which Yang Yang understood. Wei Zhen had mentioned that some domestic companies and brands wanted Yang Yang for endorsements. Wei Zheng said he could help by registering a company for Yang Yang in China, but the specific details would have to wait until Yang Yang returned to the country.

There was a break between the end of the Toulon Cup and the start of the training camp for the Asian Cup. Yang Yang didn't plan to go back to his hometown, as it was a long trip. He would go back after the Asian Cup, so for the time being, he was considering staying in Beijing.

His parents agreed with his plan; after all, he was playing for his country, and maintaining his fitness was more important.

Wei Zhen even offered up a vacant house their family owned in Beijing, which Yang Yang could use for his temporary stay.

......

......

The next day, the Chinese Youth Team began preparing for their semi-final match against the Sweden Team.

As a team from Northern Europe, Sweden's players were, on average, a year older than the National Youth Team's. More importantly, they were in excellent physical condition, with an average height of one meter eighty-five. This would be a major challenge for the National Youth Team.

Besides their physical advantage, Sweden's overall tactical discipline and the players' individual skills were quite good. For the "Nordic Vikings," defense was their standout strength in this year's Toulon Cup.

In their three Group B matches, Sweden drew 1-1 with Japan, narrowly defeated Portugal 1-0, and lost 0-2 to Brazil. With one win, one draw, and one loss, they had only scored two goals in three games, one of which was an own goal gifted to them by Portugal.

In other words, Sweden had only scored one goal on their own in three matches.

In contrast to their anemic offense, Sweden's defense was commendable. They were a counter-attacking team.

The National Youth Team also excelled at defensive counter-attacks, so many people felt the match against Sweden would be a hard-fought battle.

The coaching staff intended to strengthen the offense for the match against Sweden, building their strategy around Yang Yang. But how much of that the players could actually execute on the field remained to be seen.

......

......

「The evening of June 8th.」

To better prepare for the upcoming match, the Chinese Team arrived at the stadium two hours early.

As Yang Yang walked onto the pitch from the players' tunnel, he glanced back at the stands and was surprised to see even more Chinese fans than during the group stage. They were all dressed in red, holding up banners, chanting slogans, and many were even waving signs with Yang's name written on them.

When the fans in the stands saw Yang Yang emerge, they grew especially excited and started shouting his name.

Yang Yang politely waved his thanks to the fans, grateful they had made a special trip to Toulon to cheer on the team.

Only true fans would make a special trip to this small southern town to watch a match.

"I didn't expect so many people to show up tonight."

"Yeah, all of a sudden it feels like a home game."

"Hearing them cheer like that gets me all fired up. I can't wait for the match to start."

"There's more. Now that we're in the semifinals, National Television is broadcasting the game live back home."

"For real?"

"Yeah, but because of the time difference, it's after midnight back home."

"Heh. Let's play our best, focus on the game, and not disappoint them."

Chattering amongst themselves, the players walked onto the pitch to begin their warm-up.

Because the Toulon Cup is an exhibition-style tournament, there was no pre-match draw for sides. According to the organizing committee, whichever team entered the stadium first got to choose their dugout and bench.

The Chinese Team had played in this stadium once before, during their first group-stage match against Colombia. The team had used the home bench on the left side then, so out of habit, they chose the left side again, and all the players went directly to the left half of the pitch to warm up.

But while the Chinese Team was in the middle of their warm-up, the Sweden Team arrived. Without so much as a greeting, they also went directly to the left half of the pitch to begin their own drills. Their goalkeeper even walked up to the goal line, blocking the Chinese Team's goalkeeper, Guan Zhen.

This sudden development surprised everyone, both on and off the pitch. The team leader on the sidelines immediately went to speak with the Swedes.

The situation on the pitch became chaotic. The Swedish players had a physical advantage, and their warm-up movements were aggressive and wide. The Chinese Team was at a physical disadvantage and sometimes had to back off to avoid injury.

"Leader, Coach, what's going on?" Yang Yang and some of the other players quickly ran to the sidelines to ask.

This kind of thing shouldn't happen. Whoever gets here first gets to choose, and the team that arrives later has to take the other side. It's an unwritten rule.

For Sweden to arrive late and still try to force the issue was not only unreasonable, but it also showed a total lack of class.

"They said they want us to switch sides with them," team leader Feng Jianming said indignantly.

"Why?"

"Yeah, why should we have to switch?"

"Isn't it supposed to be first come, first served?"

Feng Jianming swore under his breath. "It is first come, first served, but they're insisting. They say this is their 'lucky side.' They were on this side when they scored a last-minute equalizer against the Japan Team, and now they insist on using it again."

"That's ridiculous."

"Yeah, isn't the organizing committee going to step in and sort this out?"

Feng Jianming shook his head. "They tried to mediate, but it was no use. The Swedes won't give an inch. The committee doesn't want to push too hard because they don't want to offend either side. They told us to sort it out ourselves. But it's obvious the other team is just planning to take it by force."

Head Coach Tie Sheng, standing to the side, looked at the scene of dozens of players crammed into one half of the pitch and shook his head nonstop. "This can't continue. Someone's going to get hurt."

"They're deliberately making their warm-up movements aggressive. It's a threat," Yang Yang added with a frown. He wasn't furious—he'd seen plenty of off-the-pitch antics at Ajax.

Professional teams will stop at nothing to win, so a move like this from the Sweden Team wasn't surprising.

"It's a psychological tactic," Yang Yang explained. "They want to blunt our momentum before the match even starts. Best-case scenario for them is that they get us angry. Then they'll have an easier time during the game."

Once Yang Yang explained it, not only Team Leader Feng Jianming and Head Coach Tie Sheng, but also the surrounding players understood the situation.

'And wasn't he right?'

This was just the Toulon Cup, an exhibition tournament. Was there really a need to resort to such tactics?

Putting everything else aside, if word of this got out, it would look bad for Sweden.

There was only one explanation for why they were doing it: what Yang Yang had said. It was a psychological tactic.

"What do you all think?" Feng Jianming asked Head Coach Tie Sheng and the players.

But no one wanted to speak up. They were all worried. What if they gave in, and then lost the match? What then?

Yang Yang looked at his troubled coach and teammates and sighed to himself. 'They're all under too much pressure.'

"Let them have it," Yang Yang said, stepping forward. "I've never believed in so-called lucky sides of the field. Even if we let them use this side, as long as we keep our composure, we can still score on them."

'Someone had to step up at a time like this.'

Feng Jianming and Tie Sheng exchanged a look and both nodded in agreement.

"Then we'll let them have it. This is a unanimous team decision," Tie Sheng said, not wanting Yang Yang to shoulder the responsibility alone.

"That's right, Coach Tie. Tell the players to move to the right side to train. I refuse to believe they can win the match just because of what side of the field they're on."

The National Youth Team quickly got the word and began gathering their things to move to the right half of the pitch.

The Swedish players remained where they were, their heads held high in pride, a mocking look on their faces as they watched the Chinese players switch sides.

Even though the National Youth Team's players knew this was just a psychological tactic, they couldn't help but feel a surge of anger.