Chapter 270: Completely Freeze Him

Chapter 270: Chapter 263: Completely Freeze Him

Alkmaar training facility, head coach’s office.

Van Gaal and three members of his coaching staff were sitting on a sofa, their eyes glued to the television on the opposite wall.

The television was playing a recording of the previous night’s Eredivisie match from week twenty-three: Ajax’s away game against Roda JC.

This coming weekend, Van Gaal would be leading his Alkmaar squad to the Amsterdam Arena for an away match against Ajax. This would also be his first time returning to Amsterdam as a manager since leaving his post as Ajax’s technical director.

Van Gaal was taking this match extremely seriously.

Roda JC wasn’t a particularly strong team. They barely held on for the first thirty minutes, but in the thirty-third minute, Yang Yang created a dangerous opportunity on the right wing, delivering a cross for Charisteas to head home.

Just eight minutes later, Sneijder played a through ball behind the defense. Yang Yang easily beat the offside trap, found himself one-on-one with the keeper, and scored. Two-nil.

It wasn’t until the eighty-fourth minute that Roda JC managed to score a consolation goal through Cristiano.

In the end, Ajax secured a 2-1 away victory over Roda JC.

With a goal and an assist, Yang Yang brought his season’s goal tally to eighteen.

Since Eindhoven, Alkmaar, and Feyenoord all won as well, the top four in the league standings remained unchanged.

Kuyt also scored this week, raising his total goal count to twenty-two.

However, the tape the Alkmaar coaching staff was studying was different from a regular match recording. It had been carefully edited by the club’s video analyst, Max Rex, to better highlight Ajax’s tactical characteristics.

Of all the players, Van Gaal was most focused on Ajax’s right winger, Yang Yang.

“This season’s winter break was a turning point. Before that, Ronald Koman mainly built his midfield around Sneijder and Pinaar, with a front three of Wesley Sonck, Charisteas, and Yang Yang.”

“But after the winter break, Ronald Koman changed his tactics. Pinaar was pushed to the left wing, while Galasek and De Jong formed a double pivot in midfield. This is Ajax’s most common attacking formation now. Since that change, Yang Yang has become their most dangerous attacking weapon.”

Eighteen goals and twelve assists in twenty-three matches, directly involved in thirty goals. Yang Yang’s performance this season could only be described as explosive growth. Never mind the media and the fans; even Van Gaal himself found it incredible.

Van Gaal clearly remembered that when he left Ajax, Yang Yang was a very one-dimensional player. His dribbling and crossing were exceptionally sharp, but other aspects of his game were weak. Yet in just over half a year, he had improved by leaps and bounds, especially his first touch.

He was a completely different player now compared to six months ago.

In addition to his first touch, Yang Yang’s physicality had also improved significantly. This was evident at a glance, as his once-slender frame had become noticeably more muscular—undoubtedly the result of consistent, long-term strength training.

Recently, his shooting had also become more threatening. According to the information Van Gaal had received, Yang Yang had been doing dedicated shooting practice for three months straight.

His rapid progress in these three key areas—first touch, physical strength, and shooting—was the driving force behind his explosive performance this season.

At the start of the season, many people hoped that Yang Yang could develop into the Eredivisie’s most dangerous winger since Robben. But now, no one was making that comparison anymore.

The reason was simple: Yang Yang’s goal-scoring ability had already surpassed Robben’s, and he was a more complete player.

How to contain Yang Yang had become a mandatory puzzle for every team that faced Ajax.

Van Gaal was no exception.

…

…

The more the coaching staff analyzed the footage, the more astonished they became.

Yang Yang was only eighteen, but the ability he displayed on the pitch was something that left even seasoned, famous stars in the dust. It was as if, over the past year, he had suddenly unlocked some astonishing power.

“This wasn’t a sudden explosion,” Van Gaal said, shaking his head and refuting his assistants’ assessment. “This was a breakthrough born from deep accumulation.”

“A breakthrough born from deep accumulation?”

Van Gaal nodded. “You think it was a sudden explosion because you don’t know him at all. If you had seen for yourselves the high standards he’s held himself to over the past few years, and the intensity of his training, you wouldn’t be surprised by the progress he’s making now.”

The members of the coaching staff exchanged uncertain glances.

They might not have known Yang Yang well, but they knew Van Gaal very well.

The famous Dutch manager had always been notoriously proud and arrogant. Even back in his Barcelona days, he’d given stars like Rivaldo a hard time. Many even said his standards were impossibly high. Therefore, the number of players who earned his genuine approval was vanishingly small.

For a player like Yang Yang to receive such high praise from him was rarer still.

“I know this kid well. He has a fantastic work rate and excellent stamina. Now that his physical strength has caught up, one-on-one defending is useless against him. It will only disrupt our own defensive shape.”

With that, Van Gaal vetoed the tactic many other teams had tried: assigning a player to man-mark Yang Yang.

But as results had proven, no one could contain Yang Yang one-on-one.

“Our passing and possession are definitely not on Ajax’s level, and our overall quality is lower too. We have to play on the counter-attack,” offered match analyst Marcel Bout.

“I believe we should stick to our established defensive system. We’ll sit a bit deeper, stay compact, and strengthen the central areas—especially the space in front of the penalty area and in the half-spaces. That’s where Yang Yang is most dangerous.”

Van Gaal’s tactical system was famously rigorous and meticulous.

Alkmaar’s players lacked the technical quality and ball control to meet Van Gaal’s high standards; they couldn’t play the possession-dominant football he preferred. So, they had to compensate by forgoing possession and focusing on tireless off-the-ball movement.

This approach also fit perfectly with Alkmaar’s traditional identity, a club renowned for its work ethic and team cohesion.

If his predecessor, Adriance, had been too gung-ho, then Van Gaal’s arrival had injected tactical discipline into the squad.

This was the main reason for Alkmaar’s meteoric rise in the standings this season.

But the team still struggled in big matches against top opposition, such as their disastrous 5-1 away defeat to Eindhoven earlier in the season.

However, that was way back in the second week of the season. After gelling for the better part of a year, Van Gaal believed his team now had a fighting chance in an away match against Ajax.

But first, they had to solve the problem of Yang Yang, the biggest thorn in their side.

“Yang Yang is an extremely intelligent player. He thinks, and he adapts. We have to pay extra attention to him. While maintaining the stability of our overall defensive shape, we must devote as much focus as possible to containing him. This week, we will organize a special, targeted training session. At the Amsterdam Arena, we are going to completely shut him down!”

Van Gaal’s voice was firm and resonant, his tone and expression leaving no doubt he was serious. He then proceeded to lay out exactly how to contain Yang Yang and organize their tight defense, explaining every minute detail with crystal clarity. This struck his assistants as a bit odd.

‘Isn’t Yang Yang one of Van Gaal’s closest friends, despite their age gap?’

‘So why does it feel like he’s going harder on Ajax and Yang than on any other opponent?’

“What? Is there a problem?” Van Gaal noticed his assistants’ expressions and asked with a frown.

“Louis, you and Yang Yang…” Marcel Bout began, testing the waters.

Van Gaal was a sharp man; a quick glance at their faces was all he needed to understand what they were thinking.

“That’s right, Yang Yang and I are friends,” he admitted. “But for both professional and personal reasons, I have to put some pressure on him.”

Seeing their confused expressions, Van Gaal broke into a knowing smile.

“He’s had it too easy this season. It’s time I gave him a sharp wake-up call and let him feel some real pressure. People grow fastest when they’re under pressure.”

The assistants exchanged another round of helpless glances. They figured this was probably just another one of Van Gaal’s famous quirks.

After his assistants left, Van Gaal smiled, took out his phone, found Yang Yang’s number, and made the call.

He figured that Yang Yang would have just finished his extra training and be heading home.

‘That kid’s daily routine is so regular it’s almost mind-numbingly dull,’ he thought.

Sure enough, the call connected almost instantly.

“Kid, eighteen goals. Congratulations.”

“Ha, Louis, you’re starting to get all polite and insincere. That’s not like you,” Yang Yang immediately saw through Van Gaal’s “disguise.”

Van Gaal laughed heartily. He only ever laughed out loud in front of a select few friends, and Yang Yang was one of them.

“I just wanted to let you know, I’ve prepared a gift for you. I plan on giving it to you this weekend at the Amsterdam Arena.”

“Oh really?” Yang Yang laughed too. “So generous? You’re not planning on gifting me a few goals to help me catch up to Kuyt, are you?”

“You’re welcome to them, if you can take them,” Van Gaal retorted provocatively.

Yang Yang chuckled. “You know what? I’ve already asked Raiola to help me prepare a gift.”

“A gift? For me?”

“In your dreams!” Yang Yang laughed. “I said before that if I score more than twenty goals this season, I’m giving a gift to every coach, staff member, and first-team player at De Toekomst.”

Van Gaal was taken aback. ‘That’s a grand gesture.’ “You’re willing to spend that much?”

“It’s not about being willing or not. I may have scored the goals, but it’s a credit to the entire team. Remember the car I won for being the best player at the Toyota Cup? I sold it for cash. Between that and my goal bonuses, it’s enough to get everyone a decent gift. And I’m planning to give them out this weekend.”

Hearing this, Van Gaal finally understood. ‘The kid’s firing back at me,’ he thought.

‘He’s at eighteen goals now, and he said he’ll only give out the gifts after he hits twenty. And he’s giving them out this weekend… Does that mean he’s planning to score a brace in our match?’

“Good, good, good. Ambitious. I’ll be waiting. I hope you don’t disappoint me.”

“Don’t worry, Louis. Didn’t you say it yourself? I’ve never disappointed you.”

Van Gaal was suddenly at a loss for words.

‘He’d said that when he was Ajax’s technical director. His role was completely different now, wasn’t it?’

‘But why did it feel like he’d just been caught in his own trap?’

“Alright, then. We’ll see each other this weekend!”

“Okay, see you this weekend!”

…

…

「Midweek: The Dutch Cup Quarter-finals.」

Ajax fielded a mixed squad of starters and reserves, defeating The Hague 2-0 in an away match.

Yang Yang was not included in the squad, resting up for the top-of-the-table clash against Alkmaar on the weekend.