Chapter 334 With Messi, There’s No Need for Yang Yang

Because the match was scheduled for noon, and because the Chinese Team had stormed into the FIFA U-20 World Cup final, they had become the focus of media and fans alike, meaning there were always people milling about outside the hotel.

Under the circumstances, Yang Yang couldn’t go out and had to stay in the hotel.

His training consisted of a muscle activation session in the hotel gym, after which he went for a swim.

Winston Bogard supervised Yang Yang’s entire workout, controlling all the exercises and their intensity.

According to him, a proper muscle activation workout would help Yang Yang get into form more easily for the midday match.

"You got this! Don’t feel the pressure. The more crucial the moment, the calmer you need to be," Winston Bogard encouraged.

Yang Yang, who had just climbed out of the pool, smiled and high-fived his personal coach, a man who was both a mentor and a friend.

’Easier said than done. How could there possibly be no pressure?’

However, after two years of professional soccer—having played in a Champions League final, a UEFA Cup final, and an Asian Cup final—pressure was gradually becoming a familiar feeling for Yang Yang.

It allowed him to remain composed no matter what situation he faced.

Of course, there were times when he would deliberately appear impatient or even impulsive for tactical reasons.

For example, in the Asian Cup final against Japan, he had deliberately made himself look furious and utterly dissatisfied when pressuring the referee, a display that had also fired up his surrounding teammates.

But in reality, he had been perfectly calm on the inside.

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After leaving the gym and pool, Yang Yang joined the team for breakfast.

After breakfast and a short rest, it was time for the final pre-match tactical meeting.

The meeting was held in the hotel’s conference hall. At the request of Klauen and the players, no officials, including the team leader, were present—only the coaching staff—to create as relaxed an environment as possible for the players’ preparations.

"I’m sure you all know by now that our opponent is Argentina, an exceptionally strong team from South America."

Klauen began to brief the players on the Argentina team once again.

"But they are completely different from the traditional impression you might have of Argentina; this is not a typical Argentinian team. Their head coach, Pancho Ferraro, was originally the coach of a small Argentinian club, the Huayu Gymnastics and Fencing Club. He was only brought in to coach the National Youth Team in January, just six months ago."

"They didn’t play particularly well in the South American qualifiers back in February, but they were solid. They went undefeated in nine matches, with four draws. It wasn’t until the very last match, when Messi scored a last-gasp winner to eliminate Brazil 2-1, that they managed to scrape their way into the tournament in the Netherlands. And here at the FIFA U-20 World Cup, they defeated Colombia to avenge a prior loss."

Colombia was the champion of that South American youth tournament, the Brazil Team was second, and Argentina took third.

"Judging from their performance in this FIFA U-20 World Cup, Argentina has gradually shifted from their original 4-4-2 to a 3-5-2 formation. Their 4-4-2 wasn’t working well—they lost to the United States in the first match of the group stage. In their 3-5-2, both of their wings are highly mobile, and the formation frequently shifts back and forth between a 3-5-2 and a 5-3-2."

"And the one we need to pay special attention to is their number eighteen, Lionel Messi."

As Klauen spoke, statistics from Messi’s recent matches with the Argentina National Youth Team appeared on the screen behind him. The data covered every single game, from the South American Youth Championship in February to the FIFA U-20 World Cup in June.

This was all relatively easy information to find.

From this data, it wasn’t hard to see that Messi was a pivotal and utterly crucial player for this Argentina National Youth Team.

If Yang Yang was the heart, soul, and key weapon of this Chinese Youth Team, then Messi was essentially the Argentinian Team’s Yang Yang. This was why the outside world kept saying this final would be a duel between Yang Yang and Messi.

Everyone knew full well that in terms of individual ability alone, Yang Yang was undoubtedly superior to Messi.

His prowess had been honed in numerous high-stakes competitions like the Champions League final, the UEFA Cup final, and the Eredivisie; he had nothing left to prove. Messi, on the other hand, had only just made his debut and was still struggling to get playing time at Barcelona.

Perhaps the only individual statistic where Messi surpassed Yang Yang was his buyout clause.

Just yesterday, the media reported that Barcelona had sent representatives to Utrecht specifically to renew Messi’s contract. His salary wasn’t disclosed but was surely not high; however, his buyout clause was set at a staggering 150 million euros.

But Yang Yang’s individual advantage was limited by the overall strength of his National Youth Team.

Although Ferraro had coached an atypical Argentina Team, their results were consistent, they played with great cohesion, and their defensive counter-attacks were outstanding. Their overall strength was definitely a notch above the Chinese Youth Team.

This was Klauen’s biggest headache at the moment: how should they play this final?

Yang Yang’s role had been crucial in getting the Chinese Team this far, so unleashing his offensive power was a certainty. The key was how to formulate a game plan specifically to counter Argentina’s tactics.

’Stick to a defensive counter-attack?’

Klauen didn’t have much confidence in his team’s back line, because Messi’s individual skill was truly formidable.

If they couldn’t contain Messi and gave him a chance to score, the match would be over!

A major reason the Chinese Team had been able to come from behind against Brazil was that Brazil’s team cohesion and defense were not ideal. Argentina, however, was different. Once the Pampas Eagle took the lead, they wouldn’t give the Chinese Team any chances.

For the Chinese Team, the best-case scenario was to go on an all-out attack from the start, score first, force Argentina to push forward, and then hit them on the counter-attack. That was their best chance of winning.

But the problem was that an all-out attack was also very risky. Whether or not they could score during that initial press was the critical question.

As Klauen laid out his many concerns, all the players in the conference room came to realize just how difficult the match would be. After all, the Chinese Team was admittedly the weaker side.

Weaker teams have fewer options and less room for error—sometimes none at all.

And as if on cue, all eyes turned to Yang Yang, the team’s key weapon.

"Eckhard, how long do you think we can sustain an all-out attack with our current strength?" Yang Yang asked, concerned.

He and Klauen always communicated directly in English.

"Fifteen minutes. Fifteen minutes at most," Klauen replied.

The translator in the conference room relayed their conversation to the other players, in case some of them didn’t understand English.

Yang Yang thought for a moment, then nodded. "Alright. I’ll do everything I can to help the team score within ten minutes. If we can’t score by then, we’ll pull back, focus on a defensive counter-attack, and patiently look for another opportunity."

Klauen gave Yang Yang a long, hard look, then nodded. "Alright. We’re counting on you, then."

Yang Yang nodded at the veteran German coach, then turned to his teammates. "Don’t worry," he said, full of confidence. "As long as every single one of us focuses on playing our best and gives it our all, we can definitely win this!"

As the team’s top star and the ace of the National Youth Team, Yang Yang had to step up at this moment to give his teammates confidence.

They had all fought their way here alongside Yang Yang, so when they heard his declaration, everyone nodded, expressing their faith in him.

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The FIFA U-20 World Cup was, after all, a top-tier global youth tournament. The fact that a dark horse, the Chinese Team, had fought its way into the final attracted an exceptional amount of attention.

The final attracted a total of 25,000 fans, filling every seat in Koegenwaard Stadium.

Along the route from the Mitland Hotel to Koegenwaard Stadium, one could see many fans milling about. Most of them were Chinese fans who had clearly traveled to the Netherlands specifically for the match but had been unable to get tickets.

There was nothing to be done. The stadium’s capacity was what it was, and changing the venue at the last minute was impossible.

The closer they got to Koegenwaard Stadium, the more intense the final’s atmosphere became.

Judging by the number of fans, supporters of the Chinese Team were undoubtedly in the majority.

This was mainly because Yang Yang currently played for Ajax, which gave him a sense of kinship with many Dutch fans. Argentinian players, on the other hand, had a reputation for disliking the Eredivisie, so they weren’t particularly popular in the Netherlands.

In addition to the local fans, the number of Chinese supporters was also enormous.

Whether they were overseas Chinese living in Europe, international students, or fans who had flown all the way from China to the Netherlands, they formed a massive contingent that took up nearly half of the stands in Koegenwaard Stadium.

When Yang Yang and the National Youth Team walked into Koegenwaard Stadium, the entire crowd erupted into a rendition of the Chinese national anthem.

The players of the National Youth Team, just stepping onto the pitch, were deeply moved.

Yang Yang, however, remained calm and rational from start to finish, his expression unreadable.

And yet, the moment anyone looked at him, they couldn’t help but feel a sense of trust.

The Argentina Team came out for their warm-up a few minutes after the Chinese Team, with each squad taking one half of the pitch.

Yang Yang gazed over toward the Argentinian side of the field and saw him: the short-statured number eighteen, Lionel Messi.

This was the first time he had seen Messi in person.

Messi, who seemed to have been watching for Yang Yang, quickly turned his head to look back at him. Their eyes met, and it was as if sparks flew through the air.

This match would undoubtedly be a direct duel between the two of them!

Whoever performed better, whoever was more brilliant, would bring home a world-class championship for their country!

Yang Yang offered a slight smile and a nod, greeting Messi from across the field.

The Argentinian seemed just as composed, waving back at Yang Yang in acknowledgment.

But Yang Yang didn’t know that at this very moment, while Messi appeared calm and collected on the surface, a storm was raging deep inside him.

’Yang Yang. For the past few months, he has been my greatest imagined rival. I trained like a madman just so I wouldn’t lose to him, so I’d have a chance to surpass him. And today, this match in this stadium is my best opportunity.’

’I will prove to everyone, and to Barcelona, that since they have me, Messi, they don’t need another Yang Yang!’