Super Wingstorm

Even for a home game, the entire Ajax team still had to check into the club’s designated hotel the night before the match.

As Yang Yang walked out of assistant coach Luther Carroll’s room, clutching a stack of materials and a USB drive, he saw Maxwell huddled by a window down the hall, secretly on the phone. He couldn’t help but smile to himself.

The Brazilian was incredibly homesick and called his family almost every night. He had been calling even more frequently lately.

Recently, rumors had been circulating that teams from the Four Major European Leagues were interested in him, and Ajax was also preparing to offer a contract extension. This meant that whether he left or stayed, he was one step closer to bringing his family to Europe.

Every time Yang Yang saw him calling his family far away in South America, seeing that genuine happiness on his face, he couldn’t help but think of his own parents. He hadn’t been home in almost two years.

When Maxwell saw Yang Yang, he gave an awkward wave, gesturing for him not to eavesdrop on his call.

Yang Yang chuckled silently and hurried back to his room.

Whether the club was being superstitious or not, ever since that night in Bruges, Belgium, when Yang Yang roomed with Sneijder, the two had become a fixed pair. As a result, Yang Yang’s old partner, Vermaelen, had to be paired with the menacing De Jong, which nearly drove the Belgian center-back to tears.

As Ibrahimovic joked, if De Jong went on a rampage in the middle of the night, you wouldn’t even have time to scream for help.

But for that exact reason, Vermaelen preferred to hang out in Yang Yang’s room.

With not much to do the night before the match and no way to leave the hotel, three or four of them would gather to play cards.

When Yang Yang entered, he saw Vermaelen, Sneijder, and Ibrahimovic sitting on the edge of the bed playing cards. De Jong, who must have been partnered with Vermaelen, was griping about his teammate’s last move. The Belgian retorted, ”If you’re so good, you play,” and De Jong immediately shut up.

Beating people up, he could do. Playing cards, however, was clearly asking too much of him.

Seeing this as he came in, Yang Yang couldn’t help but chuckle.

”Off getting more files?” one of them asked as they shuffled the cards, noticing Yang Yang had entered.

”Yeah. Don’t mind me, you guys play. I’ll just look these over by myself,” Yang Yang said with a smile.

The room wasn’t large, but it had a small balcony where Yang Yang could go to read.

”Remember to analyze their defense for me. Find me a way to score,” Ibrahimovic said. He already had his celebration planned; all he was missing was the goal itself.

”Alright, I’ll do my best,” Yang Yang said with a smile, but he could sense the pressure the Swedish Striker was under.

He was used to facing defenders from the Netherlands, but this time he was up against a top Premier League center-back: Sol Campbell.

Arsenal’s center-back was considered world-class. He was tall, strong, and exceptionally skilled in direct defensive confrontations. For Ibrahimovic, who was accustomed to having a physical advantage, this would be a major challenge.

After carefully reviewing the files on Arsenal’s players, Yang Yang discovered that besides Sol Campbell, Kolo Toure was another center-back on the defensive line who couldn’t be ignored. He wasn’t tall, but he was very fast, complementing Campbell’s style perfectly. However, he was also a bit rash, and word was he hadn’t been playing in the professional league for long.

In midfield, the defensive duo of Gilberto Silva and Vieira was nothing short of world-class. Their skills needed no introduction. Gilberto Silva tended to play a deeper role, and the tall Brazilian defensive midfielder would be an insurmountable barrier in front of Arsenal’s defensive line.

Beyond the center, left-back Kerri was only eighteen. But judging from his performance in the match against Chelsea, he had excellent stamina and was very fast. These two advantages alone were enough to guarantee a certain level of quality. His offensive capabilities were still unclear, and his defensive technique was a bit raw, but being named to the Premier League’s team of the week at eighteen spoke volumes about his talent and potential.

The Ajax technical department also rated Kerri highly. They noted that the French left-back’s positional sense was somewhat lacking, particularly in his defensive positioning, his spacing with teammates, and his movement to provide cover. Furthermore, his defending was rather reckless; he was prone to making slide tackles, which was likely related to his poor positioning in the first place.

A slide tackle is an all-or-nothing gamble. Success is fine, but failure means the opponent is straight past you with no time to recover. More experienced defenders would never make a tackle so readily, only doing so as a last resort—for instance, when they had already been beaten for position.

This was something Yang Yang could definitely study and look to exploit.

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On the morning of the match, since it was a home game, Ajax held a simple, low-intensity tactical session at De Toekomst, which was more about maintaining the players’ physical condition.

At noon, everyone gathered on time for lunch in the players’ canteen, after which they had their afternoon rest period.

With the big match looming, many couldn’t sleep a wink. Only Yang Yang was dead to the world, sleeping soundly with his head under the covers.

His ability to get a good sleep was something the entire team admired. It seemed that no matter when, where, or how noisy it was—he didn’t even need a bed, a blanket, or a pillow—he could fall asleep in any position.

There wasn’t a single person on the team who wasn’t in awe of this skill, especially his roommate, Sneijder.

But what no one knew was that Yang Yang had actually entered the Super Training, where he battled a simulated Kerri for another two or three hours. He didn’t wake up until Sneijder called him for the pre-match briefing.

”Sometimes I really think the University of Amsterdam should consider kidnapping you and dissecting you for research. I need to know what you’re made of to be able to sleep so well. It’s infuriating,” Sneijder grumbled jealously.

Yang Yang chuckled. ”It’s a family secret. You can be envious, but you can’t learn it.”

The pre-match briefing was held in a conference room at De Toekomst. Technical Director Van Gaal was present, along with the entire first-team coaching staff. All the first-team players attended, even those not named in the matchday squad.

Head coach Ronald Koeman led the meeting, which was primarily focused on their opponents, Arsenal.

The bulk of the meeting was dedicated to studying Arsenal. Using a PowerPoint presentation and video clips, the coaching staff aimed to help the players familiarize themselves with their opponents as much as possible. It was all material Yang Yang had already gone over the night before.

The rest of the time was used to announce the starting tactics and lineup.

”As you all know, our opponent, Arsenal, is one of the strongest teams in Europe right now. Compared to a team like that, we have no advantages to speak of. But tonight, we’re on our home turf, and this is our only chance.”

Ronald Koeman looked at all the players present with a grave expression, hoping each one of them could feel his resolve and his desire to win.

”I can tell you this: if we can’t beat Arsenal here at home, we’ll have absolutely no chance when we get to Highbury Stadium. By then, Ashley Cole will be back, Gilberto Silva will be back, and we’ll be playing on their turf. We won’t get a single opportunity.”

”So, in this two-legged tie, if we still want to win, if we still want to be in the fight, then we must play at our absolute best at home and use that performance to secure a victory.”

Ronald Koeman’s words resonated with everyone; it was the consensus in the room.

Premier League away matches were notoriously difficult to play, especially against a strong side like Arsenal. They were too well-balanced, strong in both attack and defense. If you couldn’t beat them at home, the away leg was basically a death sentence.

Conversely, if they could manage a win at home, they would still have a glimmer of hope for the away leg.

Technical Director Van Gaal, standing to one side, had remained silent. Only after Ronald Koeman finished speaking did he walk to the front of the room.

Everyone knew he had something to say and watched him in silence.

”I’ve been in professional football for decades, first as a player, and later as a manager. No matter how young my team was or what our strength was, I always told my players one thing: on a football pitch, nothing is impossible. As long as you want it, and as long as you’re willing to work for it, you will have a chance to achieve it.”

Many of them nodded in agreement, even Ibrahimovic, who was known to not see eye-to-eye with Van Gaal.

At a time like this, what Ajax needed most was unity, not internal strife.

”You are all incredibly talented players. Last season, you reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League. I believe that was the best proof of your ability. You are the most outstanding Ajax team in recent years. I believe you can win even more. The most important question is: do you want it? And are you willing to fight for it?”

As Van Gaal finished speaking, the conference room fell into a dead silence.

”A lot of people say the team I managed was Ajax’s last moment of glory. But I think that’s bullshit. Because when I was managing, a lot of people said Ajax’s last moment of glory was the Van Basten era. But now, that has changed. Why?”

Van Gaal raised his right index finger. ”Every single person who puts on this jersey is creating its history. You reached the quarter-finals. I believe you absolutely have the chance to make your own history, to make it so that when people talk about Ajax in the future, they’ll say that you were the club’s next glorious peak.”

The moment Van Gaal finished, the room erupted in enthusiastic applause. Yang Yang, feeling deeply inspired, clapped with all his might.

Heroes and the moments that make them are forever inseparable.

Ronald Koeman’s relationship with Van Gaal wasn’t great, but he still shook the technical director’s hand and thanked him for his encouragement.

Afterward, the Ajax head coach announced the team’s starting tactics for the match. The decision both shocked and energized everyone in the room, because the coaching staff had decided to go on an all-out attack.

”I want you to press Arsenal from the very first second of the match! Get in their faces and keep attacking until we score a goal!” Ronald Koeman bellowed, his voice resolute.

Against a team as formidable as Arsenal, it was a decision filled with courage and conviction, and it sent a jolt of adrenaline through the young players.

When Luther Carroll subsequently announced the starting lineup, it was clear they were fielding their strongest possible team, from the Goalkeeper on up. The return of right-back Talabesi, fresh off his victory in the African Cup, was an especially welcome boost, like giving a tiger wings.

The attacking trident was Wesley Sonck, Ibrahimovic, and...

”...Yang Yang!”