Chapter 285: Cruyff Turn

Chapter 285: Chapter 278: Cruyff Turn

“These guys are absolutely insane!”

As they walked toward the center circle, Sneijder glanced up at the Yellow Submarine’s fans in the stands and said.

As far as the eye could see, the entire stand was a sea of yellow. The fans’ movements made it ripple like a living, yellow ocean.

“Riquelme is a genius!” Yang Yang said in admiration.

Speaking of Riquelme, he had an unavoidable connection to Van Gaal.

The South American genius had arrived at Barcelona carrying everyone’s expectations, but he wasn’t favored by Van Gaal. This made it impossible for him to find his footing at Barcelona, and he was forced out on loan to Villarreal, where he unexpectedly experienced a full-blown revival.

This season, despite being a midfielder, Riquelme had already scored thirteen goals in La Liga, a new career high. It was clear the Argentinian magician was in the best form of his life.

Besides Riquelme, Villarreal’s front line consisted of former Atletico Madrid golden boy José María and Uruguayan star Diego Forlán. The former played a distinct tactical role, while Forlán had already netted eighteen goals, second only to Barcelona striker Eto’o’s twenty-one.

Diego Forlán had previously played for Manchester United, but he never managed to deliver a convincing performance at Old Trafford. After his move to Villarreal, the Uruguayan striker—who cost a mere 1.8 million euros—proved his worth with a relentless barrage of goals.

Furthermore, both strikers were in excellent form. José María had just scored a brace against Athletic Bilbao, and Diego Forlán had also gotten on the scoresheet, helping the Yellow Submarine defeat the Basque Lions 3-1 at home.

Under Pellegrini’s guidance, Villarreal employed an unconventional 4-4-2 formation.

Up front were José María and Diego Forlán. The midfield was unique: Riquelme played as an attacking midfielder, Solari was on the left, and Brazilian midfielder Marcos Senna formed a double pivot with captain Hosico.

Marcos Senna looked intimidating, but since kickoff, he had focused more on receiving and distributing the ball to orchestrate transitions. Hosico, on the other hand, was surprisingly aggressive and tenacious in his play.

The Yellow Submarine was characterized by its numerous South American players, an attacking style of play, and strong individual talent. With Pellegrini having coached in South America for many years, he was perfectly suited to maximize their advantages.

The most crucial part of the Yellow Submarine’s game was the link-up play between Riquelme and the two forwards.

The head coach had repeatedly warned them about this before the match, but Ajax’s two holding midfielders had failed to do their job just now. Riquelme immediately seized the opportunity, made a late run from deep, and scored.

This left the captain, Galasek, a bit embarrassed and unsure how to encourage his teammates.

Yang Yang also noticed the issue. As he walked back, he clapped his hands forcefully and shouted.

“It’s alright! It’s only been twelve minutes. Let’s take our time. We’ll focus on defense, get our footing, and an opportunity will definitely come.”

Although Yang Yang wasn’t the captain, his influence in the dressing room was growing. When he spoke, everyone listened.

Galasek nodded at Yang Yang, expressing his gratitude.

…

…

“He’s really developing the air of a leader,” Luther Carroll said admiringly.

Ronald Koeman nodded, clearly in agreement with his assistant.

Yang Yang had indeed become a crucial member of the Ajax dressing room.

“Villarreal has been committed to their South American strategy for three years now. From Munoz’s time as coach to the present, starting with the transfer of Palermo, they’ve been aggressively signing South American players. Pellegrini’s arrival has only served to further enhance this club philosophy.”

Luther Carroll nodded repeatedly. No club’s success comes out of nowhere; it’s always built up over time, piece by piece.

Take Villarreal, for example. Their performance has skyrocketed this season, and everyone credits head coach Pellegrini. But what they don’t see is that behind Pellegrini lies Villarreal’s long-standing commitment to its South American strategy.

With the economic crisis in recent years, the leagues in South American countries have been struggling, allowing players to transfer to European football for low fees. Villarreal has been one of the biggest beneficiaries. South American players like Solari and Gonzalo Rodriguez are immensely talented.

The reason Diego Forlán couldn’t succeed at Manchester United but exploded onto the scene at Villarreal was because the club was steeped in the culture of South American football, an environment he was intimately familiar with.

The same was true for Riquelme.

Pellegrini’s arrival simply elevated Villarreal’s South American style to a new height, showing everyone that a distinct, fluid, and technically refined South American approach could succeed in both La Liga and European football.

“As long as this team doesn’t implode, they’ll be even stronger next season. The UEFA Champions League will be even more exciting then,” Luther Carroll judged.

Ronald Koeman nodded. The logic was sound.

Seeing his players back in position, the Ajax coach immediately walked to the sideline. He called over Galasek and De Jong, signaling for them to focus on containing Riquelme. They were not to give him too many opportunities and had to sever the link between him and the two forwards.

This season, the link-up play between Riquelme and Diego Forlán had been a crucial part of Villarreal’s attack.

The Argentinian magician was the soul of Villarreal’s squad, the one who dictated the tempo of the game and connected their defense and attack. If they could shut down Riquelme, Villarreal’s offensive threat would be greatly diminished.

Then, Ajax could begin to press their advantage.

…

…

Sometimes, football is just that simple.

When targeted tactics work, the tide of the game can turn.

After the restart, Villarreal’s morale remained high, but they deliberately slowed their attack.

For one, Ajax’s two holding midfielders began to tighten their marking on Riquelme.

For another, they were extremely wary of Ajax’s counter-attacks.

Yang Yang’s speed and individual skill were already common knowledge after last season’s UEFA Champions League campaign. This season, he had shouldered even more responsibility, becoming the backbone of the team.

Pellegrini was obviously well aware that pushing up rashly, leaving gaps behind them, and giving Yang Yang too much space for a counter-attack would be fatal.

So, after snatching an early goal, the Chilean Engineer shrewdly instructed his team to slow the tempo and adopt a more conservative approach.

At the same time, the Chilean Engineer had also arranged a specific defensive plan to deal with Yang Yang.

Just as Ajax was targeting Riquelme, Villarreal was targeting Yang Yang—the heart and soul of the Ajax team.

Almost every time Yang Yang received the ball, the nearest Villarreal player—usually Solari or Marcos Senna, as Riquelme rarely defended—would immediately close him down. This naturally affected Yang Yang’s performance.

However, Yang Yang quickly expanded his movement, actively using intelligent runs to pull defenders out of position and create chances for his teammates, though the results weren’t immediately apparent.

Ultimately, Yang Yang was the only player on the Ajax squad with the ability to single-handedly break through the opposition’s defensive lines on the dribble.

Yang Yang didn’t get anxious. He continued to run patiently and actively, searching for an opening.

Fortunately, following Ronald Koeman’s tactical adjustment and with Villarreal intentionally slowing their attack, neither side managed to create any clear-cut chances over the next twenty minutes. Riquelme, for the moment, was neutralized.

Ajax won the ball deep in their own half and launched a long pass to the right side of the attack.

Charisteas won the initial ball, but with Villarreal’s center-back Gonzalo Rodriguez pressing him relentlessly from behind, he was forced to turn back and pass to a supporting Yang Yang.

The moment Yang Yang received the ball, Solari and left-back Arualabarena abandoned Charisteas and immediately converged on him.

The two Villarreal players formed a wall in front of Yang Yang.

Yang Yang instantly turned to shield the ball, but the two defenders maintained a pincer formation behind him, closing in step by step.

Through his God’s Vision, Yang Yang could see Sneijder in the center and Charisteas behind him, but he had no passing lane and could only retreat with the ball.

‘This is a tactical ploy,’ he thought. He was certain that both players wouldn’t follow him all the way back.

‘Riquelme barely defends. If both of them press me, Sneijder will have an opening.’

Sure enough, Solari held his position, while Arualabarena stuck to Yang Yang’s back like glue, giving him no room to turn.

Meanwhile, Villarreal’s striker José María was marking Maicon; they were determined to cut off all of Yang Yang’s passing lanes.

The defender’s relentless pressure forced him closer and closer to the right touchline. Villarreal’s defensive strategy was to corner him and force him to carry the ball out of play—a very common yet highly effective tactic.

“The tighter the marking, the easier they’ll fall for a feint—as long as you’re fast enough!”

Those were the words of the legendary Ajax winger who had once trained him one-on-one, John van Schip.

And at this moment, Yang Yang was out of options.

Thanks to six months of dedicated strength training, the physical pressure from Arualabarena behind him didn’t throw Yang Yang off balance. His steps faltered slightly, but he kept the ball firmly under control.

He was watching his opponent, just as his opponent was watching him.

When Yang Yang suddenly burst forward, Arualabarena was startled. He assumed Yang Yang was trying to use his speed to break free and immediately moved to cover him on the right.

The touchline was to the left. His defensive instincts told him that as long as he blocked the right, Yang Yang had nowhere to go.

But this was exactly the move Yang Yang had been waiting for.

The instant Arualabarena committed, Yang Yang expertly hooked the ball behind him with his left foot while simultaneously coming to an abrupt stop and spinning to his left.

In one sudden motion, the ball was at Yang Yang’s feet, and he had successfully turned to face the other way.

“A Cruyff Turn!!”

A collective gasp echoed through the Estadio El Madrigal.

Having completed the turn, Yang Yang was now facing toward the goal, while Arualabarena had his back to him. The tables had turned completely.

Yang Yang quickly surged forward with the ball. Before Solari could close in, he made a square pass to Sneijder in the center.

Sneijder, reading the play perfectly, dribbled diagonally toward the middle.

Worried about the central threat, Solari quickly shifted closer to Marcos Senna.

But then, just as he was facing the top of the penalty arc, Sneijder suddenly threaded a pass into the space behind Solari.

Yang Yang cut diagonally behind Solari at top speed. By the time he received Sneijder’s pass, he was already on the edge of the penalty area.

Now, the only one standing in his way was the center-back, Gonzalo Rodriguez.