Super Wingstorm

Demboch, De Willert Stadium.

Yang Yang’s arms hung at his sides. Large beads of sweat streamed down his arms and dripped from his fingertips.

His heavy breathing made it clear to everyone how exhausted he was.

The match was over seventy minutes in, but the score was still nil-nil.

Demboch was tied with Helmond at the top of the Eerste Divisie, so their strength was not to be underestimated. In fact, they were on par with some Eredivisie teams.

More importantly, they weren’t even giving it their all in this match.

Take the left-back marking Yang Yang, for example. The usual starter was the young and strong twenty-five-year-old Bass Peegis, but for this match, Demboch’s manager Gert Cruyff had fielded the veteran Patrick Peelen. Peelen was already thirty-five, and on the bench was the seventeen-year-old youngster Piet Kuijipels.

These three left-backs had distinctly different characteristics. Peegis was in his prime, tall and strong, capable of playing both left center-back and left-back. His overlapping runs followed by forty-five-degree crosses were a major weapon in Demboch’s attack.

Peelen was a veteran with a wealth of experience, but his age meant his stamina was lacking, so he usually served as Peegis’s backup. As for the young Kuijipels, he had never even appeared for the first team.

It wasn’t hard to see that Cruyff wasn’t taking the Dutch Cup too seriously, focusing more on the Eerste Divisie.

But even so, they were still causing Ajax considerable trouble.

This was the first time since joining Ajax that Yang Yang had felt so on the back foot during a match.

Vermaelen was performing brilliantly in defense. Though not particularly tall, his judgment of the ball’s trajectory was incredibly accurate. He had neutralized several of the opponent’s crosses, and his defending was becoming more and more skillful, especially against their tall center-forward, Barry Powell.

His opponent was a full head taller than him, yet he could hardly get an advantage over the Belgian center-back. Whether in aerial duels or fronting his man, the Belgian was outstanding.

During halftime, he joked wryly to Yang Yang that it was all thanks to being brutalized by Ibrahimovic in training.

But throughout the entire match, the Ajax Second Team was under unprecedented pressure.

Yang Yang felt as if he were back to his days playing for Almere, especially in the amateur leagues. It was a strange, familiar yet distant feeling.

His performance in this match was far from ideal, mainly because of the bearded Dutch veteran opposite him. Patrick Peelen’s experience was immense. Yang Yang’s previously unstoppable Pendulum Move could barely get past him. Even on the rare occasion he did, Peelen would always manage to stick to him like glue. Facing him, Yang Yang was overcome with a sense of helpless frustration.

Things weren’t just tough for Yang Yang. Babel on the left and Benson in the middle were also struggling. Even the midfielders, Kroen and Maduro, were being completely suppressed by their opponents, finding it difficult to pass the ball forward.

The only silver lining was Vermaelen’s excellent performance, which helped keep the team’s defense relatively stable.

Yang Yang shot a frustrated glance at the bearded man in front of him, cursing inwardly. ’He’s already thirty-five, but this old guy is surprisingly resilient.’

’Alright, let’s see how much longer you can last.’

Seeing his midfield teammate Kroen with no passing options, Yang Yang quickly dropped back, raising his hand to receive the ball.

After a moment’s hesitation, Peelen immediately followed him.

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Gert Cruyff stood on the sidelines, looking quite composed.

The forty-two-year-old’s playing career hadn’t been illustrious, but he had a high-profile start after transitioning to management. In the summer of ’98, after Leeuwarden was promoted from the Eerste Divisie, they decisively changed managers. He was appointed as Leeuwarden’s new boss and successfully led the team to avoid relegation from the Eredivisie.

After two seasons in the Eredivisie, Leeuwarden ultimately couldn’t stay up. However, Cruyff was still highly valued by the management and was tasked with leading the team back to the Eredivisie. It was only after two consecutive failed attempts and declining results that he was finally dismissed.

But this resume quickly earned him an offer from Demboch, who had just been relegated from the Eredivisie.

Last season, the team suffered the pains of relegation and failed to return to the Eredivisie. But so far this season, the team’s performance has been outstanding, greatly increasing their hopes for promotion. They were currently tied on points with Helmond at the top of the league table.

However, Demboch had played one more match than their rivals.

The Dutch Cup match was sandwiched between two league games, which meant Cruyff, burdened with the heavy responsibility of promotion, dared not take any risks. That’s why he didn’t field a full-strength squad, but it didn’t mean he wasn’t taking the match seriously.

In fact, in the second round against Eredivisie side Zwolle, Cruyff had chosen to fight them to the death at home, knocking out Zwolle two to one and advancing smoothly to the third round.

But as the current match progressed, he had to admit his misjudgment.

When they drew the Ajax Second Team, he and his coaching staff had been very optimistic. They were the only reserve team to make it to the third round of the Dutch Cup. Wasn’t this a god-given chance for Demboch to advance?

But once the match started, he was shocked to find that a giant club was a giant club for a reason. Ajax’s deep talent pool meant that even their reserve team was enough to contend with Demboch. The two teams had battled for seventy minutes, and Demboch, playing at home, had failed to finish off their opponent. This was far beyond Cruyff’s expectations.

That defender, Vermaelen, was the most eye-catching player on the pitch. His presence completely froze their tall center-forward, Barry Powell, which cut Demboch’s attacking threat in half. Combined with the fact that their other two attacking threats, Van der Yack and Stefan Jansen, weren’t even in the squad, Demboch’s offense struggled to create any real danger.

Ajax’s front three were also quite distinctive. No need to mention Babel on the left; he was a talent recognized throughout the Netherlands, a star of the future. The player in the middle, Benson, was incredibly fast, and his counter-attacks had been very threatening on several occasions.

The only exception was the black-haired Chinese player on the right. He had performed well in the previous two matches, but had gone quiet in this one.

’It seems my decision to use the more experienced Peelen to mark him was the right one.’

Neither Peegis, who was tall but not very agile and slow on his feet, nor Kuijipels, who was young, inexperienced, and rather reckless, could have been as reliable as Peelen.

A nil-nil score should be considered favorable for Demboch.

Van Basten was leading a reserve team, after all. They were too young. The longer the match went on, the more impatient they would get. Especially as their stamina declined and after the head coach’s consecutive substitutions failed to have an effect, the players on the field were clearly making more mistakes, and their morale had taken a big hit.

According to the Dutch Cup rules, a nil-nil draw would go to extra time, and if it was still tied, it would be decided by a penalty shootout.

If it came to that, Demboch would still have the best chance of winning.

Cruyff was full of confidence about this.

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”Yang Yang has dropped back again,” said assistant coach John van Schip.

Having dropped back to support the midfield, Yang Yang received a pass from Kroen. Before Peelen could close in from behind, he quickly sent a long return pass down the right flank to the right-back, Dwight Tiendalli.

The Dutch player of Surinamese descent had just turned eighteen and was the second team’s starting right-back this season. His physique and speed were both good, and his defending was relatively sound. He also had the ability to overlap and carry the ball down the right wing, but he just had trouble linking up with his teammates—not just with Yang Yang in front of him, but with others as well.

Previously, the technical team’s assessment of him was that he lacked determination. The coaching staff had suggested he work on his crossing, but for a long time now, he seemed to have no intention of putting in the hard work to improve it. His crosses were still dreadful to watch.

This was also the reason Koman was unwilling to call him up to the first team to serve as Talabesi’s backup.

”He wouldn’t have any opportunities if he stayed up front anyway,” said Rob Witschge.

Demboch’s advantage in this match was obvious. Their defense was also very solid, putting a lot of pressure on the Ajax Second Team. The forwards found it hard to hold onto the ball, and even when they did, they struggled to link up for an attack.

The team’s sharpest weapon on the right wing, Yang Yang, known for his ability to break through defenses, had also been silenced in this match.

It had to be said, the opponent’s use of the more experienced veteran, Peelen, to mark him was a very specific and effective tactic.

Although he was struggling to pose an offensive threat up front, Yang Yang was actively dropping back to help with midfield ball distribution and transitions, and he also tracked back to defend multiple times. It was a performance worthy of praise.

However, with him dropping back, the situation for Babel and Benson up front would become even more precarious.

”Peelen is still sticking to him,” Van Basten said suddenly.

Van Schip and Witschge were both a bit surprised, not understanding what he meant.

”Whether it’s us watching from the sidelines or the fans in the stands, our understanding of the game is far inferior to the players on the field. To know how Yang Yang is doing, just look at Peelen’s reaction.”

As former professional players themselves, Van Schip and Witschge quickly understood.

As an experienced veteran, Peelen had been following Yang Yang the entire match. This certainly wasn’t just because of pre-match instructions from his coach; it must also have come from his own feel for the game. The only logical explanation was that he knew he couldn’t give Yang Yang any space to receive the ball.

”Peelen is thirty-five. Both we and Demboch still have one substitution left. Do you think Cruyff will sub him off?” Van Schip asked, his eyes suddenly lighting up.

There was a substitute left-back on Demboch’s bench, the seventeen-year-old youngster Kuijipels. This player had never appeared for the first team. Could he get his chance today?

If they took off the experienced veteran Peelen and brought on Kuijipels, Yang Yang would get much more space to operate on the right wing.

But what if they didn’t substitute Peelen?

Yang Yang was dropping back, consciously expanding his area of activity. He was trying to wear Peelen down in a battle of attrition.

This was clearly a move born of necessity.

The Ajax Second Team’s midfield and defense were under immense pressure, making it difficult to provide Yang Yang with any support. He was on his own.

If he could just create an opening on Peelen’s side, Ajax would have a chance to win.

Thinking of this, Van Basten clapped his hands together decisively, clenched his jaw, and nodded. ”Save our last substitution.”

If Ajax didn’t make a substitution, Cruyff probably wouldn’t make one either, just in case the match really did go to extra time.

This was the opportunity he, as head coach, was creating for Yang Yang.