Super Wingstorm

In the days that followed, Yang Yang’s life was simple but fulfilling.

Every day, he would wake up early and wash up before heading to the east side of town. He would jog a lap around the scenic Oudekerk Lakefront while juggling a ball, a route of exactly three kilometers. After working up a good sweat, he would grab breakfast on his way back through town and bring it home.

Ibrahimovic and Maxwell were both flat broke now, mooching not only dinner but breakfast as well.

Luckily, their apartment lease was long-term; otherwise, they might have ended up sleeping on the streets.

On his third day in Amsterdam, Jansen came by to inform him that school had started.

Ajax had already enrolled Yang Yang. From then on, he just needed to be at the intersection on the east side of town every morning to wait for the school bus. He would attend academic classes at school in the morning, then return to De Toekomst for training after the lunch break.

With the new season approaching, the atmosphere at De Toekomst had grown noticeably more serious. Only a thick-skinned guy like Ibrahimovic was still trying to act cool and suave as usual; everyone else could clearly feel the pressure of the upcoming season.

The Second Team’s training was as high-intensity as ever, but having persisted in his rigorous training for the past few months, Yang Yang had no trouble adjusting. He was also constantly striving to integrate into the team.

Whether in training or in scrimmages, Yang Yang could clearly sense Van Basten’s intentions.

Most of the positions in the Second Team’s starting lineup were more or less set. The team’s formation remained Ajax’s unshakeable 4-3-3.

Ryan Babel was the youngest, yet he was the player with the most secure position on the team. He was the undisputed choice for the center-forward position.

In the midfield, Maduro and Kroen’s positions were very solid. With one playing deep and the other pushing forward, they complemented each other well. As for the remaining spot, the competition was fierce, with Kuhara, Emmanuelson, Demuure, and Keizer all in with a chance.

Among them, Emmanuelson was capable of playing left wing, and Demuure could likewise play right wing, making them both key competitors on the flanks. For Yang Yang’s right-wing position, besides Demuure, there was also eighteen-year-old Sergio Cameron, a player of African descent, who was currently the fastest on the team.

Compared to Yang Yang, Vermaelen was highly valued at center-back. He and Lindegren were Van Basten’s most trusted center-back pairing, and their coordination, one on the left and one on the right, was growing more seamless by the day.

As for the goalkeeper, it was, of course, the captain, Zwinkels.

Whether in daily training or in scrimmages, Van Basten and the coaching staff were constantly evaluating the players, selecting the starting lineup for the new season. This made the competitive atmosphere within the team grow increasingly intense.

Yang Yang didn’t dwell too much on the competition. His main focus was on how to improve himself. He firmly believed one thing: as long as he was strong enough, a starting spot would naturally fall into his lap.

The wall from the skate park was gone, but in its place, he had his teammate Vermaelen. The two would stay behind for extra practice every day after training sessions. The Belgian would accompany Yang Yang in some of the most basic ball control and passing drills, only transforming into a powerful center-forward during crossing practice.

They were similar in age and lived together, and their personalities meshed well. They could be considered kindred spirits. When the mood struck, they added one-on-one offense and defense drills. This was Yang Yang’s strong suit, but Vermaelen’s defensive skills were nothing to scoff at, and the two had a blast competing on the training ground.

Ibrahimovic and Maxwell, who mooched breakfast and dinner every day, would also often come over to the Second Team’s training ground after their first-team sessions to practice with them. Coincidentally, Maxwell also needed to practice his crosses from the left. As a result, a common sight on the training ground was Yang Yang and Maxwell sending in crosses from the left and right flanks, with Ibrahimovic tormenting Vermaelen in the center.

On the evening of the second day after he officially started school, as soon as Yang Yang fell asleep and entered the Super Training space, Old Ice formally notified him. From now on, his training opponents would be upgraded from the third tier to the second tier, which was the level of the Eerste Divisie.

’I’ve finally leveled up.’

That was Yang Yang’s first thought upon receiving the news, but he was also gradually starting to feel his improvement slowing down.

Before, his fundamentals had been so poor that making up for them resulted in rapid, swift improvement, giving him the feeling of advancing by leaps and bounds every day. But once most of his shortcomings and weaknesses were shored up, further improvement would not only be more difficult but also much slower.

But Old Ice also said that the speed of his progress wasn’t important. What mattered was solidifying his fundamentals and being meticulous about the details.

Daily fundamental training was still essential, but in the Super Training space, the focus remained on practicing [Ronaldo’s Rush] and [Beckham’s Crossing]. These two Star Skills would be the foundation for Yang Yang to establish himself on the team.

Even though he had made the leap from Almere to Ajax, Yang Yang wasn’t the least bit complacent. He knew very well that in the Ajax Youth Academy, there were far too many players who were better and more talented than him. If he relaxed even slightly, he could be replaced at any moment and sent right back to Almere.

That was something he could not accept.

So, he could only bury his head in his training. Even when Vermaelen couldn’t practice with him, he would find a remote, deserted spot in De Toekomst and train against a wall, not daring to slack off in the slightest.

A week passed uneventfully like this.

...

...

That day at noon, the Ajax shuttle brought the youth academy players back from school to De Toekomst.

After waving goodbye to his teammates from school, Yang Yang and the others returned to their respective teams.

Of all the players in De Toekomst who were still in school, Yang Yang’s team was the highest-level one.

The players on the first and second teams were basically all full-time professionals. Even Demuure, Emmanuelson, and Babel, who were the same age as Yang Yang, had long since given up their studies to focus solely on soccer.

Just like any other day, Yang Yang walked into the Second Team’s locker room with his backpack on. The moment he entered, he could tell the atmosphere was off. He looked around curiously at the others in the room before walking straight over to Vermaelen.

"Thomas, what’s going on?" Yang Yang asked in a low voice.

Vermaelen leaned closer to Yang Yang and said in a low voice, "The first team almost lost last night."

"What?" Yang Yang’s brow furrowed.

Vermaelen nodded. "The third round of the UEFA Champions League qualifiers. The opponent was Austria’s Graz AK. It was the first match of the new season, and the first team played terribly. They couldn’t break through their goal in the first half and then conceded a goal in the second."

"And then?"

"At the critical moment, Sneijder saved the team."

Yang Yang breathed a sigh of relief. The image of that reserved, small-statured player surfaced in his mind. He had always felt that Sneijder was extraordinary. While he wasn’t as immediately dazzling as Van der Vaart, there was an inscrutable quality about him.

"One-one. They got an away goal, but they couldn’t beat Graz AK. This morning, the first-team’s coaching staff flew into a rage, extremely dissatisfied with the players’ performance, especially on offense."

"What about Zlatan..." Yang Yang was a little worried for the Swedish striker.

But Vermaelen just shook his head with a wry smile. "Don’t worry about him. I saw him at lunch, and he was acting as if nothing had happened. He ate even more than usual and seemed to be in a great mood."

"Why?" Yang Yang was confused.

"Ronald Koeman didn’t start him last night. Wesley Sonck started and played for sixty-five minutes, and the team didn’t score a single goal. But after Zlatan came on to replace him, the team’s offense showed great improvement, and Sneijder even tied the game. So, you tell me, how could he possibly be in a bad mood?"

Yang Yang laughed to himself. ’Knowing the Swede’s temperament, he’s probably feeling pretty smug. But Coach Koeman must be frustrated.’

The poor performance of the starting lineup was just one part of it. More importantly, they had failed to secure a win away against Graz AK, leaving the outcome in suspense for the home leg. One misstep, and they could be knocked out in an upset.

The UEFA Champions League had always been a major source of revenue for Ajax. If they failed to make it to the official group stage, the club would suffer huge losses. Ronald Koeman would certainly be held responsible. While it might not get him fired, the pressure on him would increase immensely.

"So what’s with everyone now?" Yang Yang asked again.

"It’s simple. We have a match coming up soon too."

"When?"

"Next Wednesday. The first round of the Dutch Cup. Our opponent is Ezmeralda from Spakenburg."

Yang Yang knew of Spakenburg. It was about forty kilometers from the Southeast New City of Amsterdam, just southeast of Almere. Hoy Lake connected to Lake Em to its southeast, and Spakenburg was situated on the southeastern shore of Lake Em. Though called a town, it was more like a village with only three to five thousand residents.

Despite Spakenburg’s small population, the soccer culture in the Netherlands was thriving. The fact that such a small village had two amateur teams, both playing at a high enough level to qualify for the Dutch Cup, was a testament to that.

"This team shouldn’t be hard to beat, right?" Yang Yang said.

’Never mind the Ajax Second Team; even the first team from Almere could probably beat them easily.’

Vermaelen nodded. "The match won’t be difficult, but it’s an away game, so we can’t be careless. Besides, everyone is worried about the matchday squad, and even the starting lineup."

"Oh." Yang Yang suddenly understood. So that was why.

Most of the people in the room were worried about this. Vermaelen was one of the few players who didn’t need to worry about his position, which was why he had the peace of mind to be whispering with Yang Yang over here.

"What? You’re not worried?" Vermaelen looked at Yang Yang, surprised.

’In this team, Yang Yang’s position isn’t secure either,’ Vermaelen thought. ’There’s even more buzz around Tom Demuure playing right wing than Yang Yang. Is he really not concerned about his position at all?’

"Worrying is useless. It’s not like I can make the decision, right?" Yang Yang gave a light laugh. "Since that’s the case, I can only focus on what I can control, like training hard. As for the rest, I’ll just let nature take its course."

"You’re certainly philosophical about it." Vermaelen couldn’t tell if he was being genuine or not.

It was impossible that Yang Yang didn’t want to be in the squad or in the starting lineup. Water flows downward, and man strives upward; he had come to Ajax hoping to take the next step and keep climbing higher.

But just as he’d said, if it was something he couldn’t control, he wouldn’t dwell on it.

In his view, rather than getting hung up on useless worries, it was better to keep his feet on the ground and work hard on improving himself. He still had many weaknesses to strengthen and had no time to waste on such matters.