Super Wingstorm

At noon the next day, just after returning to De Toekomst from school, Yang Yang was summoned to the office of the Ajax Second Team’s head coach.

After the afternoon training session, to the envy of his many teammates, he was kept behind by the coaching staff for a private meeting.

John van Schip was once an outstanding right winger for Ajax. He had only played for two clubs in his professional career—Ajax in the Netherlands and Genoa in Italy—and found success with both.

During his time playing for Ajax, he helped the team win the European Cup Winners’ Cup under the tutelage of the legendary Saint Cruyff.

Yang Yang had always treated such a senior figure, who had achieved such brilliant success, with the utmost respect.

Respecting his teachers and valuing their guidance was a principle instilled in him since childhood.

Van Basten had always been Yang Yang’s idol. He had even offered some advice and guidance a few times after training sessions when Yang Yang stayed for extra practice, but this situation was clearly different.

Standing before the two Dutch legends, Yang Yang felt somewhat overwhelmed by the attention.

He knew, however, that this was simply a tradition at Ajax.

"Alright, time is precious, so I won’t waste words. John will handle the specifics. From now on, he’ll be in charge of your special training," Van Basten said with a smile, gesturing to his former teammate beside him.

"Yang, remember this: John has over a decade of professional league experience, from the Netherlands to Serie A to the European Arena. His experience is immense. Learn from him with an open mind, and he will make you smarter on the pitch and help you better understand how to compete."

Yang Yang nodded receptively. He believed what Van Basten said.

John Reep had told him more than once that professional football wasn’t just about raw talent. Often, it required technique and even some cunning tricks, because everyone was trying to do whatever it took to beat their opponent within the rules.

He hadn’t felt it much on the youth team, but it would be much more apparent on the first team.

In fact, Yang Yang had already experienced it in his first Dutch Cup match. Even though their opponents were only a semi-professional team, they were full of veterans who had been knocking around the lower leagues for years. They used a lot of dirty tricks, some of which were downright nasty. If you let them get to you, you couldn’t focus on the game.

"Here, I just want to share some of my observations from the past while," Van Basten said with a serious tone.

Yang Yang nodded solemnly.

"You are very diligent and hardworking. I can see it and feel it. You’re full of passion for football and hunger for the game. Your desire to win is incredibly strong, and you’re always striving for it. That’s your defining quality."

As Van Basten spoke, his tone suddenly shifted. "But you have to understand, sometimes hard work doesn’t mean you’re doing the right thing. It’s like on the pitch—you’re constantly running, constantly looking for opportunities, but that doesn’t necessarily get you the results you want. Have you ever thought about that?"

Yang Yang nodded. He had, in fact, thought about it.

"On the football pitch, it’s not actually that hard to make yourself run, to speed things up. But knowing how to stop, how to slow down—that’s the most difficult and wisest thing to learn. You might not feel it now, but you’ll have the chance to understand it in the future."

Hearing this, Yang Yang’s expression became one of deep thought.

He vaguely understood what Van Basten meant. To put it simply, it was about how to manage his stamina efficiently and how to rest during a match.

Every player’s stamina is finite. Even if Yang Yang’s fitness was outstanding, he couldn’t possibly maintain peak energy for a full ninety-minute match. Therefore, he had to learn how to manage his stamina efficiently. Knowing when to stop and rest, when to run, when to sprint, and when to slow down—all of these things are a test of a player’s game intelligence.

Yang Yang had once discussed this topic with Ibrahimovic. Since his conflict with Van Gaal was no secret within the team, Yang Yang had asked him about it, and the Swedish Striker had his own reasons.

"My tall, strong, yet agile body is my advantage, but it also means I burn through energy faster than other players during a match. Have you ever thought about it? If I did what that damn old Dutchman said and just kept pressing and running non-stop, how much stamina would I have left for the attack?"

"I understand what that old Dutchman means. He thinks I shouldn’t hold onto the ball too much, that I shouldn’t just be a goalscorer but a proper tactical center-forward. But he forgot, I’m not Kluivert. There are a lot of things Kluivert can accept that I can’t, because I am Ibrahimovic."

Yang Yang could still vividly recall the resolute look on the Swedish Striker’s face as he said those words.

Not pressing, not actively tracking back—it was all to conserve his energy so that when an opportunity arose, he could create a threat with greater impact and certainty.

Resting, in order to go the distance.

A fist that’s pulled back strikes with more force.

These two adages meant the same thing as what Van Basten had just said.

"Also, there’s another thing I think you should pay attention to next, and that’s your passing."

Van Basten waited until Yang Yang had more or less digested his words before continuing.

"In our traditional Ajax philosophy, passing is undoubtedly crucial. You could even say it’s the foundation of all our tactics. It’s our first choice when facing any problem or difficulty in a match. If we have to choose between passing and dribbling, we choose the former, because the latter is riskier."

"Of course, I don’t mean you should change your style of play. What I’m saying is, your habits on the ball aren’t great. This is clearly influenced by your past experience. You tend to resort to passing only when you can’t dribble past an opponent."

"It’s true, your dribbling on the right wing is very good, and I’ve clearly seen your progress. I believe you can continue to develop in this way. But I want you to understand that football is a team game. You need to respect and adapt to our club’s overall philosophy, and we, in turn, will respect and adapt to your way of playing."

Van Basten’s words once again sent Yang Yang into deep thought.

It was obvious that even now, he hadn’t truly integrated into the Ajax Second Team. He was like a knife held in someone’s hand, not a part of the strong arm that wielded it. Van Basten saw this more clearly than he did.

"I’ve told you all this not because I want you to abandon your strengths. Everyone has their own unique qualities and advantages, and you’re no different. What I hope you’ll do is respect and integrate into Ajax, and learn to make the most appropriate judgment at the right time—the one that best serves the team."

At this, Van Basten gently patted Yang Yang’s shoulder and said earnestly, "Believe me, this will help you integrate into the team more quickly and actively, and your progress will be much more rapid."

Yang Yang nodded solemnly in agreement.

He knew these were heartfelt words from Van Basten.

...

...

The dark cloud hanging over Ajax came as quickly as it went.

A week after the match against Breda, Ajax faced the sixth round of the Eredivisie.

To rest players for the midweek UEFA Champions League match, Koman adjusted the starting lineup. Van der Vaart wasn’t even included in the squad list, but precisely because of this, Ajax’s attack was extremely lively.

With a goal and an assist from Ibrahimovic, Ajax ultimately thrashed William II 6-0 at home, securing a resounding victory. However, this once again sparked public debate about the compatibility of the Swedish Striker and Van der Vaart.

Since Eindhoven unexpectedly lost 1-0 at home to Alkmaar in this round, Ajax successfully overtook them to claim the top spot in the league.

Midweek, Ajax played at home again, welcoming their second opponent in the Champions League group stage: Bruges of Belgium.

Van der Vaart returned to the starting lineup, partnering with Ibrahimovic, but both players delivered a mediocre performance. Instead, it was Belgian striker Wesley Sonck who scored a brace, helping the team to a 2-0 home victory.

Over the weekend, in the seventh round of the Eredivisie, Ajax played away against Groningen. Once again, a goal and an assist from Ibrahimovic, along with goals from Wesley Sonck and Mitja, helped the team secure a 3-1 comeback victory away from home.

This string of victories put the doubts surrounding the Ajax first team to rest for the time being, and Ronald Koeman successfully navigated the first crisis of confidence of the new season.

During this period, Yang Yang’s life was quite routine. He still went to school in the morning and training in the afternoon. The only difference was that after every training session, before his own extra practice, he would have thirty minutes of special training with John van Schip. The latter not only advised Yang Yang on technical and tactical matters but also taught him strategies for handling different in-game situations.

The Ajax Second Team played two matches, against the Heerenveen Second Team and the Utrecht Second Team. The Ajax Second Team won both games. Although Yang Yang didn’t score again, he performed very well on the right wing, recording two assists, particularly in the match against the Utrecht Second Team.

After this period, everyone gradually came to accept Yang Yang as the second team’s starting right winger. Even Demuer tacitly acknowledged this reality in daily life, though he still showed a hint of resentment whenever he interacted with Yang Yang.

After the start of October, the two-week international break arrived, and leagues at all levels came to a halt once again.

During the break, Yang Yang made a special trip back to Almere for two days. Nothing much happened, but he did happen to notice that his cousin, Shen Yuzhu, seemed to have taken a special interest in the new part-time international student, which he found rather interesting.

The peaceful days passed quickly, and league competition soon resumed.

In late October, the Ajax Second Team secured a narrow 2-1 victory at home against the Rotterdam Sparta Second Team. Following that, they earned a tight 1-0 away win against the William II reserve team. Yang Yang provided an assist in both matches, and both were for Babel.

Perhaps thanks to the assists, Babel’s attitude toward Yang Yang softened somewhat. However, the two had no relationship outside of football, and Yang Yang had no interest in getting involved with the aloof Dutchman.

After the two-week international break, Van der Vaart finally had a breakout performance, scoring a brace to help Ajax thrash the newly promoted Warrendan 5-1 at home. Meanwhile, Ibrahimovic scored the winning goal at home to help Ajax narrowly defeat Celta Vigo 1-0, securing their second consecutive win in the Champions League group stage.

In the subsequent ninth round of the Eredivisie, during an away match against Eindhoven, Van der Vaart received a red card just before halftime and was sent off. Soon after, Van Bommel scored a goal for Eindhoven.

Although Sonck quickly equalized, John De Jong then scored another for Eindhoven.

At the crucial moment, Ibrahimovic once again displayed his astonishing individual skill, breaking through Eindhoven’s defense to score and help Ajax secure a 2-2 draw away from home, allowing them to retain their spot at the top of the league table.

Meanwhile, the Ajax Second Team was about to face a formidable opponent in the Dutch Cup.

The leaders of the Eerste Divisie, Demboch.