As Yang Yang had emphasized before, confidence is something built from one match to the next.
After the 2–1 victory over Arsenal at the Amsterdam ArenA, Ajax didn't just take three important points — they gained a renewed sense of belief. The mood throughout the squad had shifted. What was once cautious ambition had now turned into a growing conviction. Progressing from the UEFA Champions League group stage no longer felt like a distant possibility; it had become a tangible objective.
Even more encouraging was the sense that they might go further than expected.
Arsenal, the highest-ranked team in the group and considered the strongest threat, had already been defeated. Crucially, the return leg against the English side would come on the final matchday. By that point, the group standings might already be settled, or at the very least, much clearer.
If Ajax could maintain their current form and avoid any major missteps, they would arrive in London with the opportunity to secure qualification — possibly even as group winners — with just a draw.
Under the Champions League format, finishing top of the group carries significant benefits. First-place teams earn a seeded spot in the Round of 16, which usually means facing a theoretically weaker opponent and playing the decisive second leg at home. That difference can shape the entire trajectory of a club's campaign.
Everyone at Ajax understood this, from the coaching staff to the youngest squad member.
In the days following the win, training at De Toekomst intensified. There was a newfound urgency in the pressing drills, more precise execution during tactical rehearsals, and improved communication between players. While mistakes still occurred, they were quickly addressed with clearer instructions and immediate adjustments.
Yang Yang set the tone by example, pushing his limits in every exercise, demanding sharper transitions, and constantly reinforcing positional discipline during simulated match scenarios.
The energy within the team had shifted. There was more laughter, more confidence in every action, and a noticeable increase in collective focus. The players no longer viewed themselves as underdogs. The belief was there — quiet, steady, and unmistakably growing.
Ajax was no longer just trying to survive in Europe. They had started to believe they could compete — and make a serious impact.
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After six rounds of Eredivisie play, Ajax had collected 16 points from five wins and one draw, placing them at the top of the table.
Just behind them were Feyenoord and RKC Waalwijk, both with five wins and one loss, sitting on 15 points. Trailing slightly were AZ Alkmaar and PSV Eindhoven with 13 points each, though their seasons had unfolded under very different circumstances. Of the two, PSV had been hit the hardest.
Under Guus Hiddink, Eindhoven endured a turbulent summer transfer window. First, they sold Mark van Bommel — the team's captain and midfield engine. Then, just before the transfer deadline at the end of August, they offloaded two key South Korean players. Park Ji-sung departed for Manchester United in a £4 million move, while Young-Pyo Lee transferred to Tottenham Hotspur.
Losing three vital first-team players in such a short span left a significant hole in the squad. More concerning, PSV failed to bring in adequate reinforcements before the window closed. As a result, the team's competitive edge was dulled. Their early-season form had reflected that — sluggish, inconsistent, and lacking the dominance they once exerted over domestic opponents.
In the seventh round, just days after playing midweek in the UEFA Champions League, PSV faced a tricky away fixture against Heerenveen. The fatigue showed immediately. Within 16 minutes, they had already conceded. However, to their credit, they reorganized and responded with three unanswered goals, turning the match on its head.
Still, the second half brought further complications. Heerenveen clawed one back and mounted sustained pressure. PSV struggled to cope. Had Klaas-Jan Huntelaar — Heerenveen's prolific center-forward — not been sidelined with injury, the match could have easily slipped away from Hiddink's side.
After the final whistle, Hiddink admitted frankly in the post-match interview that his team was in the midst of a crisis. The squad lacked rhythm, and the spine of last season's team had been stripped away.
Louis van Gaal's AZ Alkmaar had troubles of their own. Hosting NEC Nijmegen at the Alkmaarderhout, they took the lead twice — only to be pegged back both times. It wasn't until Shota Arveladze scored late on that they finally sealed a nervy 3–2 victory. Van Gaal didn't hide his frustration after the match, knowing the defensive lapses could cost them dearly in future fixtures.
Feyenoord, meanwhile, suffered an outright collapse.
Erwin Koeman's men had entered the round in strong form, but they fell apart in a 3–1 defeat away to FC Utrecht. Most notable was the performance of Utrecht's Mounir El Hamdaoui and their newly acquired striker, Robin Nelisse, who had just arrived from Alkmaar during the summer. Nelisse scored a clinical hat-trick, while Dirk Kuyt — Feyenoord's main attacking threat — had a subdued performance.
Even Ajax, despite their position atop the table, showed signs of fatigue.
The congested schedule had taken its toll. With UEFA Champions League matches midweek and domestic league fixtures on the weekend, the physical strain was mounting. The impact was visible across the pitch. A full week of intense training, long flights, and high-pressure matches left players struggling to recover in time. The demands of professional football at the highest level had become a major test of endurance.
Yang Yang, who had scored consistently in previous matches, was held without a goal this time. The entire Ajax front line lacked sharpness in the final third. Combinations that usually sliced through defenses failed to connect. Attacks broke down under pressure. Crosses floated harmlessly. The spark was missing.
Then, unexpectedly, Nigel de Jong stepped forward.
Typically a defensive midfielder and not known for his goal-scoring, De Jong seized the moment. He made two well-timed runs into the box and finished with composure both times, providing Ajax with the goals they needed. Wesley Sneijder and Yang Yang each provided an assist, and Ajax escaped with a hard-fought win.
The performance drew praise from domestic media, who saw the match as a testament to Ajax's depth and collective strength. Everyone in Dutch football understood that no team, no player, could maintain top form all season long. Peaks and valleys were inevitable. The question was whether a team could still find solutions when their stars weren't firing.
Feyenoord had no answer and lost. AZ Alkmaar nearly stumbled, and PSV barely held on. But Ajax found a way. Even when their attacking trio underperformed, even when Yang Yang struggled to make his usual impact, someone else stepped up.
The schedule had offered little rest. Arsenal on Wednesday, then Sparta Rotterdam on Saturday — barely three full days between matches. Yang Yang, who had been electric against Arsenal, understandably showed signs of fatigue by the weekend. A dip in form under such circumstances was to be expected.
Yet in that context, De Jong's two goals proved decisive.
Following the victory, Dutch media unanimously agreed: Ajax looked like the most complete team in the Eredivisie this season. They were disciplined, resilient, and, most importantly, adaptable.
After seven rounds, they continued to lead the standings, preserving a slim edge over their rivals.
In the scoring charts, Yang Yang trailed Shota Arveladze by just one goal. But the season was still long, and the battle for the Golden Boot had only just begun.
Last season, Yang Yang had mounted a determined chase behind Dirk Kuyt and went over him at the end of the season. This year, he had every reason to believe he could do it again.
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As October began, the club season briefly paused to make way for a two-week international break.
For the Chinese national team, this window marked an important phase in their preparations for the upcoming World Cup. The squad traveled to Europe for a training camp, and all the national team players based abroad were recalled to join the group. The goal was clear: to use this opportunity to build cohesion and refine the team's tactical identity.
Head coach Arie Haan called up the core of the squad that had impressed during the FIFA World Youth Championship, including domestic talents like Cui Peng, Zhao Xuri, and Lu Lin. Alongside them were a number of standout performers from the Chinese Super League and, crucially, several overseas-based players who had been making steady progress in European leagues.
Yang Yang found himself reunited with familiar faces — Gao Lin, Feng Xiaoting, Zheng Zhi, and others. The atmosphere among the players was lively. Conversations flowed easily, and there was a shared excitement about being back together. Yet beneath the laughter, Yang Yang could sense the subtle shifts in mentality and technical understanding brought about by European exposure. The difference was noticeable.
The first week of the camp focused on technical and tactical sessions, with the coaching staff emphasizing shape, spacing, and build-up patterns. That was followed by two high-profile friendly matches: one against Germany, and the other against Spain.
China lost both games — 1–0 to Germany and 3–1 to Spain — but the results didn't come as a shock. The gap in quality between China and Europe's elite remained significant, and the matches served as a necessary reality check.
Yang Yang, however, managed to leave his mark. In the second match, against Spain, he scored China's only goal, finishing off a quick counterattack that temporarily leveled the score at 1–1 in the first half.
Despite the defeats, the coaching staff evaluated the performances positively. The scorelines weren't flattering, but there were meaningful takeaways. Against Germany, China had defended with structure and discipline. Against Spain, although possession heavily favored the opponent, China produced a brief spell of vibrant attacking play that culminated in Yang Yang's equalizer. Only in the second half did Spain reassert their dominance and score twice more.
For many Chinese players, particularly those who had spent time in Europe, the experience of facing top-tier opposition was sobering. During internal meetings, players openly acknowledged the extent of the gap — in physicality, in tactical awareness, and even in the finer points of match preparation and logistics. The infrastructure and professional ecosystem around European football had simply evolved at a faster pace.
This wasn't to say that Chinese football had regressed. On the contrary, the number of Chinese players active in Europe had steadily increased, and the benefits of that exposure were becoming clearer. The issue was not stagnation, but rather the accelerating development of the European game. Tactical philosophies, training methodologies, and youth development systems in Europe had undergone rapid transformation in just a few short years.
Even Arie Haan admitted that European football had evolved dramatically. Coaches, players, and entire clubs had been forced to adapt to the relentless pace and intensity of modern competition. The UEFA Champions League, in particular, had become a laboratory for tactical experimentation — a stage where every detail was scrutinized, studied, and refined.
Yang Yang understood this better than most. Competing in the Champions League was a completely different standard — both for players and for managers. The intensity of each match, the level of preparation, the in-game adaptability required — these were things that couldn't be replicated elsewhere.
The rise of innovative coaches such as José Mourinho, Rafael Benítez, Ronald Koeman, and Manuel Pellegrini had also reshaped the European landscape. Each brought a unique tactical identity. Through the Champions League, these ideas clashed, blended, and evolved. The result was a constant arms race in football intelligence — systems adapting to systems, strategies designed to counter strategies, philosophies that built on each other's innovations.
Meanwhile, China's East Asian neighbors — Japan and South Korea — were not standing still. Both countries had made it a priority to integrate their youth development pathways with Europe. Through partnerships with professional clubs, they had begun sending promising players abroad as early as age 15 or 16 to enter elite youth academies. The goal was not just to gain experience, but to immerse young players in a more demanding football culture, so that they could return stronger — or better yet, stay and thrive.
Yang Yang, in that sense, was the clearest example.
At the current level of Asian football, he could return and perform at a high standard without needing to push himself to the limit. But even a few months away from the European circuit was enough to feel out of sync. The tempo, the decision-making, the micro-adjustments — these could only be maintained through constant exposure to high-level training and matches.
Football, at its core, is a sport built on repetition and adaptation. Training and competition, day after day, shape a player's instincts and sharpness. Miss a day, and the difference is barely felt. Miss ten, and it becomes clear. Miss months, and the gap becomes critical.
For this reason, Yang Yang consistently shared one message with the younger players on the national team: seize every opportunity to play abroad.
It didn't have to be in one of the top four leagues. Leagues like France's Ligue 1, Portugal's Primeira Liga, the Dutch Eredivisie, or even Belgium's Jupiler Pro League could serve as ideal stepping stones. Austria, Switzerland, Scandinavia — any league where a young player could earn regular minutes and play under professional conditions could make a significant difference in their growth.
What mattered most was playing time, exposure, and the willingness to learn.
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Interestingly, although Spain had defeated China 3–1 in the recent friendly, their own World Cup qualifying campaign in Europe had turned into a source of national anxiety.
Due to several disappointing results in the earlier rounds, Luis Aragonés's team had failed to secure automatic qualification. As a result, Spain was forced into the dreaded UEFA play-offs — a scenario that sent shockwaves through the Spanish football community. Media outlets across the country erupted with criticism, and public frustration mounted rapidly. Fans and pundits alike began calling for Aragonés to take responsibility, with some even demanding his resignation.
In the midst of the storm, captain Raúl González took a public stand.
He issued a direct call to action, urging the entire nation to rally behind the team ahead of the upcoming play-off fixtures in November. His message was clear and urgent.
"Right now, everyone in Spain understands that the national team must come first," Raúl said in a press conference. "We have no room for mistakes in the play-offs. The first leg is decisive. I believe the Football Association and La Liga must coordinate immediately to postpone some league fixtures and allow the national team the best possible preparation."
Raúl's appeal was echoed by several senior internationals and widely supported by coaches, journalists, and fans. Within days, both the Royal Spanish Football Federation and the league organizers confirmed they were seriously evaluating schedule adjustments to support the national side.
For Spain — a country steeped in football tradition — missing the World Cup was simply unthinkable. The pressure on the players, and particularly on Aragonés, was enormous.
Back in the quiet town of Ouderkerk aan de Amstel, Yang Yang read the headlines in a relaxed mood. Seated in the living room, casually flipping through a Dutch newspaper, he chuckled to himself at the irony of it all.
China had already qualified for the World Cup months earlier, having secured their place through the Asian qualification process during the previous season. For once, it wasn't the Chinese national team facing uncertainty — it was a European powerhouse grappling with the fear of failure.
Yang Yang found the contrast amusing. Just days ago, Spain had dominated China in a friendly, showcasing their superior quality. Yet now, they were fighting for survival in their own backyard.
It was a reminder of football's unpredictability — and how the margins at the international level could shift in an instant.