Possession and passing—that had been the hottest topic in European football over the past few years, and it was practically everywhere.
In reality, it wasn't a new term.
Everyone knew that the foundation of football was passing and movement.
During Guardiola's tenure, Barcelona was renowned for possession-based football, but what truly made them intimidating was their pressing in the middle and front thirds. Strictly speaking, their football philosophy wasn't about possession, but about reducing the amount of time their opponents had on the ball as much as possible.
That was why many people believed Barcelona treated possession as their lifeblood. But to put it more precisely, what Barcelona treated as vital wasn't their own possession percentage, but their opponents'.
An opponent that couldn't hold on to the ball naturally couldn't threaten Barcelona's goal.
Over the past decade or so, there had been two teams in European football that stood apart in their use of possession and passing: Arsenal under Wenger in the Premier League, and Barcelona under Guardiola.
Back when Yang Yang was still playing for Liverpool, he had once discussed Arsenal with Benitez.
The Spaniard believed that Wenger's Arsenal was closer to the Netherlands' Total Football in its possession-based style. They emphasized a solid defense as the foundation, then launched quick counterattacks after winning the ball. They were especially adept at creating chances through both wings. If the counterattack failed and they had to switch to a settled attack, Arsenal would use their advantage in passing and possession to compress the opponent's space, then pull the defense apart with long diagonal passes.
By comparison, Guardiola's teams placed greater emphasis on control.
Their philosophy was to ensure they had possession first. So after winning the ball, they sought stability rather than attacking vertically at speed. Once they had secured possession,