No One but Yang Yang Could Do It!

The Premier League and the domestic league and cup competitions had gradually drawn to a close, and the eyes of the entire world were turning toward the Champions League Final, which was about to be held at Rome's Olympic Stadium.

This was a universally acknowledged clash between the very best.

Liverpool, who already had three Premier League titles in hand, and Barcelona, who had already won La Liga and the Copa del Rey, would both make history in their respective countries if they emerged victorious.

What made it even more eagerly anticipated was that these were two completely different teams.

Liverpool were renowned for their balance between attack and defense. Although Benitez had brought the rigorous tactics of continental Europe and built a meticulous defensive and offensive system, his players' technical ability was nowhere near as refined as Barcelona's. Deep down, they still retained the drive and fighting spirit of traditional English football.

Catalan media had even mocked Liverpool with no small amount of exaggeration, claiming that Yang Yang was the only player in the team capable of establishing himself in Barcelona's First Team. As for everyone else, they might not even make the bench if they went to Barcelona.

That alone was enough to prove how completely different Barcelona's characteristics were from Liverpool's.

From Cruyff in the 1990s, to Van Gaal, and then Rijkaard, Barcelona's consistent tradition had always been possession football. After Guardiola took over, this philosophy was once again carried forward to its fullest.

In the 2008–09 season, Barcelona's average possession reached as high as 65.7 percent, while their passing accuracy neared 90 percent. That record alone was enough to make nearly every opponent tremble.

Football could be very complicated, but it could also be very simple.

Guardiola and Barcelona's philosophy was simple to the extreme: there