The vast majority of media outlets, pundits, and fans only ever cared about the big picture, yet always overlooked the details.
In fact, it was often the details that decided the outcome of a football match.
Take Yang Yang's direct free kick in the first El Clásico of last season, for example.
It had been a very inconspicuous foul. Without that direct free kick, probably no one would have bothered about it. Yet that tiny detail had given Yang Yang a chance to take a direct free kick, which led to Real Madrid scoring first. Barcelona then conceded several goals in succession and collapsed.
Looking at it from the opposite angle, if that foul had never happened and Yang Yang had not scored from the free kick, could Real Madrid still have won?
No one would ever know the answer, but Yang Yang himself guessed it would probably have been fifty-fifty.
In fact, Real Madrid's opening attacking tactics had already failed at the time. Barcelona's own early offensive push had instead gained the upper hand. With the two sides virtually trading attacks, who could guarantee that Real Madrid's frail defense would not make a mistake?
So sometimes, football was simply like that. It was built from a whole pile of seemingly insignificant details.
Just like tonight. After walking into Camp Nou and stepping onto the grass amid the deafening jeers, Yang Yang's first reaction was that it was slippery. He then shook his head at Benitez and Jesper by the touchline.
The Real Madrid coaching staff also came over to test the Camp Nou turf. It was soaking wet, which was highly unfavorable for Real Madrid.
A slippery pitch would lead to more mistakes from both sides, but it would also make ground passes travel faster. That was highly beneficial