Guardiola Watches Tang Long in Person: Can He Become Bayern's Midfield Core?
The Olympiastadion Berlin is shining brightly tonight!
This stadium was built in 1936.
In April 1945, the Soviet the Reds launched the Battle of Berlin, attacking Germany.
The Soviet army set fire to the Third Reich archives stored in the Olympic bell tower, which was severely damaged by the fire. The Berlin Olympic Stadium, however, suffered only minor damage from machine gun fire and was one of the few buildings that remained intact during World War II.
Today, this historic stadium has been renovated several times and is now completely transformed! It can accommodate 75,000 spectators to watch matches live.
Outside the stadium, cameras and reporters were everywhere, reporting on the match in real time. Among them, the high-profile team of reporters from CCTV stood out.
They were all dressed in China red, cheering for Tang Long on stage.
"Dear viewers, this is our live match coverage from outside the Olympiastadion Berlin in Germany!"
"It is now 7:00 PM local time on May 28, 2015. The UEFA Europa League final between Inter Milan and Sevilla is about to kick off in half an hour!"
"The players have finished warming up and are in the locker room making their final pre-match preparations."
"I believe that at this moment, both Inter Milan and Sevilla's players are determined to go on the field and fight to the death!"
"The audience has all taken their seats. It is reported that all 75,000 tickets for this match have been sold out!"
"Sevilla fans from Spain and Inter Milan fans from Italy even clashed fiercely on the streets of Berlin this morning."
"It is understood that security in Berlin has been raised to an unprecedented level."
"Looking around, there were police officers and security guards everywhere, as well as many patrol personnel on tall horses."
"The match is about to begin, now let's hand the time over to the studio, host!"
Inside the CCTV studio, He Wei and Zhang Lu were also filled with excitement!
This season, CCTV broadcast every single Inter Milan match live, witnessing Inter Milan's rise and Tang Long's growth alongside viewers across the country.
Two-thirds of the matches started at 2:45 AM local time in China!
This has truly been tough on domestic viewers.
While they grumbled about the grueling pace of Serie A, they honestly got up in the middle of the night to watch Inter Milan's matches with bloodshot eyes.
As long as Inter Milan wins, even if fans didn't get enough rest the night before, they'll quickly wash their faces the next day and happily go to work or school.
Now, all 38 rounds of Serie A matches this season have concluded.
But Inter Milan's journey is not over yet; Tang Long's battle for Europe glory is underway!
"He Wei, I've co-commentated 30 of Tang Long's matches with you in this studio."
"What makes me happy is not Tang Long's brilliant goals and assists, but the fact that after each game, Tang Long's abilities have visibly improved!" Zhang Lu said with emotion.
"That's right, Coach Zhang, you're right. Tang Long is only 18 years old. He has enormous potential and room for growth. His future is definitely bright!"
"Alright, the players from both sides are now in the player tunnel."
"Let me briefly introduce the starting lineups for both sides."
"Sevilla is playing a 4-2-3-1 formation with Bacca as the lone striker!"
"Behind him is the attacking Banega, to his left is Vitolo, and to his right is Reyes."
"The two defensive midfielders are Krychowiak and Mbia."
"The center-backs are Kolodziejczak and Carrizo."
"The left-back is Tremoulinas, and the right-back is Aleix Vidal."
"The goalkeeper is Rico, who is 1.96 meters tall, the tallest player on the field!"
He Wei looked at the starting lineups of the two teams in his hand and turned a page.
When he saw the Inter Milan logo, he couldn't help but clear his throat.
"Alright, let me introduce Inter Milan's starting lineup!"
"They also fielded the same 4-2-3-1 formation as Sevilla."
"Bonazzoli as the lone striker."
"Attacking midfielder Tang Long!"
"On the left is Shaqiri, and on the right is Podolski."
"The two defensive midfielders are Guarin and Medel."
"Left- Dimarco, center -Ranocchia and Juan Jesus, right-back Nagatomo Yuto."
"Goalkeeper, Handanovic!"
Seeing this starting lineup, Coach Zhang in the studio was also pleasantly surprised.
He looked at Inter Milan's two starting full-backs and pondered carefully:
"It seems Inter Milan's coach Mancini has done a good job of studying Sevilla. In this match, Inter Milan's left-back is Dimarco and the right-back is Nagatomo Yuto. Both of these full-backs are over 1.70 meters tall."
"If this were in Serie A, Mancini would never have arranged it this way, because it would lower the average height of the defense."
He Wei nodded thoughtfully and continued:
"Sevilla is a typical La Liga possession-based team, and the players' average height is not very tall. According to the information I have, Sevilla's average height is 1.79 meters, while Inter Milan's starting lineup is 1.80 meters."
"But Sevilla's players are very skilled with their feet and very fast. For example, Bacca, Reyes, and Vitolo are all players who are good with their feet. Right- Aleix Vidal is also a quick and agile player."
"Therefore, Mancini correspondingly dispatched Dimarco and Nagatomo Yuto to deal with the situation."
"It seems both sides will focus on ground attacks in this match, engaging in a technically-driven offensive battle!"
The prospect of Serie A teams competing against La Liga teams in a technical contest has viewers in front of their televisions filled with anticipation.
As is well known, La Liga is a league that emphasizes passing and possession techniques and speed, while Serie A teams emphasize overall team operation and a combination of offense and defense.
But tonight Mancini is doing the opposite, aiming to compete in speed and technique against Sevilla in Berlin!
Sevilla's manager Emery has just received the starting lineup.
As he stood on the bench, watching Inter Milan's players file out of the tunnel one by one, he didn't see Santon and D'Ambrosio, Inter Milan's two key full-backs.
Emery was overjoyed! He clenched his fists and cheered inwardly.
Sevilla's players are generally shorter than Inter Milan's. Their strength lies in technique, but their weakness is physique, making them vulnerable to being physically exploited by opponents.
Inter Milan has now replaced two tall players at full-back with two smaller, more agile players – isn't that exactly what they wanted?
Playing a chain defense and engaging in physical battles, Sevilla might not be able to beat Inter Milan;
But when it comes to playing on the ground, using technical skills, and passing and possession, well—sorry, even if Juventus, the Serie A champions, came, you'd have to respect Sevilla to a fault!
The players from both sides are in position.
Tang Long stood in the center circle and specifically called Dimarco over.
Dimarco, Bonazzoli, and Tang Long were whispering together.
The opposing center Bacca, looked at the three of them with disdain.
They're covering their mouths! Who can hear what you're saying?
Pretentious!
Dimarco and Bonazzoli listened attentively to Tang Long's instructions, nodding repeatedly.
With the referee's whistle, Bonazzoli gently flicked the ball, and Tang Long passed it back to Guarin!
The 75,000 fans at the Olympiastadion Berlin erupted in a deafening roar.
The UEFA Europa League final has officially begun!
In the stands.
A bald man wearing sunglasses chewing gum.
His calm demeanor contrasted sharply with the excited expressions of the fans around him.
He was Pep Guardiola, the then-manager of Bayern Guardiola.
Although the entire team was given a break after the Bundesliga ended.
But Guardiola is unwilling to miss this UEFA Europa League final.
In particular, Tang Long, a key player Bayern Munich scout in the summer, made his first start.
Guardiola watched everything unfold on the field...