Aching for Tang Long! His teammates were nowhere near his level!

Guardiola clearly came here with a mission!

As the master of possession-based football in recent years, Guardiola transplanted his Cáclav Rey tactics from Barca in La Liga to Bayern.

Bayern maintained their dominance in the Bundesliga this season, securing Bundesliga title without any suspense.

However, Bayern were defeated in the two legs of the UEFA Champions League semi-final against Barcelona.

Bayern Munich Barcelona 0-3 away and 3-2 at home, with an aggregate score of 3-5 over the two legs, ending their run in the semi-finals.

Bayern went to great lengths to poach Guardiola from Barca, not so that he could continue winning the Bundesliga title, which Bayern has already won countless times.

There's only one purpose in inviting him: to win the UEFA Champions League!

How can Guardiola feel about losing to his former club Barca in the UEFA Champions League semi-final?

Even after Iniesta's heartfelt hugs and words of comfort, Guardiola's brow remained furrowed.

Xavi Alonso, Bayern's key midfielder and the team's tempo controller, is already 34 years old.

His partner Schweinsteiger is already 31 years old, and Lahm, who switched from full-back to midfield, is also over 30.

This midfield duo, with an average age of 32, certainly possesses the technical skills to dominate the Bundesliga. However, looking across Europe, their stamina often becomes a problem in the final stages of a match.

Similarly, Bayern's midfield is also facing the issue of generational change. If Guardiola wants to continue to implement the possession-based tactics, he must bring in a young and promising possession-based midfielder.

His first target was Tang Long of Inter Milan!

Guardiola was especially excited about the match when he saw Dimarco frequently starting on the right wing.

As a familiar face in La Liga, Guardiola knows Sevilla very well, as they play a possession-based style of football.

What would Inter Milan's pure ground-based passing and possession style look like?

Guardiola has never seen it before.

After the match started, Inter Milan kicked off first, and the ball naturally moved around in Inter Milan's half.

Tang Long intentionally leans to the left in the attacking midfield position, closer to Dimarco's side.

At the same time, the lone striker Bonazzoli also dropped back somewhat, also moving closer to the left, maintaining a distance of 10 to 15 meters from Tang Long.

"We need to form triangles as much as possible during the game, as this will facilitate the passing of the ball and allow us to execute smooth ground passes."

This was what Tang Long said to Dimarco and Bonazzoli before the match started.

Bonazzoli and Dimarco naturally dared not disobey Tang Long's earnest instructions.

Bonazzoli is actually fine. As the lone striker, even if he drops back to receive the ball, he doesn't need to rush to turn around; he can simply pass it back to the goalkeeper.

However, Dimarco is under a lot of pressure.

Before the match, Mancini's tactical plan for him was to push forward aggressively and, when possible, tuck inside. This was Mancini learning from Guardiola's tactic of having full-backs tuck inside, which is how Lahm played at Bayern Munich.

Dimarco possesses the footwork and mental awareness necessary for this style of play. He frequently moves inwards, even reaching a position closer to the center of the midfield, at times even more central than Tang Long, which increases the number of support options in midfield.

Guardiola in the stands smiled knowingly.

"Haha, Mancini, isn't he copying me? But I must say, in terms of physique and footwork, Dimarco and Lahm do have some similarities."

Dimarco's footwork skills may be no less than Lahm's, and perhaps even slightly better.

However, as a young player who is only 18 years old, it is inevitable that he will feel a little nervous and uneasy standing on such an important stage as the UEFA Europa League final for the first time.

During a one-two pass with Tang Long on the wing, Dimarco ran a bit too fast and overshot his marker.

Tang Long's left-footed cross found no one to receive it, and the ball rolled out of bounds.

Guardiola, watching from the stands, couldn't help but rub his temples.

How could such a simple coordination go wrong?

Tang Long's pass was flawless; it was Dimarco who overran it.

Guardiola felt that Tang Long was wasting his talents at Inter Milan and should go to a bigger team to showcase his abilities.

"Heh, so this is Inter Milan's passing and possession style."

Sevilla striker Bacca chuckled coldly, and after receiving a throw-in from his teammate, he passed the ball back to midfielder Banega.

The game then shifted into Sevilla's rhythm, and they smoothly took control of possession.

Bacca is 29 years old this year, and this season he has had the best performance of his career, making 37 appearances for Sevilla in La Liga and scoring 20 goals, which has also attracted the attention of many top clubs.

Bacca knew that, as he approached his 30th birthday, this summer was the last chance of his career to join a top club and earn a high salary.

Therefore, in a high-profile match like the UEFA Europa League final, Bacca was full of fighting spirit and passion:

"I'm determined to score a few goals against Inter Milan and show scouts all over the world Bacca abilities!"

Sevilla is a traditional La Liga team known for its possession-based football.

Once the ball reached their feet, the passing was fluid and seamless.

Bang bang bang--

The ball was passed back and forth among the five midfielders, each short pass pressing firmly against the turf without any bounce.

The five midfielders are already very familiar with this kind of scenario in their daily training.

Faced with Sevilla's constant passing of the ball back and forth in midfield, Inter Milan did not dare to be complacent and took the initiative to retreat their formation to minimize the physical exertion of each player as the ball moved.

In the 15th minute of the first half, veteran midfielder Reyes demonstrated his responsibility and commitment.

This star player, who rose to fame at Real Madrid at a young age, gradually grew into a mainstay of the Sevilla team after arriving Sevilla.

After passing the ball 12 times in a row, Reyes received the ball and faced Guarin's fierce pressing. Instead of passing it back, he made a through pass and suddenly shot the ball forward!

"Wow, Sevilla has changed their rhythm! They've suddenly sped up!"

"Reyes' through ball was very precise, successfully finding Bacca on the wing!"

"An opening has appeared on Inter Milan's left flank, Bacca is dribbling forward!"

Fortunately, Dimarco has found his position, Bacca has slowed his advance. The two are now facing off in front of the penalty area line.

Inside the left side of Inter Milan's penalty area, Dimarco stood with his hands behind his back, his center of gravity low, his eyes fixed on the ball at Bacca's feet.

Because they had prepared their defense in advance, and because Dimarco was short and had a low center of gravity, Bacca's first powerful outside drive failed to get past Dimarco.

At least in terms of speed, Bacca did not gain any advantage over Dimarco.

"I can stop him, no problem, Dimarco, I believe you can do it!"

Youngster Dimarco encouraged himself in this way.

However, to Dimarco's surprise, Bacca's strong run down the right flank was actually a feint, designed to quickly draw Dimarco away from the penalty area and create space for his teammates to make runs forward.

"Get back to your position!"

Tang Long roared, having already spotted the opening inside the penalty area after Dimarco's departure, but Guarin was ultimately a step too late.

After bringing Dimarco to the byline, Bacca suddenly turned, flicked the ball back with the outside of his right foot, and cut it back 180 degrees on the spot, then accelerated and cut inside again.

Although he couldn't get past Dimarco, Bacca didn't hold onto the ball and tapped it back to the center with his left foot!

After receiving the ball, Banega quickly cut forward into the open space, entering Inter Milan's penalty area from the outside.

Dimarco was immediately alarmed, realizing the opponent's feint attack tactic.

He was young, fast, and quick-witted; he immediately stuck to Bacca and began to block positions inside the penalty area.

On the other side, Guarin also promptly moved inwards, securing his position in the middle as firmly as possible.

Guarin and Dimarco's attention was entirely focused on Argentina midfielder Banega, who had the ball, while Bacca, whom they had overlooked, crouched low like a lurking the Cheetah, quietly hiding behind the offside line...

Once he saw the opportunity, he suddenly pushed off forward, and the moment he started moving, Banega's through ball followed immediately.

"Haha, great shot!"

Without hesitation, striker Bacca shifted his weight to the left, aimed at the point of contact with the ball, and slammed his right foot down with the instep.

Like turning a corner in a motorcycle race, with this pressure, he and the ball were pressed to the edge of Inter Milan's penalty area in one step!

The situation was critical; goalkeeper Handanovic had no time to call for his teammates to cover.

The goalkeeper's instincts made him take a step forward and stretch out his arms to block Bacca's shooting angle.

Bacca's ability to score 20 goals in La Liga, second only to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo this season, is undoubtedly due to his exceptional skills.

Facing Inter Milan goalkeeper Handanovic, who was spreading his arms and legs to maximize his defensive coverage, Bacca decided to use skill to win.

He swung his leg, pretending to unleash a powerful shot with the instep, but just as his instep was about to make contact with the ball, he arched his back, tightened his abdomen, and twisted his ankle to deliver a push shot.

The football, like a burrowing rat, grazed the lower part of Handanovic's left leg and went into the near corner of the goal!

"Got it!"

With a roar, Bacca charged toward the corner flagpole, excitedly spreading his arms to his celebrating teammates.

In the stands, Guardiola was surrounded mostly by Sevilla fans, and his side of the stands had long since turned into a sea of jubilation.

Guardiola wore sunglasses, revealing no outward expression, but beneath those black sunglasses lay a deeply furrowed brow.

Mancini's move to bring Dimarco inside from the wing only scratched the surface, failing to grasp the essence.

After Dimarco initially moved inside, Juan Jesus., the center-back, failed to cover the gap left by his departure in time. This resulted in the Colombia striker having ample space to hold the ball after Banega's pass reached Bacca's side.

Subsequently, Bacca dribbled Dimarco away from the penalty area, then cut the ball back and quickly passed it to Banega.

Finally, Banaga drew the attention of two defenders, Guarin and Dimarco, before turning the ball around and passing it back to Bacca was lurking on the edge of the penalty area.

This sequence of actions resulted in the ball traveling back and forth twice inside Inter Milan's penalty area!

While Guardiola might not be impressed with Sevilla's overall passing and possession skills, their attacking style was very Guardiola-style Tiki-taka football principles, and at least every step was well-timed.

Inter Milan's poor defensive performance caused Guardiola to shake his head repeatedly.

The essence of Guardiola's Guardiola-style Tiki-taka football lies not only in attack, but also in how to apply high pressure, position the ball effectively, and cover for the defense.

Watching Inter Milan's clumsy imitation, Guardiola once again felt sorry for Tang Long!

The view from his stand was excellent.

When Dimarco was pulled away from the penalty area by Bacca, Guardiola immediately noticed the gap in Inter Milan's half.

He was observing, looking for which Inter Milan player could spot him and cover for him.

To his disappointment, apart from Tang Long gesturing for Guarin to come over, the other Inter Milan players seemed unaware of the impending danger.

It seems that the other Inter Milan players, in terms of football awareness, are not on the same level as Tang Long!