A few days remained until the match against Leicester City. While busy with training, other teams' interpretations did not stop, and the Premier League continued in a tense and fierce atmosphere.
It wasn't just Manchester United and Arsenal; other teams were also giving their all, as this Premier League season was an opportunity for everyone.
The established powerhouse Manchester City suffered a shock defeat to West Ham United in their second match. West Ham United, perhaps not expecting it themselves, managed to defeat Manchester City after beating Manchester United in the first game.
In this way, after just two simple matches, fans indirectly saw the gap between the two teams.
One match was between West Ham United and Manchester City, and the other was between West Ham United and Manchester United. On the surface, both had some connection to West Ham United, but what the fans truly cared about was entirely different.
More interesting than anything else was that before the start of the new season this summer, well, Hao Ming had carried out a squad overhaul for the original Manchester United team and let go of many players. Many of them had now joined Manchester City!
Such a dramatic plot was actually happening in reality, something fans might not have dared to dream of.
This included not only Martial and Max, whose market value skyrocketed last season, but also many young players with sufficient potential from the team. After leaving Manchester United, the teams they chose were limited, and these were also the wealthiest, willing to invest.
They were inevitably called "takeover merchants" by fans, but the situation wasn't that bad, so what if it was revealed?
In the first two matches, Haaland was still on the roster, but in the second match, he did not start as a starter due to a foot injury.
His replacement was none other than the highly anticipated Max.
However, it was in this match that the team ultimately lost, and it was to West Ham United.
The coaching staff might have wanted to use this opportunity to see how the team could build a new tactical system without Haaland.
Perhaps it wasn't necessary to rely on him so much throughout the game, as Haaland might leave Manchester City next summer; this was an unavoidable fact, and no one could control it.
Therefore, of course, they had to leave backup plans!
But now, it seemed that both Max and Martial were somewhat lacking.
Even the strong Max, who displayed superhuman ability last season, seemed to have changed completely this season, instantly becoming mediocre.
Against West Ham United, he was even dominated by players worth less than ten million. Forget about beating one, two, or three defenders; he frequently failed even to beat one.
Throughout the game, his teammates provided him with seven assists, yet he only managed four shots, and not a single one went in, all flying wide!
Max's fans were deeply disappointed in him. They had thought Max could be another master to rival Cao Ba Ming in the new season, but it now seemed he was just a mediocre player, and his performance last season was just a fleeting moment.
Simultaneously, there were rumors that Max's poor performance was because his mindset had been completely shattered by Cao Ba Ming.
Whether in team rivalries or on-field contests, he had lost, and there was no explanation for it; he was simply crushed.
Let alone Max, anyone with a modicum of self-esteem would surely not be able to withstand such a blow.
Time came to the day before the match. The Nottingham Forest players were conducting their final training session, and Cao Ba Ming, as usual, participated.
After half a day's rest, returning to the pitch felt refreshing.
During training, he also received a call from an old friend.
At this moment, after more than 40 minutes of high-intensity training, which could be considered a break, Cao Ba Ming returned to the lounge. Upon checking his phone, he saw the incoming call.
The screen did not first display the person's name but rather a group: "Arsenal."
This group was how Cao Ba Ming categorized everyone he knew from his time at Arsenal. With so many contacts stored, without such classification, there might have been seven or eight people with the same name.
Seeing the group, several names flashed through Cao Ba Ming's mind, all former teammates at the club.
However, players like Messi no longer played for Arsenal, so they weren't in this group.
With a sense of curiosity, he slid down, and a name appeared, immediately making Cao Ba Ming's eyes light up: Katerina.
If he remembered correctly, this person was a senior executive at the original Arsenal club, on par with Arteta. Katerina was still Katerina; she should still be a senior executive at Arsenal, responsible for selling players and such.
But why would she call him? He became even more curious.
However, just as he pressed the answer button, the call suddenly hung up.
He hadn't even thought for long, only three to five seconds, and this woman dared to hang up on him?
Cao Ba Ming threw his phone aside; it was impossible to call back voluntarily, especially in this situation.
Meanwhile, Arsenal was holding a very important meeting.
For them, the match against Nottingham Forest was not a significant event, as they were set to face the previous season's runner-up, Liverpool, in the next match. The team had already achieved two consecutive victories and didn't want to reveal their true colors at this point.
But the fans didn't know. They themselves certainly knew that the team's two consecutive victories were largely due to some luck.
Most importantly, the issue within the locker room was no trivial matter. Players were not satisfied with each other, and most importantly, they were gradually becoming dissatisfied with Arteta and even other high-level management of the club.
If this continued and their mentality changed, it would be impossible for the team to maintain its current performance.