The fans could barely contain their excitement! The closer the league started, the more thrilled they became.
"Surely no league in history can be more exciting than this one!!!"
"The most anticipated Premier League ever!!"
"I'll die if it doesn't start soon! Hurry up and open, aaaaaah!"
...
Finally! Amidst the fans' groans and cheers, the new Premier League season officially kicked off!
The first match of the league was between Aston Villa and Brentford, instantly drawing massive attention. The fans' excited anticipation had finally ushered in spring.
In the training sessions over the past few days, Cao Baming had sensed a noticeable improvement in his teammates. They could at least execute some small-scale combinations now.
True chemistry was still a distant prospect, as Cao Baming's football understanding was on a different level from the other players. More time would be needed for them to gel.
However, as it stood, the team presented a demeanor ready for battle at any moment, with everyone filled with confidence!
While the fans' excitement had not yet subsided, the first round of the Premier League was unfolding intensely.
The players were also in a state of exhilaration at the dawn of a new season. Multiple matches saw high scores, with one even reaching a staggering total of eight goals!
On the third day of the league, the highly anticipated clash between Manchester United and West Ham United arrived!
Cao Baming had been looking forward to it for a long time and had specifically taken leave to attend the match in person. How could the club refuse? After all, he was the owner of Manchester United!!
At this very moment, Cao Baming was in a car heading to the stadium, checking the team's publicly released starting lineup on his phone.
"What the heck!" The exclamation startled the driver sitting beside him.
Cao Baming's expression became indescribable.
"Guardiola actually did it? He's... sigh!"
Cao Baming felt utterly speechless. He hadn't even carefully examined the starting lineup on the screen; just seeing the forward line alone caused him to exclaim involuntarily.
"Messi, Suarez, Neymar..."
Coupled with Luis Figo, Verratti, Bruno Fernandes, Cancelo... this was essentially the same tactical setup as Barcelona's tiki-taka era. While the players might differ, the essence remained the same!
Cao Baming immediately recognized that Guardiola was using the first league match to indulge in his own nostalgia.
At the very moment of his debut with Manchester United, he intended to replicate peak Barcelona on the pitch!
While the idea was appealing, from a tactical standpoint, it was clearly not the optimal choice.
At this point, Cao Baming also felt genuine admiration for Guardiola's courage to actually go through with such a plan.
However, since he had already decided not to interfere excessively with tactical execution, he would just watch him perform. After all, the opponent in the first match wasn't particularly strong.
Even if they played casually, they wouldn't lose. Losing was simply out of the question.
Cao Baming took a deep breath and continued to browse other related news.
In his heart, Guardiola's decision was completely understandable. After such a long period of nostalgia, now that there was an opportunity to present it to the world, scores and salaries seemed to be of secondary importance!
Guardiola himself and the Manchester United players knew well how crazy he was to field a lineup almost identical to that of the former Barcelona.
He had even relegated superstars like Carlos, Kante, Ronaldo, and Kaka to the bench.
However, as soon as this lineup was announced, it didn't just shock the media and Cao Baming's eyes; the fans were utterly blown away!
"Thank you, Papa Guardiola! Give us back our youthful dreams!!! Ahhhhhh, let's go!"
"My youth is back, damn it!!"
"This is like transplanting Barcelona onto a pitch twenty years later! A dream return to the tiki-taka era overnight! I'm crying!"
"Madman, an absolute madman, a complete madman."
...
Soon, Cao Baming arrived at the stadium, and the match was about to begin.
As a VIP, Cao Baming took his seat in the most comfortable viewing spot in the entire stadium. This area was known as the VIP box, typically occupied by big shots.
But now, Cao Baming himself was the big shot; no one dared claim a status higher than his.
As the brief opening ceremony concluded, both teams lined up, and with the cheers and roars of hundreds of thousands of fans, the referee blew the whistle to start the match.
The sixth match of the first round of the Premier League, Manchester United versus West Ham United, now begins!
The fans erupted with even more fervent cheers!
Messi, wearing the number 10 jersey, Neymar with number 11, and Suarez with number 9, were identical to their former numbers. What was different was their jerseys, which were a shade redder than before!
Bruno Fernandes knew he was akin to Busquets of yesteryear. Since their surnames both started with 'B,' he was determined not to be outdone by that fellow!
In the midfield and attacking third were Luis Figo, Verratti, McTominay, and others, all of whom the fans readily recognized.
As soon as the match started, Bruno Fernandes delivered a surprising through ball, aiming for Suarez up front!
The fans' bodies jolted with excitement!
It was a pity that Suarez couldn't successfully receive the ball; instead, an opposing defender intercepted it with a backheel out of bounds.
Having such an idea was excellent, and everyone could fully understand it. If this pass had succeeded, it would have been a major event. If it failed, for Manchester United, it was merely a loss of possession, nothing significant.
However, this type of pass seemed slightly out of place for Barcelona's traditional system. At this moment, the fans felt that the current team was indeed a little different from the Barcelona of the past.
The commentator even excitedly mispronounced a name, calling McTominay "Xavi"!
Visibly, every player on the pitch, whether from Manchester United or West Ham United, was extremely excited.
This was how the very first match of the league season should be. For any of them, this was the inaugural game of this league, of this season.
And this was just the first ten minutes of that very first match.