Cao Baming's lips curved upwards as he read the messages, wondering how to reply.
After much thought, he decided to look forward to future encounters on the pitch. Even as opponents, it would be fine; after all, the match came first, then friendship. Nothing was more important than the game itself.
By now, the first round of the Premier League was halfway through, and fans had witnessed the two most anticipated matches: one between Manchester United and West Ham United, and another between Arsenal and Newcastle United. Compared to these, the other games seemed rather dull.
The results of these two matches had left all fans incredibly satisfied, even exceeding their expectations to a degree that bordered on frenzy.
Now, all eyes turned to the remaining heavyweight team yet to play in this first round: Nottingham Forest, Cao Baming's team!
The anticipation for this match far surpassed that of the previous two. However, given how these earlier games had already blown away fans' expectations and delivered such intense, perfect results, how much more could this upcoming match offer?
Fans had to temper their expectations slightly. The excitement from the previous two games had been so overwhelming, pushing them into a state of frenzied passion, that a mediocre match would simply not satisfy their appetites.
Public discussion still revolved around Arsenal and Manchester United, with less attention paid to Cao Baming or the Nottingham Forest club.
With the final two training days left, the club paid no mind to public opinion. Everyone was united in their goal: to find a way to win this match, and not just win, but win beautifully!
Though this goal was shared by all and spoken of frequently, very few truly believed their team could achieve it. Even at this point, their confidence was not sky-high.
Even Head Coach Cooper couldn't convince himself that the current squad was capable of defeating Chelsea, a feat that was previously unthinkable.
In the past, facing Chelsea meant hunkering down in their own penalty box, defending for as long as possible, with the sole objective of not losing too badly.
Chelsea was a team that relied on defensive counter-attacks. To go on the offensive against them would be sheer overconfidence, leading to an even more humiliating defeat.
While the current team's lineup had undergone some minor adjustments, the only truly significant change was the addition of Cao Baming.
Having a win rate exceeding fifty percent against Chelsea was already a difficult proposition to accept, let alone having absolute certainty.
Cao Baming himself knew that against Chelsea, their overall strength was not enough for a guaranteed win, unless he were to use those precious twenty guaranteed-goal opportunities he kept stored away.
But then, where would be the fun in winning?
External expectations for Nottingham Forest had already been set very high. However, this "very high" did not equate to a widespread belief that they could vanquish Chelsea. In fact, most fans speculated that the two teams would engage in a closely contested match, which would be exciting enough.
This was because, in previous seasons, Nottingham Forest had been thoroughly dominated by Chelsea, unable to even stand tall, let alone attack. Defending itself was a struggle.
If the team could simply attack in the next match, it would surely earn the fans' excitement and joy.
During these final two days, all players focused on training. The coaching staff's instructions for the upcoming match were very clear: adopt a defensive counter-attack strategy, similar to Chelsea's, and see who had more patience.
Indeed, after repeated deliberation by the coaching staff, Cao Baming's playing style seemed best suited for this defensive counter-attack approach. His ability to roam the pitch unnoticed made him the perfect trigger for crucial counter-attacks.
Whether Cao Baming initiated a fast break or finished it himself, the ultimate outcome would be terrifying, a challenge even Chelsea would struggle to contain.
And let's not forget, Cao Baming wasn't the only one on the team. There was also this group of "underperformers" who, while not possessing his individual talent, could achieve something significant when working together.
Their coordination was becoming increasingly seamless, and their understanding of this new tactical system, devised for the new season, was deepening. After all, nobody had had the chance to preview it beforehand.
By the day of the match, everyone felt a considerable boost in their confidence.
While the team's synergy wasn't yet perfect, it was sufficient to handle the upcoming game.
The first test they faced was Chelsea, and undoubtedly, all the players were more excited. In such a situation, who could possibly remain unexcited?
Cao Baming was no exception. He was about to face the biggest challenge of the year!
While Chelsea might not be the strongest club in the world, his own team was no longer the force that used to run rampant like the old Arsenal.
Winning this match would be difficult, and the greater the difficulty, the more exciting it became!
The team's bus arrived at Chelsea's home ground, and they proceeded into the stadium.
Long before the match began, a large crowd of fans had already gathered around the stadium, their excitement and eagerness palpable.
As he walked towards the locker room, a voice suddenly echoed in Cao Baming's mind.
"Ding!"
The sound was incredibly familiar. It was the system's voice.
He hadn't realized how much time had passed since he last heard it. He had been so busy with various things that he had barely touched football.
If he had waited any longer, he might have forgotten about its existence.
"You're finally here!" Cao Baming whispered.
He knew that the others around him couldn't hear his voice, and more importantly, the system likely couldn't communicate with him either.