His face was filled with a solemn expression, and his thoughts had turned for the worse.
Indeed, Chelsea needed the reassuring Kante in their midfield back then. Without his defense and interception in the rear, their backline seemed to have dropped a level.
Fortunately, after this pass was successfully slipped through, Johnson didn't make a premature run. He was not yet in a position to receive the ball early. Instead, Santos beat him to it and cleared the ball with a long kick. Although it went out of bounds, it thankfully averted the crisis.
As the players walked towards the sideline, Lampard, on the touchline, was drenched in cold sweat. The recent incident had truly frightened him.
It was only two minutes into the game, and such a major problem had already occurred. It was like seeing one's own soldiers taking a broken rifle onto the battlefield.
Chelsea's head coach, Lampard, and his coaching staff behind him continuously shouted at the players on the field, hoping to wake them up and rally their spirits.
Seeing the situation, the players themselves were astonished. How had the opposing team broken through their defense so easily? And Cao Baming had barely even participated in that attack.
Chelsea's lineup today was also very specifically targeted, deploying three players to mark Cao Baming throughout the entire game. These three players were positioned on the left, center, and right. If Cao Baming moved to the left, the player responsible for the left flank would mark him. If Cao Baming moved to the center, the player responsible for the center would mark him. The same applied to the right.
This dynamic defense was a tactic Cao Baming had developed during past matches against Arsenal.
Although the results were not entirely satisfactory, at this moment, he couldn't think of any better solution.
Time continued to tick by. The throw-in on the sideline was taken, and the ball soon found its way to Nottingham Forest's side. In the fourth minute, Cao Baming received the ball but didn't immediately launch an attack. Instead, he opted for a switch. Nottingham Forest's intention had become very clear: they were not in a hurry to break the current deadlock.
Chelsea, seeing this, started to panic. They hadn't expected the opponent to be playing the same tactic. Who would have the upper hand in this game?
As time wore on, Nottingham Forest's dominance over the Martyrs began to show. Even with Cao Baming's strength, the overall quality of each player on the team was significantly inferior to Chelsea's squad.
The players on the field rediscovered a familiar feeling from their previous season's encounters.
In terms of ball possession, any Chelsea player completely outclassed the Nottingham Forest players. Especially the three central midfielders, who utterly dominated possession. Not only were they more aggressive in their tackles, but their control of the ball was also more stable, leaving Nottingham Forest players unable to regain possession.
The fans also increasingly realized the significant gap between the two teams. Was their thinking before the match too idealistic? Even with Cao Baming on the team, he couldn't completely transform the entire squad overnight, could he?
Minutes ticked by, and it was soon the tenth minute, yet neither team had scored a goal. Nevertheless, at this point in the game, the gap between the two sides had become increasingly apparent, as evidenced by the possession statistics.
Nottingham Forest's players were trying their best to fight for possession, but their control was pitifully low, hovering around 30%.
At this moment, the players could only console themselves, telling themselves that the tactic wasn't about possession anyway. Their greatest trump card was the sudden, unexpected strike, and perhaps their own players would be the first to score!
Fans with some professional knowledge were not too worried. The performance of Chelsea and Nottingham Forest on the field clearly indicated that they were employing almost identical tactics, with the core being counter-attacking football.
Perhaps the current lull was merely a prelude to an explosive moment. The moment Cao Baming delivered a crucial pass, the entire game situation could be completely reversed.
As the players ran across the field, a pair of sharp eyes continuously scanned every player on the pitch, from left to right, from front to back. Every subtle movement was captured.
Even with three players constantly marking him, they only felt that this person was elusive. A moment's lapse in concentration, less than a second, and they would lose their target, completely unable to find his whereabouts.
Cao Baming was not in a hurry to score. He wanted to observe the game situation first. At least, up to this point, his predictions had been largely accurate.
The Nottingham Forest players were doing their utmost to maintain their team's dignity, but they increasingly felt that their efforts were exhausting and couldn't significantly change the course of the game.
At this moment, their minds were solely focused on Cao Baming. Cao Baming's face appeared before their eyes, because in this situation, who else could they rely on?
"Come on, create a chance! Brothers are really struggling!"
In the 16th minute, White dispossessed the opponent on the left. Seeing Cao Baming beside him, he passed the ball without hesitation, thinking this might truly be an opportunity.
The entire stadium erupted in cheers, applauding the brilliant interception. When the fans saw that Cao Baming had received the ball, their excitement surged.
It had been over fifteen minutes. Shouldn't there be a goal by now? The fans, seeing Cao Baming controlling the ball at his feet and looking forward, shouted his name loudly.
It was almost time; delaying any further would be excessive. Dense lines, all effects from his talent skills, appeared before him. As of now, there were no significant numbers on these lines.
Cao Baming looked ahead at the two neat defensive lines, each with four players. Simultaneously, the shadows that had been sticking to him, impossible to shake off, were now rapidly converging towards him.