From the looks of it, Arsenal wasn't good in any aspect, except for one...
The goalkeeper's save success rate was surprisingly high!
Unfortunately, this wasn't something to brag about. The goalkeeper's brilliant performance was purely forced by the situation, and the high number of saves was simply because the opponent had many more shots.
Cao Baiming took a deep breath and walked off the stands.
Mikel Arteta was almost silent in the post-match interview, not wanting to say another word.
His mood had also plummeted to the state it was in a month ago.
Arteta flew into a rage in the locker room and gave the players another lecture.
Cao Baiming wasn't unhappy about this. On the contrary, the worse they played, the more his own value would be highlighted!
The next day, Cao Baiming participated in the team's training as usual. This time, Arteta finally agreed to his request for group training.
There was no need to continue with separate rehabilitation training anymore.
The team doctor and physiotherapist conducted a systematic check on Cao Baiming, including his physical fitness, the strength of various body parts, and cardiovascular indicators. If these results were judged by normal standards, Cao Baiming was absolutely qualified.
And if these indicators were qualified, it meant that rehabilitation training was no longer necessary, and he could directly join everyone!
After many days, Cao Baiming finally appeared on the pitch and could participate in a practice match with his club teammates!
Because it was still necessary to prevent future problems, Arteta only allowed Cao Baiming to play for thirty minutes.
His teammates naturally wouldn't go too hard on him, knowing that Cao Baiming had just recovered from his injury and was discharged from the hospital, so they would be more careful.
All of this was acceptable, but if they held back, he wouldn't!
Cao Baiming's eyes flickered as he slowly walked onto the pitch.
The practice match soon began, and Arteta sat on the sidelines with a cup of tea, watching.
Soon, he noticed something was wrong!
Ten minutes into the match, Cao Baiming had touched the ball almost half of the time for the entire team!
This wasn't how he had taught his tactics!
However, just as he was about to stand up, a sudden shot came, a heavy cannonball aimed at the goal. The goalkeeper had no reaction!
As part of the attacking team, Cao Baiming was like a divine being descending from heaven. This was already his third goal!
Arteta, who was about to stand up, sat back down again.
"How did this guy seem to get stronger? Before, as an attacker, he didn't understand positioning at all and couldn't coordinate with his teammates. But today, it's as if he suddenly had an epiphany..."
His awareness and positioning were so good that even he, the coach, felt inferior.
In just ten minutes, Cao Baiming had already delivered two assists and scored three goals. His body was as strong as a leopard, showing no signs of any injury.
In physical confrontations, his teammates were no match for him.
The defenders were helpless. Before the match, the coach had repeatedly instructed them to go easy on Cao Baiming, to avoid physical contact as much as possible.
"But this monster actually seeks out contact, and they don't need to hold back at all, they just can't compete!"
"Let's end it, let's destroy it all!"
Thirty minutes passed quickly. Cao Baiming had been on fire on the training ground, scoring more than half of the goals himself, with the rest mostly coming from his assists!
Arteta, while astonished, was inwardly beaming.
Whether he had an epiphany or was possessed by a deity, he didn't care. This person in front of him had become a completely different person!
He was no longer just a long-range shooter with a heavy cannon. In the blink of an eye, he had transformed into a master of tempo!
Cao Baiming wanted to continue playing, but Arteta called a halt to the match.
The defending team finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thank God!"
"It's finally over!"
Was Arteta the only one who noticed the change in Cao Baiming?
"Brother, what's going on with you today?"
"Are you hiding your strength? Did you decide to show your true abilities today?"
"I told you so! Cao Baiming was clearly hiding his strength on purpose! Right?"
Facing a barrage of questions, Cao Baiming could only smile.
"No, just a normal performance."
Before his teammates could finish asking, Arteta walked over proactively.
"Cao Baiming, come with me!"
Arteta's expression was filled with excitement.
The two of them went to Arteta's office, where tactical planning sketches were still spread on the desk.
After a moment of thought, Arteta asked Cao Baiming,
"Do you think your body is really ready? Although all the tests are up to standard, you should be the one who knows your body best!"
"I know, I feel like I'm all better, there are no problems."
"Alright, here's the thing..."
"Next week, and the week after, our team is scheduled to face Liverpool. However, that will still be less than a month of rest, so I was thinking..."
"No problem, I can do it."
Before Arteta could finish speaking, Cao Baiming replied preemptively.
He had already guessed this outcome with about eighty or ninety percent certainty and wasn't surprised at all.
After thinking for a moment, Cao Baiming continued, "Not even that long, I'll be ready for the next match."
"The next opponent is Stoke City. You should still rest well and avoid any accidents. Our other players are capable of handling Stoke City."
When Arteta said this, he lacked much confidence himself.
If he had said this before the previous match, he could have said it with great confidence. But now...
After being completely outplayed by Leicester City, he found it hard to muster any confidence.
"However..."
"We can consider putting you on the bench, in case of any unexpected situation..."
Arteta continued.
"No problem."
Cao Baiming answered readily.
The match against Stoke City was in four days, so there was still enough time to assess the situation.
Just as Cao Baiming was about to leave, an assistant coach happened to walk in.
Brushing past the assistant coach, Cao Baiming could clearly feel his urgency. As soon as he entered, he walked straight to Arteta and whispered something to him.
As Cao Baiming walked out, he caught a glimpse of the expression on Arteta's face out of the corner of his eye.
It was an expression of excitement and surprise, as if he had just won the lottery. What could it be?
Why the need for such mystery?
Just as he was pondering, a thought suddenly flashed through Cao Baiming's mind.
Such great news could either be about one thing, or more likely, about someone.
And with that thought, a name quickly sprang to mind: Henry!
Cao Baiming slowed his pace, and sure enough, soon after, Arteta and another assistant coach hurried out of the office and headed towards the main entrance.