Since the system task was not yet complete, he wouldn't be playing up front in this match.
Unless, of course, they fell behind in the score… but that was impossible.
The goal celebration ended, and everything unfolded as Cao Baiming had anticipated. In the time that followed, he would shift his focus to defense as planned.
The players quickly returned to their starting positions. Both teams lined up near the center circle. The referee placed the ball at Salah's feet.
Alright, Ming's eyes flashed, observing the surroundings. At this very moment, Salah's entire body seemed to tremble.
The task ahead was not easy. Ten minutes to complete, ten tackles. He needed Salah to have enough confidence to attempt these ten charges.
If he continued to play as timidly as he was now, he probably wouldn't be able to successfully break through the defense even once in the next ten minutes.
A flicker of helplessness crossed Cao Baiming's gaze.
The referee's whistle blew. Salah habitually passed the ball to his teammate beside him. Under Jota's cover, the ball was successfully moved into the opponent's defensive zone and then spread out.
Liverpool's formation bloomed like a flower, quickly returning to their positions. At this moment, the ball was once again at his feet.
Salah, the football prodigy from Egypt, affectionately known as the Pharaoh King, received the ball. Instinctively, a hint of confidence flashed in his eyes.
His dribbling skills were arguably top-tier in the top five leagues. Even Messi was only slightly better, and compared to others, he was in a completely different league.
As Salah advanced with the ball, a flicker of doubt crossed his eyes. He saw Ming standing before him like a mountain, less than five meters away.
Should he continue to advance? The Egyptian Pharaoh, usually brimming with confidence, was genuinely scared at this moment!
With the boost of top-tier talent and a god's-eye view, combined with his exceptional ability to read the game on the field, Cao Baiming instantly guessed his intention.
He was probably truly hesitant now and planned to go around him on the wing!
However, even Salah himself hadn't anticipated having such a thought at this moment.
Such a strenuous and unrewarding action would absolutely not be permitted by the coach. Yet, in this moment, under such pressure as if the sky were falling, who could make a truly rational decision?
As expected, in an instant, Salah instinctively made his decision. He passed the ball to his teammate on the wing and ran towards the wing himself.
Unfortunately, even with this move, Cao Baiming had perfectly anticipated it. Even before he started running, Cao Baiming was already heading towards the wing. This left Salah completely stunned.
He had intended to execute a one-two pass with Jota on the wing, but Cao Baiming had single-handedly dismantled that wall.
Thus, his first meaningful tackle was completed. This time, it should be counted by the system, right?
Cao Baiming counted silently in his mind. Ten in total. One completed, nine remaining!
Salah's expression was incredibly calm. There was no confusion, no anger, and no disappointment on his face, as if everything had unfolded as he expected. But in reality, he had already completely despaired.
Amidst the cheers of the coach and fans on the sidelines, it felt as if Arsenal had truly welcomed spring and completely dominated the match. However, Cao Baiming was far from happy in the following few minutes.
After this attempt, Salah had become completely timid. Like a mouse, he hid behind his own midfielders, no longer daring to actively seek possession of the ball.
How could this possibly work? Get back to your position, damn it!
Although Liverpool was a strong team, among them, only Salah truly had the potential to complete ten breakthroughs within ten minutes. Others might not be unable, but they had very little hope.
Another two minutes passed. The fans were also growing frustrated. Without the Pharaoh's piercing charges upfront, Liverpool's attack became soft and weak, like marshmallows sticking to a stone.
However, several minutes had passed, and within the ten-minute mark, he had only managed two tackles. Such a statistic was far from impressive.
Cao Baiming was filled with helplessness. It wasn't that he couldn't do it; there were only two opportunities. Even with a 100% tackle success rate, he still couldn't complete the task.
It seemed things were far more difficult than he had initially thought. He had calculated everything except for the fact that the revered king of football could be so timid.
The minutes ticked by. Suddenly, Jota launched a surprise attack on the wing. The ball was crossed diagonally and headed by the high-jumping Diaz for a successful header shot!
The ball was heading straight for the dead corner of the goal. However, at this moment, the goalkeeper leaped high, cupping the ball firmly with both hands and pushing it away.
An extraordinary performance, a god-like save, had salvaged the shot. But all of this happened too suddenly.
Even though Cao Baiming had retreated to the defense, there was nothing he could do about what happened on the other flank.
Even though Salah had retreated to midfield and dared not directly participate in the attack, seeing an opportunity, he actively ran forward to receive the ball in the penalty area. However, this time, he simply didn't get a chance.
But in this scene, a thought suddenly struck Cao Baiming. A flash of inspiration!
He wondered what would have happened if Diaz's header had gone in. Or, if the goalkeeper had saved it, and Salah had managed to win the second ball in the penalty area.
That would undoubtedly have been a huge morale boost for the entire team!
He couldn't consider anything else in the current situation. The only thing that could increase Salah's motivation to run was a goal, and it had to be from the opponent!
If Liverpool could go into halftime with a lead, that would be ideal. And if Salah happened to score, that would be even better!
With this thought, Cao Baiming began to formulate a daring hypothesis.
With his top-tier god's-eye view on the field, could talent truly achieve this?