The roaring cheers of the fans gradually filled the stadium, and the second half of the match began!
Returning from the break, Cao Baming stood like a mountain on the back line!
Arsenal kicked off first!
He had been waiting for this moment!! Cao Baming's eyes flickered, taking in all the changes in the stadium, seeing the positioning of every player!
Even though the ball was still with the opponents, so what?
His goal wasn't to score, but to defend! This system's quest was truly made for defenders, really. Scoring too many goals wasn't interesting; rather, defending and intercepting offered a fresh thrill.
At this moment, Cao Baming stood in a crucial position between the midfield and defense, moving back and forth horizontally.
Tottenham's midfield and front line boasted not just one, but many players with top-tier attacking ability. While Kane was often the one to finish, any player in the front line was capable of the final touch!
The midfielders' ability to make dangerous passes was also top-notch, a fact he'd already experienced in the first half!
The field was vast, and choices had to be made. Cao Baming chose to position himself between Son Heung-min and Kane.
His defensive coverage was far beyond ordinary. As soon as a nearby player conceived of passing or breaking through, he could intercept them with a single "Flying Bird" skill!
Cao Baming's face and posture exuded an overt confidence!
With such a mountain blocking this key area, the Tottenham players found it incredibly difficult!
He was ready!
Time ticked by, one minute, two minutes!
Cao Baming's brow furrowed slightly, his eyes scanning the situation on the field. This wasn't right!
Although the second half had just begun, for the past two full minutes, Tottenham had been steadily controlling the ball, showing no intention of attacking forward!
They had lost possession once, but quickly regained it. Yet, even then, their first action was a back pass! A back pass!
If he had won the ball in the opponent's half, he wouldn't necessarily go for a shot himself, but at least he'd play a direct through ball forward!
Choosing to pass backward after such a rare front-field interception clearly revealed their intention.
It seemed they had become timid in the second half!!
Cao Baming let out a sigh of relief, his tense body relaxing.
What was there to defend? The opponents were too scared to attack, how cowardly!
He hadn't expected a top Premier League team like Tottenham to be content with a draw! And the head coach had actually adopted a defensive strategy!
Well, so much for his plan to complete the interception and tackling quest.
With their current timid approach, let alone ten crucial tackles in ten minutes, it was unlikely they'd even make ten forward passes or runs in that time.
Tottenham's head coach, Antonio Conte, wore a stern and serious expression, but inwardly, he was smug with satisfaction.
The rhythm and the game's flow in these first few minutes of the second half were exactly as he had predicted. Slowing down the pace steadily was precisely what he desired; dragging out the scoreline as much as possible was the best outcome!
Regardless of what outsiders thought, his primary goal as a coach was for the team to win matches and gain more points in the league!
Arsenal's terrifying strength made achieving a draw at halftime an immense feat, a scoreline achieved with a significant dose of luck. He wasn't blind; he could see that.
The fans on the sidelines hadn't yet grasped the full picture, but many discerning Tottenham supporters were beginning to notice their team's conservative play in the second half.
The fans roared passionately, wanting to see their players push forward, maintain the intensity of the first half – that was what they loved to watch!
Kane, Son Heung-min, Lucas! Their idols!
"Attack! Why the back pass again??"
The fans watched the field in confusion, furious enough to spit blood.
While Conte was inwardly relieved, he was already being heavily criticized by the thousands of fans in the stadium.
"What's going on now? They had such a good opportunity and didn't attack, playing so timidly. Is this Conte's tactic again?"
"They need to attack! Doesn't he understand that being too cautious leads to defeat?"
"Ah, I can't take it anymore, they're not giving us any chances!"
...
Conte could bear the criticism. After all, looking at the situation on the field, he believed his tactics were correct: stabilize the situation and capitalize on the opponent's mistakes.
Moreover, his deep gaze suggested he was contemplating something more long-term.
Cao Baming now understood the opponent's intentions. Since it was a defensive strategy, he had no purpose on the back line!
If he couldn't get the quest reward, he might as well help out in midfield!
Cao Baming's eyes sparkled again. "You're stealing my quest rewards, are you?"
Seeing Conte smugly watching from the sidelines, Cao Baming almost burst into laughter.
"Does this guy really think a defensive strategy is successful...?"
If so, he was far too naive.
Trying to hold onto a draw? Impossible!
Mikel Arteta sighed helplessly as Cao Baming once again disobeyed and left his position.
However, he also knew that the current situation had indeed exceeded his pre-match expectations. Even he hadn't anticipated Tottenham and Conte being so timid.
Since that's what he wanted, let him play as he wished!
Arteta's expression relaxed significantly, becoming one of acceptance.
After all, in the past, Cao Baming's independent decisions during matches had generally yielded positive results.
The match time reached the seventh minute of the second half, the 53rd minute of the entire game. At this moment, Cao Baming once again moved to midfield to participate in offensive organization.
Noticing Cao Baming's subtle positional change, Harry Kane's eyes flashed, and his nerves tensed instantly.
Soon, all the Tottenham players became aware of his presence.
As soon as Cao Baming arrived in midfield, he immediately executed an unexpected interception, revealing his position.
At this, all the Tottenham players, including the coaching staff, felt a tremor!
Cao Baming had arrived. Could their defense still hold?
The Tottenham fans finally couldn't sit still.
"It's over, let's see how they defend now!"
"Yeah, won't this just let the opponents score freely? They had a great chance earlier and didn't go for the goal, and now they're about to concede. Sigh!"
"Conte, get fired! Tottenham doesn't need you!"
But at this moment, a faint smile appeared on Conte's face!
He seemed to have anticipated this moment.