The next Champions League group stage match is fast approaching.
After a decisive victory over Juventus, the upcoming opponent is Paris Saint-Germain.
The previous match was an unquestionable win, with a vast disparity in strength, form, and other aspects between the two teams, leaving no room for suspense.
If the previous match was somewhat tolerable, this one is entirely different.
Paris Saint-Germain's strength is evident to everyone. If the players are preoccupied with the World Cup and have no focus on the Champions League, they might very well lose this match.
The night before the match, Arteta received a reminder from the upper management to gather all the players in the training room for a pre-match pep talk.
Cao Baiming's eyes flickered, and he still chose a seat in the back row, standing behind everyone's gaze, attentively listening to Arteta's words.
"I know most of you have commitments to your national teams, but at least for now, there is still some time before that. We must focus all our attention on the most urgent competition at hand!"
"Yes, I'm talking about tomorrow's match! We will be guests challenging Paris Saint-Germain at their home stadium!"
"If we defeated them with a score of 7-4 in the previous match due to our superior strength, and even though we all firmly believe in this, we must also admit that the opponent's offensive firepower was something we'd never seen before!"
"And don't forget that the last match was on our home turf, but this time the situation is the complete opposite. If we don't bring the same form as last time, how can we claim this victory is guaranteed?"
Hearing this, some players in the locker room began to nod thoughtfully.
Paris Saint-Germain's firepower is indeed fierce. It was no easy feat to score four goals at their home stadium in the previous match; no other team possesses such capability.
Even though Cao Baiming had effectively contained Mbappé, who barely touched the ball throughout the game, Neymar alone was enough to tear through their defense.
Such terrifying firepower is certainly not to be underestimated.
The goal for the Champions League team this year is not just to qualify from the group, but to emerge as group leaders; this has almost become a consensus.
If they cannot even achieve such a simple goal, what mindset will they have to prepare for the upcoming World Cup?
After the pep talk that evening, the players were noticeably more united and energized than before.
Only the seasoned veterans like Messi and Henry remained nonchalant, and Arteta didn't pay too much attention, as these two had experienced everything.
Such simple motivation was probably something they were accustomed to. However, they possessed the ability to regulate their own mindset, and even if they couldn't perform at their absolute best, they would likely still be capable of wreaking havoc on the field.
That's the characteristic of superstars; they are difficult to manage, but undeniably effective!
Cao Baiming stood at the back, his deep gaze quietly observing everything. Some were enthusiastic, others nodded sagely, and Arteta's subtle intentions did not escape his sharp eyes.
He could see exactly what these people were thinking, and even found it somewhat amusing.
For him, this match was insignificant; there was no need to exert full effort.
However, the reason was entirely different from what Arteta had stated.
The reason it was insignificant was very simple: Paris Saint-Germain was not as strong as he described. He had already seen through the team's problems, and if they were to face them again, winning would be effortless.
There would be no issues whatsoever.
If they were still worried about potentially losing the match, then they were definitely overthinking.
But he wouldn't actually voice these thoughts; it was enough for him to know them himself.
Some more time passed, and it was getting late.
Amidst the players' few rousing shouts, the meeting dispersed.
"Come on!"
"Victory..."
Clear and resonant slogans echoed in the room for a long time, and everyone then returned to their respective resting places.
Exactly three weeks had passed since the last encounter.
In Paris Saint-Germain's training room, the atmosphere was also one of excitement.
Standing in the center of the room was Mbappé, cheering on the team and discussing points to note for the upcoming match.
The head coach of Paris Saint-Germain was in the front row amongst the crowd, looking up and listening intently.
On the tactical board, red and blue markers were used to hastily draw incomprehensible lines.
Currently, a rather joyous development for the team is that the conflict between Mbappé and Neymar has been well resolved.
In the previous league match, there were two penalty opportunities. After Mbappé's signature high shot went awry on the first, he confidently stepped up to the penalty spot for the second.
Neymar didn't even glance at him; the fans understood everything at this point.
The best way to resolve conflict is for one party to completely overcome the other.
For the sake of the team's status and their exorbitant salaries...
Neymar ultimately chose the wise approach, just like the others in the team.
Youngsters might not be able to swallow their pride, but grown men have no need to go against money. Enduring for a while leads to great fortune, and stepping back means being immensely wealthy.
Leaving Paris Saint-Germain, it would not be easy to find another team willing to pay him such a colossal salary!
His current overall market value is only surpassed by Mbappé and Henry, and he significantly outranks Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
At least in terms of salary, he is no longer the third person forever stuck behind Messi.
Paris Saint-Germain's momentum remains fierce.
The frustration from the previous defeat did not affect them for too long; they easily regained their confidence in Ligue 1.
There's no problem that a 9-0 victory can't solve, and in the league match following that Champions League game, Paris Saint-Germain achieved such a result!
All the pent-up frustration from the Champions League was vented on this unlucky opponent!
Strasbourg could never have imagined that they would indirectly die by Arsenal's hand!
The players were so angry they wanted to curse and march; what was the point of playing anymore? They were just a relegation-threatened team!
In this match, Mbappé scored five goals by himself, essentially expelling the anger in his heart and regaining his confidence.