Though not yet fully proficient, it seemed at least plausible on the training ground now.
In fact, the biggest question occupying the minds of Nottingham Forest's top brass these past two days was whether or not to include Cao Baiming in the starting lineup for the very first match of the new Premier League season.
This had been a clear-cut issue before. Even a god wouldn't be able to fully master a new tactical system and develop seamless chemistry with teammates after only a week of training. This simply wasn't achievable in such a short timeframe.
However, it seemed that perspective might need to change.
In a friendly match, where players mostly freestyled without any real structure, they still managed to score thirty goals without conceding any. With a few more days of training, this level of performance would more than suffice for the Premier League.
More importantly, the question now was: if Cao Baiming wasn't in the lineup, could the other players truly perform better than when he was on the field?
The head coach, Cooper, who had been wrestling with this dilemma day after day, finally mustered the courage to ask the question to all the players in the locker room.
"After these few days of training, I believe you've developed some chemistry. However, the current tactical system still feels a bit raw and unrefined."
"In your opinion, if Cao Baiming is on the team, do you have the confidence that you can perform better than when he's absent?"
Hearing their head coach suddenly pose such a question to everyone in the locker room left them stunned. They seemed surprised that he would even dare to ask such a thing.
Cao Baiming wasn't in the room at the moment; he had stepped out to use the restroom. Coach Cooper seized this opportunity to ask everyone, as such a chance was rare.
After a brief moment of thought, they each gave their answers.
"I don't think so. As of now, our tactical system is basically undeveloped; I don't feel its presence much."
"Stop, stop, stop. You don't feel its presence because you haven't fully grasped the tactical system. I think our coordination is already quite good; it's at least better than our individual levels before. Didn't the results of the previous friendly match already prove that?"
"I also feel it would be better with Cao Baiming on the team. At least our defense would surely be better than before!"
"Cao Baiming's defensive ability alone is equivalent to all of us trying to defend. It's unlikely to be worse than before!"
"If we coordinate, things will eventually improve. I believe with continuous training, we'll be able to execute beautiful offensive plays after a while, and it won't just be him scoring goals while others watch."
"That statement seems a bit problematic. When Cao Baiming was at Arsenal, even in the later stages, didn't he often score goals by himself? Even top stars like Henry and Messi, didn't they just watch?"
"If you put it that way, we're not doing too badly, are we? At least we're on the same level as Henry and Messi?"
Unknowingly, they had started chatting amongst themselves. Cooper wanted a clear answer, but they were getting more and more animated discussing this topic.
Soon, Cao Baiming was on his way back. Seeing this, Cooper didn't dare let them continue the discussion, lest Cao Baiming find out what he had just asked in the room.
At that moment, Cao Baiming had reached the entrance. He could hear some commotion from inside the room, and he could even make out what they were discussing.
The moment he pushed the door open and entered the room, all discussion ceased. Head coach Cooper walked up to Cao Baiming and said, "You can get ready for today's training."
He then called out to everyone in the room and also walked out.
Walking down the corridor by the pitch, Cooper reflected on the players' words. It seemed that in their opinion, things were generally better with Cao Baiming on the field.
In fact, after much thought, he himself agreed. He just felt that this idea was somewhat risky.
Just then, Cooper suddenly remembered something: when Cao Baiming first joined Arsenal, he had stepped onto the field as a substitute in the team's very first match!
How much different was the situation then compared to now? Cao Baiming had only joined the club less than two weeks ago, and had trained with the other players for less than a week.
Although he only played for a little over ten minutes in that match, the effect was surprisingly good. That match was later remembered by posterity and recalled repeatedly.
In that game, Arsenal had come back from two goals down to equalize, and it all happened after Cao Baiming stepped onto the field.
Cao Baiming's ability now was significantly better than it was back then; this was very clear.
Why wouldn't they let someone who could create miracles for the team play?
With this thought, Cooper made up his mind. Even for the first match of the Premier League season, he would try to include Cao Baiming in the team and use the tactical system they had been training with all this time to face the competition.
After all, as long as it wasn't a top Premier League powerhouse, the team should be able to handle other teams. They had the strength now, and it was abundant!
In the last two days of training, everyone had poured almost all their energy into training the new tactical system. They had hardly practiced the old tactical system, as Cooper had completely changed his mind.
As long as Cao Baiming wasn't injured, he would play. So, what was the point of practicing the old tactical systems? They were practically useless, at least not with a high return on investment.
He recalled how many injuries Cao Baiming had sustained during his time at Arsenal. The answer was zero, not a single one! So, what was there to worry about?
In every physical confrontation and collision on the field, it was always others who got injured, but he had never had any problems. Perhaps this was another one of Cao Baiming's miraculous aspects.