"Alright!" Cao Baiming could only agree reluctantly.
Things were a bit regrettable, but this was only temporary, as a host of wonderful feelings told Cao Baiming that Nelson's final choice would still be Manchester United.
He could even vividly picture himself in Manchester United's home red jersey, and though it was only for a fleeting moment, he could clearly see the jersey number Nelson would eventually wear, the number 9.
Afterward, everyone engaged in a simple celebration.
The next day, the team's training proceeded as usual, as the league matches, which were about to begin, were far more important than this friendly game. And there were only three days left!
The league match schedule had been released, and for everyone in Nottingham Forest, their focus should now be on this schedule.
In the first round of matches, Nottingham Forest's opponent was Chelsea, a super-powerhouse team!
Chelsea had been fourth in the league standings last season. If their overall strength were to be described in one word, it would be "steady," and "consistently strong."
Facing such a formidable opponent in the very first match was exciting, but at the same time, it was also bad news!
The team's management had hoped that their first opponent would be a weaker team, at least not a team on the level of Chelsea, Manchester City, or Liverpool. Ideally, the second, third, and fourth matches... in short, facing weaker teams in the initial games would have been best.
Once Cao Baiming had fully integrated into the team's tactics, then facing strong teams would bring confidence!
If the players' morale were shattered by a strong team right from the start, it would be hard to recover. As the team's head coach, he naturally didn't want such a situation to occur.
Now, it seemed that fantasies were just fantasies, and reality was reality. At this moment, it was time to face this reality squarely and diligently ponder countermeasures.
The good news was that the match was scheduled for the last day of this round, meaning the team had about a week to train.
The decision for Cao Baiming to play in this first match had already become a consensus among the higher-ups. Cao Baiming would be in the starting lineup for the match against Chelsea, appearing as a center-back.
The team would adopt an extremely rare five-man defense system to deal with Chelsea. Cao Baiming himself could play as a defender or a striker, so in reality, he hadn't been considered when arranging the lineup.
During the final few days of practice, the team's coaching staff was also trying their best to help the other players adapt to Cao Baiming's rhythm.
This was to ensure they could perform as cohesively as possible during the match.
And in this first round of the new season's schedule, there were still several other very noteworthy matches!
Undoubtedly, Cao Baiming's primary focus was on Manchester United's match on the third day. Fortunately, Manchester United's first opponent wasn't strong, it was West Ham United, a team Cao Baiming had already been keeping an eye on.
It was expected that those superstars would crush them on the field as if playing a game. Although the team chemistry wasn't fully developed yet, it was a good opportunity to practice.
If he had to set an expectation, Cao Baiming's number was 5:1. With players like Ronaldo, Messi, and Kaka in the attack, scoring wouldn't be an issue. The opposing defense was also quite poor, and they were simply not on the same level. Scoring five goals was a rather conservative estimate.
On the defensive end, however, there was more room for unexpected results. If their coordination wasn't good enough, they might concede once or twice, making a clean sheet unlikely.
Although Cao Baiming had an expectation in mind, he naturally hoped the final result would be even better than expected. That would be exceeding expectations, which would be a truly celebratory event, possibly making him happier than if his own team had won.
As for the tactical setup and starting lineup for this first match, all of that would be left to Guardiola.
This was no simple task, as superstars like Kaka, Messi, Ronaldo, and Suarez were all vying for the same positions. Letting any of them sit on the bench would be heartbreaking.
It remained to be seen how skillfully he would arrange them. Cao Baiming was even a little excited, as he wouldn't interfere at all this time.
Besides the match between Manchester United and West Ham United, there was also the match between Arsenal and Newcastle United on the second day.
Fans were also very much looking forward to this match, as it featured their old acquaintance, Arsenal!
Among those anticipating this match were Arsenal's long-time fans, the group who had accumulated during Cao Baiming's tenure. They wanted to see what the team would be like without Messi and Cao Baiming.
Now, even Elneny had left Arsenal. Only the veteran Henry remained to hold the fort, and it was uncertain whether he could save this Arsenal.
Winning the league title again was probably out of the question. What fans were truly curious about was whether Arsenal could still remain in the top tier, grouped with strong teams like Liverpool, Chelsea, and Manchester City, and whether they could hold their position in the league standings.
And the first match of the season had also satisfied the fans. Newcastle United was by no means a weak team; their recent performance had been very strong.
The Yellow Submarine's position in the Premier League was neither too strong nor too weak. They might be slightly weaker than some of the established strong teams, but they always maintained a good level.
They were capable of putting up a fight against teams like Liverpool or Chelsea, and could even win!
Now, fans had quietly set a standard in their hearts: if Arsenal couldn't even beat Newcastle United, then it was truly over!
What made everyone feel a bit regretful was that they would have to wait a long time to see the match between Arsenal and Nottingham Forest, which was their most highly anticipated clash.
Meanwhile, the match between Messi's Manchester United and Arsenal was also very much worth looking forward to.
These two superstars would likely show no mercy when facing their old clubs. For Messi, Arsenal's management had treated him poorly in the end, so he certainly wouldn't hold back.
As for Cao Baiming, fans knew him well enough; he showed no mercy under any circumstances, regardless of the situation!
Before the league began, fans had already engaged in heated discussions on these topics.