Manchester's Etihad Stadium.
The thirty-third round of the Premier League saw Man City host Tottenham Hotspur.
The Man City fans in the stands were hoarse from cheering their team on, while the home players on the pitch kept running and passing, organizing attacks and creating chances. The away players had retreated en masse, keeping their three defensive lines compact in front of goal.
This was a team capable of reaching the Champions League quarterfinals.
Although they had lost both legs of the quarterfinal to Real Madrid and been eliminated by a 0–5 aggregate score, the team Redknapp had molded possessed a very high level of tactical discipline.
They had finished top of their group ahead of teams such as Inter Milan and Werder Bremen, then knocked out AC Milan in the round of sixteen to reach the Champions League quarterfinals. Their strength was plain to see.
At the Etihad Stadium, Redknapp's team had set up with a posture of staunch defense.
They had four defenders and four midfielders. It looked like they had two strikers, but Crouch was actually more of a supporting forward. On the counterattack, they basically relied on Gareth Bale's speed. Even so, Gareth Bale was equally active when defending.
Redknapp had fielded the strongest defensive lineup he could possibly put together.
And during the match, Tottenham Hotspur did not disappoint Redknapp.
This team had shone brightly in the Champions League this season and gained a measure of confidence. Back in the Premier League, they showed impressive strength as well, especially when facing Man City's possession game.
Tottenham Hotspur's defense was extremely well organized. In particular, the three-man defensive midfield formed by Palacios, Sandro, and Huddlestone had erected a solid wall in front of the back line, making it very difficult for Man City to complete effective