On April 15, in the FA Cup semifinal, Man City faced Tottenham Hotspur.
The goalkeeper was Cudicini. The back line consisted of Ecto, Ledley King, Gallas, and Kyle Walker. Livermore and Parker sat deeper in midfield, while the attacking line featured Gareth Bale, Van der Vaart, and Lennon. Adebayor was the lone striker.
This was Tottenham Hotspur's starting lineup.
When Man City received the lineup before the match, everyone's first reaction was confusion.
Everyone outside had been saying that Redknapp intended to give up on the FA Cup, but this certainly didn't look like it.
Could the news released before the match have all been smoke and mirrors?
A staff member entered the dressing room and handed out black armbands, asking every player to wear one on his left arm.
This was required by The FA because April 15 marked the twenty-third anniversary of the Hillsborough Disaster.
That tragedy twenty-three years ago could be considered the turning point when English football rapidly declined from its historical peak. It also caused the English league to fall behind European football for a long time. It was only after Manchester United's treble that the Premier League gradually caught up with the mainstream.
In recent years, capital had poured into the league, bringing advanced tactics and outstanding stars to the Premier League. Only then could the league display such a prosperous scene.
Therefore, The FA held commemorative events for the Hillsborough Disaster every year. Matches played on this day featured black armbands, and a moment of silence was observed for the victims. This year, however, the date happened to coincide with the FA Cup semifinal.
Su Dong distributed the black armbands to his teammates, and everyone found a nearby teammate to help tie theirs on.
They couldn't be too tight, or they might