The path to becoming a football legend began with being ousted from Carrington by Manchester United.

Despite Tottenham's recent 0-3 defeat to Manchester United, no one doubts the team's strength.

Under the guidance of 64-year-old manager Harry Redknapp, this Tottenham squad boasts a host of talented players.

With 26-year-old Modric, 30-year-old Van der Vaart, 22-year-old Gareth Bell, 24-year-old John Lennon, and the addition of "tall man" Crouch from Stoke City this season, their attacking power in the midfield and forward line is terrifying.

性格保守的曼奇尼弃用了4-3-3这幺激进的阵型，转而改打4-2-3-1。

Goalkeeper Joe Hart and defender Kolarov are out injured, with new signing Clichy taking his place.

The central defensive pairing remains unchanged at Kompany and Lescott, while at right-back, the more balanced Zabaleta has replaced Richards.

To counter Tottenham's powerful attack, Mancini deployed Gareth Barry and Yaya Toure as the two holding midfielders.

The three players in front of them, from left to right, are Aguero, Nasri, and David Silva.

Lin Yi was alone in the forward position.

Tottenham, the home team, continued with the 4-4-1-1 formation they had used in the previous two rounds.

The goalkeeper is American Friedel, the right-back is Corluka, the left-back is Ekoto, and the two center-backs are captain Michael Dawson and Kaboul.

In the center of the midfield, responsible for orchestrating the attack, was Luka Modric, the "Magic Flute" from Croatia, with his compatriot Nico Kranjca providing protection alongside him.

Two fast horses, Bell and Lennon, were positioned on the left and right flanks respectively.

Crouch was at the forefront, while the Dutchman Van der Vaart was in a more flexible position, lurking behind Crouch and looking for an opportunity to strike.

With the highly anticipated match between Manchester United and Arsenal at the Manchester United Stadium this round, the rivalry between Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsène Wenger has attracted a lot of attention, making the Tottenham Hotspur vs. Manchester City match less of a focus.

This has eased the pressure on Mancini somewhat, and given that Tottenham is an attacking team that is stronger in attack than defense, perhaps Manchester City's hidden problems will not be exposed in this match.

At least that's what Mancini naively thought.

Little did they know that in the home team's locker room, Jamie Redknapp, who had been coaching since 1983 and whose father was also a famous English coach, had already made targeted arrangements.

"Luca, once the game starts, keep an eye on David Silva. Wherever he appears, that's where we'll launch our attack."

"John, Gareth, you two remember this: if Silva appears on the wing, mark him and try to break through. When defending, keep him occupied. I want him to be constantly on the go on both ends of the pitch."

"Nico, you don't need to protect Luca in this game. Be ready at any time. Once Silva gets past John or Gareth, go up and cover for him immediately. Don't be afraid to foul."

"Dawson, you defenders, watch out for Aguero and Nasri's breakthroughs. Keep a good distance from each other, just don't let them break through your defense."

"The others are nothing to fear. Let the Middle Eastern nouveau riche see our true strength."

"Beat them! Come on, Tottenham!"

As David Silva lined up in the players' tunnel, he inexplicably felt a chill run down his spine, as if several pairs of eyes were staring at him with a sinister gaze, and an ominous premonition rose in his heart.

Silva's premonition was soon confirmed.

Manchester City's first attack of the game, after several passes, brought the ball to Silva's feet.

John Lennon, the right winger known for his speed, rushed to Silva's side immediately.

This minor incident did not stump Manchester City's on-field strategist.

Silva used a change of rhythm to turn around and get rid of Lennon's entanglement. Just as he looked up to assess the situation, Kranjcar suddenly appeared from the side.

With a vicious tackle, Kranjcar brought Silva and the ball down to the ground.

The referee blew his whistle to award Tottenham a foul, but Manchester City's attack came to an abrupt end, with only a free kick near midfield.

Seeing this, Mancini couldn't sit still any longer. He got up and walked to the sidelines, resting his chin on his right hand, anxiously observing the situation on the field.

Sure enough, after a few minutes of observation, Mancini quickly figured out Tottenham's strategy.

No matter how Silva changed positions, he couldn't shake off the close marking from his opponents. Even when he dropped back to his own half to receive the ball, Van der Vaart and Crouch would specifically mark Silva, preventing him from organizing an attack in a relaxed manner.

Occasionally, Silva can find an opportunity to send the ball forward.

Without his central support, Aguero, Nasri, and Lin Yi would soon be forced into a one-on-one situation.

Tottenham easily neutralized the attack with their layered defensive system.

Manchester City's attacking rhythm was fragmented, and they were completely unable to organize any decent attacks.

The Tottenham players found this tactic effective, and their morale soared, making them even more determined to intercept and block Silva.

This forced Manchester City to frequently launch long balls from their own half, attempting to bypass the midfield and find their forwards directly.

Who are they targeting?

Nasri is 175cm tall, Aguero is 173cm tall, and Lin Yi is 187cm tall but not good at heading.

With the 189cm tall English giant Michael Dawson anchoring the defense, Tottenham Hotspur found it incredibly easy to neutralize Manchester City's long-ball attacks.

Mancini frowned, unable to think of a way to break the deadlock, and could only watch helplessly as Tottenham took control of the game and launched frequent attacks on Manchester City from both flanks.

In the 11th minute of the first half, Bale used his speed to beat Zabaleta, dribbled to the byline and crossed the ball, which Crouch headed towards goal.

Thanks to Kompany's physical challenge, Crouch was unable to connect properly, and the ball went over the goal.

Three minutes later, Bale broke through again, this time choosing to pass a low ball to the edge of Manchester City's penalty area. Van der Vaart took a shot without stopping the ball, but Joe Hart punched it away with both fists.

Crouch found the second ball and followed up with a shot, which was again blocked by Lescott's outstretched leg.

Thanks to Yaya Touré's timely return to the penalty area and his clearance kick before Lennon could reach the goal, the score was saved.

Lin Yi watched the football flying through the air and tried to compete for the first landing point, but was firmly squeezed behind by the strong Dawson.

Unwilling to give up, Lin Yi still chose to jump to try and reach the top, but it was all in vain.

Not only was the ball headed back to Dawson's own half, but Lin Yi was also hit squarely in the eye by Dawson's waving arm.

The impact broke Lin Yi's brow bone, and blood gushed from the wound, blurring Lin Yi's vision.

The whistle blew at the same time, not to call a foul on Dawson. This level of intensity is common in the Premier League and is nothing to be surprised about.

The referee saw Lin Yi bleeding, so he stopped the game and asked him to go to the sidelines to treat his wound and make sure there was no blood on his jersey before he could return to the field.

While the team doctor was treating Lin Yi's wound, Mancini quickly ran to Lin Yi's side and said earnestly, "Lin, you've seen it yourself, the opponent has been targeting David. Now I need you and Aguero to work together to lead the team out of this predicament. Can you do it?"

Lin Yi's bleeding had stopped. He raised his right hand to request to go on the field, his eyes fixed on the referee, waiting for permission, without responding to head coach Mancini.

Only after seeing the referee wave him back onto the field did Lin Yi hastily say, "I don't need him."

Mancini was left with only his back turned.