No one knew the price Chen Yingxiong had paid and the preparations he had made for this semi-final.

In fact, Chen Yingxiong himself was very much looking forward to this training session, because it was the only way to test whether his method was effective.

He had been working hard in the instance dungeon, but he didn't know if it would be useful. Like the reserve team players, he couldn't control anything more than doing his best in his respective duties.

This joint training session, though a bit late, was very important.

If it didn't work… Chen Yingxiong would have to consider being more selfish in the game. He would rather be called "selfish" than fail to get the team to the finals!

Now the joint training was working great, as if the two sides had been training together for a long time.

Seeing the stunned looks of his teammates, Chen Yingxiong breathed a sigh of relief, feeling smug in his heart—my method is still useful… I really am a genius! Ah ha ha ha!

As happy as he was, after the training, Chen Yingxiong had to face his curious teammates. The question they were most interested in was—how could Chen Yingxiong perform so easily in training and cooperate with them so tacitly? They had originally planned to do their best to cooperate with Chen Yingxiong, but they didn't need to do so. They only needed to act as usual, and they could cooperate with Chen Yingxiong quite well.

Chen Yingxiong had long prepared a set of arguments for this.

"Doesn't this show that we have a tacit understanding?" he asked everyone. "We have played together for two seasons, although not many times, but we have accumulated a lot of tacit understanding. Especially in the game, this is the best way to rapidly accumulate tacit understanding. I think this just shows that we are comrades fighting side by side!" he said very seriously to the reserve team players.

Although this explanation was a bit far-fetched, it sounded true and credible to the reserve team players who admired Chen Yingxiong, or rather, they preferred to believe it was true rather than question it—what a great honor it was to be regarded as comrades by the hero! How could they still question the truth of this matter? Didn't you want to become a comrade fighting side by side with the hero?

Especially at this time, the joy of being able to participate in the FA Cup semi-final overwhelmed their minds, and they didn't bother to think carefully about what flaws there were in Chen Yingxiong's words.

Many people would only think—so we have unknowingly established such a deep tacit understanding with the hero!

※※※

After finishing training, taking a shower in the locker room, and changing clothes, the whole team took a bus to John Lennon Airport, from where they would take a plane to London.

These reserve team players didn't know how many times they had been to London. Not counting their personal activities, even for collective activities, the reserve team had to go to London to play in the reserve team league. There were so many professional teams in London that they had to go to London several times a season.

But this time was different. Everyone on the plane was excited, as if they were going to a grand party.

The FA Cup semi-final!

They originally thought that they would only be spectators like in the League Cup, but this time they were really going to be the protagonists!

Why did they participate in the League Cup and the FA Cup? Wasn't it just to be able to show themselves on a broader stage? To attract more attention and strive for a better future for themselves.

Being able to participate in the FA Cup semi-final in a place like Wembley Stadium, their goal could be said to have been half achieved.

This was the best stage. For English players, they couldn't be clearer about what Wembley Stadium meant.

Everyone was looking forward to what they would do in the semi-final and how they would change their destiny…

※※※

Before Liverpool announced their squad list for this game, no one knew that they had decided to use the reserve team to play in this semi-final.

When the Liverpool reserve team boarded the plane, Liverpool also announced the full eighteen-man squad list on their official website.

Reporters flocked to Liverpool's official website to download the list.

Then they opened it and were stunned at first glance.

"What is this!!!"

Many reporters roared at the computer screen.

They were most familiar with only one person's name, Chen Yingxiong. All the others were not Liverpool first team players!

Then they began to rummage through the previous FA Cup match lists of Liverpool in a panic, and easily found those names in the squad list.

Not one missing, all in this squad list!

The reporters who discovered this fact were all stunned!

Liverpool!

Actually!

Using the reserve team!

To play this FA Cup!

Semi-final!

Were they crazy? Was Martin O'Neill crazy?

After the initial shock, many people began to think about what was behind this unusual fact.

Give up!

Many people thought of this possibility in the first time.

Martin O'Neill must have seen that the team's schedule was too dense and there were too many games, so he planned to give up the FA Cup. After all, there was a great chance of winning the league, and the most important goal was only the Champions League. In order to finally reach the final in the Champions League, or simply win the championship, this chicken rib competition of the FA Cup must be given up, otherwise Liverpool would definitely be stretched when the FA Cup game came out to make trouble at the most critical moment.

Although this reason was not very tenable, because the FA Cup final was on May 15, and there was no Champions League game nearby at that time. The Champions League semi-final ended on April 28, and the final would not start until May 22.

It didn't form any interference.

But apart from this reason, the reporters couldn't think of why Liverpool would do this even if they racked their brains.

Sending a full reserve team of players plus a Chen Yingxiong to participate in the FA Cup semi-final, did they think that relying on Chen Yingxiong alone was enough to solve Tottenham?

Even so, Martin O'Neill had no reason to do this in his style. You know, if this was not a deliberate abandonment, it was a complete disregard for the semi-final opponent Tottenham Hotspur. But O'Neill couldn't do such arrogant things.

So it could only be abandonment, deliberately giving up the FA Cup to win Liverpool more rest opportunities, and also so that the coach and players could not have to consider the FA Cup final anymore, so as not to waste too much energy.

It's just… such a naked abandonment, without any concealment, is really… okay?

※※※

After arriving in London in the afternoon, Liverpool went to the hotel to put down their luggage and went straight to Wembley Stadium to conduct a training session to adapt to the venue. The head coach O'Neill attended the pre-match press conference provided by the event organizer.

Liverpool was the first to conduct a training session to adapt to the venue. Tottenham Hotspur had to be behind them, because Tottenham was originally in London, and they didn't have to leave so early.

From the moment they walked into the passage of Wembley Stadium, to when they entered the locker room, and then stepped onto the field, the Liverpool reserve team players seemed a little excited throughout the process.

Wembley Stadium is the home of the England national team. The England national team plays here, and the semi-finals and finals of the League Cup, Community Shield Cup, and FA Cup are also held here.

For the reserve team players, they would not have too many opportunities to play in this stadium. Unless they could be selected for the national team, or be able to participate in the semi-finals and finals of the League Cup, FA Cup, and the Community Shield Cup.

Even the Youth FA Cup could.

It's just that the last time the Liverpool youth team reached the Youth FA Cup final was in the 2008-2009 season. It has been seven years since then. The Liverpool players who played in that Liverpool under-18 youth team at that time, now I don't know where they have scattered…

So in this Liverpool reserve team, there are really not a few players who can come to Wembley Stadium to play. Therefore, it is very understandable that they behave like country bumpkins.

Evans is the main center-back in the reserve team, and was also the one who was most dissatisfied with the first team taking away their opportunities.

When he walked out of the player tunnel and came to the side of the field, he did not step in directly, but knelt on one knee and touched and pressed the turf with his hands, feeling the condition of the turf.

Seeing him do this, Chen Yingxiong asked: "What are you doing, Evans?"

Evans raised his head to look at Chen Yingxiong and smiled at him: "I want to feel it, to see if this is me dreaming."

Chen Yingxiong was amused by him: "Then feel it with your feet."

※※※

Not counting Chen Yingxiong, Spearing is the player with the most first-team experience in this reserve team. He had been to Wembley Stadium as a Liverpool player before, but did not get a chance to play—that was during Dalglish's coaching period, when Liverpool had reached the League Cup final and won the championship.

He couldn't help but feel a little dazed at this moment standing on the field.

After staying in the reserve team for one season and two seasons, he felt that he should have no place in the Liverpool first team. In fact, his agent was also busy looking for a new home for him. Compared with other reserve team teammates, it was easier for him because he had played in the Liverpool first team before.

But he didn't expect that he was about to leave Liverpool, but he got the opportunity to represent the Liverpool first team in a game at Wembley Stadium.

This is really unpredictable…

He would not reconsider staying and continue to wait for opportunities because of this. He was already twenty-six years old, the same age as Chen Yingxiong, even half a year younger than Chen Yingxiong, but looking at his and Chen Yingxiong's achievements, he really didn't want to continue waiting.

But before leaving this team he loved so much, he still hoped to write his name in the club's history and make his own contribution to her.

He was just stunned for a short time in the field, and then he remembered his identity as the captain of the reserve team. He shouted loudly to those teammates who were still in a daze.

"Warm up! Warm up! Don't waste time! We are not here to visit as tourists!"