The Rise of Millwal

Chapter 145: A Crucial Encounter ??

Millwall faced Manchester United for the third time this season, kicking off at the Den.

With both teams reaching the semi-finals, they had no reason to hold back strategically.

Aldrich opted to field his strongest lineup, and Manchester United did the same.

However, with both teams lagging behind Newcastle United in the league, their approach to the match was bound to change.

Ferguson clearly didn't want to expend too much energy in the FA Cup, especially since Manchester United was playing away. They started the game somewhat cautiously, trying to control the pace and seeking opportunities for counterattacks to secure a victory.

Aldrich's team had hopes of winning both the FA Cup and the league, relying on sheer willpower to push through their third consecutive match.

Thus, Millwall came out swinging right from the start.

Aldrich paced nervously along the sidelines; with the season progressing to this point, there was no turning back, no time to rest.

He realized he had been somewhat naive in the past. Teams competing on multiple fronts, whether coaches or players, often found themselves in a bind. Letting go of any line of competition felt like a loss, so they could only fight desperately in every game, often ending up with nothing in the end, leaving difficult-to-explain gaps in reasoning.

At this moment, they had to seize the momentum.

Manchester United still retained their kingly demeanor, and Aldrich could see no signs of panic in their players. He was tempted to walk up to Ferguson and ask, "How do you keep your players so calm at this crucial moment?"

Indeed, the Millwall players were starting to lose their composure, nearly veering into madness.

They no longer resembled roaring lions, but rather a pack of frenzied wolves.

They sprinted relentlessly, playing offense with quick passes, and as exciting as it was, it increased the match's tempo to an unimaginable level.

Bruce was still on the field today, with Millwall focusing their attacks on his side.

Studying opponents meant going after their weaknesses, and with United's center-backs being Palister and Bruce, it was clear who Millwall would target.

"Manchester United is trying to control the pace of the match, but they're getting dizzy from Millwall's relentless pressing. They are now frantically defending, and Cantona isn't seeing the ball at all. Makélélé's marking is spot on, and the duel between the two Frenchmen has become one of the highlights of the match."

Once again, Millwall successfully thwarted a Manchester United attack. Cole and Cantona found no room to operate on the front line, mainly due to United's midfielders leaning more toward defense, showing a clear lack of creativity on the attacking front.

Even though Keane was a robust all-round player, most of his energy went into defense; as they transitioned to attack, Nedved would quickly clamp down on him, restricting his offensive contributions.

Pires received the ball and passed toward the center, and the dropping back Larsen controlled it, leaving it in place before darting in. This instinctively drew Palister to follow him, only to be stunned to find the ball right ahead, with Bruce rushing up to clear it. But Pires got there first, deftly flicking the ball past Bruce, and Trezeguet timed his run perfectly to receive it inside the box.

Typically, Trezeguet, known for his shooting prowess, wouldn't hesitate to shoot from that position. But today, Palister was marked closely, and just as Trezeguet feigned a shot, Palister's sliding tackle aimed to block his shooting space. However, Trezeguet was merely faking it; he kept control of the ball, and Manchester United's goal yawning wide open.

Schmeichel rushed out, and Trezeguet passed towards the goal. Larsen surged forward for a sliding shot, and the ball hit the net.

"Millwall scores! Pires initiated a wonderful attack; this season we've seen Trezeguet's tremendous improvement in his ball control. The recent movements and feints that assisted Larsen show just how increasingly threatening he has become inside the box. Larsen has already netted 38 goals across all competitions this season; although he still lags behind Shearer by five goals in the Premier League scoring chart, his performance in his debut of the league has been nothing short of exceptional."

Ferguson closed his eyes and frowned upon seeing the goal conceded, his face souring.

In the first round of the season, Millwall had scored five times against Manchester United, prompting Ferguson to realize that Bruce could not meet United's standards anymore. So he started to employ David May as a center-back. In the second half of the season, United's striking performance was partly due to the budding partnership between David May and Palister. If it weren't for the need to conserve energy for the league, he probably wouldn't have started Bruce in this semi-final—especially considering David May was injury-prone, and Ferguson wanted to protect him better.

After the disappointment of conceding, Ferguson shot a glance at Aldrich, wondering: was the FA Cup more important than the league?

Aldrich felt helpless; he couldn't tell the young players, "Hey, let's conserve some energy for the league title."

What if they ended up empty-handed on both fronts?

This burden fell upon Aldrich, but he couldn't let it be too obvious, for such an obvious failure would be hard for the players to bear, and he worried it might create a rift between him and his team.

All he could do was trust and encourage his players, rather than let them feel discouraged.

Today's Millwall players were leaving it all on the field.

Especially in defense, the forwards and the two wingers—Pires and Schneider—were backtracking deep into the half, not just marking their opponents but also engaging in midfield scrimmages with Larsen and Trezeguet joining them in the defensive efforts.

When launching attacks, they rushed forward together.

Just before half-time, Thuram unexpectedly made a run forward and unleashed a long-range shot that again breached Schmeichel's goal.

Millwall returned to the dressing room with a 2-0 lead.

Aldrich was the last to step into the locker room, where he saw his players gasping for breath and soaking in sweat, clearly very fatigued.

Over the past month, they had played three games—two league matches and one FA Cup clash against Newcastle United—today making it the fourth match.

But they didn't want to stop; they didn't want to be rotated out; they just wanted to keep pushing toward the championship.

The fighting spirit displayed by the players forced Aldrich to abandon his original plans for rotations.

He worried that if they were switched out and dropped points in the league, what would the rotated starters think?

"Boss, if we're winning on the field, we shouldn't lose the title."

And what kind of pressure would the rotated young players feel? The responsibility of failure could crush their mental defenses.

After weighing his options, Aldrich had no choice but to let the starters fight on.

The physiotherapists were massaging the players' muscles, and they wore serious expressions, some even covertly signaling to Aldrich.

The players were in a fervent state mentally, but their physical condition was dangerously close to the limit.

They couldn't afford to keep pushing like this; otherwise, the risk of cramping or even worse injuries would loom large.

Aldrich scribbled on the tactical board, advising the players to play more intelligently in the second half, exercising control and not rushing in too much to avoid being countered by Manchester United.

The players paid close attention to his words.

In reality, Aldrich was lying.

A two-goal lead wasn't secure at all; if Millwall could net another before Manchester United's all-out counterattack in the second half, United would lose focus and shift their thoughts to the league.

But he couldn't risk having his players charging forward and risking injury like that.

In the second half, Aldridge replaced Schneider and Vieira came on. This substitution was aimed at strengthening the control of the midfield and defense. "

"Unexpectedly for Aldrich, Manchester United took off Cantona in favor of Scholes, given that the legendary player was already thirty, and with the upcoming busy league fixtures, United would rely on his significant contributions."

Aldrich replaced Larsen and Pires around ten minutes into the second half, bringing on Solskj?r and Shevchenko in their places.

The second half turned into a fierce midfield battle, with Keane and Batty clashing with Nedved and Vieira; both sides matched equally. But Manchester United's midfield organization struggled to penetrate into the attacking third and had to rely on the wings. If Giggs and Beckham were effectively marked, Manchester's offense became completely impotent.

Aldrich maintained a calm expression on the sidelines, praying that his players wouldn't get injured while also scrutinizing Manchester United's tactical system.

"Ferguson was still in search of the right attacking configuration for Manchester United. Following the departure of Paul Ince, he continuously experimented with midfield setups. This season's pairing of Butt and Keane was more defensive in nature. It wasn't until he found the right balance with Keane and Scholes—one defending and one attacking—that the midfield issue was resolved. Coupled with the rise of their wing players, Manchester United finally had the capability to compete for the Champions League title instead of merely being a pseudo-strong team that struggled to make it out of the group stage."

This FA Cup semi-final concluded with Millwall triumphing 2-0 over Manchester United.

Post-match, Ferguson didn't rush back to Manchester; instead, he had a small gathering with Aldrich in the office.

Inevitably, they discussed the title race in the Premier League. It was hard to tell whether Ferguson was sincere or being duplicitous, but he earnestly told Aldrich, "If Manchester United can't win the title, then I hope it's Millwall that eventually lifts the trophy."

Clearly, there was some selfishness on Ferguson's part; he had a feud with Keegan, and after months of verbal sparring, if Kevin Keegan actually clinched the title, Ferguson would lose face.

Aldrich didn't gloat or make any guarantees; he simply said, "Let's see what happens in the next month."

He couldn't be optimistic. The main players needed rest, but he couldn't afford to rotate them easily, which made each game unpredictably precarious rather than simply reflecting apparent strength.

Before leaving, Ferguson set down his glass and shook his head, saying, "Aldrich, this wine is terrible. Next time I'll bring you a few bottles to keep here so you can offer it to me when we meet, saving me from having to drink this dreadful stuff out of politeness."

Aldrich shrugged nonchalantly and replied, "Sure, bring me a few cases if you want."

"Come on, name a price for Stam, Solskjaer, and Nedved."

Aldrich nearly blurted out a string of expletives at him.

What? Here he goes again, trying to poach my players!

Aldrich raised his hands in surrender, saying, "Not for sale."

Ferguson shook his head, "If Manchester United genuinely goes after these three, can Millwall really hold on to them?"

Aldrich fell silent.

Ferguson regretted his decision from half a season back. Before the season began, he had offered to acquire Larsen or Trezeguet from Millwall, believing that if he had promised them a starting position, at least one of them would be wearing the red devil's shirt by now. However, he had placed too much hope in Andy Cole, whose performance this season had been abysmal; as of today, he had scored fewer goals than he had in the latter half of last season, with only ten goals. Last season, Cole had scored twelve in eighteen appearances for Manchester United.

"Ferguson stated, 'Millwall has a wealth of choices at center-back. Even without Stam, you still have that Spanish guy and the Italian fellow who's been performing well, not to mention Richards.

Nedved is crucial to Millwall, and I'm ready to make you an offer that you'll definitely like.

As for Solskjaer, keeping him there is a total waste; you're not even giving him a shot! Why does that Ukrainian kid get more chances? Perhaps it's tactical, but I really believe Solskjaer is being wasted in your setup; you're not giving him any opportunities, and I believe he could play a key role at United.'"

Aldrich chuckled wryly.

Old man, I've never doubted the kid's ability; it's just that you don't know the explosive power that the Ukrainian dynamo unleashes when he gets going.

"I'll speak to all three of them and get back to you with an answer."

Aldrich raised his hand to say goodbye.

As Ferguson mentioned, Millwall had plenty of reserves for center-backs, and if United really intended to poach, they would go for well-trained and excellent ones. The Class of '92 had begun taking center stage, and Ferguson was no longer patient enough to slowly develop new talent, for the cost of failure was harsh. Manchester United's defense urgently needed top-notch players ready for battle, making Stam the prime choice.

With the season far from over, Aldrich not only faced immense pressure but also a cascade of worries; which head coach wouldn't be bothered by attempts to poach their main players?