The Rise of Millwal

Chapter 430  The Anfield Nightmare

Aldrich had dedicated eight years to becoming a head coach and had now been in the role for over five years. With a total of thirteen years immersed in the world of football, he had developed his own philosophy for player development.

Take Lampard, for example. He bore some similarities to Gerrard, but Aldrich had clearly positioned him as a central midfielder, serving as a backup to Pirlo. While Lampard might not possess Pirlo's creative brilliance, he could definitely enhance the defensive solidity. His offensive duties involved making incisive runs and long-distance shots, maintaining the same range of movement as before, but with fixed responsibilities on the pitch.

Then there was Pedretti, who was being groomed specifically for a role like Makélélé's, dedicating 80% of his energy to defense while the remaining 20% focused on initiating attacks. Nothing else mattered!

Mastering these two roles would yield far greater value than striving for an all-around skill set.

Players who are adept at both attacking and defending sound impressive, but as competition intensifies and the differences between top teams diminish, it's wishful thinking that one player can dominate both ends of the pitch.

As for Owen, Aldrich had given up hope four years ago. Owen's trajectory mirrored that of many before him—an all-out striker who, during the start of his career, had played too many matches without adequate rest. With two consecutive seasons nearly full-time, it was no wonder he ended up with chronic injuries. Such a star should be bought early; waiting until he was famous would be a mistake. Aldrich believed he would need to give him at least six months to recover and change his playing style. The team wasn't prepared to revamp its entire tactical system for a single player, and Aldrich understood that.

"The second round of the Premier League is about to kick off. After winning 2-1 away against Sheffield Wednesday in the first round, Liverpool is gearing up for their first home match against last season's league champions, Millwall. Millwall quickly found their rhythm, easily defeating their local rivals, Tottenham, in the first round. Houllier expressed his eagerness for this match, wanting to pit his young Liverpool team against Millwall. Whether he genuinely believes that remains to be seen, but it's clear that Liverpool has infused many young players into the squad this season."

"Millwall will maintain the same starting lineup from the first round, while Liverpool will field a 4-4-2 formation.

Goalkeeper: Sander Westerveld.

Houllier has started to purge the aging players from Liverpool, sending goalkeeper David James away and bringing in Westerveld from the Netherlands.

Defenders: Rigobert Song, Stephen Henchoz, Sami Hyypiä, Dominic Matteo.

Hyypiä has unexpectedly been given the captain's armband this season, and there's hope he can lead Liverpool back to its former glory.

Midfielders: Dietmar Hamann, Steven Gerrard, David Simpson, Danny Murphy.

Forwards: Titi Camara, Michael Owen.

Liverpool features several new signings this summer as well as homegrown talent. It's a youthful team in terms of both age and maturity, so it remains to be seen if they can withstand Millwall's potent attacking force today."

Aldrich studied the young talents in Liverpool's lineup, particularly in the midfield. Aside from Dietmar Hamann, who was 26, the other three players were around 20 years old.

Hamann played as a defensive midfielder, while the other three could either form a diamond midfield or line up on a flat midfield. Who knew how it would play out in the match?

Players like Simpson, who once shone in Liverpool's illustrious 1996 youth setup, would quickly demonstrate their inability to thrive at the highest level. His career took a winding path, as after being cast aside by Liverpool, he clawed his way back from the lower leagues to eventually don the England shirt—an inspiring tale, but nothing more than that.

As for Danny Murphy, Aldrich could only recall him as the so-called "Manchester United killer," but he couldn't think of any other breathtaking performances he might deliver on the pitch.

The match began, with Liverpool kicking off. They played some passes in the back to establish rhythm, but their first forward ball ended up being a mistake.

Simpson's pass to Camara was easily intercepted by Makélélé. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Millwall launched a quick counter-attack. Makélélé fed the ball to Pirlo, who had Gerrard breathing down his neck. Pirlo cleverly flicked it to the wing for Schneider, who then passed it forward to the drifting Larsson. Larsson, without turning, laid off the ball to Nedvěd.

Like this, Millwall's attack smoothly transitioned into a frontal push. Nedvěd broke past Hamann to approach the edge of the penalty area, threading a pass into the box as Henry made a diagonal run, shooting just wide of the post and sending the ball into the stands.

Against Evans's Liverpool, they would often withdraw a forward to bring in a defensive midfielder for added security, but today, Liverpool maintained a four-man midfield without reducing their two forwards. Instead, they opted to narrow their central defensive focus, leaving their flanks vulnerable.

Millwall started by attacking centrally, which forced Liverpool's four midfielders back, desperately trying to clamp down on Millwall's front line. Sometimes they failed, granting Millwall opportunities, and other times they succeeded but fell too far back from the forwards, struggling to transition their defense into effective offensive plays.

From the get-go, Liverpool found themselves under immense pressure.

Houllier wore a grave expression. Aldrich wondered what he was thinking; perhaps he hoped that this young squad would rise to the occasion amidst the pressure.

Aldrich glanced at his watch—the first fifteen minutes had flown by quietly.

He gestured from the sidelines to remind his players.

The pre-established tactics remained unchanged; he merely wanted them to be aware of the time.

With the coach's reminder, the players synchronized their thoughts.

Nedvěd dropped back to grab the ball, drawing Gerrard's and Murphy's attention. His movement would instinctively cause the defenders shadowing him to follow. Almost immediately, Nedvěd linked up with Pirlo for a one-two, and as the ball returned to Pirlo, he launched a pinpoint pass to Larsson on the right wing. Larsson maneuvered past Matteo and passed it to Henry, who had dropped deeper to receive.

Larsson made a forward run, appearing to aim for the gap on the wing. Seeing Matteo flailing to keep up, Hyypiä shifted slightly left, attempting to block Larsson's path.

Everyone's focus was drawn to Millwall's right-side attack, but Henry passed the ball over to the left.

Ronaldinho cut in from the wing, receiving the ball and brilliantly leaving Song behind as he charged into the box. With a feint to trick Henchoz, he created space for a powerful shot!

It was a strike with incredible force; even Aldrich on the sidelines thought it was destined to score!

But goalkeeper Westerveld, in a moment of brilliance, managed to block the shot!

The ball ricocheted out of the box just as Hamann prepared to clear it, but before he could, someone else had stolen the ball—Nedvěd!

He took a simple shot, but Liverpool's keeper was still sprawled on the ground from his previous save. In a rush to get up, it was too late; the ball found its way straight into the middle of the goal!

"Ronaldinho's powerful shot was blocked, but Nedvěd followed up and scored! Millwall gets an ideal start at Anfield!"

After the goal, Nedved gestured to his teammates to "stay back," worried they might grab him or knock him down. He jogged over to the away bench, pointing at Aldrich along the way. Upon reaching the sideline, he smiled at Aldrich and said, "Boss, this goal is for your two precious sons. It's a shame I couldn't score in the last game, and today's goal came a bit late, but I still wish the little ones all the best!"

Aldrich pulled him into a tight embrace, feeling a bit remorseful as he responded, "You should've just stopped me from taking you off last time!"

"No, I know you want us to stay fit for the whole season."

"Great job! Keep it up! You're already a legend at Millwall, but you have the potential to become a legend in world football!"

"Yeah, I'll work hard—keep pushing until the day I can't play anymore!"

Other players rushed in to join the celebration, symbolizing the unity of the team, something Aldrich valued above all else.

Watching the players return to the pitch, Aldrich felt satisfied with their recent display.

As Liverpool compressed their central defense, Millwall's powerful attack drew attention, then through swift wide transfers, transitioned from right to left. Larsson drew focus on the wing while Henry suddenly shifted. Ronaldinho emerged unexpectedly, exploiting the stretched Liverpool defense. His individual brilliance played a crucial role in creating the goal.

While Nedvěd's name was on the scoresheet, it was Ronaldinho who had cut in past Song, creating the space to go past Henchoz—that was the real key to the goal. Had he shot with a little more finesse, Nedvěd might not have had the chance to follow up.

In fact, Liverpool has almost no top players worth mentioning. Hyypia has not really entered the ranks of top defenders, and although Owen is also a top player, his role as a striker has been completely invisible in the situation where the midfield is completely suppressed.

Song and Henchoz were the main targets for Millwall, but they didn't start attacking that side right away. Instead, they focused centrally, then shifted to the right before launching the decisive blow on the left.

Aldrich didn't pay too much attention to Rigobert Song; he seemed just like any other ordinary Premier League player. In one-on-one situations, he would surely not match Ronaldinho's caliber.

But if he knew Song had a nephew named Alexander Song, he would probably want to have a good chat with this Mr. Song.

After the goal, Millwall continued to dominate, and Liverpool struggled to find their footing in midfield. Aldrich never granted privileges to his players on the pitch; everyone had to contribute defensively, including Henry, the striker. Even if faced with setbacks in attack or losing possession, the forwards worked hard to reclaim quickly, leaving Liverpool unable to launch effective counterattacks.

To defeat Liverpool today, Aldrich sees the crucial factor as the suppression of one particular midfielder: Hamann.

Hamann plays as a defensive midfielder, known for his strong tackling and intercepting skills. If he gets a hold of a player, the consequences can be disastrous. Moreover, his role in transitioning from defense to offense is highly significant. His ball control may not be flashy, but his next move with the ball is always sensible.

Thus, Millwall needs to avoid engaging with Hamann during their attacks, while Henry must bother him during defensive phases. Additionally, other players should focus on blocking his passing options when marking. This is something Millwall has done well today, and it is a key reason why they can maintain pressure on Liverpool.

On the stands, the Liverpool fans could only sing, and they sang with all their might.

Against ordinary opponents, they might have had high hopes for players like Gerrard, Murphy, and Simpson. But today, all they saw was a reckless Gerrard, a shaky Murphy who couldn't hold onto the ball, and a Simpson who made three consecutive passing errors. Ironically, it was Hamann who had the highest pass completion rate, yet he couldn't hold up the midfield.

What troubled the Liverpool fans the most was that their opponent today was the one they dreaded facing: Millwall, particularly the man standing on the sidelines—Aldrich Hall!