The Rise of Millwal

Chapter 93: Lionhearted Spirit

England has a rather callous tradition regarding injured players; once a player gets hurt, they seem to turn into invisible people. From the head coach to their teammates, it's as if the injured player's existence is overlooked. Even when the coach attempts to communicate with the injured player, it rarely happens directly and usually requires a third person to relay the message. This practice is almost superstitious, with many clubs adhering to it.

In England, football is perceived as a man's game, symbolizing vitality and resilience, much like a battlefield. Those who can't get up after a fall are seen as failures. To avoid affecting the team's morale, clubs typically try to keep injured players distanced from the squad. This tradition only began to shift with the internationalization of the Premier League.

Aldrich takes a rational approach to tradition. Good traditions should be followed, such as keeping the locker room private, but he disdains the traditions that clearly dampen the spirits of injured players or impose psychological pressure on them.

Trezeguet could no longer walk. He was being supported by two team doctors as they brought him to the sidelines. Aldrich was already waiting there, and Trezeguet, who had taken off his shoes, had an ankle that was swollen like a pig's trotter.

"When did you get injured?" Aldrich asked softly.

Trezeguet looked down, his voice trembling, "Yesterday."

He was afraid that Aldrich would lose trust in him from that day forward.

However, Aldrich patted his shoulder and said calmly, "David, being injured is not the problem, but deliberately hiding it is a big issue. Take care of yourself; the team will wait for you."

Suddenly, Trezeguet, who had been enduring intense pain without shedding a tear, felt his eyes welling up. His voice choked as he looked up, "Boss, I'm sorry."

"You have no reason to apologize to me. Your body is yours. You must learn to protect yourself; health always comes first."

"Thank you, boss."

Trezeguet was then taken into the players' tunnel by the two team doctors.

As the medical staff arrived, Aldrich had already sent Solskj?r to warm up. With Trezeguet now leaving the field due to injury, Aldrich waited for a dead ball to make the substitution.

Solskj?r approached Aldrich, who was keenly observing the action on the field. He asked softly, "Ole, do you know what to do once you're on?"

Solskj?r replied immediately, "Yes, their Wright has a slow moving speed, and Scales doesn't cover much ground; there's a lot of space between their two midfielders and defenders."

Aldrich nodded. Solskj?r's focus on the bench was the best among the team, and his ability to read the game was far beyond that of many others.

"When you go on, you can frequently swap positions with Henrik. To put it simply, Liverpool's defense won't be able to handle the two of you; you can take the ball and create some space for breakthroughs."

"Got it, boss."

There were three minutes left in the first half, and Millwall made a substitution, bringing Solskj?r on for the injured Trezeguet.

Liverpool took their 1-0 lead into the halftime break.

The Anfield crowd let out a sigh of relief; having seen Millwall's ferocious attacks in the first half, they initially thought their opponents were formidable, but now they felt it wasn't that impressive after all!

Manchester United, having conceded five goals, were now seen as weakened, and Arsenal? Well, their team morale was in turmoil. If they came to Anfield, they'd likely get beaten five or six goals...

Millwall. Just a name without substance!

Aldrich walked slowly through the tunnel, where Liverpool players wore haughty expressions. Young Redknapp even yelled at Aldrich, "Hey, kid, what did you say before the match? Now look, are you going home to find your daddy? Oh, right, your daddy isn't the coach; you can only run into his arms and cry, oh, little Aldrich, what's wrong with you? Why are you crying?"

Young Redknapp clearly held a grudge over Aldrich's pre-match taunts, and with Liverpool leading, he was relishing the moment.

"Fuck off! What did you say? If you've got guts, come over here!"

The usually silent Southgate exploded with rage, ready to rush in, and his teammates momentarily paused before wanting to join, only to be stopped by Aldrich, who stood in front and blocked everyone in the narrow Anfield tunnel.

Liverpool players rallied behind Young Redknapp, appearing ready to brawl.

Aldrich smiled, casually addressing Young Redknapp, "Jamie, as long as your father manages West Ham, I will consider him my enemy. You don't understand the East London rivalry; I don't blame you. Here's my advice: don't be too proud until the game is over. Also, I feel sorry for Liverpool; Millwall wouldn't think beating Arsenal was anything special, yet here you are, celebrating. You don't deserve those red shirts. Behind me stand warriors who never back down; you guys are just playboys."

Having said that, Aldrich turned and waved for his players to head back to the locker room.

The Liverpool players were furious, shouting at Aldrich.

"Keep yelling, keep cursing; I've seen plenty of your kind of playboy behavior before."

Bang.

The door to the away team's locker room slammed shut.

With no time to care about the atmosphere on the Liverpool side, Aldrich's players settled down calmly in front of him.

Aldrich didn't plan to write on the tactics board today. He simply stood at the front, arms crossed, and asked lightly, "How are you feeling? I mean, do you feel any pressure playing here?"

The players exchanged glances and shook their heads in unison.

Perhaps it was Aldrich's unwavering presence on the sidelines, standing tall and unafraid, that served as a reminder for them to stay fearless.

Aldrich shrugged, "Well then, let's take a break and play well in the second half."

"Boss, aren't we going to talk tactics?" Southgate asked, lifting his head.

He didn't want to lose, and it was a question every player seemed to have.

It seemed they had grown accustomed to Aldrich's halftime adjustments, which helped them perform better in the second half.

Aldrich smiled, "Just play like the first half. We can win. We created more chances than they did in the first half; we just had a bit of bad luck. Since you want to hear it, let me ramble for a moment."

The players focused intently on Aldrich.

He sat down casually and said, "You should all know, the stronger the team, the more pronounced the home advantage becomes. Home records shine brightly, largely because the visiting team gets intimidated by the atmosphere, leading them to play conservatively and abandon taking control of the game. Do you know how many goals Manchester United conceded at home last season?"

The group shook their heads.

Aldrich extended his right hand, holding up four fingers, and chuckled, "It's a number you could count on one hand; Manchester United conceded only four goals in 21 home league matches last season!"

The incredulous reaction from the team was palpable. Only four goals in 21 home games?

Aldrich continued, "But do you know how many goals they conceded while playing away last season?"

They shook their heads again.

Aldrich looked at his hands and then at his feet, helplessly saying, "Claude, lend me a hand."

With that, he raised Makélélé's hand and slightly lifted his legs, saying, "Twenty-four goals."

4:24.

That was Manchester United's defensive performance at home versus away.

After hearing this, the players seemed to gain some clarity.

Aldrich grinned, "Got it? Sure, Manchester United loses some of that home advantage when playing away, but it's not the only factor causing such a disparity. The key is determination. Many teams practically give up before the match even starts when facing Manchester United away, while at home, out of respect for their reputation, they at least put up a fight. And as they fight, they'll realize that Manchester United isn't unbeatable either. The same goes for Liverpool; their goal concessions at home and away were about 1:2 last season. As long as we forget about the pressure here and treat them as an ordinary opponent, playing our own football and showcasing our strength, what does it matter if they're Liverpool? Scoring five goals at Old Trafford isn't impossible at Anfield, right? Moreover, to be honest, Liverpool's defense isn't as good as Manchester United's; Pavel here would know that well."

Nedvěd nodded in agreement; the midfield duo of Keane and Batty was at a completely different level than Redknapp and Barnes.

England once produced tactical master Chapman, who extended the WM formation into classic tactics for European and South American football giants. However, England tends to become complacent after achieving certain successes. The three-forward strategy of over sixty years ago is still largely the same as today's English wingers: they receive the ball on the flanks to create opportunities and then pass it to the center forward.

Once 4-4-2 became the mainstream in England, tactical evolution entered a "dormant" phase, with attacking players not defending and defenders not attacking. This repetition has persisted, leaving people wondering when it will finally be shaken out of this slumber.

Aldrich aimed to build a team that was versatile in both technique and tactics. From their first-half performance, he was confident in the match. Failing to score wasn't catastrophic; after all, a goal could be just a moment's blink in football, and Millwall wouldn't suffocate them into a panic about needing to make drastic changes.

Sometimes, making a change at the wrong time could lead to self-destruction.

Clapping his hands, Aldrich smiled at the players, "Let's hit the field! The enemy isn't strong; we are stronger, pure and simple. In an hour, we'll be going home with a win."

The whole team of players let out a collective roar.

They adjusted their jerseys, each one full of vigor as they followed the smiling Aldrich out.

Aldrich felt pleased; the team's spirit had already begun to take shape.