The team's immaturity is often reflected in two aspects. One is the immaturity of the tactical system, which means the team's offense and defense are disorganized. The other is the team's mentality, which is not stable and calm enough in big scenes or key games.
Millwall had both today.
It was the immaturity of mentality that caused the collapse of the tactical system.
The team practices teamwork in passing and running, focusing on one-kick play, simplicity and speed.
But when one kicks the ball, while pursuing a fast pace, it must also be within the capabilities of the players.
For example, if the ball is passed too big and the players cannot catch up, if the ball is passed too early and the players are not in place, these are closely related to the maturity of a team.
Millwall's players want to devour their opponents, so they want to destroy Leeds United in a devastating way. The ball is passed faster and faster. They need to think when they kick the ball, but when they subconsciously have to pass it
When the ball is moving fast, the thinking often cannot keep up with this rhythm, and the ball passed out is not satisfactory.
Because of this, in the first half, it looked like Millwall was attacking wildly, but the offense was actually so messy that Aldridge felt like his heart was bleeding.
It is true to pursue speed, but there is a saying that goes well, half a step ahead is a genius, one step ahead is a madman.
As long as Millwall controls the rhythm in an appropriate high-speed state, they can control it themselves, but Leeds United cannot keep up. If they are half a step away, Millwall's advantages will gradually be reflected, but it is meaningless to pursue more success.
Going faster will destroy the Great Wall.
This is not a matter of technical ability, but of mentality.
Aldrich did not criticize the team, but still encouraged them.
When the second half started, Millwall seemed to be back to the state it was in a few league rounds ago.
To balance offense and defense, players will not deliberately pursue a fast pace, but will change the pace appropriately, sometimes faster and sometimes slower.
Just when the team's performance was getting better and better, something bad happened, which was also what Aldridge was most worried about.
After receiving the ball, Pires suddenly accelerated and kicked the ball out of the sideline halfway through the pass. He touched the back of his thigh and slowly walked towards the sideline.
Apparently, he had a strain.
It is easy to get injured when performing explosive starts when the body is extremely tired.
Aldrich asked Shevchenko to warm up, and then comforted Pires. He was able to walk off on his own, which at least meant that it was not a serious strain. Otherwise, he would have just lied on the ground.
He called Thuram and Schneider over again and asked them to clarify their offensive responsibilities on the field.
Originally, Schneider should have the offensive function of cutting inside, but his performance in dense defense was very unsatisfactory. Aldridge asked him to only be responsible for the cross and series role in the offense, while Thuram assists up and does not go down.
, and instead cruised in front of the penalty area, looking for long-range shooting opportunities.
This is a no-win solution. It is also not Aldridge's ideal tactical execution plan, because Schneider is already on the front line, and if he just passes the ball when he is constantly being marked, there will be no surprise effect at all.
There is no need to remind him too much when Shevchenko comes on the field. Although he plays as a right winger in training, his duty is to provide support and move forward into the penalty area to become a scorer. Letting him play on the left is also a last resort choice. But the principle is the same.
Yes, after Zambrotta assisted, Shevchenko still had to insert into the penalty area to pose a goal threat.
After the substitution, Shevchenko came on and immediately created an opportunity. Compared to Pires, he is better at dribbling the ball and cutting inside. His movement and cutting inside caught Leeds United's defense unexpected.
Schneider's cross came to the back of the goal, and Shevchenko grabbed the spot at the back post and shot the ball off the crossbar.
There was a huge sigh in the Lion's Den Stadium, followed by warm applause.
The young Shevchenko touched his face. He felt guilty as if he had let someone down, but when he saw that no one of his teammates showed any blaming look towards him, he sighed again and ran back to prepare to participate.
Defense.
Time is passing by, and news has come out about the match between Newcastle United and Manchester United. Both teams are leading their opponents, and Manchester United is already leading Nottingham Forest by four goals. There is no doubt that they will get three points.
.
Shevchenko's forward thrust put huge pressure on Leeds United's defense, and Larsson began to actively retreat to help Nedved share the offensive pressure.
When the 74th minute of the game came, Nedved passed the ball back to Makelele. Makelele passed the ball through the half court and passed the ball to Larsson in the front right of the penalty area.
Larson had already begun to observe the surrounding situation before catching the ball.
As Aldridge said during halftime, calm down!
Schneider's run to the edge took away the full-back, Trezeguet pulled in the penalty area to attract the back line, and Shevchenko and Nedvěd's forward penetration also made Leeds United's defensive players
Immediately keep an eye on him.
Larsson did not fall into the siege except that there was a defensive midfielder next to him who wanted to press him. He was very grateful to Trezeguet. This partner really knew how to move and pulled away in the opposite direction.
The center back on the right side.
The moment the ball rolled over, Larsson's right foot, which was about to catch the ball, suddenly lifted up, allowing the ball to roll past his feet. At the same time, he turned and ran forward, and the ball passed under his feet and the defensive midfielder from behind.
rolled between his legs.
A beautiful and smart passer!
Larson turned around and faced the penalty area head-on, dribbling the ball along the way. After Trezeguet drove away the center back on the right, in a short moment there was a gap in Leeds United's final defense line, and Larson dribbled the ball in.
A single-handed approach has already been formed.
The goalkeeper nervously lowered his center of gravity forward and opened his arms to expand the defensive area, while the defenders also rushed towards Larsson.
At this moment, Larsson knocked the ball across the left side, and the unmarked Trezeguet hit the ball into the empty goal!
"In the seventy-fifth minute, Millwall finally scored! They pulled one back and were still two goals away from maintaining the title advantage. There are still fifteen minutes left. Can they do it? Oh, oh, wait,
Wait, that's bad. After Trezeguet scored, he went to pick up the ball in the goal, but he sprained his foot. It's really strange. Today, Millwall players always hurt themselves without confrontation. Maybe they are too much.
Tired."
Trezeguet had been tense before, but he suddenly relaxed a little after scoring this goal. As a result, he sprained his foot when he went to pick up the ball in a hurry. This was caused by extreme fatigue of the body and the inability to synchronize his movements and thinking.
His injury was not serious. But he definitely could not continue playing. He walked out from the baseline with an annoyed look on his face. Facing Nedvěd who came up to ask him, he said frustrated and guilty: "Don't worry about me, let me go."
Boss, hurry up and replace us, we still have time, the boss said we can win. We will definitely win!"
Nedved patted his head to give him some comfort and then ran back to the half court.
Aldridge had to replace Trezeguet with Solskjaer.
Although the baby face is determined to leave in the summer, Aldridge still gives him a chance because he feels that he and these players are friends in life. Solskjaer stays at the club for one minute, and he has the responsibility to let him get fair.
Treat. If there is a chance for him to play, Aldrich will not hide him because he wants to transfer.
Before taking the field, Aldrich specifically laid out some tactical requirements for Solskjaer. Solskjaer listened carefully. Even though he was about to leave, he always thought that everything Aldrich said to him was of great significance.
His hidden wealth can last him a lifetime.
In the second half, Leeds United still had two players in the frontcourt looking for counterattack opportunities. But when the time came to 80 minutes, they retreated from the defense and no longer had any illusions about counterattacks. As long as they no longer conceded the ball, they could still
Take three points at the Lion's Den.
After Solskjaer came on the field, he did not take over Trezeguet's position. Instead, he and Larsson pulled out of the penalty area and cooperated in a small area at the front of the penalty area. When Solskjaer sent Thuram a goal
After the chance of a long-range shot, Leeds United's defense suddenly became alert, even though the long-range shot slipped out of the goal.
The defense line presses out at the beginning to avoid long-range shooting opportunities for players like Nedvěd and Thuram who come in behind, and also compresses the cooperation space between Larsson and Solskjaer.
When the game reached the second minute of stoppage time, Thuram, who had completed three long-range shots, finally did not take another long-range shot, but instead passed the ball to the left side of the penalty spot in the penalty area.
The Leeds United defenders were dumbfounded. Larsson, Solskjaer, and Nedved were all in front of them, and they made no move to rush forward. But the ball was passed behind them, who was it for?
Of course someone responded.
Shevchenko crossed into the penalty area from the left, and the timing of passing and running was not particularly tacit. He started after watching the ball come out, but Thuram's pass was a bit surprising. All Leeds United players
They thought he could still shoot from long range, and they were keeping an eye on the opponents at the front of the penalty area.
I didn't expect that Shevchenko, who quickly rushed from the wing into the penalty area, would complete such cooperation with the right back Thuram.
The goalkeeper attacked, and Shevchenko unloaded the ball before the opponent took off. The goalkeeper rushed out too hard, and the ball bounced from his legs to behind him. After he landed, he directly reached out and pulled down the opponent who was about to rush past him and kick the ball into the goal.
Shevchenko.
The nuclear warhead fell in the penalty area, and the Lions fans at the Lion's Den stood up angrily and furiously criticized the opponent's goalkeeper for the intentional foul!
Oh shit!
If he hadn't fouled, Shevchenko would definitely have scored the ball directly.
Now we have to take a penalty kick, especially since it will waste a lot of time.
The referee stopped the game, then sent off the Leeds United goalkeeper and awarded Millwall a penalty kick.
Larsson stood at the penalty spot, and everyone knew the importance of this penalty.
But the good thing is that the opponent's substitute goalkeeper came up before he even warmed up.
Larsson withstood the pressure and easily pushed the shot into the lower right corner of the goal, but the opponent's goalkeeper directly missed it.
Millwall equalizes the score!
After Larsson scored, he immediately went to the goal to pick up the ball and ran back. No Millwall player would waste time, but the Leeds United players were not very cooperative and they walked slowly towards the center circle.
Nedved reminded the referee that the opponent was stalling for time and should give them some more stoppage time.
All the fans stood up.
The previous three minutes of stoppage time had already passed.
No one knows when the referee will blow the whistle to end the game.
Leeds United kicked off, they passed the ball back, Millwall's players rushed forward to press, and the opponent's defender kicked the ball towards Millwall's backcourt with a big kick.
The kick was really powerful, high and slow. When the ball hit the ground, the referee's whistle sounded.
The whole game is over.
Leeds United, aiming to avoid relegation, survived the defeat at the Lion's Den.
Strictly speaking, Millwall drew with Leeds United as a guest.
After losing two points in this round, Millwall is two points behind Manchester United, which thrashed Nottingham Forest 5-0, and is five points behind Newcastle United, which beat Southampton by one goal. With two rounds left in the league,
Millwall winning the championship is only a theoretical possibility.
