Thanks to "doudoubi2", "forgetting myself to follow the cloud" and "thief's death" for the reward!
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On the day of the Manchester United game, the weather in Manchester was very changeable. The sun was shining brightly and the autumn breeze was cool, which was perfect for the players to play.
On the Millwall bus heading to Old Trafford, Aldridge sat in the front row, with Jenson sitting next to him. He had a football magazine open in his hand and stared at a color picture with interest.
Janson glanced at the magazine in his hand, snatched it away unceremoniously, stared at the young man wearing a Barcelona jersey in the colorful picture and praised it: "Manchester United has missed a genius."
The color picture is actually just a screenshot of the live broadcast of the game. The protagonist in the picture is a Brazilian named Ronaldo. He is wearing a Barcelona jersey and spreading his arms in celebration after scoring a goal.
Although he came to Barcelona in the summer with a transfer value of 20 million US dollars, the most sensational thing in the Spanish transfer market in the summer of 1996 was not him at all, but a player who went to Camp Nou on a free transfer from Real Madrid, Luis
-Enrique.
But under Bobby Robson, Ronaldo quickly became a star and darling from his first game for Barcelona, the Spanish Super Cup against Atletico Madrid. His influence increased so quickly that the whole of Europe took notice.
.
Even the media in England began to pursue this football super idol with the nickname "Alien" with mixed emotions of envy, jealousy and hatred.
Aldridge had a complicated feeling in his heart. Millwall had won consecutive games for two months and had wonderful performances every time, but they lost to a superstar who relied on his personal performance.
Even in London, Millwall's limelight was completely stolen by Ronaldo.
The reason was just 20 days ago, in the seventh round of La Liga this season, Ronaldo, who has always performed well, scored a goal that turned him from "human" to "demigod".
In the away game against Compostela, Barcelona scored its third goal. Ronaldo spent 14 seconds from touching the ball to scoring the goal. He was surrounded by five non-goalkeepers and used his skills at his feet, judgment of the situation, physical fitness, etc.
He showed his comprehensive ability in other aspects to the extreme, and then scored the goal that shocked Bobby Robson with his head in his hands.
What's more interesting is that after the goal, the first person on the Barcelona coaching bench to rush out to celebrate excitedly was named Mourinho. Perhaps it was him who joined the coaching team this season and witnessed the rise of Ronaldo, and also
Only then did he say later that the best player he had ever seen in the world was named Ronaldo, but not Cristiano Ronaldo.
Robson lamented after the game that Ronaldo did not belong to this planet, and the alien began to become famous around the world!
Later, Nike's marketing continued to replay the scoring process, and then produced subtitles: Imagine asking God to turn you into the best player in the world... and God heard it.
Jenson was still joking about Manchester United missing Ronaldo, but Aldridge turned to look out the window, feeling slightly uninterested.
This is a good era, because he is lucky enough to witness the rise of many superstars. But it is also a bad era for him, because you know the trajectories of some superstars, and only a handful of them can become stars. Too many are just in a hurry.
passing meteor.
Ronaldo went to La Liga, a place that suited his characteristics and allowed him to go global, but missed the opportunity to be sternly taught by Ferguson.
If the trajectory of history can be skewed, Aldridge will imagine that Ronaldo can get some good advice before he becomes famous, instead of facing the two biggest enemies of his career: injuries and degradation.
He is great, but he could have become a god in football, but he did not. Apart from the World Cup and classic goals, there is nothing in his club's honor book.
Aldridge laughed at himself and felt that his idea was too harsh, just like more than ten years later, people were demanding that Messi and Ronaldo carry the national team to dominate the world.
But he only felt sorry for his position as a head coach. There are many geniuses, but it’s not that they can’t do it, but they gave up, or lost to temptation.
Back in reality, Aldridge and Jenson chatted casually about this Brazilian genius, but the two of them talked more about his technical characteristics and the league environment in which he was playing.
In addition to La Liga's emphasis on ball control, their defense is not particularly good. Basically, whoever has the upper hand in midfield control will take the initiative in the game. If the state is good, it will be difficult to control the midfield.
If you stay, it may be a defeat. Even the giants Real Madrid and Barcelona have the same problem. From the head coach
Analyzing the many personal performance goals scored by Ronaldo from a perspective, many teams in La Liga have terrible defenses. They only focus on the ball at the feet of the ball holder, and they also like to grab it. This greatly affects the breakthrough offensive players who control the ball.
There is so much room for performance, and even though there are many people there, they are often all passed by one acceleration, and there is no sense of hierarchy.
The two of them were chatting as the bus stopped.
The entire Millwall squad arrives at Old Trafford.
It was a sunny weekend, but Old Trafford was shrouded in gloom and gloom.
After changing his jersey and shoes in the locker room, Aldridge asked the players to go to the court to warm up, while he stayed in the locker room and sat quietly.
Compared to Millwall, who came from behind and dominated the competition, Manchester United has started high and low this season. Today, Manchester United has almost fallen to the lowest point since the establishment of the Premier League!
Since the start of the new season in August, Manchester United has won the Community Shield, beating Wimbledon away from home in the league and shocking England. However, Manchester United has suffered three consecutive draws. As of the ninth round, it has defeated Liverpool in the last five Premier League games.
, they achieved four wins and one draw, and were in good form. However, in the next two rounds of the Premier League, Manchester United directly went back from spring to the cold winter!
Newcastle United beat Manchester United with 5 goals at home.
Southampton beat Manchester United 6:3 at home.
Three days ago, Manchester United unexpectedly lost 0:1 at home against Fenerbahce in the Champions League.
The Red Devils' 40-year unbeaten home record in European competitions was wiped out at the hands of Ferguson!
Suddenly, the overwhelming voice from the outside world was: The Manchester United dynasty has fallen!
It’s hard to say how great this 40-year unbeaten home record in European competitions is. Because before 1993, Manchester United had missed the top league championship for nearly 30 years. They did not play in the Champions League and occasionally played in the UEFA Cup.
In the Cup Winners' Cup, the opponents are not the kings of the mainstream European leagues. Undefeated at home is a big factor. Moreover, in most years during this period, there was no European competition.
But Manchester United's poor form is beyond debate.
Now, Manchester United is also paying the price for their youth. Ferguson asked the young players in the team to play 90 minutes in the League and Champions League. The fatigue of running back and forth and the pressure of public opinion from the media when the record is not good. It seems that it is about to overwhelm.
Destroy them.
What worries Manchester United even more is that Cantona suffered a huge mental blow. In the European Cup in the summer, the French team without him stopped in the semi-finals, which made the King of Old Trafford realize that it was no longer possible to open the door to the national team.
He opened up. This kind of mental blow is even more serious than the physical injury, because the player's motivation to compete will be lost. In the first half of the year, in order to be selected for the national team, his spiritual leadership and personal performance were the ultimate. Other young players in the Manchester United team
Under his leadership, people united as one and grew up rapidly while withstanding pressure.
But since the new season, Cantona's performance has been unsatisfactory. Before Manchester United lost two consecutive games, his red card directly caused him to miss the last two games of the defeat. Manchester United's young players were almost on the verge of collapse.
Under the shadow of three consecutive defeats, Manchester United will face the challenge of Millwall today. At this time, the league has only played eleven rounds, but Millwall has 28 points and Manchester United has 19 points. The distance between the two teams has been widened.
It’s 9 minutes!
After the players finished warming up and returned to the locker room, Aldridge stood up and put his hands in his pockets.
He looked around at each player with calm expressions and said calmly: "Do you need me to say something?"
All the players shouted in unison: "No!"
This is Old Trafford, the Theater of Dreams.
I almost took away three points here last season. Today, I will never leave any regrets again!
Aldridge, with sharp eyes and a cold face, said softly: "In the past three months, we conquered Highbury and flattened Anfield. Today, we will rule the Theater of Dreams! Crazy Lion, let's go!"
He turned around and opened the door to the locker room and was the first to walk out. The players followed him out with confident expressions.
The Manchester United players waiting to play in the tunnel are very different from before. They lack some of the domineering spirit of the Red Devils. The three defeats in the past ten days have caused a heavy mental blow to them, which is reflected from the inside out.
Aldridge walked along the sidelines towards the visiting team's coaching bench. He held his head high and showed no expression on his face. The Red Devils fans in the nearest stands leaned out to attack him verbally, and some even gesticulated their middle fingers.
Aldridge doesn't mind. On the contrary, if the home team fans applaud your arrival, it will only prove that you are a softie and you are here to give the Red Devils three points!
Ferguson also sat down early, chewing gum with a stern expression.
Two months ago, he was still provoking a psychological war in the media, causing other Premier League teams to fight with Millwall. However, recently, he has stopped all activities. Because of Manchester United's internal and external troubles, he has no energy to provoke a war of words at this time.
Even Liverpool is ahead of Manchester United in the standings.
Aldridge has kept a low profile in the media for the past two months. No matter what Ferguson said, he responded in an official tone: If Manchester United can maintain a high level of performance, it is normal for them to win the league championship.
They are stronger and more experienced than us. We just want to play well in the next game. Championship? Manchester United is the biggest favorite.
Looking at the Manchester United lineup, which lacked Cantona and was tired, Aldridge came to the sidelines and stood still, with his hands in his pockets and watched the players come out.
How important is a spiritual leader?
That is an invisible force that will improve the team's strength to a higher level!
Manchester United's recent defeat is closely related to Cantona's state and suspension.
As for Millwall, the central axis that Aldridge worked hard to build has become the mainstay of the team.
Larsson, Nedved, Southgate, this does not involve a power struggle. Although no one can shake the status of the three in the locker room, the spirit of fighting and never giving up can infect the entire team!
The game is about to start, and the players on both sides look solemn.
"The focus of the twelfth round of the English Premier League is about to start at Old Trafford. The defending champion Manchester United will face the current league leader Millwall. Millwall has been in hot form recently and has won 14 consecutive games in all competitions.
Victory, nine consecutive victories in the Premier League, Hall's team is not only difficult to win a defeat, but also allows opponents to win even a draw.
Less than, in the pre-match media survey, it was believed that even though Manchester United has the advantage of home court, Millwall is the favorite to win. Oh, Manchester United. They conceded 11 goals in two rounds. This is the worst consecutive defeat in 66 years. Three consecutive defeats.
A few days ago, they brought an end to their 40-year unbeaten home record in European competitions. Has the Red Devils dynasty come to an end?"
"Martin, if Manchester United cannot attack Millwall today and suppress the opponent's winning streak, then Manchester United can basically declare that it has failed to defend its title."
"Why? Is it difficult to catch up with a 12-point gap? The league has only lasted 12 rounds! Newcastle United also led by 12 points last year."
"Because Millwall's defense is better! They can score goals, but their defense is also very strong. Hall's team is still improving. Now all Premier League teams are at a loss when facing Millwall because you contain them.
Unable to control their midfield, the configuration of Nedvěd and Pirlo in tandem is simply a stroke of genius. Should it be man-marking or zone defense? Should it be pressing in the frontcourt or encircling the backcourt? Millwall always has a way to deal with it.
Tao, they can open gaps in the middle, and their wing attacks are also very mature, and their attacks are successful.
The points are distributed very evenly. Larsson, Trezeguet, Shevchenko, and Nedved have scored a total of 20 goals in the past nine rounds of the league! Among them, Larsson has at most 7 goals.
, Pirlo, Schneider, and Stam also scored goals. Millwall's offense is now impossible to guard against. Once they can escape from Old Trafford today, I think as long as the team does not have problems, there will be no problem.
What can stop them from winning the first top-flight title in the club's history?"
"But in order to make the Premier League more exciting and suspenseful, we hope that Manchester United can show the momentum of defending champions. At least at Old Trafford, they cannot accept any more blows. Now I will introduce to you the starting lineups of both sides. Manchester United, goalkeeper: Schmei
, Solskjaer, forward: Cole. Manchester United played a 451 formation today. It seems that Ferguson wanted to contain Millwall's strong midfield control. Cantona was suspended due to a direct red card and missed the game. Next
He returned in the first round. Giggs was absent for a long time due to injury, and the Red Devils fans have begun to miss his breakthrough on the wing."
: Larsson, Trezeguet, Shevchenko. Hall’s goal this season is obvious. His main lineup will go all out to win the league.
Substitutes were sent on the field in all competitions, the League Cup and the European Cup Winners' Cup. This allowed his players to get a good rest, have sufficient physical strength, and perform stably and well in each game. Well, the game has begun. Millwall is a guest.
At kick-off, what strategy will they adopt to face Manchester United? We will wait and see!"
