Bryan Robson leads the team to Old Trafford. If there are any Manchester United fans who have nothing to do at night and come here to watch an FA Cup semi-final, they must be supporting Middlesbrough, except that Robson was once a Manchester United player.
In addition to the meritorious captain, it is no secret that Manchester United fans hate Millwall.
As the protagonists, Aldridge and Robson, the atmosphere was very harmonious when they greeted each other before the game. The two chatted for a while. Robson congratulated Millwall on winning the Premier League championship and also prepared them for the next European Cup Winners' Cup.
Cheers and encouragement for the finals.
Robson is one of the first coaches to know Aldridge. The opponents he knew earlier than him basically did not come to the stage of the Premier League. Even in the League Cup and the FA Cup, the probability of meeting him is extremely low.
Ignore it.
Aldridge accepted the blessing in a low-key manner, and then the two returned to the coaching bench. In a neutral position, there was no distinction between home and guest, but Middlesbrough still occupied the home team's locker room and coaching bench, which Aldridge did not
It doesn't hurt to care.
Ordinarily, Middlesbrough struggled in the league, but they reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup and also participated in the League Cup final. Unfortunately, Robson lost to the rising star Martin O'Neill.
This phenomenon is not too strange. Cup competitions are hotbeds of upsets. It is normal for relegated teams to reach the League Cup and FA Cup finals. Even lower-level teams winning the championship is nothing new.
The competition started with the gong sounding under the lights of the Dream Theater.
Millwall played very conservatively after the start, relying on their midfield interception ability to stop Middlesbrough's attack.
The midfield partnership between Juninho and Emerson is actually very reasonable and powerful. Juninho is known as the most creative midfielder in contemporary Brazil, and Emerson is a defensive midfielder. Both
The combination has a reasonable division of labor and clear thinking. Coupled with the forward goal scoring efficiency of Ravanelli, Middlesbrough's configuration is the envy of most teams in the Premier League.
Maybe they are eager for success, thinking that if they are strong enough, they can defeat their opponents in one go. Their performance is much worse than people expected. At least on paper, Middlesbrough is definitely not the favorite to be relegated as expected before the season.
Coming to the semi-finals, we are one step away from the final and only 180 minutes away from the championship trophy. Therefore, this is definitely a crucial game.
Aldridge chose to field a lineup that surprised the experts in such an important game.
In fact, he still practiced troops today, but not mainly on tactics.
It's about training the team's mentality.
He let the "veterans" in the main lineup help the young players adapt to the mentality of big scenes.
As a strong team, it should be mature and patient, and should not be under pressure due to the attention the game has received, resulting in an unbalanced mentality.
Let Nedved, Makelele, Southgate and other players hold the line, and give Lampard Mills and other players the mental support to face the game calmly.
As a result, Millwall was not in a hurry to press forward after the start. They also did not deliberately pursue a fast pace. Even though Middlesbrough had the extremely creative Juninho, they faced a lot of offensive and defensive players.
With Millwall as a midfielder, their offensive formation was cut up in an orderly manner. Juninho directed the team's offense, but he played without any threat.
Millwall's offense relies on individual combat capabilities. Nedved, Phillips, and Shevchenko cooperate in the midfield and frontcourt, with Lampard or Ballack taking turns to step in. Because of their outstanding personal abilities, a pair of
For the time being, Millwall did not fall behind. Millwall invested few offensive troops but had many opportunities. However, they were not very lucky. Phillips missed several goals on several shots.
Aldrich stood in front of the coach's bench and turned back to communicate with Jenson. He was considering whether to let the players play long passes, but there was no offensive fulcrum in front of him.
Just when he hesitated, Millwall scored.
Middlesbrough was unable to attack for a long time and began to press heavily. As a result, they were counterattacked and the city gate was declared lost.
That was when Ballack broke through with the ball from the center during the counterattack. Nedvěd attracted Emerson's attention. Ballack drove straight in and didn't give the ball to Phillips until just before the penalty area. This demon knife immediately saw blood and was sealed.
.
Aldrich smiled wryly at Jenson after seeing the goal.
No need to discuss it.
The game is getting better now.
"This goal conceded is probably the epitome of Middlesbrough this season. They have very strong strength, but once their offense is blocked, their mentality becomes impatient, they press forward recklessly, and then they are counterattacked by their opponents. In the Premier League,
, their number of goals scored is the seventh in the Premier League, but the number of goals conceded is the first in the Premier League. Even if their defense can be a little better, I think they will not be in the dilemma of relegation."
Middlesbrough tried to stabilize their defense after losing the ball.
But the ball has been lost, what else can be done?
In particular, Millwall's game rhythm today was tepid, with no obvious changes. They were just patiently looking for weaknesses in their opponents, and then changing the situation locally through their personal abilities. This allowed Middlesbrough to focus on defense to end the first half.
Later, I regretted it endlessly and wasted more than 20 minutes.
Aldridge praised the team's performance in the locker room. In this knockout match, the mentality training is more obvious, because in the league, you are not in a hurry to attack, and if the opponent is not in a hurry, it is completely meaningless. The league
There is still a point to be gained in a draw, but the situation is completely different in the knockout round. The stronger side can be more composed. It may not make sense to play against a weak opponent, but when playing against an equally matched opponent, this point will become particularly critical.
In the Old Trafford stands, more than 30,000 Millwall fans came here today to cheer for the team.
Their crazy enthusiasm completely overshadowed the worried Middlesbrough fans.
Opponent fans still have to worry about staying in the Premier League, while Millwall fans have more simple emotions.
The Lions are the defending FA Cup champions, and this season, fans believe that the next most important game is to enter the FA Cup final.
The day before, another semi-final of the FA Cup had ended, and one team had obtained tickets for the final in advance.
It's Millwall's mortal enemy: Chelsea!
Because of this, Millwall fans roared in the stands to cheer the team.
Kill Middlesbrough. Then go to the final to kill Chelsea's championship dream!
In the second half, Aldrich replaced Shevchenko with Grenciaer. Gattuso replaced Makelele.
The formation remains the same, but the style of play is much simpler and rougher.
Because Middlesbrough must attack with all their strength.
Aldrich stood on the sidelines with a solemn expression.
This time is a test for the team.
Removing Makelele, a key figure in the defense, is undoubtedly a test for the team's defense.
Gattuso and Makelele are two completely different defensive players. Gattuso relies on his strong physique and running ability to sweep back and forth, but there is a big gap between him and Makelele in predicting the ball path in key areas.
, purely speaking of defensive skills, Makelele is obviously better than him by more than one margin.
But Gattuso is more imposing. This invisible mental power can suppress opponents in terms of aggression and is also a key quality.
To Aldridge's satisfaction, Gattuso withstood the test. At least with the assistance of Lampard and Ballack, he completed the defensive task conscientiously and outstandingly on the court, but this was not enough. He was still far from being able to stand alone.
Come on.
Middlesbrough attacked wildly for 20 minutes but without any structure. Their non-threatening lobs only allowed the ball to fly into Millwall's penalty area repeatedly, only to be quickly flown out again.
Mills made a long pass from the right and lobbed the ball forward.
Phillips, who had already run out of space on the left side of the frontcourt, stopped and sighed as soon as he started sprinting.
The ball was passed so outrageously that it went directly to the opponent's penalty area. The Middlesbrough defender stopped the ball and passed it to Juninho in front. The latter wanted to attack impatiently, but just turned around. But he didn't notice the ball.
Luck came up and directly broke the ball at his feet. Without looking back, he knocked his back heel to Gattuso behind him. Gattuso did not stop the ball and knocked Lampard across the face.
Lampard took a step forward, and then passed a long diagonal pass to the right wing. Glenchard sprinted from the wing to the center, and took the ball to the center the moment he caught the ball. This stop and pass was completed in one go, and he also increased his speed.
After heading towards the penalty area, he took a long shot.
Bang!
The ball hit the crossbar and bounced back. Middlesbrough's defenders braked suddenly and turned to look outside the penalty area. Phillips appeared there strangely. Before the ball could hit the ground, he jumped up and fired a volley.
The ball passed through an unclear arc and shot into the Middlesbrough goal quickly, and the goalkeeper had no reaction.
"World wave! A wonderful volley! This is Millwall's super substitute, remember his name, Kevin Phillips! This kick definitely has a chance to compete for the best goal of the year! Millwall's striker
It's so enviable. Aldrich Hall should give Phillips more opportunities and look at his goals. Is this a shot that an average forward can make?"
Aldrich was covering his mouth with his hands clasped on the sidelines. He felt very sorry that Glenchard's long shot just hit the crossbar.
But the next second, Phillips' stunning volley and prone shot shocked his eyeballs.
Aldrich took his hands away from his mouth, keeping his mouth in an O shape, and forgot to close it for a long time, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.
Although it wasn't an overhead kick, it felt like a stunt in a football commercial.
Because the ball was first hit by Grenchar and bounced off the crossbar, Phillips volleyed and shot without waiting for the ball to hit the ground. If there were no other players on the field, this could definitely be used to make an advertisement, especially the shot.
After that, the flight path of the ball went directly into the blind corner of the goal. If he was given a thousand or ten thousand chances, he might not be able to produce such a jaw-dropping effect!
The Old Trafford stands were filled with excitement, and the Lions fans were jubilant. Even the Middlesbrough fans started to applaud after seeing the wonderful goal.
"It's better to keep him. Sometimes you need a few unpredictable shots from a player like him."
The coaching staff also came out to celebrate, and everyone talked about how wonderful the goal just was.
Jenson made suggestions to Aldrich.
Aldrich's expression changed from shock to smile, and finally to a bitter smile.
He also wants Phillips to stay. At this age, the opponent's technical characteristics have already taken shape, but he needs games to maintain his condition. If he can integrate into Millwall's core tactical system, Aldrich will give him the opportunity to play in at least 25 games this season.
But he has never been able to integrate into the team. Just like the goal just now, it was not the result of the cooperation between the players, but his personal ability to seize the second offensive opportunity. It is difficult to maintain a stable goal rate.
The opponent wanted to leave, but Aldridge didn't want to stop him and delay the opponent's future. After all, Aldridge couldn't bet that every time he used Phillips, the opponent would reward him with unexpected goals.
After the second goal was scored, Middlesbrough seemed a little disheartened, and the players gradually lost their fighting spirit on the field.
Because Millwall gave them no hope of victory in the first seventy minutes of the game.
They only created a few very reluctant opportunities to complete the shot, and there was no threat.
In the end, the score of the whole game was fixed at 2:0, and Aldridge led Millwall to the FA Cup final for the second consecutive year.
Middlesbrough can also focus on relegation. (To be continued, please search Piaotian Literature, the novel is better and updated faster!
