The 4-4-2 tactical system that Millwall honed after attrition due to injuries at the beginning of the season began to show its power when the substitute lineup was used.
The first game in 1999 was the FA Cup. Millwall went away to challenge Cambridge United. Millwall, who played all substitutes, scored 5 goals in the away game. Although the opponent was very weak, the team's offensive and defensive transitions and offensive coordination made Aldridge win.
feel satisfied.
Klose partnered with Ruud van Nistelrooy, plus Duff and Grenjar on both sides, and the offense was very smooth.
After defeating Cambridge United and advancing to the next round before returning to London, Andrew invited Aldridge to dinner.
The two were chatting while eating in the restaurant.
"Recently, Leeds United have launched an offensive against several players."
Andrew spoke about this matter with a serious expression.
Aldridge didn't take it seriously. The winter transfer window was open and Millwall received countless offers, but he was not in the habit of doing business in the winter.
"Leeds United? Haha."
Aldrich sounded dismissive.
Seeing his attitude, Andrew quickly reminded: "Their price is not low."
Aldridge picked up a napkin and wiped his mouth, and said: "Players eat youth food. If they don't get more honors, the high salary will not be maintained for a while. I am not a nanny, nor a life coach for players. If someone
I'm so stupid that I think I have a better future at Leeds United, so what can I say?"
Andrew sighed: "Aldrich, don't underestimate the magic of money."
"I'm not denying the attraction of money, but in this account, smart people are better off. A five-year contract, if Larson goes to Leeds United and gets a weekly salary of 100,000, he will earn 3 million a year, 5 years
Is it 15 million and 5 years later? After five years of waiting at Leeds United for nothing, the next contract will be
What is the offer? How much will his value drop? At Millwall, even if I give him a weekly salary of 60,000 pounds, how much will the off-field sponsorship contract help him earn while he wins championships and personal honors? Five
It will definitely add up to more than 15 million by the end of the year. Would you be stupid and go to Leeds United?"
Aldridge has no worries about poaching from non-rich clubs. He believes that such poaching poses no threat to him.
After a moment of silence, Andrew said: "You are talking about the absolute main force of the club, but what if it is Ferdinand?"
Aldridge sneered and shook his head: "What's the difference? As long as he develops steadily in Millwall, he will be the main player of the team and the main player of the England national team in the future. In Millwall, he will definitely have a higher chance of receiving honors than in Leeds United."
High, right?"
Andrew knew that Aldrich's statement was correct. But in fact, not everyone has such patience.
Aldridge will lead the team to Manchester this weekend. At the pre-match press conference, he said that this game is just an ordinary league game and he will not put pressure on the players. There are still five months left in the league and it is not a single game. The match with Manchester United
The match will not determine the league championship.
Ferguson took the game very seriously. In other words, he not only valued it in his heart, but also expressed it in his mouth.
"Millwall is Manchester United's biggest enemy in the championship. Since 1996, Manchester United has missed the league championship for two seasons. This is not the result we should have. Reminiscent of last season when we lost the championship at the last moment, it was Millwall.
Wall sniped us. Now Manchester United needs to beat Millwall to prove that we are strong enough to win the league championship! Especially when we lost 1:2 to the opponent in the first round of the league, in this game we
There is no room for loss, and I will not accept any result other than victory!"
Ferguson is ambitious, Manchester United has a strong team, and the Class of 92 is the main force. Both technical and tactical play and player abilities have reached a mature stage. In addition, the Black Wind and Double Evil strike partners formed in the new season are powerful. Manchester United must use championships to support this team.
It adds to the quality of the team and takes their temperament to a higher level.
This is related to the long-term development of a team. When the team is already impeccable in terms of ability, the psychological level is extremely important. It can win the championship, improve the temperament, and make the psychological quality more mature. The transformation after winning the championship will make the team more mature.
The team went to another level.
Manchester United needs a championship even more than Millwall. Ferguson knows this very well. If they continue to miss out on major championships, no matter how good these players are, they will start to doubt themselves and deny themselves on a psychological level. Their fighting spirit will be drained.
Ferguson's remarks reminded Aldridge of Arsenal, who did not win a championship for eight years. Sometimes winning a championship requires accidental factors, but teams with championships and teams without championships have really different temperaments. Teams without championships seem to be in debt.
In such a short breath, the chain often falls off at critical moments.
Visiting Old Trafford in the league, Aldridge felt that this was not the right time and was very detrimental to Millwall.
There is no problem with the selection of personnel for his formation. The key is that he is building a new offensive combination. If he suddenly encounters a team like Manchester United, his offensive power will inevitably drop sharply.
But just like his mentality when facing Arsenal, the league is a long-distance race, and there is no need to compete with the opponent for a moment. Millwall defeated Manchester United at the beginning of the season. As long as they do not lose in the away games, the strong dialogue with Manchester United will improve their record.
is satisfactory.
At Old Trafford, Millwall's latest attacking combination was unveiled at the Theater of Dreams.
Ronaldinho, Henry, Larsson.
Nedved.
Makelele, Pirlo.
This combination of midfield and frontcourt made their debut.
Ferguson and Aldridge stood on the sidelines at the same time. The two did not communicate before the game and just said hello.
The Premier League title race this season has entered a fierce stage from the beginning of the season.
Millwall, Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, the top four, Chelsea have had some problems recently. They have experienced a sharp decline in Christmas Express form. Teams with a lot of foreign aid will basically be troubled by this phenomenon. We need to solve this problem.
, nor does it happen overnight.
Millwall's performance at Old Trafford was unsatisfactory.
Full marks for defense, but not enough for offense.
When playing against a team of Manchester United's level, you must strive to do your best at every opportunity on the offensive end. If you are one step away, you will be completely frozen by the opponent.
The new attack group created by Aldrich requires each player to cooperate tacitly with his teammates. If someone cannot keep up with the rhythm, the quality of the entire offense will be greatly reduced.
Henry's passing and running at the center position is still unsatisfactory, but Aldridge is not angry. Henry has not played together with Larsson, Ronaldinho, and Pirlo for a long time. At least Odridge
Delic will give him two months to see the effect. If there is no significant improvement, he will consider replacing Henry with another forward.
However, under the new tactical system, the backcourt defense has become much more stable. The full-backs stepped forward to participate in the offensive support, reducing the coverage area and avoiding the chance of being hit by the opponent. Today, Manchester United's two wings flew together, and every attack was
A head-on attack on Millwall's overall defense. The offensive effect was also not very good.
Ferguson watched the game for thirty minutes and became depressed.
At first glance, Millwall's offensive and defensive system strives to maintain a balance. The old scene of full-backs rushing upwards is no longer seen. Manchester United attacks the opponent in a rigid manner, and it is indeed difficult to break through the opponent's defense.
Ferguson walked up to Aldridge and the game was still going on. The two exchanged words with smiles.
"Millwall keeps going back the more they play? Are they afraid of losing?"
"How to stimulate generals? Hahaha, it's useless to me!"
"No, no, no, do you remember the first time you came here?"
"That 5:5 match?"
"That's right, Millwall's playing style was very sharp at that time. They were pressing the two wings of Manchester United. Why did they shrink back now?"
Aldridge stroked his forehead and chuckled, knowing that Ferguson was still trying to provoke him.
"Times have changed. Millwall was physically stronger than Manchester United at that time, don't you deny it?"
Ferguson chuckled, really not denying it.
But it didn’t seem obvious at the time. In the second season, when Millwall massacred Manchester United at the Theater of Dreams, Ferguson started the hairdryer in the locker room after the game. At the same time, he also realized that the physical fitness of Manchester United players was significantly behind the opponent, which strengthened it.
This gave the team a physical advantage and allowed them to catch up from behind in the past two seasons.
"We no longer have the physical advantage, and Manchester United's wing attack is sharper than before. Beckham and Giggs should be the top three wing configurations in Europe, right? If my full-backs can defend well, I will
I'm satisfied, I mean it sincerely."
Ferguson bumped Aldridge's arm with his arm and said with a smile: "I believed it at first. But you later emphasized that you were telling the truth. Now I don't believe it anymore. Millwall's frontcourt players are all very capable. You
Do you plan to rely on their individual capabilities to solve problems in the future?"
At this moment, Ronaldinho dribbled the ball and was intercepted by Keane. Aldrich showed his hands and said: "Can individual ability solve the problem?"
"He broke through ten times. As long as he succeeded once or twice, he might score a goal."
"He was intercepted three times in a row. Does he still have the confidence to continue to break through?"
"Hahahaha, if he can't do it, you can replace Larson and come back."
Ferguson hopes that Millwall's offensive players will each play individual heroism. What he is most afraid of is Millwall's fast break, passing and cutting movements. If the team cooperates, they can kill after 5 seconds of midfield.
When he finished shooting in front of the goal, the speed was too terrifying, and if the players dribbled too much, the rhythm would inevitably slow down. Manchester United had arranged their defense line, and he didn't believe that anyone could challenge Manchester United's entire defense line alone.
When Aldridge and Ferguson are at their current level, especially when they are so proficient in team control, they no longer need to give frequent guidance to the team on the spot.
Ferguson does not need to make more demands on players such as Beckham, Giggs, and Scholes, and Aldridge does not need to make more demands on Larsson, Nedvěd, and Pirlo, unless it is about tactics.
A change in the general direction.
So the two coaches can have free time to chat and laugh on the sidelines.
Both teams are afraid of the other side's counterattacks. Frontal attacks are often thunderous but not rainy. There are not many opportunities in dangerous areas and the pace of the game is not fast. Manchester United cannot control the rhythm. Millwall also cannot dominate the game. In the first half of the two teams
Goalless draw, here we go
The second half was exactly the same, and only in the last ten minutes did the "gaochao" come true. Manchester United attacked the position fiercely, and Millwall seized the limited opportunities to counterattack. The defensive players of the two teams performed at the top level and repeatedly made wonderful defenses.
Millwall visited Old Trafford and fought fiercely for 90 minutes, shaking hands with the opponent 0:0.
After the game, Ferguson changed his tone and never mentioned his pre-match remarks about striving to win. Instead, he criticized Millwall for starting to play conservatively, unlike the league champions that year.
Aldridge also satirized Manchester United. In the league matches between the two teams this season, Millwall won one and drew one. Even if Manchester United finally won the league championship, they would not be proud in front of Millwall.
The relationship between the two coaches, which started from chatting and joking on the sidelines before the game, to falling out directly after the game, has become the focus of the Premier League. Fleet Street believes: Ferguson and Hall are a perfect match!
