Aldrich took Bert and Earl back home, probably to their new home. The two little guys had a rowdy night. Aldrich himself seemed exhausted, but Evan worked harder than him and stayed up almost all night.
, this made Aldrich feel a little guilty.
If he had to go to work during the day, he would drive his two sons to Arthur's place, and he would take them home after get off work.
The current situation is much better than when he squeezes in time to travel to and from Liverpool every week.
And he was really busy during this period. In addition to his work at the club, he went home at night to study national team information, past game videos, etc., and he also had to take care of his two sons. It was one thing that he was willing to do this.
Being tired is another matter.
The day before the team left for Moscow, Aldridge was almost late for the game.
He put on his suit and hurried out of the house, racing against time, which allowed the British paparazzi to capture a very selling photo.
Fleet Street and other European media now disgusted Aldrich.
When he was working at the club, he tried his best to downplay his status as the coach of the national team, but whenever a press conference came, the reporters' questions would go around and focus on the England national team. Aldridge had no choice but to
He did not set any rules and dealt with them coldly. He avoided answering any questions involving the England national team.
Millwall ushered in the first round of the European Champions League group stage of the new season and visited Moscow as a guest.
It is much easier to visit Moscow at this time than to play there in November or December.
However, when the 90-minute game ended, Muscovites cheered and celebrated.
They achieved an epic victory worth writing about!
Spartak Moscow 2:1 Millwall.
On the first day of the new season of the Champions League, the defending champion was shocked!
It is normal for Millwall to win. A draw is a minor accident. But losing? Who dares to think that before the game?
One of the manifestations of their outstanding record in European competition is that Millwall has only lost to Bayern Munich in the European competition in the past four years.
Spartak Moscow are on the verge of being written into Millwall's European history.
After three consecutive draws in the league and a defeat in the first game of the European group stage, Millwall's winter seems to have arrived earlier than expected.
This game allowed Aldridge to identify the problem he discovered in the Tottenham game: What was missing from the team!
After the game, there was a dead silence in the locker room. Millwall players silently took off their jerseys, took a shower, and put on clean clothes. Then they sat on chairs and waited for other teammates, preparing to leave.
The soundproofing effect of the locker room is very poor, and the sound of carnival in the home team's locker room is extremely harsh. Even if it is not intentional by Spartak Moscow, it sounds like a mockery to the Millwall players.
Aldrich took all the responsibility at the post-game press conference and tried his best to excuse his disciples.
There are many international players in the team, and the impact of the FIFA virus has not yet dissipated.
Disadvantages of being a guest.
The team's prospects for qualifying are good.
He personally took responsibility for the defeat and admitted that it was improper use of tactics. He underestimated his opponent and did not expect Spartak Moscow to be so tough at home...
After the press conference, Aldrich came to the locker room, closed the door gently, and looked at the scene where no one wanted to talk. He walked to an empty seat and sat down, and was silent for a while.
He seemed to be accompanying the team members to savor this moment.
The players suddenly turned their attention to him, but still no one spoke.
Aldrich didn't get angry. If getting angry would solve the problem, he would vent his anger without hesitation.
But he knew that that was not the way to solve the problem.
There is a problem with the team. This problem is something that the coaching staff was worried about before the season, but it is difficult to avoid it through words.
What is needed more now is communication.
"You feel bad after losing the game, right?"
Aldrich spoke in a sighing tone.
Some players nodded.
"Well, let me do a review first. As you can see, I am also the head coach of the England national team. I cannot deny that I have not spent energy there, but I think my investment in Millwall has not been
Reduce. Next, I will say something to make you feel uncomfortable
But I am not blaming anyone. At this time, it is even more important for us to unite together. If you think that my resignation as the coach of the England national team can improve the team's situation, then as long as you tell me, I will return to London immediately.
Submit your resignation to the FA."
As soon as Aldridge finished speaking, Schneider immediately said: "Boss, we lost the game today, but this has nothing to do with you being the coach of the England national team. What is your usual work like, are you slacking off?
We all see it when we despise the club. To be honest, I am happy and proud of the boss. Don’t worry, boss. It is not the end of the world. We will adjust our state and try to win all the games.
"
Schneider's seniority in the locker room gives him a great say, and his words are recognized by his teammates.
For these football players, who have been on the battlefield and experienced hundreds of battles, losing is nothing to worry about. There will be games in the future, and the situation is not on the edge of the cliff.
Aldrich smiled with a somewhat bleak expression and said: "Yeah, it's not the end of the world yet, but I don't think there is a problem with your competitive state. As I said before, I will say something to make you not
If you feel comfortable, you may resist me and even complain about me, but I must say that your fighting will has been on a strong downward trend recently!"
The expressions of the players on the team became serious and the atmosphere became solemn.
The head coach can criticize the player's condition, which the player cannot quibble with or deny.
But the head coach accused the players of lacking the will to fight. In layman's terms, they don't fight like men on the court!
Who can bear this?!
Aldridge sighed: "For you, I have been playing for Millwall for six years, five years, four years, two years... honors. You have been given a hand, lived in a mansion, driven a fancy car, and dressed in high-end clothes.
With your clothes, you are a star and the center of attention wherever you go. It seems that you have become more noble. You have become on a different level from ordinary players. We win, win, not
Juventus, AC Milan, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester United, Bayern Munich and other top European teams are all defeated by us. Who else can stop us? Yes. Who else can stop us?
?But why did we lose to Spartak Moscow? Why did we lose to a team from a second-tier European league?"
Many players suddenly lowered their heads. They felt ashamed, even humiliated.
"Is it because Ronaldinho, Nedvěd and Materazzi are absent?"
"Or is it because the environment in Eastern Europe makes us uncomfortable?"
"Or is the artificial turf on this court making it awkward for us to play?"
"Or do you naively think that our opponents should lose to us?"
"Or, you are afraid of getting injured, and you feel that it is not worth it to get injured while colliding with a bunch of unknown players from your opponent. Or, you take it for granted that this is only the first group match, and there are still 5 games left, and we will definitely be able to do it.
Qualify, lose a game, it doesn’t matter.”
Aldridge looked around the locker room, and no player dared to look at him.
Some words really touched their minds or subconscious thinking.
Even though Millwall has had experience visiting Eastern Europe in the past few years, there is no guarantee that the team will be able to fully adapt to the climate and environment here when playing in Eastern Europe.
It can only be said that experience has given them sufficient mental preparation.
There are also obvious differences between artificial turf and natural turf. If a player falls on artificial turf, not to mention hard injuries, just scratches will cause severe pain.
The qualifying situation in the Champions League group stage is now so loose, and Millwall is in a relatively weak group. This has actually given the players a lot of escape options.
What does losing count?
The trend of the game was that Millwall scored first in the 32nd minute, was equalized in the 60th minute, and was defeated in the 91st minute!
Thirty minutes after the equalizer, Aldridge identified the team's problems on the sidelines.
Decreased fighting spirit!
Why are top teams always able to kill their opponents at the last minute? Why do quasi-powerful teams always concede goals in the final stages of strong dialogues?
Sometimes it's not the difference in the team's basic strength, but the difference in willpower.
When the players' physical fitness reaches the watershed stage after 70 minutes, whoever has a stronger desire to win and who has a stronger willpower can determine the final result of the game!
Millwall's situation is completely opposite to that of most teams whose mental attributes are weak.
It's because this team is so strong!
It is so powerful that it has begun to ignore the teams below a certain level.
Playing against top-notch opponents and playing key games, there is no problem.
However, when they encountered teams like Spartak Moscow and Tottenham, they lost interest, as if they were "arrogant" and disdained to compete with their opponents.
They probably think that they can defeat the opponent by just kicking, and victory will come naturally. If they get injured, the price seems too high, so the players start to deliberately avoid it.
Indeed, last season Millwall won many games in the 60th and 70th minutes.
But that was because they used 100% of their combat power to quickly resolve the battle.
It does not mean that they can naturally win within 90 minutes with 60% combat effectiveness.
After the score was equalized in this game, Aldridge adjusted his tactics and actively attacked, but the players on the field did not show a stronger aggressiveness. The decline in confrontation and impact are the best manifestations.
Aldridge said softly: "Maybe you and I have different ideas. I don't question your ambition to continue to achieve glory, but I think if things continue to develop like this, Millwall's glory in recent years will come to an end."
That's it. But maybe you don't agree. You think that we can maintain our status as the king of European football as it is now. Thank you for accompanying me these years and accompanying this club that once had nothing.
Through thick and thin, you are the heroes of the team. This cannot be erased. I am grateful, and I cannot bear to blame you too much. Regarding today's differences, I will take a step back and just follow your ideas. When we succeed, we will be together.
I will accompany you when you fail. When this season is over, we will see how it ends. If I am wrong, I apologize to you. If I am right, we will forget this season and start over. Now, let’s go back to
Go home."
As soon as Aldridge finished speaking, he stood up and walked slowly towards the door. Southgate shouted from behind: "Boss!"
In that scene, it seemed as if Aldrich was abandoning them and leaving.
Aldridge turned around and smiled, shook his head to stop the stunned Southgate from saying anything, and said softly: "As I said, success or failure, we will all be together. No big deal, we have to start over." (Unfinished.)
