The entire Millwall team landed in Japan, setting off a football craze that was even more intense than before. For no other reason than the countdown to the World Cup in Korea and Japan, the World Cup group draw ceremony will be held on December 1st in Busan, South Korea.
During this trip to Japan, in addition to all members of the first team, Millwall also included three young players who were temporarily admitted to the first team, Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Ribery.
This year's Toyota Cup final was moved to Yokohama. Aldridge led the team to the hotel near the Yokohama International Arena and stayed at the hotel. The team prepared for the game in an orderly manner and declined all commercial activities.
There will be a World Cup in half a year, and Aldridge needs to give players enough rest time during the season, so all non-competitive activities this season should be avoided if possible.
At the pre-game press conference, Aldridge was troubled by questions from Asian reporters.
"Mr. Hall, the names of Southgate, Larsson and Nedved are not included in the 23-man Toyota Cup squad submitted by Millwall this time. Why is this?"
"Because there are not enough places."
"How many places are needed for a final? Since they didn't make the squad, why did they come to Japan?"
"Because we are a united team."
...
"Will you attend the World Cup draw ceremony to be held in South Korea in four days?"
"No, I want to lead the team to prepare for the league match against Manchester United."
...
Asian journalists felt a bit lost.
The World Cup is a global football feast. Aldridge is a well-known young coach in Europe. Even in the draw ceremony, his absence is regrettable.
The Football Association also hopes that Aldridge can join the draw delegation, a bit like an image ambassador, and public relations diplomacy to boost popularity.
However, Aldridge has no interest in the draw ceremony. Furthermore, after returning to London after playing the Toyota Cup, he will have to play Manchester United, Arsenal, and the East London Derby. His job is not easy. There is always one thing that he dare not abandon at all times.
Behind the head.
The club is his foundation. If he despises the club work for the national team, it will easily lead to people's betrayal.
Coincidentally, Millwall defended the Champions League in Europe, and Boca Juniors also defended the Copa Libertadores in South America at the same time.
After Millwall met Boca Juniors last year, the two teams will meet again in the Toyota Cup this year!
There will be another peak contest between Marshal Aldrich and Governor Bianchi.
This time in the Toyota Cup, Aldrich plans to use a half-main and half-substitute lineup to face Boca Juniors.
To this day, in the Toyota Cup, a competition where honor outweighs actual benefits, Millwall does not need to care too much about the outcome. It does not even have to deliberately show its football style to the world.
Just like when they used their substitute lineup to defeat Juventus with extreme counterattack in the Champions League, no one would criticize Millwall after the game for playing conservatively, anti-football, or treating the game negatively, etc., because in the outside world's impression
, the impression of Millwall's offensive football has been deeply ingrained, and occasional changes will add points to this team because they know how to be flexible, especially when they win the game.
There may not be much problem with the tacit understanding between the main players and the substitutes, but the young men who want to join the youth team have obvious running-in problems. Therefore, in preparation for the game, Aldrich's tactical options are also very limited, and there is no tacit understanding. That is,
There is no perfect teamwork, and we can only adopt simple and uncomplicated tactics.
On the day of the game, Yokohama International Arena.
Aldridge and Bianchi shook hands before the game. Last year, Bianchi was given a defeat. Today, the other side came here with the idea of revenge.
By coincidence, I thank God for his arrangement, giving Boca Juniors the opportunity for revenge.
Aldridge seemed calm and natural. Judging from Bianchi's remarks before the game, the opponent seemed to have an obsession for revenge.
He was accustomed to making enemies on all sides in Europe. Which wealthy family he encountered now? Isn't the other party clamoring for revenge?
Japanese fans are disappointed today.
Millwall's big stars, three of whom are in suits and ties, are sitting on the bench as staff. Southgate, Larsson, and Nedvěd, who are not included in the game squad, are here to participate.
They have gone to training, but they can't compete in the game, and they don't care. They have already won two Toyota Cups. It doesn't matter whether they want this useless championship or not. They free up their spots for teammates, which looks noble and honorable.
Other main players, handsome boy Pirlo, are also on the bench. Ronaldinho, Henry, and even Miroslav Klose are not in the starting lineup.
This is a tactic based on tough defense and counterattack.
For Boca Juniors, Riquelme, the biggest star player in last year's match, is still in the team, but Palermo has landed in Europe and is not in the team. However, there is still a newcomer on the front line, the beast Tevez.
Cristiano Ronaldo, who made an appearance last year, is very confident today. It can be seen from his hairstyle. He has applied a lot of hair gel and his hair is like a hedgehog's thorns standing on the top of his head. When he comes out, he looks serious and holds his head high.
Millwall's offensive combination is less than 20 years old. Boca Juniors is careless in underestimating the enemy. With the lessons of last year's defeat, we will not take it lightly today. Therefore, from the start of the game, Boca Juniors' attitude is more balanced and defensive.
Everything is stable, and the attack does not dare to rush forward.
Against Boca Juniors, Aldridge's pre-match requirements are still the same as last year.
Keep an eye on Riquelme.
This classical attacking midfielder has shone in South America, but unfortunately the frequency is too slow. In terms of skills alone, he can compete with Zidane. However, with Gattuso and Alonso's tacit understanding of pressing closely, he won the ball several times in a row.
All are pitiful.
Bianchi looked blank on the sidelines.
What's going on?
Last year, Riquelme was frozen. Is this the familiar rhythm again this year?
If the same thing happens a second time, it is definitely not a coincidence.
It's not that Riquelme didn't try his best, or that the opponent suddenly restrained his tactics. There is only one answer. Millwall's focus on man-marking and defensive strategies are effective.
This is an era when classical attacking midfielders are disappearing in Europe. Classical attacking midfielders one after another are disappearing or staying away from Europe. Even if players with such characteristics appear in the future, they have to change their playing style and position and redefine what Europe once was.
The mainstream midfielder organization era has come to an end.
In addition to the increased speed and rhythm of the game, the type of players is also very important.
For example, Millwall currently has the versatile Alonso in the midfield, Kaká in front who can act as a shadow forward, and the comprehensive tactical value of the classical attacking midfielder. Facing these two types of players, it is difficult to say that there is a clear advantage.
The almost negligible defensive ability of the classical midfielder and the weakness of slow speed are great hidden dangers for the team. Therefore, the French team needs to put double midfielders behind Zidane to protect the team's defense.
.
Another fatal reason is clearly reflected in today's game: relying on a single core lacks diverse options!
Riquelme was restricted on the court, and Boca Juniors' offense was completely paralyzed. A single offensive core has begun to fall behind not only in future football, but even in contemporary football.
In terms of overall strength, Millwall is still stronger than Boca Juniors, but in today's game, Millwall overwhelmingly defeated Boca Juniors with their technical and tactical strength.
In the first thirty minutes, Millwall's offense was biased to the right, with Neal and Franck Ribery playing vigorously on the right. However, there was only one point in the penalty area for Villa, and Kaká was not as good as Ned.
When Wade or Klose act as a shadow forward, they can enter the penalty area at the right time and catch the opponent off guard.
Cristiano Ronaldo is also still immature. Currently, Cristiano Ronaldo is just a supporting role for the team on the wing. He is a regular player who delivers cannonballs to the forwards. He just likes to show off his skills with his feet.
After 30 minutes, Millwall shifted the attack to the left, and Ronaldo cut into the penalty area. Alonso unexpectedly rushed up, received a pass from Kaká and then passed through. Ronaldo got the ball and shot. This was originally a goal.
It was a semi-one-on-one goal, but Ronaldo's shot was too positive and was blocked by the goalkeeper. Villa cleverly made a follow-up shot and took the lead.
After the goal at Millwall, Aldridge called Ribery and Ronaldo in front of him and asked them to change their playing style, or let them release themselves. Don't stick to the rules because you are young.
In the following time, even though Ribery and Ronaldo's breakthrough abilities were only average, they disrupted Boca Juniors' defensive system through clear dribbling routes.
The corridor in front of the box for the modern winger!
As long as the two of them got the ball, they would never go down and go to the middle. In the process of dribbling, they caused chaos to Boca Juniors' defensive system.
Why does Robben frequently perform the trick of cutting inside and shooting long shots in front of the penalty area?
In addition to his personal ability, this kind of modern winger's dribbling route itself will create temporary chaos for the opponent's defense. Originally, the full-back was following the defense, but the target ran to the center and came in front of the central defender.
The midfielder area, but the central defender and the midfielder may have their own marking tasks. Should they abandon the defensive goal, that is, continue to stick to man-marking defense, or use zone defense?
There is a conflict between the two, man-to-man defense, choose one of the two, put one, area defense, in this area, the number of people is disadvantageous, and it is impossible to cover everything.
This is the power of modern wingers. They not only change the route of dribbling the ball, but also make the opponent's defensive ability greatly reduced. In essence, they make the opponent adjust their defensive rhythm in a short period of time and cannot keep up. Seize this opportunity and create a
Huge threat.
In this way, the two modern wingers frequently create chaos in the opponent's defense. Even though it is impossible for one team to stage a solo breakthrough, it seems to create more opportunities.
Ribery and Ronaldo only need to dribble the ball across the middle to reach the penalty area. The opponent has a defender to defend them. The area behind the defender is empty. Kaká can step in and play the role of a shadow forward.
In the 40th minute of the game, this was the pattern. Kaka entered the penalty area after Ronaldo dribbled the ball in the middle. Ronaldo scored the ball and Kaka got a semi-lone chance. When another defender of the opponent came to help defend, he knocked across
On the other side, Villa, who was already unmarked, easily succeeded in pushing the ball and expanded the score to 2:0.
Bianchi was stunned on the sidelines.
He was unwilling to lose last year because Millwall defeated Boca Juniors with defensive counterattacks.
Although Millwall put up a counter-attack formation today, as Boca Juniors did not overly invest in the offense, Millwall's offense was not an excellent counterattack opportunity. It was biased toward positional warfare, and it was obvious that
There is no advantage in numbers either.
Millwall penetrated Boca Juniors' defense through advanced techniques and tactics. As for whether there is a chance to counterattack, that is secondary.
Bianchi looked at Aldrich next door, a chill rising in his heart.
Millwall limited Boca Juniors' offense and was able to penetrate Boca Juniors' defense.
If Millwall had sent all its main players to play, there would probably be no suspense in this game!
