Before he could order the whole team to make a last-ditch effort, Millwall kicked them off the edge of the cliff!
Beneath the abyss, Souness understood that he had lost, Blackburn had lost to Millwall, and he had lost to Aldridge.
He made a stupid move in the first half, causing the team to concede two goals. Excluding Ronaldo's goals, in other times, Millwall's offense and Blackburn's defense were actually more balanced.
Indistinguishable.
But the appearance of Cristiano Ronaldo changed this balanced situation.
Is Ronaldo better than Larmour?
No, Souness knows that he lost to Aldridge at the coaching level.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Larmour are players with different characteristics. He did not expect Cristiano Ronaldo to play. He did not study Cristiano Ronaldo enough, and his preparation was naturally insufficient. After Cristiano Ronaldo came on the stage, Blackburn did not change the defensive strategy accordingly.
There was no plan in terms of targeted restrictions. Souness lost on this point.
If it was Ronaldinho who came on stage, Blackburn would have made careful preparations, and so would everyone else.
However, Aldrich sent Cristiano Ronaldo, a player who might have been ignored to the greatest extent in the preparation work of Millwall opponents, because there are only 11 starters and 7 substitutes, and it is impossible to give them all.
Forwards, unfortunately, Millwall's substitute list today is full of offensive players.
Larmour can better integrate the team and stimulate the integrity of team operations, but Larmour does not have the impact of Ronaldo. When Ronaldo and Kaka worked together on the same line to break Blackburn's midfielder line.
Cristiano Ronaldo can also rush down one road and play the role of killer. This is his advantage. It is also the purpose of Aldrich sending him on the field.
Changing the rhythm, Blackburn defended Larmore for more than 60 minutes, and Larmore did not break through. They did not stand the test and suddenly became Ronaldo. This change caught Blackburn by surprise.
At this moment, Souness has no other choice. He orders the whole team to attack. The command is the same as in the established plan, but the meaning is different. Being behind by one goal means giving it a try, but falling behind by two goals is more like a desperate struggle.
!
Aldridge did not give any tactical instructions. He wanted to see whether the young players on the field could play in such a situation.
It sounds ridiculous, two goals ahead. Can't play anymore?
Yes, there are many teams that don’t know how to play the game when they are leading. Because their minds are constrained, is it offensive or defensive? How can the whole team’s thinking be unified? Some teams are frequently reversed, often when they are leading.
, the team failed to attack.
Cristiano Ronaldo always remembered the exchange with Aldridge before taking the field. At this time, he found that Blackburn was pressing forward and wanted to attack wildly. Aldridge did not say anything about retreating to counterattack, so he thought of the realm of "controlling the game."
When it comes to controlling the game, it must be driven by a certain player. For example, Pirlo does not need to control the ball, but he can achieve this goal by passing the ball. When he frequently chooses to play the ball safely, he is
When controlling the game, if described in a despicable way, he may be toying with his opponent, treating the opponent as a beast. He is the tamer, making the beast want to devour the opponent but there is nothing he can do.
Blackburn came forward, and Ronaldo paid special attention to the positions of Alonso and Zambrotta. He did not choose to rush forward, but ran back and forth slowly. When the ball came, he kicked the ball and quickly transferred the ball.
Blackburn carried out crazy sieges, and Millwall moved the ball faster and faster. One kick, two kicks, three kicks, and the ball seemed to be unable to pass. But when Blackburn moved the ball more and more with Millwall, it was crazy.
The focus of the siege also continued to shift, the defensive system was torn apart, and after arriving, they themselves were in chaos.
In the 87th minute, Alonso faced a siege and passed the ball back to Gianluca Zambrotta, who launched a long pass without hesitation.
This long pass was not particularly accurate, but in front of his side, there was a big gap in Blackburn's defense. When the ball flew over the midfield, Ronaldo had already crossed the opponent's back line!
When he saw the ball, Aldridge stood up from the coaching bench because he saw all three Millwall players successfully countered offside!
Cristiano Ronaldo got the ball on the wing, but the ball stopped poorly and slowed down. He only had two options at this time. Going forward was the basis, but did he go it alone or pass the ball?
If he works alone and starts cutting in at speed, Blackburn will definitely be able to catch up.
Pass the ball, as long as the ball is passed steadily to the center, Klose and Villa, no matter who it is, will face the goalkeeper one-on-one, one-on-one!
This time is a test of whether he puts himself first or the team at this moment!
Therefore, Aldrich stood up and stared at Ronaldo. He was like Najib when he first met Ronaldinho. He couldn't help but murmured to himself: "Pass, pass, pass."
Ronaldo originally wanted to go it alone, this opportunity is great!
Maybe he was too excited and didn't stop the ball properly. Instead, he lightly kicked the ball forward. Then he caught up with the ball and stopped it, and the speed dropped. At this time, he saw the ball being outflanked in the middle to follow up.
Klose also has Villa at the far end. If he works alone, he will have to get rid of at least one defender who is chasing back when he enters the penalty area.
Using the arch of his left foot, he kicked the ball hard toward the center. Ronaldo chose to pass the ball!
Aldridge closed his eyes and exhaled a long breath. Regardless of whether the goal scored or not, Ronaldo, during his time as a substitute today, Aldridge could give him 9 points, which is almost perfect!
When he closed his eyes, he heard loud cheers erupting from the stadium.
The coaching staff around me applauded, cheered, and the laughter spread.
Aldridge opened his eyes and saw Klose doing a somersault in celebration.
"4:1, Millwall secured the victory, the first crown of the new year, firmly in the bag. Congratulations to Millwall, this is a young victory for them, a victory that Hall said belongs to Millwall's future.
Victory, the profound meaning behind this victory is far more important than a championship trophy!"
Souness straightened out his suit, turned and walked to Millwall's coaching bench. The game ended with 1 minute left. He came over at this time and congratulated Aldridge in advance.
Aldridge shook hands with him. Then the two stood on the sidelines and had a brief conversation. As a young man, Aldridge gently patted Souness on the arm. In any case, this coach who was very brilliant in his player days,
There was no deep friendship between Aldrich and him, but at least there was respect.
Moreover, Souness has good connections in the English football world and has many friends. This shows that he is very popular.
When the full-time whistle sounded, the players and coaches on the Millwall coaching bench stood up and hugged each other. They were walking into the field. After all, the League Cup is not important.
But the players on the field, like Alonso, were running around excitedly, laughing and roaring heartily.
From beginning to end, players like Alonso Kaká and Klose Villa are the first choices for the starting lineup. Unless there is an injury, this trophy is not "mixed" by them, but by them.
I put it together myself, and it has extraordinary meaning.
Aldridge walked onto the court to congratulate the players and then, at the request of reporters, took photos with some players on the sidelines.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka stood beside him on the left and right, while Villa sat cross-legged in front of him. They made thumbs-up gestures and smiled.
When they returned to the locker room after the award ceremony, this group of young players almost had a quarrel. They were naked and wearing underwear, with medals hanging around their necks. They took photos with the medals in their hands and bit them in their mouths. Gattuso used the trophy as a cup.
, filled up the champagne, drank a few sips, and then poured it on his teammates.
Aldridge knew that the senior players on the team would celebrate in moderation, and as for the young people, they were allowed to indulge as much as they wanted today.
The next day, Fleet Street focused on Millwall's League Cup win. The League Cup itself did not have much appeal. However, apart from Millwall using half of its main lineup in the final, all other games were played by young players.
The players took the lead and made it all the way to the final. In the final, all 4 goals came from substitute players.
"Perhaps we cannot regard Klose as a stable substitute for Millwall, because he has been competing for the main team. If anyone in Millwall's main striker trident cannot play, then Klose must be the first choice. He is the first choice.
There is no difference between the number of appearances in the season and the main players, but young players like Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo definitely represent Millwall's future. The League Cup has always been a training stage for the Premier League's strong teams, but they can train here.
To produce such an effect, dare to decide
In such a well-organized game, and boldly trusting young players, Hall's courage is worthy of admiration. His risk has received returns beyond expectations. We should stop asking: Why is Millwall so strong? We should ask: Why?
Some strong teams dare not give trust to young players? Why is there a huge gap between them and Millwall in terms of investment in youth training? Why do they prefer to spend 10 million pounds to introduce players, but are unwilling to spend 3 million pounds to improve youth training conditions?
"
David Miller is a loyal fan of Aldridge, but he does not blindly worship Aldridge. He will dig deep into the reasons for Millwall's success, summarize them, and spread them out, hoping to have a positive impact on football.
.
As for the Sun newspaper's headline "Millwall ensures at least a double crown this season!", Aldridge basically doesn't even read the content. However, he is still happy for the media to hype it up. As long as it is not excessive, it is also for Mill.
Wall does publicity.
The young players were having too much fun. Celebrating the championship consumed too much of their energy. Even after a day off and returning to the club the next day, none of them recovered. Cristiano Ronaldo originally ran to Aldrich alone and asked to be included in the Champions League squad.
He definitely won't be able to start, but he hopes to be a substitute.
However, Aldridge refused on the grounds that his physical condition was not enough to serve as a substitute. Ronaldo left disappointed and went back to speed up his recovery.
He wants to play in the Champions League out of selfish motives, because Millwall is going to Porto, Portugal to play in the Champions League in midweek. Ronaldo wants to take the opportunity to return to his hometown. It is best to make an appearance in front of his compatriots and tell everyone with practical actions.
Portuguese: At the age of 17, I was wearing the jersey of a wealthy club and standing on the stage of the Champions League!
Millwall's main players were very clear-headed. Just two days later, winning the League Cup seemed like it had never happened. They were fully prepared for the Champions League. In the away game at Boavista, the main players performed stably and won the away game.
Defeated Boavista with a score of 3:0 and won three consecutive victories in the second stage of the Champions League group stage. As long as they return to home and win Boavista again a week later, they will be declared qualified for the quarterfinals of the Champions League! (To be continued...)
