Chapter 182: An Eye for an Eye
The dialogue between strong teams is the focal point of tactical battles, as the overall strength of both sides is closely matched. Thus, the formations set out by the coaches become particularly interesting, directly impacting the outcome of the match.
Liverpool started today's game with more intensity and seriousness than Millwall.
You could see it in their running, aggressive pressing, and the positional connections among the players.
Both teams had almost identical attacking patterns, focusing on winning the midfield battles, quickly transitioning through the center, and then exploiting the opponent's defensive gaps down the left flank.
For Millwall, it was Gronkjaer, while Liverpool had McManaman.
Roy Evans watched as Gronkjaer sped past the defenders with the ball, his heart racing as he thought, "Damn it, I've made a mistake!"
Shevchenko's sudden illness before the match forced Millwall to substitute him, and while Evans expected the left wing to be filled by Larsson, instead, he got an aggressive Danish player.
Gronkjaer was a player who relied on his speed and explosiveness. He left everything on the pitch, and every time he dropped back to receive the ball along the flank, the entire stadium was electrified by his presence.
Even though the fans were used to his poor crossing, they couldn't help but rise to their feet and cheer for his lightning-fast dribbles and breakthroughs.
This classic winger style created a visually stunning spectacle.
From the stands overlooking the entire field, spectators could clearly see that whenever Gronkjaer picked up the ball, he would make the Liverpool defense retreat quickly, giving the illusion that he was drawing the entire stadium to move horizontally.
McAteer had no idea how many times Gronkjaer had already gotten past him. Frustrated, he attempted a foul, pushing Gronkjaer with his hands. Gronkjaer stumbled out of bounds but regained his balance and continued sprinting, managing to control the ball just before it went out.
Jones was also exasperated with this kid; before the match, Evans made it clear that they needed to cut off the winger's inside runs, and he was following through with that.
But this defensive strategy was aimed at Larsson, while the Dane before him opted not to cut inside. Like most wingers, he stayed wide, cutting to the byline to deliver crosses.
Once again, Jones blocked the inside route effectively, and predictably, Gronkjaer took the ball down to the byline. As Jones turned to defend directly against him, Gronkjaer finally sent a decent cross into the area.
Trezeguet went for a header at the near post, and James reacted swiftly, leaping to deflect the ball. It looked like it was going to the top corner but was batted away by James with one hand.
The ball rebounded right in front of Jones, who used his foot to cushion it. Without waiting for it to settle, he unleashed a powerful kick forward.
In midfield, Makelele kept an eye on Barnes ahead of him; Ballack had just pushed forward and hadn't returned, and was rushing back to defend.
Heading isn't Makelele's strong suit, and Barnes had already claimed the position for the best angle.
Makelele pointed to the other side where Bog was, evidently signaling for Ballack.
Barnes flicked the ball with his head to Bog, who was right there. Ballack had almost gotten back, but in a rash decision, he stretched out a leg to intercept from behind, allowing Bog to accelerate forward and easily shake him off.
Makelele was utterly speechless, quickly retreating to compress the attacking space, preventing the opponent from slipping through with short passes towards the goal.
Ballack couldn't hide his frustration, realizing he'd made a defensive error, and immediately turned to chase back.
Bog took a couple of steps before passing to the left flank to McManaman. Meanwhile, Bog and Barnes quickly surged toward Millwall's goal, drawing their defense's attention along with Kolyma, who was also on the move to distract.
After receiving the ball, McManaman surged forward. Having just experienced a counter-attack after their own attack had concluded, Larsson was still about ten meters away, leaving McManaman in a favorable one-on-one situation against Schneider. With a quick feint and change of direction, he bypassed Schneider. Looking at the situation inside the box, he opted for a knee-high cross, which was far more effective than Gronkjaer's.
It seemed like the pass was aimed at the front post, and Collymore was closely marked by Stam. His movement drew Stam into a deeper position, but the ball's trajectory went behind them.
Makelele chased back to try and intercept, but Barnes kept drawing his attention, so he couldn't sprint fully. What they didn't expect was that Liverpool had three players converging on one point for the attack.
Collymore provided the cover, with Barnes and Bogg positioned behind him. Southgate and Makélélé could only block the angles, but Bogg had the advantage and made a timely run into the box, unleashing a powerful strike. His foot made perfect contact with the ball, sending it flying toward the goal.
Boot lowered his center of gravity, preparing to block the shot with his body. In an instant, all his movements were instinctive, and he thought the shot, while powerful, was at a manageable angle for him to stop.
However, no one anticipated a deflection halfway through. Stam reflexively attempted to block it with his body, but the ball hit his outstretched calf and veered off course, heading straight into the far corner of the net.
Boot was left wide-eyed, while Stam gaped in disbelief.
The stadium fell silent.
"Goal! Stam deflected the ball into his own net, though strictly speaking, this can't be considered an own goal, as Bog's shot was clearly on target. But if Stam hadn't touched it, Boot would have had a good chance at a save. It's unbelievable, Liverpool has taken the lead away from home!"
"This perfectly illustrates how right Hall was to vent at his squad earlier. It feels like Millwall is missing something today—perhaps the control over the game? Or maybe the creativity in the midfield? On the surface, they don't seem to hold a dominant position. Larsson has been silent, Trezeguet is just trying to cut in but lacks support, and Nedved isn't providing any spark in linking up the front line."
"I think this is why Evans's tactics are working today. It seems that against Millwall, Liverpool's approach should be to reduce one forward, bolster midfield defense, and during counter-attacks, avoid blind long balls but instead transition quickly through the middle with ground passes. This method can find a way to counter Millwall effectively."
After the goal, Bog jubilantly dashed toward the sidelines, but he was first embraced by Kolyma. Then the other Liverpool teammates raced over, surrounding him in celebration, some roaring at the stands with expressions of triumph.
As McManaman, Little Redknapp, and Barnes joined him, they were reminded of the shame they felt since their crushing 0-8 defeat six months ago, which had not only drawn criticism from fans but had left them embarrassed themselves. If they were to face any team in the Premier League that could stoke their competitive spirit right now, it would undoubtedly be Millwall, while their long-standing rivals, Manchester United and Everton, because of historical hatred, felt less intense in comparison.
Since last season, Millwall had inflicted wounds on Liverpool, tearing apart their pride and superiority.
Now, Liverpool's players were determined to repay Millwall for everything.
So this goal sent them into a frenzy of excitement.
"As he made his way back to the half, Collymore covertly shot a middle finger towards the bench of the home team."
Aldrich didn't see it; he was too busy cheering on his players.
However, some fans in the stands and people on the coaching staff noticed, leading to a chorus of boos erupting in the stadium. Coaches like Jensen rushed out in anger.
"What the hell are you doing? You piece of trash!"
"Jansen stormed onto the pitch, pointing angrily at Collymore's face. Collymore stepped back, then raised his hand and pushed Jansen's face away."
"Aldrich was taken aback by Jansen's move, and immediately dashed over, just in time to catch Collymore's action. He stood between Jansen and Collymore and turned to the approaching referee, saying, 'Their player provoked me and just laid hands on me.'"
The referee stepped in to separate the two sides, while the Liverpool players quickly returned to their half since they were in the lead.
Because Jensen had entered the pitch, the referee ruled that he was the initial provocateur. Once Aldrich understood the whole situation, he explained his reasoning to the referee: The opposing player was the first to make an obscene gesture toward us.
But the referee hadn't seen it and, after discussing with the fourth official, showed Kolyma a yellow card before issuing Jensen a red, sending him off.
Aldrich sighed in helplessness, lowering his head slightly before coolly addressing the referee: "You're allowing a player who made such a gesture to remain on the field? Is it a mere yellow card for flipping off the other coach? If that's the case, I'll have my players each flip off Evans over there."
The referee talked with Aldrich for a long time, but regardless of what Aldrich said, he just shook his head.
In the end, whether Aldrich agreed or not, the referee warned him that if he incited his players to make gestures that affected the match, not only would there be red card penalties, but there would also be a hearing from the disciplinary committee awaiting him.
Aldrich walked back to the coaching area, now crossing his arms.
"He wouldn't intentionally retaliate against Collymore with a middle finger; it wasn't necessary. The other side was trash, did he really have to stoop to their level and get entangled with such scum?"
But that didn't mean Aldrich wasn't angry. The only way to vent this frustration was to defeat Liverpool.
Half an hour into the match, Liverpool had taken the lead.
At this point, Aldrich had a clear understanding of Liverpool's tactical setup.
If they had a "second striker" behind their forwards, their tactics resembled those of an Italian single-wing system.
Two flanks, with one focused on defense and the other on attacking.
McManaman on the left not only suppressed Schneider's offensive contributions but also forced Larsson to drop back, reducing their attacking threat.
McAteer on the right was supposed to combine with Jones to contain Larsson, but they instead encountered Gronkjaer, who was single-minded in cutting to the byline to cross, leading to no threat from Millwall's left flank.
In midfield, Ballack and Nedved were struggling against the opponent's three midfielders. Their short passes were met with obstacles due to a lack of width.
Halftime was a suitable time for adjustments, but Millwall needed some changes as well. Their attack had its advantages; it was just terribly inefficient.
Aldrich gestured to the players on the pitch, and the attacking players understood what he meant.
With just over ten minutes left in the first half, Aldrich's instructions were simple: elevate individual performance.
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