Chapter 187: Rivalry Between Old Friends
Since arriving in England, Wenger had faced isolation and criticism from the media and his peers. Many perceived his elegance as a form of eccentricity, making him stand out even among the Premier League managers. Outsiders interpreted his uniqueness as a declaration of his individuality, which naturally attracted scrutiny and disdain.
At the Lion's Den Stadium, Wenger met Aldrich once again, the two old friends reuniting on the battlefield. As the match approached, Aldrich was used to appearing at the sidelines well before kickoff, especially for home games. He would often first head to the VIP box to chat with Puskás, Arthur, and Yvonne, or exchange a few words with the journalists in the press box.
With five minutes to go before the match started, Aldrich walked down from the stands. When he passed by the away team's bench, he saw Wenger standing up, and they exchanged brief pleasantries.
"Life in London is harder than I imagined," Wenger sighed, a hint of sadness in his voice.
Aldrich smiled and replied, "Yeah, there are many enemies for the head coach here, and the media and public are a big part of that."
Wenger furrowed his brows, saying, "Why does it seem like everyone is against me? It's quite strange."
"It is what it is; in this environment, there are deep-rooted forces that want outsiders to conform to their traditions. If you don't play along, you'll become the target."
"My job is to lead the team to victory, not to have drinks and chats with other coaches. Are you inviting me to hang out after the match?"
"I would, but I can understand if you don't want to come."
"Let's skip it then."
Aldrich and Wenger patted each other on the arms before returning to their respective coaching areas.
"Tonight, traditional powerhouse Arsenal is visiting the Lion's Den Stadium to take on league leaders Millwall. If we could turn back time, I doubt anyone would believe the current gap on the points table between Millwall and Arsenal. Even if someone did, they would certainly think Arsenal was ahead. But reality is cruel; Millwall might claim the Premier League title six to eight rounds early this season, as long as they maintain their outstanding performance."
"Hall has taken the lessons from last season's championship challenges to heart. This year, he's given young players more opportunities in cup matches while his stable starting lineup goes all out in the league. This starting formation has appeared in 22 Premier League matches, achieving an impressive record of wins and draws. The quartet of Nedved, Larsson, Trezeguet, and Shevchenko has earned the nickname 'The Fantastic Four.' When they are on the field together, Millwall's attacking display is almost magical. However, I believe the key player is the Italian guy behind Nedved, Pirlo. His presence significantly impacts Millwall's attacking efficiency. Ballack and Lampard can't replace his role in the offense, although the latter two contribute more defensively, which is evident."
"Arsenal's ranking hasn't changed much from last year; they remain in the second tier of teams. However, under the guidance of the Frenchman Wenger, the team's style of play has started to undergo a fundamental transformation. While they still focus on counterattacking, they've abandoned traditional English long balls in favor of European-style ground play. This is quite similar to what Hall has built at Millwall. Millwall's rise has created a storm in the Premier League and is quietly changing English football, as more and more teams begin to emulate them. For instance, the newly promoted Leicester City has been performing impressively this season. Martin O'Neill's team employs a defensive counterattacking style but prefers to play on the ground and attack down the wings. Middlesbrough is also undergoing changes; they've brought in several technical players, but Robson's attempts to revamp the team seem to be encountering difficulties. Middlesbrough's strength has significantly increased, yet their results have dropped sharply compared to last year, and they are now struggling to avoid relegation."
...
As the players took to the field, many fans in the stands held up signs, expressing anger towards Pires and Vieira for their summer moves to Arsenal.
Fans often display selfish emotions; it's human nature.
They felt that those two had betrayed Millwall by transferring to their local rivals. However, their dissatisfaction was a mild grievance. If a player were to join Chelsea or West Ham United, it would be an entirely different story. For now, the fans were more inclined to revel in a sense of schadenfreude.
"Look at you two wanting to join Arsenal. Now you're completely dumbfounded, aren't you?!"
Pires spent most of the season at Arsenal sitting on the bench.
As for Vieira, although he was a starter now, if he had remained at Millwall, he would have been lifting the championship trophy this season.
Millwall, on the other hand, had a relatively complete squad. Shevchenko, who had felt unwell in the last match, recovered after two days off. This was Aldrich's approach to safeguard his players; if any player showed even the slightest discomfort in training, he would not force them to play, preventing small issues from escalating into bigger problems.
The lineup consisted of goalkeeper Butt, with a backline of Schneider, Stam, Southgate, Capdevila, and three midfielders: Makélélé, Pirlo, and Nedved, with the attacking trio of Larsson, Trezeguet, and Shevchenko.
On Arsenal's side, even though Wenger had taken over, their basic formation remained unchanged from the past two years.
The lineup included goalkeeper Seaman, with five defenders: Dixon, Bould, Adams, Keown, Winterburn, three midfielders: Vieira, Platt, Mason, and forwards Wright and Bergkamp.
As soon as the match began, Arsenal retreated in full, compressing their lines into their half while maintaining clear structure. Vieira and Platt protected the central area, the five defenders created a tightly-knit defense, and Mason made wide, active runs to intercept. Wright and Bergkamp positioned themselves one behind the other, with Bergkamp acting more like a secondary striker, playing a crucial role in organizing and scoring in the attack.
Due to Arsenal's defensive posture at the start, their numbers in the midfield and defense made it difficult for Pirlo to find space moving forward, so he stationed himself in midfield, coolly orchestrating the play like a commander.
In Millwall's setup, Pirlo wasn't particularly eye-catching; he rarely appeared to assist or score directly, but his absence meant a noticeable dip in the overall quality of Millwall's attacking efforts.
He was often the player making an unintentional yet vital switch that would shift Millwall's attacks to the opponent's most fragile defensive spots.
Nedved was busy running back and forth up front to draw attention from Vieira and Platt while Mason pressed Pirlo. Without holding onto the ball too long, Pirlo executed a quick one-two with Makélélé to create space. Receiving the ball on the right side of midfield, he suddenly sent a precise ground through ball across to the left flank. The ball sliced through the narrow passing lane to assist Capdevila, who immediately stormed forward with pace. At the same time, Larsson moved towards the flank, drawing Dixon's attention, and Nedved came forward to support. Capdevila released the ball, and Nedved with a deft touch slipped the ball between Arsenal's fullback and center-back.
At the right moment, Larsson made a diagonal run into the box. Bould rushed in to defend, but Larsson settled the ball with a touch, then flicked it to place the ball over to the right upper corner of the Arsenal goal.
Heeman, back on the field after his injury, leaped dramatically and managed to push the ball over the bar with a single hand.
"What a world-class save! Larsson's shot was spectacular, and Seaman's save was brilliant!"
A chorus of gasps erupted from the stands, followed by a wave of applause.
Millwall's attack was truly a sight to behold.
Aldrich stood at the sidelines with his arms crossed, appreciating the impact of Pirlo on this attack. His distribution sparked the offensive play, spotting the opponent's weak defensive links. Moreover, his lateral switches compelled the opponent's formation to shift significantly, creating gaps. Other midfield players might be able to make successful passes, but being capable of identifying weaknesses on the left from the right during play, and then executing it, was not guaranteed.
Leisurely, Pirlo jogged over to take the corner kick, which had become an essential part of his training routine. Now, for Millwall's free-kicks, Schneider would handle tactical passes, while Pirlo would take direct shots; he also took charge of corner kicks.
Instead of delivering a ball directly into the danger zone, Pirlo opted for a tactical corner. He passed it to Schneider, who had infiltrated the right flank. After controlling the ball, Schneider delivered a cross. This change in rhythm disrupted the opponent's defense.
The delivery was threatening; the ball curled to the far post. Arsenal's defenders pushed forward as soon as the corner was taken, causing them to backtrack as the ball was play back, clearly taking them a second too late.
Emerging from the back post, Capdevila powered a header toward Arsenal's goal.
Just as he was about to celebrate, the linesman signaled for offside.
Capdevila shook his head and retreated toward his half.
There's no denying it, that's offside, but it wasn't Capdevila caught in it; it was Trezeguet who lost track of Arsenal's advancing defense and clearly jumped the gun when Schneider delivered the pass. Capdevila, on the other hand, didn't go offside as he made his late run to score. But, hey, that's how the offside rules played out back then.
Aldrich didn't complain; it was a rule everyone adhered to, and there was no unfair treatment – that was indisputable.
Arsenal transitioned from defense to attack, moving the ball forward from the back; the players' runs created a visual akin to a dance of butterflies.
Platt distributed the ball to the advancing Vieira, who then passed it to Dixon on the wing, where Bergkamp was making a run. Capdevila had already made his way back, while Wright positioned himself between Makélélé and the defense, with Mason obstructed by Makélélé's positioning.
Dixon advanced with the ball, and Nedved helped out defensively on the wing. Rather than trying to outrun Nedved, Dixon passed the ball centrally. Vieira was now being tightly marked by Larsson and Trezeguet, but there was indeed someone there to receive it—Adams!
Just as Adams was about to collect the ball, a foot intervened in front of him, intercepting the pass and initiating a counter-attack. Adams instinctively used his body to knock the opponent down.
"Wow, Pirlo just completed a defensive recovery! This isn't something you'd expect from him, but in the slow-mo, we can see that despite seemingly staying in midfield, he was consciously tracking Adams. When the ball was played, he stepped up to toe poke it away, a fantastic interception! It looks like Hall had special instructions for Pirlo in the pre-match talk."
However, Pirlo's physical stature played against him, getting knocked down by the considerably bigger Adams.
After Pirlo fell, the referee blew the whistle and signaled that Adams had committed a foul. Given the level of the collision, Pirlo didn't hold a definitive advantage over Adams, so it was unlikely the referee would pull out a card. As Pirlo got back up, he quickly aimed to take the free kick, while Adams cleverly kicked the ball away a bit and then turned to jog back to his defense.
Feeling frustrated, Pirlo had to retrieve the ball again to restart the free-kick.
However, he gained greater confidence from the incident. Defense was his weak point, and he knew he needed to enhance both his defensive capabilities and awareness. Aldrich was surely helping him with this; in every match he started, Aldrich would sit with him individually, explaining the opponent's attacking traits, advising what aspects he should focus on when defending.
Today, the attacking strategies of Arsenal were fresh in Pirlo's mind, and his previous defensive action was not mere coincidence. This experience was vital for enhancing his defensive awareness and adding to his precious experience.
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