Chapter 580: A Flash of Brilliance
"In the second half, Manchester United switched sides with Millwall. Henry was the last to step out of the tunnel. On this chilly winter day, he did something unexpected—pouring water over his head. What had Hall told him in the locker room? Was he trying to regain focus? After some hasty and disappointing shots in the first half, it was clear he needed to be more composed when it came to capitalizing on his chances."
Ferguson kept an eye on Aldrich as he took his place on the sideline. They both stood there, watching the game. If the match ended with Manchester United's victory, Ferguson would invite Aldrich to his office for a drink. At the very least, Beckham's shift to defensive midfield, inspired by Aldrich, had proven effective.
This couldn't be considered a regular option, but when faced with intense defensive pressure, using Beckham like this was far better than keeping him stuck on the wing.
With the second half about to start, Aldrich had his hands in his pockets, the faint sound of insults from the stands behind him. The Manchester United fans were applying pressure, trying to distract him and mess with his head.
It was common. If this were at the Lion King Stadium, the fans behind the opposing team's bench—The Lions' supporters—would be aggressively cursing the other team's entire family.
Aldrich stood tall, his hands in his pockets, eyes closed, a faint yet captivating smile playing on his lips.
Typically, fans of top teams carried a sense of superiority. They would ignore their opponents, showing off their gentlemanly demeanor, but in high-stakes matches or when their team was struggling, the atmosphere would turn chaotic.
Manchester United was leading 2-0 against Millwall.
Yet, there were still fans yelling insults at Aldrich. Why? Because they were uncertain! They were nervous! They were afraid!
The score at halftime didn't mean anything.
Was Aldrich angry? Numb? Calmly ignoring the noise?
No. He was enjoying it.
At Old Trafford, nearly 70,000 Manchester United fans were afraid of him, afraid of the mighty team he led!
Ferguson's expression shifted. His pupils constricted as he saw the slight upward curve of Aldrich's lips.
Two goals down, and this nemesis, the one he "loathed to the core," was actually smiling?
What adjustments had Aldrich made at halftime?
Ferguson's heart sank a little. A winning team doesn't change. Manchester United's defense and attack had worked well in the first half. There was no reason to make any drastic changes at halftime.
The game resumed. Both teams made their moves, with Manchester United controlling the pace of the match. Now, it was Millwall's turn to respond.
Ferguson adjusted his glasses, ready to closely observe Millwall's strategy for the second half.
From a tactical standpoint, Millwall made only minimal changes.
Klose played as the central forward, Henry on the left wing, and Larsson on the right wing.
Ronaldinho moved back into midfield, positioning himself slightly to the left.
Pirlo took up a defensive midfield role, slightly on the right side.
This setup was clearly aimed at restricting Manchester United's attack.
Pirlo was responsible for covering the right side, specifically keeping an eye on Giggs.
Ronaldinho matched up against Beckham, making sure to block his runs.
There were no significant changes, and the formation and positioning were almost identical to the second half of the first period, following Aldrich's adjustments.
But after Manchester United's attack was thwarted, Millwall's offense suddenly seemed to undergo a dramatic shift in style.
Southgate intercepted the ball from Van Nistelrooy and immediately sent a pass to the left wing.
Because Manchester United was playing a one-sided asymmetric wing strategy, Zambrotta's defensive side was compacted. On the attacking side, no one was marking him until he crossed the halfway line, and only Solskjaer was tracking him. However, since Solskjaer was chasing, as long as Zambrotta created space before receiving the ball, he was a perfect receiving option.
Zambrotta advanced the ball forward and passed it to Ronaldinho, who had made himself available.
Scholes immediately chased after Ronaldinho, but Manchester United didn't pay any attention to Pirlo's movements in the midfield unless he pressed forward into the attack.
As Scholes closed in on him, Ronaldinho launched a chipped pass over the top. Beckham and Keane, like deer caught in headlights, looked up at the ball sailing above their heads. It was such an unfamiliar sight! Millwall's usual attacks in the final third were all about quick, precise ground passing—short, intricate exchanges. Even when they played a long ball, it was typically a horizontal pass, a switch of play. But a vertical pass, like the one Ronaldinho just made, aimed directly into the dangerous space behind the defense? That was extremely rare.
Ronaldinho had ample time to observe and adjust before making the pass. Keane reacted quicker than Beckham, immediately dashing toward the penalty area. Before turning, he realized the worst possible situation: Brown!
In the first half, Brown performed decently in defense. With Manchester United's back four and two defensive midfielders, along with Millwall's poor form and Klose, who was playing as an attacking midfielder, being neutralized by Keane, Brown made no mistakes.
But suddenly, Millwall switched to long balls, sending them straight over the top!
Yes, that same long ball tactic that England fans can never get enough of but leaves everyone else utterly tired of it!
And this, Brown's weakness.
Now, Millwall has the towering Klose as their center forward!
When Keane turned around, what he saw confirmed his prediction.
Brown was chasing, and Klose had successfully avoided the offside trap, but instead of charging toward the center of the penalty area, he ran toward the sideline on Brown's side. Neither Ronaldinho's pass nor Klose's run was a naive attempt to bypass Manchester United's defense by simply sending the ball straight to the goal—such a tactic would have been too disrespectful to United's defensive line.
But Brown's height and ability to handle aerial duels were much weaker compared to Stam's, and this was something Millwall could exploit.
The long ball wasn't intended to be a killer blow, but rather to use Klose as a pivot, setting up the next attack.
Aldrich, though sitting on the bench during the first half, wasn't ignoring his team's poor performance. He was observing the opposition, thinking about counter strategies, and identifying Manchester United's weaknesses to exploit. This was his default mindset when managing the team.
Klose stopped suddenly at the edge of the penalty box, pivoted, and his quick turn caught Brown off guard.
What would he choose?
Would he control the ball?
No—he jumped!
As soon as Klose leapt, Brown immediately came to a stop. It was obvious—since Klose had jumped, the ball would be flicked on with a header!
In that brief moment, Klose knew exactly what to do. Aldrich's tactical adjustments in midfield were the key, allowing Klose to play the pivotal role, and he knew exactly where his teammates would be running at that moment—this had all been pre-arranged by the coach.
Klose's header flicked the ball into the area in front of the goal, right into the path of a shadowy figure who had stormed into Manchester United's penalty area ahead of him—just as Brown had left the space behind when he rushed toward Klose.
It was the cunning fox, Larsson!
Klose sent the ball forward to him, and Larsson darted into space. The ball came at a sharp angle, and without needing to control it, he struck it cleanly with his leg in a spectacular volley. As a striker, these types of shots were his favorite. If he hit it right, the ball would go flying with incredible speed and power!
The sound of Larsson's shot was captured clearly by the microphones on the sidelines. If you weren't watching, you'd think an explosion had gone off!
The ball was too fast to follow, and by the time anyone reacted, it had already rebounded out of the goal.
"Just three minutes into the second half, Millwall pulled one back! Klose's header set up Larsson perfectly for a glorious volley, and the striker didn't miss. It was a picture-perfect shot, and what a strike it was! It was like a shooting star, disappearing in a flash across the field. The ball flew off Larsson's foot and into Manchester United's net before anyone knew what had happened. Barthez stood there, completely still, as though he'd been frozen in time. No save attempt, nothing—maybe he was too stunned, or maybe he was just too shocked to move..."
And then came the most extraordinary moment. After Larsson's stunning shot found the back of the net, the ball actually bounced out and rolled right back to him! Without missing a beat, he bent down, grabbed the ball, and with a deadpan look, waved to his teammates as he ran back to the center circle.
Down by a goal, no celebration—just another example of Millwall's tradition.
Aldrich clenches his teeth and fiercely pumps his fist.
Old Trafford falls into silence, with several Red Devils supporters showing signs of concern.
Has it started?
Is it happening again?
At the moment the goal went in, Ferguson closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he was pointing directions on the sideline, motioning for Keane to drop deeper.
Then, his gaze once more landed on Aldrich.
No matter what, Ferguson had an immense respect for Aldrich's on-the-spot tactical decisions.
Millwall's first-team lineup was nearly flawless, with no obvious weaknesses. The team's overall cohesion, coordination, and the individual capabilities of its players were all on point. Even if one player had a weak spot, the team's ability to compensate for it kept the negative impact to a minimum. This made it incredibly difficult for the opposition to exploit any weaknesses in Millwall's defense. How else could they dominate the treble? How else could they go on an unbeaten streak for 65 matches?
In this game, Manchester United's coaching staff had focused on studying the potential risks posed by Millwall's incomplete lineup.
They noticed Klose was playing as an attacking midfielder, and Keane's first-half efforts to limit Klose's impact had been quite effective, leaving the German striker unable to contribute much to either defense or attack.
Additionally, with Gattuso missing, Neil struggled to form a solid partnership with Pirlo in the defensive midfield, giving Manchester United an opportunity to exploit this weakness by focusing their attacks on Giggs.
Whether it was shutting down key players or exploiting gaps, Manchester United had clearly been more successful in the first half than in their previous encounters. Although Butt's injury was unexpected, Manchester United had clearly been more dangerous in the first 45 minutes. Butt had been the best player for Millwall in the first half, making several crucial saves and preventing numerous dangerous situations.
This was a high-stakes match, with both sides putting out their best players. Millwall had been under control in the first half, but quickly adjusted after the break.
Ferguson wasn't convinced that Ronaldinho's unexpected long ball was a stroke of brilliance on the player's part—it had to be the coach's "plot"!
Millwall wasn't incapable of launching high balls; they were adept at crosses from the wings, a basic tactic. But sending a long ball directly into the box was rare for them.
In other words, if it hadn't been for the coach's plan, even if Ronaldinho had made that long pass, Klose might not have been aware enough to make the run.
And sure enough, Klose sprinted right behind Brown, just as Ronaldinho's ball was aimed there. Larsson, running into the space behind Brown, met Klose's header and scored.
This was, without a doubt, a well-crafted offensive strategy!
The approach wasn't rigid, but the thought process was clear.
The tactic targeted the weakest point in Manchester United's defense: Brown. He might not have feared Klose in a head-to-head challenge, but when it came to aerial duels, Brown couldn't match Klose. Aldrich exploited this weakness, ensuring that wherever Brown went, Klose would follow, and his teammates would deliver the ball accordingly.
Now, Ferguson had made the adjustment: he told Keane to drop deeper. Even if Millwall launched another similar attack, Keane would at least be in a position to fill the gap left behind when Brown followed Klose's run.
In the first half, Millwall had been on the back foot; in the second half, it was Manchester United who found themselves forced into making adjustments.
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