Capítulo 174: Midfield Commander Pirlo
A year ago, Aldrich had stated in an interview that Gullit was at the end of his career, sneering at Fleet Street's adulation of him, which drew the ire of Chelsea fans.
However, Gullit did indeed serve a season at Chelsea, and the team's position in the league showed little change from the previous season, even slipping into the lower half. Naturally, with Gullit taking the helm, the media began to stoke the rivalry between the two.
In terms of their career ages, both Gullit and Aldrich were considered young managers. Aldrich had started two years earlier and had already achieved some success, while Gullit, though not possessing the best squad, could still hold his own. However, his team's recent record of three consecutive wins with Millwall paled in comparison.
Millwall fans continued to look down on Chelsea, doing everything they could to humiliate the club and arriving at their rivals' ground with an air of arrogance.
Aldrich had reduced the frequency of verbal sparring this season, as his team was at the top of the league. Staying out of trouble and maintaining squad morale was the way forward, especially since no one had provoked him.
As Manchester United sought to regroup in a critical phase, the Champions League was facing its final group stage match. If Ferguson had his wits about him, he would ensure the team kept a low profile in preparation to alleviate unnecessary pressure.
Though Wenger had landed in North London and was busy trying to reshape Arsenal, he was still familiarizing himself with the English landscape. As for verbal clashes? He was grateful enough that reporters weren't bothering him.
Last season, Kevin Keegan had seen his championship dreams dashed by Millwall. After bringing in Shearer, his defense remained a mess, and his days at St. James' Park were beginning to turn difficult.
Their arch-rivals, West Ham United, entered the league in a relegation battle from the start. Old Ray would have to be insane to provoke a war; all he wanted was for Aldrich to spare him during the East London derby this season.
As for Gullit, he was a superstar among players but a rookie in the coaching world; until he had proven himself, he wouldn't dare to challenge Aldrich boastfully.
In this chaotic and eventful season in the Premier League, every team had their own worries, and no one wanted to provoke Millwall. Most lacked the strength to do so, while a few who did were too intimidated after facing them. If Manchester United and Liverpool's point gap were smaller, perhaps a psychological battle would have already begun. Unfortunately, their own teams were already in turmoil.
In the pre-match press conference, Aldrich showed no willingness to comment on Chelsea, nonchalantly replying with words when asked: "just okay."
Defense?
Just okay.
Team style?
Just okay.
Gullit?
Just okay.
Di Matteo?Just okay.
Vialli?
Just okay...
Chelsea was sitting in a "mediocre" ranking, with their goal tally and goals conceded reflecting an equally average performance.
Aldrich felt his comments were rather fair, but once twisted, they turned into disdain.
Gullit's response was measured: "Hall's coaching record is indeed outstanding, but he should show more respect towards Chelsea. How my players perform is not for him to judge."
If it hadn't been for the reporters asking, Aldrich wouldn't have bothered saying anything either.
Moreover, he felt he had shown enough respect to Chelsea.
We are arch-rivals!
Not stepping on you is a form of respect.
At Stamford Bridge, the weather was fine and bright.
Aldrich appeared at the visitors' dugout, glancing around before choosing to sit down.
Gullit, in his tracksuit, sat together with his coaching staff.
The players from both sides began to make their entrances.
As the announcer introduced the starting lineups, a chorus broke out from the stands.
The previously quiet stands were mostly filled with Chelsea fans, but the visiting Millwall fans numbered less than four thousand.
Yet, they gathered in the away section, with Brady leading the Lions' fans, who began to sing loudly.
Aldrich glanced at the away fans, where various cheering banners were gathered, something he was used to.
However, what was that song they were singing in unison?
Aldrich frowned slightly, hearing the vulgar lyrics in the song. This was just too lowbrow, wasn't it?
Normally, it was common to hear fans insulting each other from the stands, and putting it into song form was typical.
But there were still boundaries; fans who crossed the line could harm their clubs. For instance, Bolton fans made plane crash gestures during a match against Manchester United after the Munich air disaster, which left them as pariahs, and Premier League clubs were especially intense with them, making even player signings difficult.
What Millwall fans were singing today was really unpleasant to the ears.
What puzzled Aldrich was that the lyrics had absolutely nothing to do with Chelsea.
Were they here at Stamford Bridge to display their shamelessness?
He had not noticed that next to him, Gullit looked frighteningly grim, his mouth moving slightly as if grinding his teeth.
On the substitutes' bench, Materazzi and Zambrotta were laughing.
Seeing the expressions of the two players, Aldrich asked, "What are you laughing about?"
Materazzi pointed to the away fans, while Zambrotta raised an eyebrow in that direction.
"What do you mean? What's so funny about that?"
A vulgar song was not something Aldrich found humorous.
Materazzi laughed loudly, "Boss, that song was once sung by Chelsea's head coach, Mr. Gullit."
Aldrich's expression froze for a moment. This crude song had been sung by the braids-strapped coach next door?
Materazzi continued to chuckle, "A few years ago, he joined a third-rate band and covered many such songs as a bassist. For a while in Italy, everyone found him quite disgusting. I can't remember the name of that album."
"It was called 'Revelation-Time'," Zambrotta chimed in immediately.
Aldrich, along with the other coaches and players, started laughing.
The arrogant braids-strapped coach was indeed one of a kind, quite cool.
This explained it—Millwall fans were directly humiliating the opposing head coach today.
After laughing, Aldrich scrutinized Chelsea's starting lineup.
Despite Gullit having both Vialli and Zola as two major forwards, the mainstay in Chelsea's attack was an aging veteran from an earlier era, the Welsh king Mark Hughes, who today partnered with Vialli.
The midfield was anchored by Di Matteo, with Chelsea's spiritual leader Wise accompanying him. The addition of Leboeuf bolstered their defensive strength.
Though Chelsea's international team-building approach lagged behind Millwall's, they at least had a roster that held some recognition—not at all comparable to the rubbish team that was West Ham United.
But how well those eleven players performed would still need to be tested on the pitch.
As the match began, both sides immediately took their positions, with the tempo of the game being fast from the very first second.
Chelsea had strengthened their squad this year, with a new coach bringing in high spirits. The team was full of tough and fierce players, including stars who weren't afraid to challenge Millwall's fourteen-match winning streak. They were ready for combat!
At the start, Chelsea's pressing game caught Millwall somewhat off guard; after all, it was the latter's home ground, and the players were slower to get into their rhythm, which was perfectly normal.
The game was tightly contested from the onset.
Pirlo struggled to organize under pressure from Wise and Di Matteo. Occasionally, he managed to find a breakthrough ball through the middle, but the sweeper Leboeuf was there to heroically clear it. Though his movements looked a bit clumsy, the fans in the stands loved such displays, cheering them on in waves.
After twenty minutes, Millwall had hardly created any good opportunities.
However, Chelsea could not capitalize either. At midfield, Di Matteo, who usually thrived in skills, was now being pressured by Nedved and Pirlo, struggling to perform. His passing routes were constantly anticipated; even Schneider, who was still refining his defensive skills, was managing to preemptively steal position to nullify the opponent's penetrative plays on the right flank.
Benitez said to Aldrich, "Pirlo isn't playing well today."
"He's intimidated by Wise. That kid is cunning and troublesome."
"Should we pull Nedved back?"
"No need. I actually want to see if he can adjust on his own; it seems he needs some guidance."
Aldrich stood up from his seat just as Vialli was knocked down by Stam in a tussle, requiring the team doctor to check on him. He then called Pirlo over.
"Andrea, for the next ten minutes, run all your attacks down the left side. After that, we'll switch to the right. Got it?"
Pirlo asked, slightly confused, "What if there aren't good passing lanes on the left?"
"Just do as I say, and you'll understand in ten minutes."
Pirlo nodded and stopped questioning, beginning to execute Aldrich's instructions.
Millwall dominated possession for a longer duration, and although Chelsea pressed aggressively, their formation remained stable. Therefore, Pirlo often opted to play the ball toward Nedved in the central area, where there was a bit more space. Additionally, with Leboeuf, who was adept at interception, on the field, Chelsea was not afraid of Millwall's penetrating passes in front of the penalty area.
As the midfield commander, Pirlo began frequently passing to the left, causing Millwall's offense to tilt in that direction, and Chelsea's defensive shape naturally began to compress over there.
Capdevila, Larsson, and Nedved, under Pirlo's command, began launching wave after wave of effective left-sided attacks against Chelsea.
Unfortunately, several attempts at goal narrowly missed.
In under ten minutes, Pirlo understood Aldrich's intention.
The teams were initially balanced. Pirlo typically looked for spaces where he could find static openings.
However, as Millwall's offensive focus repeatedly shifted to one side, the opponent would automatically adjust due to their disadvantage, inadvertently creating defensive gaps on the other side.
In the 36th minute of the first half, Pirlo once again found the ball in the left half-space. Chelsea's defensive setup had clearly set their sights on shutting down that side.
Suddenly, Pirlo executed a surprising diagonal long pass to the right flank.
Schneider, who had been playing as a wide midfielder for the past two years, was already well-acquainted with Millwall's offensive strategy. Once he spotted an opening ahead, he surged forward seamlessly, executing some passing runs that were right on point.
Gently bringing the ball under control, Schneider flicked a pass into the path of Shevchenko, who, unmarked on the left, took a touch forward before effortlessly firing a shot that rolled into the far corner of the net.
The previous waves of attacks had ended fruitlessly, and Pirlo began to feel somewhat powerless. He thought that the opponent's defense was exceptionally strong, but in reality, he had yet to tap into his own potential!
Watching his teammates celebrate, Pirlo wore a smile. Although he still needed more practice to improve, he was starting to enjoy the role he played in the team. The feeling of orchestrating the game was simply fantastic!
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