Bab 143: The Big Teams Have Also Lost Matches.
Benitez drowned his sorrows in beer, drinking without getting drunk. It felt half-hearted, as if he were lamenting but also speaking from the heart. He sighed, "I really envy you."
Aldrich crossed his legs and replied, "What's there to envy? Coaching a team is like walking on thin ice for me, always on edge."
"Tell me about your team-building process. After I got fired, I watched a month's worth of game footage at home, trying to figure out where I went wrong, but I couldn't find a convincing answer."
In coaching, those who have the potential to become excellent head coaches often possess a deep-seated tenacity and unwillingness to back down.
Aldrich stood up to grab a few more beers and placed them on the coffee table, looking wistful as he said, "The only advantage I have over you is that when I took over the team, I had the authority to completely rebuild it. At that time, Millwall was a strong contender in League One, ranking in the top six, with plenty of capable players, but I had to let them all go because they wouldn't listen to me, and their playing mentality couldn't be changed overnight. So, I cleared out the team and went to buy the players I wanted, or rather, the best players I could afford."
Benitez raised a hand to interrupt, confused. "What do you mean? I've watched Millwall's games live; your players are great. Aren't they what you wanted?"
Aldrich shook his head. "No, I can only say they were the best I could choose under limited conditions. Look at my team's players; where do you think they came from? Larsson was signed from the Netherlands, Trezeguet came from Argentina, Schneider was from a team in the second division of Germany, Nedved hailed from Eastern Europe, and Stam was picked up from a weak Dutch team. In my starting lineup, I spent almost £10 million on Thuram, Southgate, Makelele, and Pires, plus Larsson. Two years ago, everyone at Fleet Street was laughing at me for being a foolish spendthrift! But I wanted to recruit Ajax's main players, to pick up stars from Italian teams, to snatch rising stars from Ligue 1. Not to mention whether the clubs would sell them, how many players would be willing to come to Millwall? If it hadn't been for the relegation release clauses I included in the contracts with many players, they probably wouldn't have come at all! Initially, they were just here to make a quick buck! I offered them wages that were several times, even tens of times their previous earnings."
Benitez was a bit bewildered, asking hesitantly, "But clearly, you gained in the end. How much is Larsson worth now? What about Nedved?"
Aldrich shook his head with a wry smile. "You can't think of it that way. Let me give you a simple example: in 1992, how much did George Weah transfer for to Paris Saint-Germain? $5 million. In 1994, how much did I spend on Thuram? £3 million! Weah plays as a forward, while Thuram is a defender. If the roles were reversed, you'd probably think I had lost my mind! I spent over £1 million on Pires; do you think the owner of the club at that time felt like I was ripping them off? I also spent over £2 million on Makelele, and back then, he was just a right-back."
Benitez stared blankly, realizing that, in this era, the price of attacking players clearly outstripped that of defenders. Even in defense-heavy Italy, defenders barely closed the gap with attacking players.
"In the summer of 1996, how much did Zidane transfer to Juventus for? €3 million. At that time, the euro didn't exist, so it was a conversion from exchange rates. But that amount also depends on the player's contract duration."
Although Ligue 1 had a higher status in European football now compared to later, it wasn't quite at the center of European football.
The difficulties Aldrich faced in signing players were evident. He brought in a few key players for high wages and prices, and the rest were talents unearthed from second or even third-tier European leagues.
Benitez realized, saying, "So, it would make building your team easier."
Aldrich snickered, waving him off as he got up to head upstairs. Benitez set down his beer and followed him.
On the second floor, there was a room Aldrich used specifically for analyzing his team. The shelves were filled with tapes of games and training sessions.
He pointed to a row of tapes on the shelf and said, "Once you watch all of Millwall's games from last season in order, and then this season's games in order, you'll understand how I built my team."
Benitez was very interested in the tapes. He sat down on a single sofa, began to play the tapes, and without hesitation, picked up a notebook and pen from the office desk, writing notes as he watched.
The footage lasted over 90 minutes; at times he fast-forwarded, while at others, he slowed down the playback, with Aldrich accompanying him.
In the late hours, after Benitez finished watching the first ten games of last season, he turned to Aldrich and said, "Your team's tactics were too simplistic at the start, weren't they?"
Aldrich shrugged. "What do you think? Do you think I could just buy players and expect them to be perfect right off the bat? These players arrived as a disjointed group. You have to water them, mix them; you have to shape the castle you want step by step. Sand doesn't turn into a sandcastle on its own."
At that moment, Benitez understood what Aldrich meant by being on thin ice.
The team initially needed a shaping process, and there was also a sequencing issue: should it start with offense or defense? There is no absolute good or bad in prioritizing one over the other, but both require patience and skill. Aldrich simply chose to start with defense. Some coaches may choose to focus on attacking first, bulldozing through, and gradually improve defense along the way, eventually achieving a balance between attack and defense; both paths can lead to the same goal.
Aldrich's team was young, and the heavy blow of failure was hard to bear, so he could only start with defense.
"I'm going to bed."
Aldrich said his goodbye and turned to leave. Benitez nodded and continued watching the tapes. For coaches who delve into tactics, once they start studying game footage, it often leads them into a frenzied state where they lose track of time. They only stop when mentally exhausted and their minds go blank. Benitez was now in an excited state, wanting to uncover the secrets to Millwall's success, so even late at night, he had no intention of resting.
Aldrich thought Benitez was just on vacation and had work to attend to, so if he neglected his guest, so be it; he simply needed to go to sleep.
The next day, when Aldrich left, Benitez was still sprawled out on the sofa in the workspace, fast asleep. Aldrich ignored him and returned to the team to oversee training.
The club had also issued fines to the hooligan fans, which made the relationship between Millwall and its supporters quite tense over the preceding days.
Fans split into two factions: one dominated by extreme supporters staging protests, while the other rallied under Brady's Lions' Roar. They held up banners outside the training ground.
One banner read, "Aldrich, you've let us down!"
The opposing banner declared, "Always support the Lions!"
At first glance, they seemed mismatched and not in direct conflict, but Aldrich was the club's owner, and the Lions' Roar's declarations served to cheer Aldrich on.
The atmosphere outside the training ground distracted the players, as the noise was quite bothersome.
In the following days, the extreme fans from East London were taken away by police for questioning. Before the weekend league matches, the opposition's voices grew quieter, as many of their leaders had ended up in custody.
The Den was packed to capacity. Millwall's ground was already small, but as the team's fame surged, the stands filled up completely, making it impossible for neutral fans to get tickets.
In the penultimate round of the league, Millwall hosted Aston Villa.
This marked the third encounter between the two teams this season.
They had already faced each other once in the league and once in the League Cup Final, with Millwall's record standing at one win and one draw.
Aldrich sat in the box with his father to watch the game, with Benitez appearing alongside him to spectate.
When Aldrich heard the commentator announce Aston Villa's lineup and formation on the TV in the box, he felt a wave of frustration wash over him.
"Initially, the plan was to field the substitute players for this match, but yesterday the entire team in the locker room unanimously requested to send in the first team. The players were all eager for the league title, and faced with such a strong collective determination, Aldrich had no choice but to compromise."
Aston Villa was currently fifth in the Premier League. Traditionally, they needed to break into the top four to have a shot at European competition next season. However, with the FA Cup semifinal lineup set, besides Manchester United and Millwall, the other match was between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest. Unless Nottingham Forest managed to finally lift the cup, it would be the top four teams earning a spot in the UEFA Cup, making it crucial for the fifth-placed team to earn a place in the Europa League.
The hope for entering the top four was slim, as the leaders were Newcastle, Manchester United, Millwall, and Liverpool, who kept the three trailing teams at bay. Liverpool also maintained a six-point gap from the teams behind them, hence the competition for fifth place was quite fierce.
In addition to fifth-place Aston Villa, there were Arsenal, Everton, Blackburn, Spurs, and Nottingham Forest, all closely matched, with the smallest gap being equal points and the largest being four points. With five rounds left in the league, any of them could claim the fifth spot.
Because of this brutal environment where every point was of utmost importance, Brian Little set up a 5-3-2 defensive formation during the League Cup Final and today, he went even further with a 5-4-1 formation at the Den.
It was clear: he just wanted one point!
The match devolved into a half-field exercise in attack and defense, with Millwall struggling to penetrate Aston Villa's solid wall, especially as the opponents bolstered their midfield.
Benitez watched Millwall's failing attacks and turned to Aldrich, saying, "The opponent's formation should be 5-1-3-1. To be more precise, it's actually 1-4-1-3-1."
Aldrich nodded; Aston Villa was clearly intent on securing a draw.
Aside from Simicast, playing as the withdrawn center-back, midfielder Tyler was also acting similarly as a pseudo center-back behind the trio of midfielders, though he was just an industrious defensive mid. With three midfielders already focused on defense, Aston Villa's defense became a fortress with solid double protection inside and out.
Millwall's attacks flowed smoothly only on the periphery, but once they reached the danger zone, they were swallowed up by the dense defense.
"How to break through?"
"Only luck can help now. Millwall's tactical framework has struggled against dense defenses this season. The flanks are strong, but the middle is a bit weak. Next season, I'll make the flanks and middle equally strong."
Aldrich sighed; it was indeed an issue with the tactical system. Just like Arsenal's 5-3-2 setup would likely end in a drab 0-0 against a packed defense.
With Millwall's 4-4-2 formation, the flanks were formidable, but they only relied on Nedved in the center, putting him in an impossible situation, as the opposition marked him closely and he had little space to operate.
Ultimately, the match ended in a scoreless draw.
Throughout the game, Aston Villa had zero shots on target, while Millwall managed seventeen shots with only five on target.
Both Aston Villa and Millwall walked away with a point.
It was initially thought that Millwall's title hopes had been dashed, but news from elsewhere was hard to believe.
Newcastle drew their match against Leeds, and Manchester United lost to Southampton away.
Millwall still maintained a three-point gap behind Newcastle, but drew level on points with Manchester United, climbing to second in the standings thanks to a better goal difference.
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