Bab 465: Raging Counterattack
The nightmare of conceding a goal within the first minute of a home game didn't worry Aldrich in the slightest. Perhaps, in this moment, his emotions mirrored those of the Lions fans in the stands.
Millwall's attacking power was formidable, and they had no shortage of opportunities to score!
Aldrich's confidence came from Manchester United's tactical arrangement for the day. In attack, the three-defender system, once caught on the counter, would allow Millwall's creative strength to take control of the game more easily.
However, perhaps due to conceding early and the pressure of their winning streak, Millwall's players caught Aldrich off guard.
Conceding an early goal, the players' morale on the pitch didn't dip; they weren't the type to give up so easily. But in their attempt to avoid conceding further goals, the players made defensive adjustments, and the effort in defense from the forwards increased. This led to an obvious issue: the attacking players were starting their runs too deep.
Most of their attacks began from the halfway line. When Manchester United launched a counter, their forwards resorted to tactical fouls. Midfielders, especially Keane, ignored everything else and ran back into defensive positions. As long as he got back before Millwall's attack reached the defensive midfield line, Johnson would drop back, and Keane would continue as a defensive midfielder, with Johnson and Stam forming a central defensive pair. Manchester United then shifted into a four-defender system.
This flexible switch in defensive strategies was common in their play. For instance, when Millwall's fullbacks pushed forward, the defensive line naturally became a three-man unit. When hit by a counter, they either quickly regained possession or slowed the opponent's tempo, buying time for the players to get into position and set up a tight defensive formation.
The way to break such a system was simple: speed. A few quick passes to move the ball forward and exploit any brief gaps in the defense.
But Millwall's attacking players started from too deep, and combined with Manchester United's strong tactical discipline, their midfielders could both fight and press. They didn't run aimlessly or recklessly, so Millwall's counterattacks often turned into more of a positional battle. They failed to capitalize on the time gap between Keane pushing forward and getting back to defend, leaving gaps in the defense.
In the tenth minute of the match, just as Aldrich was about to make a tactical adjustment, something unexpected happened.
Keane, Scholes, and Giggs pressed forward aggressively into the box, with Beckham positioned at the right-wing 45-degree angle, preparing to cross.
The three forwards charged toward the defense, while Schneider followed Giggs. Scholes and Keane, however, were tightly marked by Gattuso, Nedvěd, Southgate, and Materazzi.
Aldrich's expression shifted ever so slightly.
Just as Beckham set up to swing in his cross, something unexpected happened with Manchester United's attack!
Where did Yorke and Cole go? The deadly duo seemed to have vanished!
They'd both made reverse runs, and while the midfielders were storming into the box, the two strikers had dropped back.
In that instant, Gattuso and Nedvěd were both distracted, focused on the midfielders charging in. Beckham's cross, though, was completely off target—it wasn't for the goal at all!
By the time Nedvěd and Gattuso figured out where the ball was headed, it was too late! They raced to block Yorke and Cole, but they couldn't stop them.
Yorke, holding off Pirlo, flicked a header straight to Cole, who took the ball cleanly. Gattuso, desperately charging forward, tried to intercept, but Cole changed direction and surged into the box, leaving Gattuso scrambling to catch up and completely outpaced!
Cole feinted and fired a low shot! Butt was quick to dive across, his palm just getting enough on the ball to send it wide, but Cole's strike lacked power, and Butt's save wasn't enough to clear it from danger! The ball still hung in the box, and Scholes was there, right by Materazzi, to pounce, calmly slotting the ball into the center of the net.
"Unbelievable! Just ten minutes in, and Manchester United are already two goals up! Millwall, the team with a perfect 16-game league run this season, have been caught cold at home! Scholes is on fire, continuing his fantastic form, and this goal could be the turning point in what was shaping up to be a tough game! If Manchester United hold onto this lead, it'll be their first-ever away victory over Millwall in the Premier League – what a result that would be!"
Ferguson, upon seeing the goal, was ecstatic, almost mirroring the joy he showed when leading United to a comeback against Bayern Munich.
The Lions fans in the stands were stunned.
Two goals down in just ten minutes—what kind of rhythm was this?
Aldrich kept his hands behind his back, his face betraying no emotion.
Inside, however, he couldn't help but appreciate the cleverness of Manchester United's goal. It wasn't surprising when the forwards create space for the midfield, but Ferguson had taken a bold risk—letting the midfielders support the forwards instead. The alternating runs, moving in deep, disrupted Millwall's defense, leaving them scrambling.
If that attack had broken down, though, United would've been in real danger. With their midfield wide open, they'd have had no choice but to foul to stop Millwall's counter. It would've been a high-risk, high-reward gamble.
Klinsmann stepped forward and asked Aldrich if he wanted to adjust the tactics. They were now two goals behind, and Millwall's players were too deep during their attacks, which reduced their speed advantage.
Aldrich shook his head. He had noticed a change in the demeanor of Millwall's players.
At first, when his Lions conceded the first goal, there might have been some doubt in their minds, but with enough time left and solid defense, they were certain they could still score.
However, after conceding the second goal, they hadn't been broken down. There was no sign of despondency. The players were silent, but there was no finger-pointing or dwelling on how the goals had been conceded.
Now, it seemed as though they were more angered than discouraged!
Originally, Aldrich had been considering making adjustments, but after the second goal, he chose to stand his ground.
A mysterious gleam flickered in his eyes as he glanced at the Manchester United players celebrating near the corner flag.
With a two-goal lead, how would they react?
A one-goal lead is never safe. The whole world knows that.
But two goals is a different story. Psychologically, there is room for error—concede one, but still lead by one. As long as they don't concede two, the victory is theirs.
Aldrich didn't believe Manchester United had predicted a two-goal lead within the first ten minutes. They were desperate for a win, but Millwall's sharp attacking play couldn't be ignored.
0:1
The pressure was on Millwall.
0:2
Millwall was thoroughly enraged. Manchester United had a two-goal cushion—would their offensive intensity decrease? Defensive counterattacks seemed like the best option, right?
"Millwall is two goals down, but Hall stands on the sidelines with no change in expression. He's neither angry about the two defensive mistakes nor trying to encourage his players. What is he thinking?"
"Hall is known for making adjustments immediately after a change in circumstances, but with almost 80 minutes still left, it's understandable that he doesn't rush into any changes."
As the game resumed, Millwall, with their faces set in determination after conceding two goals, stabilized the situation. In particular, they gained control of the midfield, a shift likely due to Manchester United focusing more on defense, opting to sit back and counterattack.
Aldrich raised an eyebrow. Sure enough, Manchester United had automatically switched to a defensive mode to preserve their lead.
After watching about ten minutes of the game following the second goal, Ferguson suddenly stood up from the bench and rushed to the sideline, shouting at the Manchester United players.
"Who the hell told you to pull back?! Attack! Go on the offense!"
As Manchester United began to defend, Millwall completely dominated the midfield. With high-pressure pressing tactics, their attacks kept coming in waves. Just ten seconds after Ferguson reached the sideline, the game shifted again.
Larsson picked up the ball on the right wing and cut inside. Silvestre didn't dare to rush forward. Before he and Giggs could close down on Larsson, Larsson passed the ball to Nedved, who had moved to receive it.
The Czech player, without looking, used his heel to flick the ball forward before sprinting toward the goal.
He and Henry crossed paths, Henry pulling back while Nedved moved forward. As expected, Nedved's heel-flicked ball fell perfectly to Pirlo's feet.
Stam watched Nedved charging toward the goal, and he was already anticipating Millwall's next move.
Henry's run was a decoy, designed to make space for Nedvěd's forward movement. This would disrupt the defenders' attention and their tight formation. However, Stam wasn't fooled. He remained fully focused, waiting for Pirlo's pass to Nedvěd, and when it came, he would be ready to neutralize Millwall's attack.
Pirlo didn't hesitate. Just as Scholes touched his shirt, Pirlo played the ball forward with a perfectly weighted pass, rolling it on the ground.
Stam, seeing the trajectory of the pass, was slightly surprised—this ball was actually for Henry.
Henry had his back to goal, with Johnson closing in behind him. If he controlled the ball and turned to pass it to Nedvěd, it would be a tough play at this moment.
As the ball rolled towards him, Henry glanced at Johnson's position and suddenly spun to run towards Johnson's left side.
Johnson instinctively shifted left to block Henry's path.
But as soon as he took a step, Johnson's eyes widened in shock.
Henry was right in front of him, but... Henry wasn't controlling the ball!
Henry had let the ball roll through his legs.
Right next to Johnson's right hand, the ball leisurely rolled past, and a figure shot forward like lightning, racing into the box. With a swift touch of the ball, he maintained his speed and sliced through Manchester United's defense.
Ronaldinho!
He made an inside cut, received the ball, took one more step forward, and then curled a shot toward the far post.
In just two seconds, Ronaldinho executed the entire sequence effortlessly—first controlling the ball, then shooting, all in one smooth motion!
Van der Gouw couldn't reach the ball. It wasn't his fault—he'd done well to not get beaten near post.
A deafening cheer erupted from the stands at The Den.
Amid the roar, Ronaldinho remained calm, jogging toward the goal to retrieve the ball and hold it to his chest as he ran back to the halfway line. Nedvěd patted his head on the way.
"23rd minute, Millwall pull one back, and it's Ronaldinho who scores! The Brazilian has extraordinary ball control—there's no doubt that he's the most dangerous player in Millwall's lineup!"
Aldrich closed his eyes and nodded, quietly satisfied with the goal.
It also proved that his decision to hold off on making changes when down by two goals was the right one.
He looked over at Ferguson, whose face was practically boiling with rage.
He chuckled quietly. Millwall had flipped the script, using Manchester United's own playbook to tear their defense apart, step by step.
Defend all you want.
Go on, bunker down—let's see what's left of that defense by the final whistle.
Ferguson, in a rare outburst, was yelling at his players from the sidelines.
The last ten minutes? That's what had him fuming.
It wasn't that his players weren't trying. But this? This wasn't anything like the game plan he'd drilled into them.
Parking the bus? That's not Manchester United's style, and frankly, they weren't even doing that right.
Counter-attacking? United aren't as sharp with it as Arsenal—and look what happened to Arsenal: five goals against, powerless against Millwall's charge.
If a counter-attack could steal a victory on the road, it wouldn't be United facing Millwall's 16-game league streak.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
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