章 67: Champion's Ambition
The Leo Youth Training Base has officially opened, signaling a fresh start.
With a new meeting of the coaching staff, they established the guidelines for nurturing young talents.
The medical department is expanding.
Babou went to the United States for a month of training and returned with valuable knowledge in American fitness techniques. He plans to promote what he learned within the club, and when it comes to sports science, the U.S. currently leads the world. Physical training is a distinct area of expertise that will help Millwall players train better, incorporating a sensible growth with sports equipment.
...
Aldrich is personally overseeing every detail because Millwall has, in the past, been virtually nonexistent. What little they had was outdated and unable to keep pace with modern advancements. Therefore, Aldrich wants to ensure that the club's framework is solid from top to bottom. Once everything is on track, he won't have to worry so much anymore.
In mid to late July, the players started returning one after another. On the day everyone gathered, Aldrich, dressed in the club's training gear, walked with the coaching staff toward the training field, where players were chatting and sharing exciting stories from their summer vacations.
"Hey? Who are you?"
Aldrich walked into the group of players, bemused, and put his hand on the shoulder of a somewhat chubby young man.
Piré laughed heartily, "Boss, that's David!"
"David? David Trezeguet? You're his brother, right? Tell me, where has he gone? Don't try to pull a fast one on me—look at you! You're nothing like David! That belly of yours could serve as a trampoline. Nice bounce, huh?"
Aldrich gave the young man's belly a playful pat; it indeed felt soft.
The other players whistled and teased him.
"Yeah! I told you he must be an impostor!"
Schneider joined in, adding fuel to the fire.
Trezeguet rubbed his bald head, looking down, ashamed, and murmured, "Boss, it really is me."
Aldrich knew full well that the chubby young man before him was indeed Trezeguet. He waved to the players, "Today is our first day of training, and the task is simple: head to the Leo Youth Training Base for physical exams. I won't pry into how you spent your holidays; as long as you come back to the club without breaking the law, that's enough for me. However, if your physical stats don't meet the requirements before the new season starts, you'll end up sitting on the bench. David, can you still run?"
"Boss, it's no problem at all!"
With that, Trezeguet was the first to dash out toward the training field. However, compared to his nimble figure from last season, the now noticeably heavier young man's run was a bit amusing.
Aldrich greeted each returning player with a high-five, and some players even brought out gift boxes to present to Aldrich and the other coaching staff. Most of these were unique souvenirs from their hometowns or trinkets from their travels.
Aldrich carried a large bag filled with gifts and smiled at the players running past him.
There were only a few players who had noticeably put on weight. The older players, especially the exemplary Southgate, Nedved, and Larsson, had clearly maintained their fitness during the break. Meanwhile, gym enthusiasts like Gattuso and Ballack showed significant muscle gains.
He sent Craig to take the players to the youth training base while he called the other first-team coaches back to the hotel for a meeting.
In the conference room, he pulled out the schedule for the upcoming Premier League season and shared it with the coaching staff.
Once everyone had looked it over, Aldrich began the same discussion as last season's preseason meeting, addressing the squad's depth, talent pool for each position, and whether they needed to make targeted signings to reinforce any areas.
On this topic, there was a consensus among the members.
Millwall's first team had thirty players, and as long as there were no major injuries, the squad's depth was strong enough.
Next, just like last season, Aldrich categorized the Premier League teams by strength.
"Based on scout reports and analysis, there are at least five teams that can challenge for the championship next season: the defending champions Blackburn, Manchester United, Liverpool, Newcastle United, and Arsenal. Teams like Nottingham Forest, who finished third last season, and Tottenham are also expected to perform well. However, this is a conservative estimate; every season, there are always a few teams that exceed expectations. Furthermore, because Millwall is located in London, our derby opponents, in order of significance, are West Ham United, Chelsea, Wimbledon, Tottenham, Arsenal, and Queens Park Rangers. So, I want to ask everyone: Can Millwall challenge for the championship in the new Premier League season and ultimately lift the trophy?"
Immediately, the room fell silent, shocked by his bold statement.
All eyes instinctively turned to the young figure sitting at the end of the long table.
Aldrich's gaze was intense, his handsome face as cold as ice.
This was a weighty topic.
The established goals for the team dictated the entire season's plan.
If a team has no ideals or targets, it will naturally lack motivation and just take things as they come. If the matches go well, they might aim for high goals; if they falter, they'll just lower their expectations. Such a team will never amount to anything.
Just like last season, when Aldrich's goal was to develop the team, and results didn't matter much. Even when they were leading in League One, he never shifted the focus to cup competitions. The season is a cohesive whole, and being greedy can lead to failure—many teams with multi-competitive capabilities have collapsed completely because they overestimated themselves. High expectations often create chain reactions of setbacks.
The coaching staff members looked serious, lost in thought.
The Premier League championship?
The myth of a promoted team winning the title?!
This wasn't entirely unheard of. Nearly twenty years ago, Nottingham Forest, in their first year in the top division, shattered Liverpool's dream of a three-peat. However, such miracles have happened only once in the last fifty years of English football.
In Ligue 1, several promoted teams have won championships, including Saint-Étienne, Bordeaux, and Monaco.
As for the Kaiserslautern miracle, that wouldn't occur until two years later.
Aldrich was ambitious to challenge for the title, but upon analyzing Nottingham Forest's miracle, he realized it would be very difficult for Millwall to replicate.
In their historical 42-match season, Nottingham Forest lost only three times not because they had the strongest squad, but rather because of Brian Clough's tactical brilliance. At a time when English football was dominated by simple long-ball tactics, Nottingham Forest's fluid ground play felt like a breath of fresh air, culminating in a whirlwind that wreaked havoc across League One, leaving even the reigning champions Liverpool trailing behind by seven points as they claimed the trophy.
While it wasn't a revolutionary tactical change, it created massive upheaval in English football, and Millwall simply didn't possess the tactical advantage to challenge the Premier League giants.
However, the thirst for a championship compelled Aldrich to bring up the topic.
If the entire coaching staff could present convincing arguments, he was willing to embrace their enthusiasm.
Jansen spoke up first, clearing his throat and saying, "Aldrich, I think we need to discuss this rationally. Although Millwall's first team has thirty players, how many of them are under twenty? Almost half! They're talented and capable, but they're still developing. We must manage their playing time properly and can't rely on them to play every match and perform consistently throughout the entire season. Plus, the competition in the Premier League is fierce. The strong teams you mentioned will not take us lightly; playing against us means they need to secure three points. And in the derbies, even matches against mid-table teams will be fierce because we are seen as their relegation rivals. To beat us is essential for their survival."
Upon hearing this, Aldrich closed his eyes to reflect.
Jansen had made a good point. The Nottingham Forest miracle had another advantage: they didn't have many derby matches throughout the season that required them to go all out.
However, located in London, Millwall had two fierce rivals in the Premier League, and with various derby relationships, out of the 38 matches, over ten would be derbies. That's akin to a make-or-break scenario, and the intensity of these matches would only increase, leading to a higher likelihood of injuries as well.
Aldrich decided to abandon the idea of challenging for the championship next season. Although it was tempting, the reality was different; after all, Millwall was still too young to endure any negative shocks. Placing excessive pressure on these players would only weigh heavily on their minds.
The league season was long, and in a nearly nine-month marathon, no one knows what unexpected events may happen.
Nonetheless, Aldrich said solemnly, "But Millwall needs a championship. We need it to keep our players. If next season ends without any trophies, I won't have the confidence to retain anyone who wants to leave."
Indeed, to retain all the players currently in the squad, Aldrich needed a trophy—a tangible championship that players could see and touch—to inspire them and propel them to pursue greater ambitions with confidence!
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