章 475: Full Throttle: Chasing the Crown
Aldrich's report on Drogba's loan spell told the story: 22 goals—21 in the league and one in a cup match. Assists? None at all.
Any other manager would consider that close to perfect; a striker's there to score, and it's over-demanding to expect more. For Aldrich, though, Drogba was barely average. Hitting 21 goals in 30 league matches? That's just a shade above what Trezeguet did as a teenager. Drogba still had a long way to meet Aldrich's standards. Without forwards like Henry or Larsson feeding assists, Millwall's attack wouldn't see those spectacular stats.
Aldrich discussed professional expectations with Drogba, pushing him to focus on areas for improvement. Drogba took the feedback positively, but his placement for the coming months posed a new problem.
Aldrich decided to keep him in the reserve team, competing in reserve league matches. Drogba had brought this on himself, and now he had to face the consequences. No professional league games for a while—it was a lesson earned through his own rashness.
Before he left, Drogba sincerely apologized to Aldrich, who acknowledged it with a nod, refraining from any lecturing. This was Aldrich's way of managing players. He seldom told them what they should or shouldn't do, preferring instead to lay out the consequences and let them draw their own conclusions.
As the season ramped up with two, With a schedule of back-to-back matches, and at times even three games a week, Aldrich's job had never been more demanding. He invested all his time and energy into the club, leaving no room for distraction.
However, by mid-March, Millwall's recent results were disappointing.
They managed a win and a draw in the league, while back-to-back draws in the second round of the Champions League group stage left them with just 5 points after three games.
This was a stark contrast to Millwall's usual form. In past group stages, they'd typically gained at least 7 points by this point, ensuring a solid path to advancement. But after an extraordinary winning streak, Millwall seemed to have hit a slump.
In reality, Aldrich was rotating the squad, using these less challenging opponents as an opportunity to train younger players. Rather than "old guiding young," it was more accurately "strong guiding weak."
Moreover, Millwall's league opponents were playing as if it were life or death—determined to either go down in a blaze of glory or seize a heroic victory.
These Premier League rivals relentlessly tested Millwall's young defensive line, and the matches often ended in wild, unpredictable scorelines. Games like Everton 3-3 Millwall and Coventry 2-2 Millwall left an impression: Millwall's powerful offense could score a few, only for the defense to give back just as many.
Meanwhile, the gap between Manchester United and Millwall in the league was narrowing, but they hadn't yet crossed the danger zone.
Two draws in the Champions League left Millwall below expectations. This had nothing to do with the use of younger players for rotation but was simply a consequence of reaching a stage where, even though their opponents weren't the biggest names, they had earned their place from the group stages. Teams were cautious when facing Millwall, even at home, resulting in draws with Lazio and Bordeaux. Aldrich wasn't overly concerned, as Millwall's strategy away was still primarily defensive.
In a six-round group stage, the best start is winning at least two out of the first three matches. But what's the worst-case scenario? It would be getting fewer than 3 points from the first three games, which is far below the theoretical maximum of 12 points to stay in contention. Millwall, however, had secured 5 points, with three more matches to go, which was, in the grand scheme of things, a perfectly acceptable position. If the goal was to defeat every opponent right from the start, especially when facing teams that favored counter-attacks, a loss could throw the whole campaign into chaos. Aldrich certainly didn't want a repeat of AC Milan's disastrous start, where they only earned 1 point in the first three matches. After that, the remaining three games would leave them with no room to maneuver, making tactical decisions far more difficult.
From January to mid-March, Aldrich met his goals of both squad rotation and team adjustments. February marked the start of their push toward the season's end, and now it was time for Millwall to go all out.
On a Wednesday night, in the home team's locker room at Wembley Stadium, Aldrich stood in the center of the squad. His job was easier now thanks to a fully developed tactical system, which allowed him to focus on analyzing opponents and making targeted adjustments, rather than major tactical shifts.
This was the natural process for professional football clubs. No team could achieve lasting success overnight.
Tonight, the Champions League second-round group stage match awaited, with Millwall taking on Bordeaux. The last match had ended in a 1-1 draw on Bordeaux's home turf.
The squad was fit and ready; Makelele, who had recovered a month ago, had found his rhythm over the past few games.
Aldrich spoke softly, "What have we worked an entire season for? Not to break records or to score a certain number of goals. It's so that, at the end of the season, we can celebrate with all our hearts, and have our efforts rewarded with a trophy. Now, we're closer than ever to those goals. I need you all to focus completely on every game. For the next two months, we're pushing for every possible trophy. This is our tradition. This is Millwall's tradition. Let's enter this harvest season at our best!"
The players rose and exchanged high-fives, offering each other encouragement.
As Aldrich stepped out of the players' tunnel, he looked up at the dark sky.
It was raining.
When they arrived at Wembley, it hadn't started, though the forecast had warned of light rain later. Millwall was prepared; the team had brought rain gear just in case.
With fans cheering from the stands, Aldrich made his way to the home team's dugout.
Bordeaux's head coach was Elie Baup, dubbed the "young scholar-coach" by the French media. It sounded exaggerated; after all, Baup was 45. But in football, a coach that age who's new to the scene can indeed be considered "young." Leading Bordeaux to a league championship over Marseille last season and into the Round of 16 this season, Baup's praise in the media was well-deserved.
Today, however, there was only one young coach in the spotlight—that was Aldrich.
"Millwall's in a rough spot," the commentator said. "They only have five points. If they don't secure all three against Bordeaux today, the last two games could be make-or-break. By now, every team's goals are clear. Feyenoord sits on zero points after three matches, practically out of contention. Millwall has five, Lazio seven, and Bordeaux four. Today's match is pivotal; it's fair to call it a 'life-or-death' battle as it'll set the tone for the final two games."
The situation looked grim, but Aldrich didn't feel nervous.
Or rather, he considered Bordeaux and Lazio's perspectives—they were in tight spots, too. With such close standings, a single loss could lead to elimination. But if Bordeaux didn't win, they'd remain in third.
The match kicked off under a light rain.
Millwall took control, pacing the game carefully and maintaining general control. Given the rain, they avoided pushing the tempo too hard.
Bordeaux, sticking to their defensive-counter style from the last match, couldn't perform as well on Millwall's turf.
Baup stood on the sidelines with a serious look.
If Millwall's chance of not losing was 80%, and Bordeaux had only a 20% chance to win, then Bordeaux would need to capitalize on the few opportunities that came their way.
In the 17th minute, Bordeaux pushed forward in a counterattack, reaching Millwall's box before Materazzi intercepted and defused the play. Millwall quickly launched their own attack; after a swift midfield transition, they reached the final third, and the situation shifted into a balanced duel.
Henry took the ball with his back to goal, turned and accelerated, surprising everyone as he drove past the defenders himself rather than passing and creating a run, then blasted a low shot into the net.
Eighteen minutes later, after consistent pressure, Millwall seized a secondary opportunity. Pirlo cut through the defense with a pinpoint pass to Ronaldinho, who raced to the byline and swept the ball across the goal. Nedved, charging in from behind, tapped it home.
At halftime, Millwall's two-goal lead gave their loyal fans peace of mind.
It felt solid.
Aldrich walked into the locker room, his expression calm.
What makes a team strong?
It's a team that doesn't falter, one that rises when necessary, never failing at crucial moments. Millwall had developed that very spirit—a spirit honed through seasons of fierce competition, particularly the valuable experiences of fighting for the championship until the very last moment, learning from both defeat and triumph.
In the second half, Bordeaux launched an all-out counteroffensive, but as the away team, their performance clearly dipped from the last match. At the 70th minute, Millwall scored their fourth goal, sending Bordeaux's players into despair.
Victory was out of reach.
Baup sat down without making any substitutions.
Deep down, he knew that whatever changes he made now would only lead to more criticism after the match.
Bringing in more forwards for an aggressive push? They'd probably still concede more goals in the remaining minutes.
Such a move would be seen as a fatal misstep.
Switch to defensive substitutions instead?
Down 4-0, what's the point of defending now?
He'd just be called out for lacking courage.
Millwall was simply the stronger team, and Baup accepted it.
Like the other top French teams who had tried and failed to best Millwall, he felt at peace with the outcome.
After all, even the once-mighty Paris Saint-Germain had been beaten by Millwall in both legs during their prime. Monaco hadn't made it past Millwall to the Champions League finals, either.
And it wasn't just the French teams—Italy's Serie A, often hailed as the world's top league, hadn't found success against Millwall's squad either.
Embarrassed? Only if you're too proud to admit the truth.
When the final whistle blew, the scoreboard read 5-0. Millwall had claimed the three points.
After shaking Baup's hand post-match, Aldrich exited the field.
The Millwall team gave a quick salute to the fans who came out to support them and then quickly left.
On the weekend, Millwall faced off in a city derby against Arsenal at Highbury, where Aldrich and Wenger ended in a 1-1 draw. By now, Millwall had widened the point gap by over 20 points on the league table.
As the fifth game of the Champions League second round approached, the press conferences had been fairly quiet—until Aldrich got dragged into yet another war of words.
This time, it was sparked by a Swede named Eriksson, manager of Lazio.
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