Capítulo 457: Milan's Do-or-Die Battle
The game against Chelsea created a strong contrast for the outside world. In the past few years, matches between Millwall and Chelsea had always been intense, but in this particular match, the intensity had decreased, and the atmosphere of hostility had faded. The outside interpretation was that Millwall no longer saw Chelsea as a worthy rival, while Chelsea's focus was more diverted by the issues within their dressing room.
Aldrich showed little interest in Chelsea's turmoil. After the game, he casually stated that it was time to focus on the next match and left early.
Next, Aldrich's team was headed to Milan, and he announced his squad list to the public before Tuesday.
This time, he didn't send out the full starting lineup nor the full backup squad. Instead, he used a mixed combination: the attacking players were from the starting lineup, while the defenders were from the backup squad. His plan was to use offense to suppress AC Milan while giving the young defensive players a more rigorous test to accelerate their development.
The phone rang as Aldrich was getting up that morning before the trip.
"Hello, may I ask who this is?"
"Aldrich, can you guess who I am?"
"Jessica, do you really think I wouldn't recognize you just because you're trying to disguise your voice?"
"Hehe, Aldrich, my mom and I are also going to Milan. Do you want to hang out with us?"
Aldrich thought for a moment. Mrs. Rowling had been very busy this past year, with the massive success of the Harry Potter series. She had to continue creating the following works to keep the momentum going.
A little relaxation was understandable.
"But I won't have much time. I'll have at most one day after the match. I need to return to London on Thursday night."
"That's enough! We'll only be in Milan for two days. We'll leave Wednesday morning, shop during the day, watch your match in the evening, and if you have time on Thursday, we can tour other parts of Italy and then return home at night."
"Hmm, that should be fine. Just be careful on your way to Italy."
"Thanks for the concern. Bye! Oh, and good luck with the match!"
"Thank you, say hi to Mom for me."
After hanging up the phone, Aldrich couldn't help but smile. His mood immediately lifted.
He traveled to Milan in a relaxed mood.
However, Italian media described the Champions League group stage match between AC Milan and Millwall at San Siro as a "do-or-die battle"!
AC Milan had to win to have any chance of advancing!
Millwall, with nine points, only needed one more win to guarantee qualification, and their situation was very comfortable.
When Millwall arrived in Milan, Italian media followed their every move, from their relaxed preparations to the serious mood during the pre-match training. Every little detail about Millwall was reported, as if the Milan media were hoping to give AC Milan advice, expecting the Rossoneri to mount an incredible comeback and defeat this dominant team.
On Wednesday night, Aldrich walked into San Siro, wearing a tailored coat. In this fashion capital, even a football coach like him didn't look out of place.
He stood on the sidelines, surveying the pitch, which was a habit of his, especially when visiting a new stadium for the first time.
In fact, this was his second time here. The last time was last year, when Millwall played a thrilling match against Inter Milan at this very stadium, and they pulled off a stunning comeback.
Last time, it was called the Meazza Stadium. Today, it was named San Siro. The stadium was the same, but the atmosphere had changed. The colors had shifted from blue and black to red and black.
Before heading to Milan, Aldrich had called Galliani to request two VIP tickets for Mrs. Rowling and her daughter. Galliani had arranged for the tickets to be delivered during the day. Now, the two women were seated in the stands overlooking the pitch. Their seats had a good view, though they couldn't make out the finer details of the game. However, they could still see Aldrich standing motionless by the sidelines, surrounded by cameras and reporters.
A man who would inevitably become the center of attention the moment he stepped onto the football field.
Aldrich, with his hands in the pockets of his coat, calmly observed the pitch before walking over to stand by the bench.
AC Milan fans created a huge atmosphere in the stands, cheering for their beloved team.
"The fourth round of the UEFA Champions League Group H match is about to begin. AC Milan, with just one point from three matches, is at the bottom of the group, facing Millwall, who have won all three of their matches. Two weeks ago, the two teams met at Wembley, and Millwall emerged victorious, while AC Milan suffered a crushing defeat. The result of that match means that if AC Milan doesn't win today, they will likely be eliminated from the group stage, with even their theoretical chances of qualification becoming slim or disappearing entirely. We see that Millwall hasn't fielded their strongest lineup today. The attacking lineup remains unchanged, with Pirlo anchoring midfield as the playmaker, while Nedved, Larsson, Henry, and Ronaldinho lead the attack. Behind Pirlo, Gattuso provides protection. Millwall's defensive midfield stalwart, Makelele, is injured and can't play today, putting enormous pressure on Gattuso, as he needs to protect a young backline. Ferreira, Neil, Barzagli, and Ashley Cole make up Millwall's four-man defense, none of whom are absolute starters for the team. Only Neil is over 30 years old. Butt is guarding the goal, and he'll need to be cautious today, as he no longer has the reliable Southgate and Materazzi in front of him."
AC Milan, however, was still fielding a strong lineup. After their defeat to Millwall two weeks ago, they had played three league matches, performing well with two wins and a draw, especially their victory in the Milan derby against Inter Milan.
In terms of morale, while AC Milan was under immense pressure, their recent performances had at least restored their confidence and form.
Today, AC Milan had no choice but to go all out, while Millwall, without the pressure of qualification, would use an offensive strategy to intimidate their opponents.
Zaccheroni's expression was serious, while Aldrich remained calm.
As the match began, Zaccheroni's expression changed several times: regret for missed opportunities, disappointment or anger at players' mistakes, while Aldrich maintained a constant, expressionless demeanor, quietly observing the game without revealing his thoughts.
Galliani sat nervously in the stands. He was anxious—if AC Milan were knocked out in the group stages, it would be a huge blow to Serie A's reputation. If the qualification rules were the same as last year's, it wouldn't have been so bad. But this year, all they needed was to finish second in the group to make it into the knockout rounds. If they couldn't beat Millwall, the fans would just grumble, but if they were eliminated by Hertha BSC or Galatasaray, Milan's supporters wouldn't stand for it. Galliani, who had a hand in managing transfers, would face criticism and questions. After all, he failed to bring in stronger players for Milan in the summer.
AC Milan were still playing with three at the back today, and Aldrich couldn't understand it. He really couldn't get it. Was Zaccheroni too timid to switch tactics, or did he not know how to adjust against this AC Milan lineup?
Changing formations is easier said than done. First, you need the right players to fit the new system. Then, can the team adapt to the tactical changes? Finally, you also have to consider the players' individual situations—some might not accept the change, and others might feel sacrificed, leading to internal conflicts.
What Aldrich couldn't understand was that the three-at-the-back formation clearly couldn't handle Millwall's attacking force. Since it had already been proven that this tactic was failing, what was the harm in trying something different? If they stuck to it, another failure would be expected.
After the opening 10 minutes of testing and adjusting, both teams started to get serious.
In the 16th minute, Millwall broke through AC Milan's three-at-the-back system.
Pirlo's surgical pass sliced through the midfield and reached the left side of the penalty area. Ronaldinho, timing his run perfectly, received the ball with ease. Sara, wary of the Brazilian's dangerous skills, made sure to keep a distance from the center-backs, moving inward to close the gaps.
As Ronaldinho approached near the edge of the box, Sara braced himself, expecting a move to the outside—a pass, a cross, or perhaps a shot. But instead, Ronaldinho did something unexpected: he cut inside, driving straight toward the goal line, barely a meter away from it. As he passed Sara, it looked as though he had stepped out of bounds, his body halfway over the line, a moment so incredible it stunned everyone watching.
With his left side over the line, Ronaldinho kept his right foot firmly on the ball, gliding past Sara with ease. Milan's defenders closed in on him, but Ronaldinho, with vision and finesse, threaded the ball into the penalty area. Nedvěd, perfectly placed, hit the ball first-time, sending it powerfully into the net for a goal.
"This goal is nearly identical to the one in the first leg between the two teams. Ronaldinho cuts in from the left, drawing defenders' attention, and then at the right moment, he pulls a reverse pass to the edge of the box. Nedved, arriving late, receives the ball and shoots before AC Milan's midfield can block it. AC Milan clearly hasn't learned from the humiliation in the first leg. This kind of goal is the most frustrating—getting beaten by the same method twice! It just proves that the three-at-the-back formation was the worst possible choice against Millwall!"
Aldrich smiled from the sidelines and gave Ronaldinho and Nedved a thumbs up.
Since AC Milan insisted on using a three-center-back system, Millwall's goal came as no surprise.
It was straightforward: when Sara was too far from the center-back Costacurta, Ronaldinho could exploit the space between them. As Sara squeezed in to support Costacurta, the wide areas opened up. If the wide midfielder didn't track back fast enough to stay with Ronaldinho, he would be left with only Sara to deal with. After beating him, the Milan defense would fall apart.
Had Milan set up with four defenders, the space between the center-back and full-back would have been much tighter. Even if the winger pushed forward, the center-back wouldn't need to rush. The full-back would be in a better position to quickly help and double-team the winger, solidifying the defensive shape.
AC Milan was now on the brink of despair, but the goal didn't hit the players too hard. They knew before the match that in order to turn things around, they had to win. One of the basic conditions for a comeback was scoring a goal.
Aldrich frowned as he watched the match.
Although the three-at-the-back system wasn't great defensively in his eyes, Milan's midfield had a clear advantage in attack, thanks to the increased passing options.
Millwall's forwards tracked back to mark, but it was impossible to stick to every player. The only way to prevent it would be to use full-court pressing, a tactic that couldn't be sustained for 90 minutes, especially since man-marking is risky. If it failed, it could lead to a total collapse of the defense.
AC Milan adapted their defense, focusing on controlling the midfield and giving Pirlo no room to orchestrate from afar, effectively shutting down his ability to slice through their lines. To keep their attack flowing, Millwall's forwards had to make wide-ranging retreats—a tactical adjustment they handled well, building patiently. Milan, meanwhile, seemed to be compensating for their tactical gaps with sheer numbers and hustle in defense. But offensively, their approach was starting to look a bit stale, depending too much on individual plays from the wings.
Two weeks ago, Millwall would have shrugged off this kind of offense, even preferred it. But today, with two rookie full-backs on their squad, the constant wing pressure from Milan proved a formidable challenge.
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