บท 169: A Century of Disgrace
The stands at Old Trafford were mostly silent, except for the excited Millwall fans who sang their team anthem with fervor. However, many Red Devils supporters still consoled themselves with optimism.
"It's nothing, it's nothing. We're just two goals down. Last year, we came back from two down as well."
Indeed, most fans felt today's match was just a replay of last year's events, where Millwall went ahead by two goals and the final score ended up as a 5-5 draw.
After all, it wasn't time to despair yet.
But Aldrich was determined to send the Red Devils into despair today!
Seize the chance while they're down!
He didn't care if the Manchester United players were in poor condition, struggling for fitness, dealing with consecutive defeats, or missing key players.
His primary goal was to clinch a win and earn those three crucial points. Moreover, if they managed to net three goals against Manchester United, there would be no reason to settle for merely two and then be content with defending.
Millwall aimed to create a storm that would sweep over England, and they wanted to have the lions step over the carcasses of the giants to claim the throne!
"Manchester United is in a dire situation; they can't control the match. Scholes, the youngster expected to be the successor to Cantona, is clearly at a physical disadvantage. That said, even if Cantona were on the pitch, what would change? Just last month, he admitted in an interview that he had his own issues and couldn't quite figure out why he was in such poor form."
Right from the start, Manchester United displayed a visible fatigue, with a significant drop in their off-the-ball movement. This directly resulted in their forwards being closely marked by defenders. Although Solskjær exerted himself today, what was the point of creating space on Schneider's side if there was no one capable of delivering a precise ball to him? He couldn't find an opportunity to shine.
Ferguson's character, the deep-rooted heritage of Manchester United, and the fierce spirit of the Red Devils all contribute to the fact that they cannot adopt the mindset of smaller clubs that settle for being satisfied with losing narrowly. True champions like them do not fear failure; what they fear is the absence of a winning mentality and lacking the courage even to struggle and resist!
Thus, Manchester United began to mount a frantic counterattack, while Millwall remained remarkably calm, especially as United's players began to tire. Nedved, the tireless ironman, became even more prominent, actively participating in defense and covering for Pirlo's defensive gaps. Adding Makélélé into the mix meant that even with Keane and Butt pushing forward to join the attack, they couldn't achieve anything in the middle.
The full-backs also boldly joined the attack. United finally created a chance, but Beckham muffed it, sending the ball out past the goal line.
Butt quickly picked up the ball and hand-threw it to his compatriot Schneider. Without a second thought, Solskjær turned and sprinted back towards his own half, fully aware of Millwall's rapid transition from defense to attack.
But his legs clearly couldn't keep pace with the speed of the ball.
Earlier, Elvin had supported the attack, and after Shevchenko, who was marking him, charged forward following United's attack, he was left far behind. Schneider's long ball soared over, and the exposed United defense soon felt pressure as if an army was closing in!
Larsson, Trezeguet, Shevchenko, together with the indefatigable Nedved, all surged forward. United's backline was left with just two center-backs, who could only retreat hurriedly to defend the penalty area.
Shevchenko caught up to the ball, made a quick adjustment, and passed it horizontally into the middle. Mei moved in to cover Trezeguet, but the opponent let the ball slip through. Larsson on the left wing collected it and gently played it back to the arc at the edge of the penalty area.
The ball rolled over slowly, and Nedved didn't need to adjust; he struck the ball with a powerful shot.
Schmeichel leaped out but couldn't touch the ball—not due to the angle, but because of its speed. The shot was so quick that by the time Schmeichel made his move, it had already crossed the goal line.
"Another goal! Millwall now leads by three goals, and I feel like there's no suspense left in this match, even with fifty minutes still remaining. Nedved's long-range shot was absolutely stunning; today, Keane and Butt couldn't keep up with Nedved's pace at all. He's been running fast, running fast, running fast—when will he ever know fatigue?! Millwall's warrior, leading the lions to become stronger every day! This Czech star, who shone in the Euro Cup this summer, is undoubtedly Millwall's superstar and one of the best in the Premier League!"
After scoring, Nedved ran towards the away fans, pumping his fists in a roar of triumph.
The lion's fans cheered excitedly for him, and some even tried to leap over the stands to hug Nedved, but were firmly stopped by the stadium staff.
Aldrich, on the sideline, tilted his head back, closed his eyes, and smiled with satisfaction. With one hand in his pocket and the other fist clenched and shaking slightly, the other coaches rushed out to celebrate with Nedved, with Ballack even throwing his shirt aside and jumping high in excitement. Within the team, Nedved was the greatest admiration of Ballack, who aspired to emulate Nedved's hard-running style.
Ferguson's face turned ashen. He knew he couldn't let his players continue performing like this; with under ten minutes left in the first half, he had to stabilize the team. If they conceded another goal, everything could collapse.
He gestured to the players to calm down, aiming to prevent any further goals, and he would make adjustments during the halftime break.
His initial plan was to use two defensive midfielders to completely freeze Nedved's influence, but the perceptive Ferguson noticed Nedved's role in organizing plays had already been diminished. That Italian youngster was inconspicuous on the pitch, but under Makélélé's protection, he handled the ball with ease and poise, while Scholes was utterly bewildered. Cole dropped too deep, which also diminished Manchester United's attacking threat.
In the last few minutes of the first half, United didn't concede another goal, but as they walked into the locker room, the players' expressions were utterly dejected, and they were out of breath, feeling exhausted.
In the second half, United made adjustments.
Ferguson pushed Keen forward; at least he could press Pirlo, which would be a tipping point in their favor and also allow Scholes to have a supporting point during transitions from defense to attack, expanding his playing space.
Seeing Manchester United's tactical change, Aldrich wore a faint smile, knowing they had underestimated Millwall.
Letting Pirlo operate behind the scenes didn't mean Nedved couldn't organize as well!
Pressing Pirlo would be even better—luring the snake out of its hole. Now Pirlo was serving as cover for Nedved!
Keane roamed midfield attempting to constrain Pirlo, but Pirlo, sensing danger, refrained from controlling the ball too much, quickly passing it to a teammate, even teammates intentionally avoiding him and transitioning through the flanks, thereby creating more space for Nedved in the foreground.
Schneider connected with Makélélé's lateral pass, advancing with the ball, while Solskjær pursued closely. Schneider made a sudden stop, keeping the ball at his feet without pushing forward, and then casually passed the ball to the middle where Nedved ran over to receive it, his speed kicking into gear. Leaning forward to receive the ball, Bart, shadowing him, lost his balance. Yet Nedved didn't take the ball; instead, he turned with it, deceiving Bart, using his explosive speed to get past him.
With the ball, he charged towards Manchester United's penalty area, leaving May and Pallister extremely passive.
Larsson and Shevchenko cut into the inner edges of the penalty area, while Trezeguet created disturbances in the middle, causing their defense to tremble.
Nedved feinted a long-range shot, and when Parist moved slightly to block, Nedved deceived him with a no-look pass through the penalty area. The ball rolled past Parist, penetrating the defense. Shevchenko, facing the ball, opted not to shoot but instead played it across after Schmeichel rushed out. Amidst Mei's interference, Trezeguet opted for a sliding tackle to shoot, effectively sending the ball into the goal.
"Four-nil! This is Millwall's 18th shot of the match; Manchester United is helpless against it, and Trezeguet scores as well. He should thank Shevchenko for his selfless assist. United seems utterly at a loss, with no idea how to curb Millwall's relentless attack. Andy, what do you think? I believe Manchester United has no chance of making a comeback, but how can Millwall be stopped? This is not just a headache for Ferguson; it's a question all teams in the Premier League need to ponder."
"Martin, all I want to say is that England has produced a tactical genius! Aldrich Hall hasn't been blinded by Millwall's successes in the past two seasons. His team has faced the same attacking problems most teams in this era encounter. Previously, we knew Nedved was the offensive core at the front for Millwall, orchestrating attacks, and scoring goals or assisting was not his main task. But like many strong teams, once their central figure is frozen out of the match, how does their attack continue? In England, we see lots of wing crosses, while in Italy, we witness the superstars' brilliance. But Millwall has fundamentally reversed that; Pirlo acts as the invisible commander on the pitch, serving as the initial source of creativity for Millwall's attacks. He has the freedom to observe the situation and decide where to pass the ball to initiate an attack. Although he may not directly assist or score, most of Millwall's goals originate from his initial setups. Ferguson has clearly recognized this, as in the first half, United tried to limit Nedved but realized they were marking the wrong man. When United corrected this issue in the second half, with Keane trying to constrain Pirlo, Nedved defeated Bart in direct confrontation, releasing a new threat. Millwall's front-to-back tactical philosophy was initially paradoxical, a strategy that traditional English 4-4-2 formations cannot execute."
"Why is that?"
"Because you can't place a Gascoigne behind another Gascoigne. If the ball is lost in the middle and back, defense becomes problematic. When Keane intercepted Pirlo in the second half, what happened next? Keane passed the ball forward, but it was successfully intercepted by Makélélé. Hall's tactical genius lies in creating space for Pirlo to make mistakes; with Makélélé's protection, the risks are lowered considerably. Once Pirlo grows and matures fully, becoming calm, composed, and with fewer errors, Millwall's attacking threats will be virtually limitless."
"I find Hall's reconstruction of the forward line to be the most successful. In the past, we saw strikers stand in place, waiting for balls to create chances. Now, even in equal numbers, Millwall's two wingers slice into the penalty area at lightning speed, creating direct threats to the goal and catching defenders off-guard. Plus, with Larsson and Shevchenko's speed, I doubt many defenders can turn fast enough to catch up; only top Italian defenders can limit such tactics through precise anticipation."
"The key isn't about how the forwards position themselves, but rather the timing of their runs and passes. Millwall excels at this, creating highly efficient attacks—this also requires a high level of player capability. The playmaker must master the perfect timing, and the forwards must have chemistry. This isn't something an average team can replicate; at least, I believe each player on Millwall possesses exceptional talent. What's most intriguing is whether their brilliance comes naturally, or if Hall has some magic that makes them extraordinary."
Ferguson's nose was turning a shocking shade of red, realizing that today's Millwall bore no resemblance to the team from last season.
Last season, when Millwall came to Old Trafford and scored five goals, they relied heavily on individual brilliance. Although there were tactical highlights, success was primarily due to the players' exceptional performances.
But today, Millwall had utterly obliterated an off-form Manchester United.
Even with United in good form, Ferguson wouldn't dare bet on fully suppressing Millwall's offense.
Let alone how United would break through Millwall's defensive system, it was at least clear that figuring out how to defend against Millwall posed a significant challenge.
Aldrich had assembled a team capable of exquisite ball control, coupled with physical confrontation. Aside from Pirlo being somewhat soft, the rest of the players were all tough hombres, especially the attacking trio. Larsson and Shevchenko brought speed, while Trezeguet brought physicality. Their method of attacking through the flanks left defenders without answers.
Ferguson instructed the midfielders to narrow their positions, switching to a 4-4-1-1 formation, with Cole at the forefront, Solskjær behind him, creating a small diamond shape midfield with Keane returning to defend, while Butt, Scholes, and Beckham pressed Pirlo and Makélélé, widening the wings during attacks.
Aldrich noticed United's move to compact the midfield defense and signaled to his players, who understood immediately.
This set of tactics allowed for an easier shift in focus without altering the positions of players.
In the following minutes, Pirlo and Nedved drew defensive pressure in the midfield, while Schneider and Capdevila advanced and combined with the wingers, entirely demolishing United's flanks!
Especially in the latter half of the match, United's players were scrambling but achieving nothing as their stamina began to deplete.
After Schneider advanced to the byline and took the ball into the penalty area, unexpectedly, he sent a powerful horizontal pass that ricocheted off the desperate Keane's leg and directly into the net.
An own goal!
As the match neared its final moments, Larsson received the ball on the left outside the penalty area, cut in, and unleashed a world-class shot, sealing the score at a brutal 0-6.
Old Trafford had fallen!
In three rounds of Premier League matches, they conceded 17 goals—a century of shame!
And the scoreline of this home defeat would long remain in memory.
Millwall had achieved ten consecutive wins, and with twelve fixtures gone in the league, they were now ahead of last year's champion Manchester United by 12 points!
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