章節 434: Gap in Strength
While Martin O'Neill and Aldrich weren't colleagues or close friends, whenever they met, they shared a connection through football. Beyond their rivalry on matchdays, they'd come together before or after games to talk football, from tactical trends to evolving player roles and dissecting important matches. Their exchanges, filled with differing perspectives, often left both with new insights.
Although Leicester City wasn't precisely Millwall's nemesis, Aldrich's team could count on a tough fight every time they squared off against O'Neill's side.
Despite O'Neill's conservative defensive counter-attacking tactics against Aldrich, and Leicester City nearly always opting for a defensive strategy, they managed to outperform many teams in the Premier League. Some were relegated, while others ranked lower despite having bigger budgets and stronger rosters. The results, however, showed that Leicester City was still ahead, illustrating O'Neill's coaching skills.
As they faced off again at The Den, Aldrich smiled at O'Neill, "Planning to ambush me again today?"
O'Neill adjusted his glasses calmly. "I've got a feeling today could be dangerous."
Aldrich chuckled. "Wenger, Ferguson, Vialli—they'd all say the same thing. Isn't it natural to feel a bit on edge coming here?"
With a resigned look, O'Neill shook Aldrich's hand, then turned back toward his bench.
After the banter, Aldrich followed suit, standing by the sidelines to direct the match.
As the match began, Aldrich raised his eyebrows at Leicester City's setup, not surprised at all. Over the past few years, their defensive formation against Millwall couldn't simply be interpreted in terms of conventional 4-4-2 or 4-1-4-1.
It looked distinctly like a 6-3-1.
The four defenders tightened up, with the wing-backs dropping back to defend while the forwards provided cover for the angles. There were three players aggressively intercepting in front, while Tony stood as a lone attacking pivot. Once they countered, Tony would control the ball and, upon receiving a wing pass, he would then distribute it to continue the attack.
The effectiveness of this defensive posture was evident because, even in a counter-attack, their backline maintained a static setup. Only one winger advanced for the attack, while Gudjohnsen supported, relying heavily on the three attackers for countering. If successful, great; if not, no penalty on the defense, which remained solid without leaving glaring gaps for Millwall to exploit.
Previously, Millwall's individual skills had not been as honed, often faltering against Leicester City's tactical discipline. They could hold their own one-on-one, but pitted against two opponents, they could not stand firm. Increasing their attacking force often backfired, leading to even greater chances of conceding.
But today, Millwall showcased strong individual capabilities. Their attacking players could take on opponents easily, and if enough space opened up in the defensive lines, they could evade challengers in tight areas.
Leicester City's players were limited in ability. Despite tactical adjustments, they found themselves under severe pressure in front of goal during the first twenty minutes.
Pirlo's long-range shot was deflected by a defender but nearly found the net.
Henry, after receiving the ball with his back to goal, turned and struck a shot that the goalkeeper barely managed to tip onto the crossbar.
Nedvěd's header in the box hit the crossbar and bounced back out.
Larsson was tripped up inside the box, but the referee waved play on.
After twenty minutes of play, Leicester City hadn't executed a single successful counter-attack. Millwall effectively marked Tony, with Materazzi preventing him from winning any aerial duels, while Makélélé disrupted ground passes in front of him.
Aldrich rubbed his nose and, unconsciously, ground his teeth as if he were about to open his jaws wide.
Millwall continued to penetrate Leicester City's defense, exerting immense pressure until the defenders nearly aligned parallel to the goalkeeper.
The game suddenly shifted when Nedvěd, with the ball in the attacking third, didn't push forward but instead laid it back for Zambrotta. With ample space before him, Zambrotta charged forward, controlling, then pushing the ball ahead and taking a long-range shot!
O'Neill, frustrated on the sidelines, smashed a water bottle and yelled to his players, "Protect the angles! They're trying to set up for long-range shots!"
Boom!
Zambrotta had all the time in the world, picked his spot, and powered in a long-range shot! But it didn't get far – it smacked right into a Leicester defender, leaving him flat on the ground! The ball bounced out to Pirlo, and straightaway, he had a Leicester player breathing down his neck. Cool as you like, Pirlo nudges it to the right, and guess who's there? Sneijder! Just like Zambrotta, he traps it, takes a quick touch, lines up, and – BOOM! – another thunderous strike from outside the box!
Schneider opted for precision over power with this shot, striking it just hard enough with a razor-sharp angle. The ball curved beautifully in a right-to-left arc, spinning fiercely as it homed in on the goal.
From the keeper's angle, it looked initially reachable, but as the ball drew closer, his outstretched hand fell just short, and Schneider's shot struck the inner side netting. The goal was in, leaving the crowd stunned.
"Schneider with a magnificent goal! That curve was a thing of beauty—certainly the best goal of the round!"
After scoring, Schneider didn't celebrate. Instead, like Zambrotta, he jogged over to check on the Leicester City player who had taken a hard hit to the chest from Zambrotta's long-range shot and was still down, raising concern.
Zambrotta knew just how much power he had put into that shot. The loud impact alone made it clear how forceful the hit had been.
Leicester City had conceded, but Millwall didn't celebrate; instead, they gathered around their downed opponent.
The team doctor rushed onto the field, called for a stretcher, and arranged for an ambulance to wait outside. Initially, the doctor surmised that the player might have a broken rib...
Zambrotta placed a reassuring hand on the player's shoulder, murmuring an apology as the rest of the Millwall squad offered their well-wishes, hoping for his quick recovery.
On the sidelines, Aldrich and O'Neill shared a quick word. It was clear to anyone watching that it was a total accident—if Zambrotta had actually tried to aim for him, he probably would've missed!
O'Neill, a bit frustrated, turned to Aldrich and said, "This is what you planned before the match, right? Press the box for the first twenty minutes, leave space at the edge of the area, then have your full-backs push up for long shots."
"Well, you could say that," Aldrich replied.
"What if those shots don't go in?"
"Then you can't just keep watching my players take them, can you?"
"Pure hard power," O'Neill sighed.
O'Neill didn't ask any further. After all, there was nothing particularly special about Aldrich's tactics.
Individual breakthroughs, set pieces, long-range shots.
O'Neill had already instructed his players to compress their defense, limiting the opponent's room for individual breakthroughs. They could get past one player, but not consecutively. During defensive phases, they also had to be cautious, minimizing fouls to avoid set pieces.
In earlier matches, when Millwall's attacking players were not as formidable, they rarely gave opponents such leeway for long shots.
Now, though, with better individual quality, more defenders were required, and lateral coverage naturally weakened.
This was the stark difference in raw power. Yet, O'Neill wouldn't think that just anyone could lead Millwall to defeat him; after all, simply bringing together those attacking players into a cohesive force stronger than expected was no easy feat.
With Leicester trailing, O'Neill made substitutions and encouraged his players to be more proactive on offense.
But these Leicester City players had spent the entire year in a defensive mindset, so when asked to advance, they appeared lost.
Especially under Millwall's immense attacking pressure, they instinctively resorted to familiar defensive strategies.
Defense is where we thrive; attacks need to find Tony!
Thirteen minutes later, Ronaldinho skillfully dribbled past a defender in the box before being brought down—a penalty was awarded.
Leicester City's players accepted the decision without protest; O'Neill sighed and returned to his seat on the bench, wearing a look of helplessness directed toward the field.
Millwall had grown to the point where he felt he could not compete.
He didn't hold the players accountable; their capabilities were just at that level, nearly equivalent to the top three in League One. In other words, their market value wasn't much different from that of players moving on from teams relegated from the Premier League.
Unable to defend against Ronaldinho, they had to resort to fouling.
Larsson approached the penalty spot and effortlessly converted, putting Millwall ahead 2-0 by halftime.
In the second half, Aldrich continued his pattern of substitutions at the 60-minute mark, replacing Larsson and Ronaldinho with Gronkjaer and Larmore.
With the lead in hand, Aldrich signaled for Pirlo to dictate the pace, honing his skills as a "metronome." Improving this technical ability relied not only on Pirlo but also on teamwork; if he slowed down, his teammates needed to do the same. Quick bursts or drops in pace required mutual understanding to be effective.
Larmore, buzzing after scoring in consecutive matches, was keen to impress, yet in this game, he failed to showcase his strengths, revealing his weaknesses instead.
In the 80th minute, Aldrich called Larmore over and casually remarked, "If you find yourself out of sync with your teammates, then you need to reflect on your own performance. Remember the tactical instructions I gave you when I substituted you on!"
Larmore was eager to score again, yet when the team's rhythm was being dictated by Pirlo, he found himself out of sync. Upon receiving the ball, he would hasten his pace, oblivious to whether his teammates were fast or slow, charging forward like a bull determined to break through the opponent's defense.
Aldrich had specifically reminded him of this before sending him on, but Larmore didn't adhere to those instructions, indicating that his tactical discipline still needed improvement.
After Aldrich's reprimand, Larmore returned to the field and calmed down, his performance improving noticeably as he finally synced with his teammates. Eventually, just before the end of the match, Gronkjaer's long-range shot from outside the box was parried by the goalkeeper, but Henry followed up to score, sealing the game at 3-0.
Millwall was now leading the league with four consecutive wins in the new season.
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