Shadows of the Ballon d'Or

When Manchester United faced other opponents, their classic 4-4-2 formation with Beckham on the wing remained unchanged. But today, against Millwall, United deployed Beckham as a right defensive midfielder.

Football tactics often boil down to a battle of suppression versus counter-suppression. Beckham might be industrious, but his raw speed isn't remarkable, and dribbling past defenders has never been his forte. Against Millwall's defensive line, he often found himself limited to diagonal crosses from the 45-degree zone. In their past ten encounters, apart from his set-piece goals, Beckham's crossing posed limited danger. On the contrary, his right flank frequently became Millwall's preferred avenue of attack during counteroffensives. The reason was simple—when Beckham surged forward, his lack of explosive pace left him unable to track back against Millwall's swift attackers.

Moving Beckham deeper into a defensive midfield role strengthened Manchester United's coverage. Whether supporting Neville on the flank or shoring up the central defensive midfield, Beckham added defensive stability. Under Millwall's high pressing, Keane often found himself tightly marked during United's counterattacks. With Beckham in the mix, United gained another reliable passing option. Beckham's ability to deliver precise long balls also added a surprising tactical dimension.

Beckham belonged to Manchester United—Ferguson could use him however he pleased. But Aldrich couldn't help feeling irked. After all, deploying Beckham as a defensive midfielder was his brainchild. He had spent countless hours reshaping Beckham's role with the England national team—training, experimenting in matches, honing his versatility. Now, that effort was being used against him. As England's manager, Aldrich wasn't expecting clubs to nurture players for his benefit, but seeing his national team's innovations exploited to counter Millwall felt like betrayal.

"Bloody hell," he thought. "Is this what they call biting the hand that feeds you?"

After 15 minutes, Aldrich sensed something was off.

Manchester United, despite being at home, were in no rush to attack, while Millwall seemed overly eager to press forward.

Klose, still inexperienced, struggled against Keane in the attacking midfield position. His physicality was no match for Keane's, and he ended up humiliated during challenges. Keane deftly shielded the ball, spinning away with ease, leaving Klose flailing in his attempts to win possession. When Manchester United transitioned into attack, Klose couldn't replicate Nedvěd's defensive contributions, often failing to intercept or delay the counter.

What frustrated Aldrich most was Beckham. The positional shift itself wasn't the issue—it was how effectively Beckham applied the lessons learned with the national team.

England had once faced Brazil in a match where Beckham and Neville successfully neutralized Ronaldinho on the right flank.

Ronaldinho wasn't in great form today. His decision-making lacked decisiveness, and Beckham wasn't rushing to challenge him either. Instead, Beckham slowed him down, waiting for the right moment to strike. Whether it was Neville stepping up or Beckham himself, they repeatedly forced Ronaldinho into impossible situations.

Watching those two Manchester United teammates perform so well, Aldrich couldn't decide whether to laugh or cry.

Everything I taught them in the national team, they're now using against me!

Doesn't this count as biting the hand that feeds you?

The real issue lay in Aldrich's tactical setup. He hadn't anticipated United employing a double-pivot midfield. Even if they chose to reinforce the center, he had expected Scholes to anchor the midfield, not this configuration that saw a forward sacrificed for added defensive solidity.

United's tactics created problems for Millwall. On the left, Ronaldinho couldn't establish connections with the central players. Klose contributed little offensively and fell short defensively.

Make a substitution?

That's not an option. It would strike a blow to the player's confidence and might leave a lingering rift between the manager and the team.

Instead, he called Larsson over and issued new instructions: a reshuffle in the forward positions. Klose moved up as the central striker, Henry shifted to the left wing, Larsson maintained his role, and Ronaldinho slotted into the attacking midfield role.

As Millwall adjusted, United launched a swift attack from the left.

Aldrich quickly recognized United's true strategy. Although nominally a 4-2-3-1, in practice, it was an asymmetrical single-wing approach.

Giggs took the ball down the left but didn't stick to the flank. Instead, he cut inside. Ronaldinho was slow to track back, but his main responsibility had been keeping an eye on Keane or Beckham's late runs. It wasn't his job to deal with Giggs cutting inside.

Giggs, in full stride, danced past Pirlo and then Niel, leaving them trailing. Reaching the edge of the area, he paused, eyeing a pass to Van Nistelrooy. But Southgate, sharp and alert, had already begun to close in on that option. Thinking quickly, Giggs unleashed a powerful strike instead. The ball smashed against the post with a resounding clang, rebounding into the danger zone, where a teammate pounced and buried it into the open goal.

"Solskjær helps Manchester United break the deadlock! Millwall's defense is having significant issues today—absolutely significant! Pirlo and Neill have been repeatedly outmaneuvered in central midfield, something we rarely see. While there was a bit of luck involved in Manchester United's goal, with Giggs' long-range shot bouncing off the post to the other side, Solskjær was right in position to capitalize and score with a clinical follow-up!"

After scoring, Solskjær didn't celebrate. Years had passed since his departure from Millwall, but he still refrained from celebrating against his former club—even at Old Trafford, the home ground of the Red Devils.

Aldrich felt a chill run down his spine. The critical area had been exposed in that moment: the defensive midfield.

Pirlo being bypassed wasn't shocking. When Giggs picks up speed, he's capable of tearing through even Arsenal's legendary golden backline. Pirlo has always struggled defensively against top-tier dribblers. Yet even when bypassed, Pirlo's positioning typically forces attackers to adjust their rhythm, allowing his teammates—whether Makélélé or Gattuso—to seize the opportunity for a challenge.

However, the lack of synergy between Neill and Pirlo was glaring. The gap widened, and Giggs exploited it with two sharp changes of direction, slipping past both players with ease.

Approaching the penalty area, Schneider and Southgate moved to close down Van Nistelrooy, effectively neutralizing him. After being beaten, Neill retreated into the box, aiming to mark Scholes, who was arriving late—a reasonable choice. Meanwhile, Materazzi stepped up to block Giggs, and Zambrotta tracked Solskjær.

But Giggs' long-range shot ricocheted off the post in a flash. Solskjær, ever-alert, pounced on the rebound with uncanny precision. Zambrotta couldn't keep up, and the Baby-faced Assassin coolly slotted the ball into the empty net.

Reflecting on the earlier match against Arsenal, Aldrich realized the domino effect of losing Gattuso to suspension for over a month. After returning, Gattuso faced cold weather and a lack of match fitness. During training, he strained a muscle, sidelining him further. This chain of events had been building for some time. Had Gattuso maintained his rhythm, he wouldn't have been so easily injured.

As the match passed the 30-minute mark in the first half, Aldrich walked back to the bench and sat down. Klinsmann and Jansen frowned as they watched the game unfold.

Millwall's problems were glaring—not just in defense but also in attack.

United's double-pivot midfield had bolstered their defensive shield, but Henry was clearly out of sorts. Distracted and disconnected, he misfired several passes and lost possession on the left flank. Even without Beckham's help, Neville twice dispossessed him cleanly.

Before sitting down, Aldrich signaled for a tactical shift: a counter-attacking setup.

Ronaldinho dropped deep, almost to the halfway line, and United's pressing adapted accordingly.

Klinsmann turned to Aldrich with a puzzled look and asked, "Is it because Manchester United is showing more determination today, or are our players just performing poorly?"

Aldrich let out a long sigh. "It's a bit of both, I suppose. United, much like Arsenal, sees Millwall as a team they not only resent but are desperate to defeat. Beating us means more than just three points—it's about revenge and restoring pride. Their fighting spirit has completely overshadowed ours, especially here at Old Trafford. On top of that, we're not at full strength. The absence of Nedvěd is glaring in a match of this caliber, and we're struggling in defensive midfield as well. For now, the best we can do is compress the space in our own half to avoid disconnection in our team defense caused by stretched distances."

Klinsmann glanced at the forwards. Speaking in a low voice, he remarked, "Ronaldinho isn't his usual self today. Pirlo's performance feels lackluster, and Henry seems entirely out of it. What's going on? Larsson is practically playing as a full-back, defending alongside Schneider against Giggs."

Aldrich had already noticed that the situation had escalated beyond what a few motivational shouts could fix. That's why he ordered the team to drop back and regroup, planning to make adjustments during halftime.

Larsson and Klose were isolated up front, while Millwall's intricate attacking setup suffered due to the underperformance of key players. With two or three players off their game, the attack was bound to falter—especially against a Manchester United team playing as if possessed.

"It's probably the Ballon d'Or situation," Aldrich muttered with a sigh. "I've never been a player, so I can't fully empathize. But their silence in recent training sessions suggests they're deeply disappointed. When morale plummets, it's hard to get excited for matches. Training might look fine, but game day is a completely different story."