England's Counterattack

Beckham noticed Vicente accelerating as he attempted to break through the encirclement. Anticipating this, Beckham stepped up to intercept, keeping in mind the defensive guidelines Aldrich had drilled into them during training.

The most dangerous attacks come through the center, especially within the 30-yard arc in front of the goal. Defenders must do everything they can to force opponents away from this high-threat area.

From his position, Beckham could let Vicente advance—but never by cutting inside toward the center. Allowing him to go wide down the flank was acceptable since Neville was waiting there.

Beckham held his ground, blocking the inside lane while applying pressure. Vicente surged forward, pushing the ball ahead. As the ball momentarily moved further from Vicente's control, Neville seized the chance. Timing his intervention perfectly, he intercepted the ball along Vicente's trajectory.

Seeing Neville's successful interception, Beckham immediately called for the ball. With no defenders nearby, his old friend quickly passed it to him.

Beckham turned and scanned the field. Xavi moved to block his route forward or cut off his passing options, while Vicente, eager to recover possession, charged toward him.

Beckham only needed an instant to assess the situation. He delivered a diagonal pass to the left flank, where Lampard advanced to receive it. Driving the ball forward, Lampard approached the midfield line before finding Scholes, who had positioned himself in open space.

Scholes, with his back to goal, played a one-touch pass to the right flank. The ball appeared to be heading out of bounds, but Neville, overlapping from the back, caught up and surged forward with the ball.

"England's counterattack looks so smooth!" exclaimed the English commentator, his voice brimming with excitement.

Neville continued his relentless run down the right. As Spain's defense shifted to his side, he prepared to pass. His options included McManaman, Scholes, or Beckham, who was trailing slightly behind. However, passing to Beckham would slow the attack and transition it into a static phase.

Instead, Neville passed to McManaman. Despite McManaman and Scholes overlapping on the right, their movements drew the attention of Spain's defensive midfielders and center-backs.

The ball lingered at McManaman's feet for less than a second before he sent a horizontal pass to the left. There, Lampard—unmarked and with space to shoot—charged onto the ball.

Spain's defensive line, scrambling to adjust, exposed gaps. Moments earlier, their focus had been on the right flank; now, they had to shift left. In the chaos, Scholes made a penetrating run. Lampard spotted him and sent a pass threading through Spain's disjointed defense.

The English fans erupted, sensing the opportunity. From their vantage point, they could see it clearly: Lampard had drawn one center-back's attention, while Heskey occupied the other. This left Scholes free to exploit the space. Receiving the ball, Scholes surged forward, setting himself up for a one-on-one chance.

Scholes indeed got the ball and took a touch to angle himself. However, the touch was too heavy, narrowing his shooting angle. Struggling to adjust for a clean strike, he spotted Hierro abandoning Heskey to close him down. Reacting quickly, Scholes slotted the ball through Hierro's legs, laying it off to Heskey.

Heskey now faced a golden chance that had the Spanish fans holding their breath. With a powerful swing of his leg... he blasted the ball over the bar.

A collective groan echoed through the stadium, the English fans expressing their disappointment in unison.

Aldrich stood on the sidelines with his hands on his hips, his expression neutral. Inside, however, he was sighing.

The Black Panther, Heskey—he had the physique, the speed, the ability to link up play, and the skill to shield the ball. But when it came to finishing, his inconsistency was maddening.

"What a chance! That was better than a penalty! If it had been Owen on the end of it, we'd be talking about a goal right now. Hall must be kicking himself—why didn't he put Owen on? Why, oh why?

Still, you've got to admire that attack. England built it beautifully from the back, starting with Beckham and flowing through Lampard, Scholes, and Neville. The way they moved it from right to left, then back again—it was a thing of beauty. Neville played it forward to McManaman, Lampard, Scholes, and Heskey in quick succession, weaving their way around Spain's defense like a hot knife through butter.

In his first game as England's coach, Hall has clearly brought something new to the team."

The shortest path between two points? A straight line, of course.

But in football, going straight from the back to the furthest player on the pitch isn't always the best idea. In modern football, this approach has a low success rate, particularly in clashes between top teams. England's traditional long-ball game—aiming to quickly deliver the ball into the most dangerous area, the opponent's box—just doesn't cut it on the international stage anymore. Even with the world's finest players, this method leads nowhere.

Ground-based buildup is the most effective strategy now. Without it, creative midfielders lose their importance.

That said, ground-based play is no walk in the park. Key receiving players are often tightly marked, or the attack slows down enough for the opposition to regroup and fortify their defense.

England's recent counterattack demonstrated two critical elements brilliantly. Firstly, each pass pushed the ball forward, keeping the game's pace faster than the players. Although not always a straight line, the rapid forward progression denied Spain enough time to adjust their defense. Secondly, the seamless coordination of passing and running ensured fluidity. The interplay of Lampard and Neville surged ahead with unexpected power and positioning, catching Spain off guard. Particularly notable was Beckham's pinpoint delivery, which fell short of crossing midfield but caused Vicente and Xavi to hesitate momentarily. By the time they realized Neville had surged forward at full speed, it was too late to recover.

Millwall's attacking trident thrives on wingers cutting inside sharply, slicing into the opponent's flanks like daggers.

England's offense, in contrast, relied on an opposite approach. The forward at the tip, alongside the advancing players, acted as shields to draw the opposition's center-backs, creating space in the penalty area. The lethal blow typically came from a playmaker or a trailing midfielder, exploiting the created gap.

Moments earlier, Lampard and Heskey successfully distracted Spain's defense, playing their "shield" roles. However, Scholes failed to convert the opportunity into a goal. Though he had a better chance to pass to Heskey, an ideal scenario would've seen him complete the move seamlessly with a first-touch adjustment and shot. Unfortunately, he pushed the ball too far forward, squandering the opportunity.

Aldrich walked along the sideline, a flicker of irritation crossing his face.

It wasn't that his team hadn't scored—it was the way Spain had disrupted his plans so completely.

As the new manager, Aldrich had wanted to make a bold start by hammering defensive discipline into the team. But Spain's tactics had thrown his preparations into disarray.

Camacho, meanwhile, felt increasingly uneasy as he watched the game unfold.

Fielding so many young players was undoubtedly a risk. But in his mind, it was better to take risks in a friendly than to gamble during an official qualifier.

Beyond the Fleet Street buzz and English fans' high hopes for Aldrich, Europe's football media had mixed opinions about his appointment.

Skeptics were aplenty, not out of jealousy but because of well-founded concerns.

Aldrich had a reputation for working best with his "own people"—players he had groomed and nurtured. This was evident from Millwall's transfer strategy, which rarely relied on marquee signings.

The challenge, however, lay in the national team. Many key attacking players in England's squad were not products of Aldrich's system. While he understood their game, whether he could utilize them effectively remained uncertain.

Furthermore, critics dissecting Millwall's success pointed out that their fearsome wingers were central to their dominance across Europe. But England lacked such wingers.

Ultimately, victory hinges on goals, and England's offensive capabilities have long failed to inspire confidence. Without the right players to execute his vision, assuming Aldrich could transform the national team based solely on his club success seemed overly optimistic.

Today's match garnered attention across Europe, as observers awaited Aldrich's tactical response to managing an unfamiliar squad.

Camacho, at least, was already getting a firsthand experience of it.

The Spanish team's advantage on the pitch was gradually slipping away. Every time their attack reached England's penalty area, it felt as though they were wading through quicksand. On the other hand, England's counterattacks, blessed with ample space to exploit, were frequently threatening but just lacked that decisive final touch.

Spain's defensive strategy to limit attacks from the midfield failed to contain England's offensive firepower.

Beckham, Lampard, Neville, and Ashley Cole—any one of them could surge forward. The problem was, Spain couldn't predict who it would be. Truthfully, neither could the England squad. Each attacking play was dictated by the situation: whoever had the best position or the clearest path forward would take the initiative. One player's forward charge would inevitably be supported by a teammate from the opposite flank, creating a dynamic, fluid attack.

Upfront, Scholes' movement and ability to link up with teammates were unparalleled, orchestrating England's attacks with precision. McManaman, with his wider range of activity, was a constant wildcard. Wherever space appeared, he would rush in to exploit it. Once the attack reached the penalty area, McManaman often became a direct threat on goal or drew defenders away to create opportunities for his teammates.

Spain's head coach Camacho was already contemplating making sweeping changes at halftime to turn the tide. Playing at home, they had started to feel like the ones under siege.

Aldrich stood on the sideline, his brow furrowed in deep thought.

This was baffling.

The counterattacks were finding more space, and the team's coordination looked smoother, yet they simply couldn't score.

He understood their offensive game still had gaps to fill, but to have Spain on the ropes like this and not convert? It was maddening.

Turning back, he called out to Boas, "How many shots have we taken so far?"

"Eleven, seven on target!"

"How many from long range?"

"Three, two on target."

Aldrich didn't dwell on it further. As it stood, even if Owen wasn't the most adept at linking up play, he remained the most potent weapon up front with the current squad.

No matter how fluid the attacking play, there was still a need for a decisive finisher. Heskey, unfortunately, couldn't be relied upon. Scholes and McManaman, for all their brilliance, weren't natural goal scorers. And while Lampard and Beckham's long shots were valuable, they couldn't be counted on as regular scoring methods.

Aldrich glanced back at the substitutes' bench, already considering giving Alan Smith a chance in the second half.

At that moment, the coaching staff erupted into cheers, rising to their feet and clapping enthusiastically.

Aldrich reacted immediately, turning around to see what had happened. Sure enough, England had scored!

In his first A-level international match as head coach, he'd missed witnessing the goal firsthand!

McManaman was already jogging back, exchanging high fives with his teammates, clearly at the center of the celebrations. Judging by their reactions, it seemed like he had been the one to score.

Aldrich clapped a few times, his expression softening slightly. He didn't seem overly thrilled, though. His focus was on the next step. Once the celebrations died down, he intended to ask his assistant:

"So, how exactly did that ball make it into Spain's net?"