The Miracle of Strength

Entering February, the players from Millwall have finally eased out of the intense rhythm from the Christmas rush. Although several players are dealing with occasional injuries and the young ones can't handle too many matches, Aldrich has enough depth in his squad, making it manageable to rotate players without strain. Before the national team call-ups in mid-February, Millwall has two crucial matches ahead—one league game and one FA Cup match.

Both are tough battles.

Their league opponent is the North London neighbor, Tottenham Hotspur.

White Hart Lane—arguably one of the most poetic names in the Premier League.

And indeed, there's an ethereal quality to Tottenham.

Over the past years, Tottenham has neither been the strongest team in the Premier League nor a serious contender for titles; they haven't even been the most talked-about team. However, their style of play in England has been among the most aesthetically pleasing. This has made Tottenham fans proud, as they appreciate beautiful football, judging the team not solely by victories. So even when they lose and watch Arsenal lift trophies, they scoff at Arsenal and instead feel pride for Tottenham. This continued until a savvy Jewish businessman, Daniel Levy, took charge of Tottenham, demanding simply: trophies and money.

In recent years, Tottenham has been slipping. A few years back, they had star players like Lineker and Gascoigne, led by the attack-minded manager Venables. Back then, Tottenham could be likened to today's Newcastle United—regardless of the results, their attacking play was undeniably stunning.

As Aldrich leads the team to White Hart Lane, they had previously secured a draw against Tottenham at the Den early in the season, leaving the Millwall squad eager to prove themselves. Now, the lads are filled with confidence and are unafraid of any opponents, believing they can defeat anyone in their way.

The atmosphere at White Hart Lane is electric, with both teams firing on all cylinders.

In this match, Aldrich decides to rest Trezeguet on the bench, saving him for the FA Cup showdown. Instead of substituting with another forward, he begins preparing for the next season.

The team sets up in a 4-3-3 formation, with seventeen-year-old Pirlo starting in the midfield, protected by Makélélé behind him. Aldrich gives him a simple task: focus on maintaining possession and connecting play, staying in the defensive half without pushing forward too much, essentially acting as a pivotal link between defense and attack.

Thus, Millwall's attacking front turns into four players, with Nedvěd in a central role and the front trio being Pires, Larsson, and Schneider.

It may seem like fewer attackers compared to before, but when the two full-backs push forward, Millwall fields six attackers. The wingers penetrate into the box, forming an effective front line.

Meanwhile, Tottenham's coach, Gary Francis, stands on the sidelines with a furrowed brow, sensing his heart pounding in his chest. He watches as his team's situation worsens and feels the growing tension of impending crisis.

In the first round of their league match, Tottenham managed to secure a point mainly by neutralizing Nedvěd. Today at White Hart Lane, they try to repeat that tactic, with midfielders tightly restricting Nedvěd's space on the ball.

However, they soon realize they've got their assignments wrong!

With Klinsmann having moved to Bayern and Pabiskul to Barcelona, Tottenham's strength has taken a downturn. Sheringham struggles to hold the frontline alone, and Tottenham's attack fails to flow smoothly, often being intercepted by Millwall. While their primary defensive objective is to mark Nedvěd, the ball starts moving through Pirlo's feet. 

Pirlo, in all his laid-back grace, seems to stroll about the pitch, appearing relaxed when running and less fierce in tackles. Even when he organizes attacks, there's no substantial threat conveyed. His free-flowing style directs the ball to the safest areas, mainly the two flanks when Nedvěd is being held, followed by a slow run towards the midfield, teaming up for one-twos with the wide midfielders, after which he retreats.

Whenever Pirlo executes these understated tasks, Millwall's wing attacks begin to show their potential. The full-backs push forward, linking up with the wide wingers. After establishing numerical advantages on the flanks, they either send in crosses or deliver through balls for the wingers to cut in, maintaining relentless pressure.

Millwall turns the tide, threatening constantly in front of Tottenham's goal.

Schneider's two cut-in shots are way off target, while Pires sets up Larsson. Larsson, who has scored 17 league goals, finds himself one-on-one with the keeper, yet his close-range attempt is blocked by the keeper's body.

Nedvěd heads the ball into the post after charging into the box.

Aldrich stands on the sidelines, watching these attacking sequences unfold as if on a roller coaster, emotions swinging wildly.

He walks back to the bench, dry and thirsty, grabbing a bottle of mineral water and gulping it down. Feeling defeated, he turns to Jansen and asks, "Did you see a lot of players like Schneider when you played and coached at Ajax?"

Jansen understands Aldrich's implied concern.

Schneider has distinct characteristics; his technical skills are outstanding, and his teamwork is top-notch. While he may not possess that unique precision in crossing, his success rate for crosses in the Premier League is among the best. However, what is worrying is that, as a winger with decent skills, Schneider's shooting accuracy in dynamic play is astonishingly low.

Those two recent golden opportunities were practically half-chances, with shots veering wildly off target. They made Tottenham's goalkeeper sweat, but Aldrich felt his spirits plummet as those chances slid by.

Jansen smirks, saying, "It's all about positioning. You can't solely judge it on technique. There are many players like that—just think of the current rising star, the Little Flying Man. Placing him in the middle or the box doesn't guarantee he'll weave through defenders effortlessly to finish."

Aldrich laments the missed opportunities, acknowledging that as the head coach, he understands player roles must be evaluated based on their positions on the field.

For instance, wide players only need to check one side and ahead after receiving the ball, while midfielders must visualize the overall dynamic and be aware of their surroundings.

As Schneider operates down the right flank, he only observes the left and ahead. Yet, when he cuts into the box, it creates a predicament of being pinned down. The subconscious pressure and sense of crisis heightens, leading to varying levels of performance.

Aldrich decides to talk to Schneider after the match.

Just as he sits back down, Millwall launches another spectacular attack.

Thuram makes a run, joining forces with Schneider, but this time, the Tottenham defense seems to have caught on. Schneider manages to draw the defenders away, giving Thuram time to adjust before unleashing a powerful strike from a 45-degree angle outside the box.

That shot was absolutely stunning! The ball flew through the air with no spin at all, arrowing directly into the top right corner of the goal.

Tottenham's goalkeeper, Ian Walker, is fully alert, having been bombarded by Millwall's attacks earlier, and he dives to punch the ball away, preventing it from crossing the line.

A sigh of relief sweeps through the crowd at White Hart Lane.

Walker's punch deflects the ball out to the other side of the box.

Tottenham's defense retreats to the edge of the six-yard box. Pires anticipates the falling ball and takes a long-range shot in a stunning mid-air strike!

Bang!

Aldrich is nearly going crazy on the sidelines.

F**k!

The posts at White Hart Lane truly bear the mark of Tottenham. 

The ball hits the post, drawing gasps from the stands.

But it's not over!

The ball ricochets off the post towards the six-yard box, creating chaos inside. Defender Cauldwood attempts to clear but misjudges it, stumbling over himself and tripping his teammate Kerslake. 

The ball bounces twice on the goal line, and Larsson capitalizes, launching a shot on the ground!

Walker saves the day again!

He dives sideways, not getting a hand on the ball, but his thigh manages to intercept Larsson's sure goal.

Tottenham fans at White Hart Lane are gasping for air, their hearts racing!

The ball exits the box and follows a parabolic arc, resembling a rainbow, beguiling in its trajectory.

The ball ricocheted outside the box, falling in a graceful arc like a stunning, elusive rainbow. Just as the Tottenham players raced forward, they saw an opponent barreling in; with the ball descending, he unleashed a powerful shot with his leg.

It's Nedvěd!

This time, the ball finds the net, hitting the top left corner!

"One shot, two shots, three shots, four shots! Nedvěd scores! Andy, it's Millwall's fifteenth shot of the first half, and they've finally scored! This match is bizarre!"

"Indeed, Martin, it's quite strange. We witnessed Millwall's attacks flow smoothly and beautifully, creating numerous threatening chances, yet they squandered all of them. In the end, they opened Tottenham's defense with an utterly unreasonable and violent approach. The contrast is truly astonishing."

"Nevertheless, Millwall is in the lead, and this score is not surprising. Given the flow of the game, they deserve this goal."

After scoring, Nedvěd runs to the corner flag, pumping his fists in the air, while his teammates rush over. They're having a blast in this game, finally thrilled after all those missed chances.

Aldrich chuckles lightly, rubbing his forehead.

After battling for so long with subtlety, they've found that sometimes, brute strength is the way to create miracles!