The Fans’ Fury

As the FIFA international break ended, Aldrich felt relieved that all the players returned unscathed. With only three days left until the weekend league match, Aldrich and his coaching staff were already waiting for the players at the training ground.

Bennett, Jansson, and Babou stood next to Aldrich, forming a serious discussion circle around him. Players emerging from the locker room changed into their kits huddled together, talking about the Champions League group stage draw.

Their excitement for the Champions League was palpable in their conversations.

Once the players gathered, Aldrich put on a stern face and began to reprimand them. 

"It seems like you've forgotten we have an important league match in just three days! I completely understand your feelings; you're on the brink of participating in the highest-level intercontinental tournament, and I'm excited too. But you can't forget who you are; you are the reigning champions of the Premier League, and we are currently sitting at a shocking tenth place! Tenth place! Liverpool has already managed to leave scars on us, and Wimbledon and Leicester City have happily secured favorable results against us. This weekend we travel to Stamford Bridge. Are you really considering gifting our rivals a nice weekend surprise? Forget about the Champions League and focus all your energy on preparing for the league match!"

Upon hearing Aldrich's stern warning, the players collectively dropped their relaxed expressions, now facing the training session with seriousness.

During the warm-up, the coaches refrained from participating, with Aldrich still engaged in discussion with the coaching staff about tactical training focus for the upcoming period.

The first round of the Champions League was just a week away, and with the main players back from international duty, Aldrich would typically implement a rotation plan for the weekend league match. 

However, the situation on the Premier League table forced him to field his strongest lineup for the derby against Chelsea.

Having not won in the last three league matches, they needed to stop the downward trend immediately, especially with Chelsea starting the season on a ferocious note. They also needed to curtail their rivals' momentum.

The only advantageous factor was that Millwall would host their first Champions League match in London, minimizing the negative impact of back-to-back games as much as possible.

Once the players completed their warm-up, Aldrich called six players forward while Bennett summoned eight others to his side.

Ballack, Schneider, Nedved, Larsson, Trezeguet, and Shevchenko stood in a fan shape before Aldrich.

Holding his tactical board, Aldrich addressed them, "Listen carefully to what I'm about to say. If you cannot understand my expectations, our team won't be able to improve."

The six nodded seriously.

Millwall was in trouble; this was common knowledge across the entire Premier League.

No matter how many people enjoyed watching them fail or secretly mocked them, there were still those eager to see how Millwall would break their early-season slump.

How could they break through a solid defense? 

Liverpool, Wimbledon, and Leicester City had already tasted success against Millwall, but that wasn't the mainstream style in the Premier League.

Liverpool could impose their intense style of play against teams apart from Millwall, as could others.

So Fleet Street wasn't worried that this defensive counter-attacking trend would become the norm in the Premier League.

It was precisely because Millwall had been exceptionally strong last season, playing ruthlessly in the Premier League that other teams feared them. Consequently, against Millwall, most teams took a passive stance, not wanting to win much either.

This was a critical time for Millwall; unless they could overturn their current slump and break through solid defenses, this tactical approach of others could become ingrained, leading to Millwall potentially being ridiculed: playing attractive football was pointless if they couldn't win!

Aldrich understood that only by making teams who deployed extreme counter-attacking tactics ultimately pay a price once, twice, or three times would they be able to change their current plight.

Once opponents realized that their negative defensive approach wouldn't even secure them a draw, the tactical mindset would revert to the drawing board: why not adopt their own style and give it a shot? What's the point of just taking hits without earning points?

Aldrich showed the six players his tactics board, where the attacking players' movement routes and passing lines were clearly indicated with solid and dashed lines.

"This is the team tactic we've built over the past three years, which succeeded tremendously last season. From passing to positioning, we advance in layers and links. The simplest way to describe it is: back players pass to midfielders, midfielders pass to forwards, and once the players in other positions move into place, we use width and lateral ball movement to stretch the opposition's defense, then our finishers seize the opportunity to threaten the opponent's goal."

The six players listened intently. Although they might not have understood the intricacies of the tactics when they initially joined the team, through daily training and matches, they might not be able to articulate the essence, but they instinctively knew how to play.

"In the past, our attacking players in the midfield would move laterally to stretch the defense. For example, David would run horizontally to attract the defenders' attention, creating sudden inside-cutting opportunities for Andre and Henrik to threaten the goal. But now, our opponents often deploy heavy defenses within a forty-yard radius in front of the box, compensating for the potential vulnerabilities in their defense with numbers. This demands our attacking players to adapt their movements and work together more efficiently, requiring greater awareness of the game. Maybe before, one or two players could create opportunities, but now it requires three, four, or even five players to work together to generate scoring chances."

After Aldrich finished speaking, he flipped to the next page of his tactics board to showcase the new tactical training starting today.

The players' movement patterns were complex; relying solely on rigid routes wouldn't yield significant results. Aldrich often created various scenarios for players to experiment with, providing hints from the side. While the annotated movement patterns on today's tactics board were straightforward, the real challenge lay in forming that understanding during practical games.

"We need to enhance our attacking depth. While opponents utilize two or three defensive lines to bolster lateral interceptions, I don't believe their midfield players can achieve perfect coordination with the defenders. There will inevitably be transitional lapses during defensive duties, revealing weaknesses as roles shift."

Aldrich explained the key points of the tactics and encouraged them to communicate with one another.

While the overall tactical direction hadn't changed, these nuanced details required a deeper understanding from the players, and their coordination needed to be even more precise.

When training started, Aldrich instructed them to play half a field of offense and defense.

The offensive team consisted of the six Aldrich had briefed.

Bennett then organized the other eight players to form a double-layered, compact defense.

Aside from the goalkeeper, defenders Mills, Elgham, Southgate, and Zambrotta, joined four midfielders: Gattuso, Makelele, Gronkjaer, and Duff.

As training commenced, Aldrich observed the attacking unit from the sidelines.

Initially, they adhered to their usual lateral stretching tactics, but as Aldrich consistently reminded them, the attack gradually found their rhythm and began to improve. They had played together for over two years, and the synergy among two or three players had already formed. However, the current requirement was for four, five, or even six players to create teamwork and progression together; missing just one could disrupt everything.

This, however, was still not the ideal tactical scenario Aldrich envisioned; Millwall was missing one crucial element.

A player capable of tearing apart the opponent's defense using their individual brilliance!

Larsson was the perfect finisher, Shevchenko could both create and finish, and Trezeguet offered top-notch movement and influence, but none of the three strikers had the ability to alter the course of the game by their own means.

In Aldrich's plan, it would be the quickest two seasons before the team could obtain that final world-class element, and the contributor to that element was the Brazilian Ronaldinho, currently working to boost his goals and assists in the reserves.

That was the best-case scenario, as the team needed to wait for Ronaldinho to develop, to find his footing in the Premier League, and to transform into the magician of the pitch.

While opponents may fear Millwall, in most recent matches, even after a convincing display, they would still deploy eight men to defend and have two up front searching for chances. Yet this season, all their recent opponents had left nine men in the back and merely one up front, making counterattacks essentially a gamble.

In this situation, Millwall's lack of individual breakthrough ability had been glaringly exposed.

Aldrich was not one to complain; under the current conditions, he would strive to do his best to maximize the team's overall football strategy.

Three days later, the London derby awaited.

Since Aldrich was suspended, he didn't even attend the pre-match press conference, with Bennett stepping in for him. The result was a somewhat lackluster atmosphere, as Fleet Street didn't wish to waste time on the Spanish fat man.

This season, the East London derby was definitely missing, and when West Ham would climb back to the Premier League remained uncertain; however, the battles between Millwall and Chelsea were still intense and, with Chelsea steadily building strength in recent years, they had become a formidable force in London and the Premier League.

Millwall had already proven themselves with their championship win, while Chelsea was merely one trophy away from announcing their resurgence.

This was not just a derby between London rivals; it was a focal battle between two rising teams in the Premier League.

Chelsea had successfully landed a number of impressive wins over the past two seasons, sinking teams like Manchester United and Liverpool, earning them the reputation of giant killers. Though not favorites for the league title this season, they were definitely poised to disrupt.

Aldrich appeared in the box at Stamford Bridge, next to him stood Yvonne. The dazzling duo appeared calm in front of the live cameras, looking like solemn deities surveying the pitch below.

In the stands at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea fans waved an audacious banner.

"Millwall, who's at the top now? Where are The Lions?"

Since Millwall's rise to the Premier League, they had never ranked below a London team after five matches in a new season. However, this season, after five rounds, they found themselves in tenth place, unexpectedly behind Chelsea, who topped the table!

Millwall fans stood in the away section, arms crossed, scoffing at Chelsea fans' taunts.

Brady directly instructed the Lions Roar members to take action immediately. Currently, the Lions Roar was Millwall's most influential supporter group, especially with their stands emboldening players and ensuring they remained competitive against opposing fans' cheers.

Soon, the Lions Roar members adjusted their positions spontaneously, and with a wave of Brady's hand, five rows turned to face Chelsea's fans, their backs emblazoned with a bold statement in English letters, responding to Chelsea.

"Champions

Chelsea: 4

Millwall: 5

Some have waited twenty-six years

Some celebrated the trophy just four months ago.

The protest banner made up of a word, number, or punctuation mark behind each fan quickly captured the attention of the broadcast cameras.

Simultaneously, Brady led the members to sing in unison: "Hey Chelsea, look over here, answer our question: who waited twenty-six years, who watched the Lions lift the FA Cup at Wembley, who has lost every Premier League match against the Lions? Chelsea, oh Chelsea, answer me, answer me, or you'll just cry, cry, cry..."

Chelsea's most die-hard fans watched the Lions' response, some gritting their teeth while others remembered the crushing defeat at Wembley a few months ago. That was their closest brush with a trophy in recent years, but their hopes had been brutally shattered by the Lions.

How infuriating, Millwall! You haven't won a single match in three rounds, yet we, Chelsea, are at the top of the league with four wins and one loss.

Why are you so arrogant? Why? ? ?