Hidden Fatal Strike

The starting lineup for Millwall in this match was exactly the same as the one that faced Chelsea over the weekend. 

As the match kicked off, Millwall's attack was steady and methodical, but it lacked urgency.

When they attacked, the ball was passed forward with precision, and players generally didn't stray too far from their positions. Often, before receiving the ball, they found themselves closely marked by players from PSV Eindhoven, leading to either a immediate pass or an attempt to break through using individual skills.

Today, PSV also lined up in a 4-3-3 formation. Their midfielders dropped back to match Millwall in the center, applying pressure on Millwall's midfield players. The wide players contracted back into their half, making it difficult for Millwall's full-backs to provide support from the flanks.

Nedved fought off Cocu and passed the ball to Trezeguet, who dropped back to collect it with his back to the opponent. Trezeguet played a horizontal ball to the left wing, where Larsson took a touch and immediately launched a long-range shot.

This shot sent chills through the PSV squad as the ball skimmed the crossbar and flew into the stands. Had it been a little lower, the goalkeeper would have been left helpless.

Larsson was well-acquainted with PSV, having spent two years at Feyenoord. He still recognized some of the veterans in the PSV squad.

The players in PSV who had faced Larsson in the Eredivisie saw him in a new light. While he had performed well as a winger at Feyenoord, he was not considered a fearsome striker back then.

Astonishingly, after moving to England and working his way up from the lower leagues, Larsson transformed himself into a top goalscorer in just three years, with a European Golden Boot to prove it.

Although PSV initially set out to solidify their defense, their approach was far from a traditional "bus" parking strategy.

Just because all eleven players were retreating didn't mean they were playing defensively. As Aldrich had pointed out to the reporters, when one side sends seven or eight players past the halfway line to join the attack, the defending side naturally has the right to bolster their defense with more players.

Simply having defenders compactly reorganizing in the box does not equate to a "bus" parking mentality.

Aldrich believed that this often-criticized negative defensive tactic of parking the bus is more about the ensuing choices after a successful defense.

If the defending team attempts to organize their own attack, then their securing defense serves to facilitate better attacking opportunities. Even if all eleven players are defending in the box, that cannot be faulted.

But if they successfully defend and then choose not to organize an attack, merely clearing the ball without any attacking players pushing forward for opportunities, that's what is termed as parking the bus—negative football. It clearly shows a lack of attacking desire, which is tantamount to giving up the pursuit of victory; this is anti-football, purely focused on gaining points or favorable draws.

Thus, while PSV's players mostly retreated into defense, as soon as they regained control of the ball, their formation opened up to press forward, launching organized and planned attacks. Although they didn't commit many players forward, they were simply executing routine tactics rather than parking the bus.

PSV began their offensive phase cautiously, ensuring they didn't take any unnecessary risks as they aimed to avoid turnovers. This, however, inadvertently slowed down their attacking rhythm, as Millwall's defenders would actively close off potential forward passing lanes.

Whenever Millwall failed to convert their attack, they would immediately reorganize for a counter-press, allowing their forward players to provide time for the defenders lagging behind. If they couldn't win the ball back immediately, the forwards would retreat to help secure the defense once their defensive shape was set.

The first twenty minutes saw both teams playing cautiously, especially being the first match of the group stage—practicing caution often minimizes errors. Teams that come out too aggressively often face dire consequences in subsequent matches.

The Champions League is a stage that tests patience and experience. The more seasoned teams have the greater chance of success.

As Aldrich watched for over twenty minutes, he couldn't say he was disappointed, but he felt that PSV's performance was simply unremarkable.

He was eager to witness the Dutch "Total Football" style of play, which has become almost impossible in this era.

Total Football isn't just about having all players involved in both attack and defense; its essence lies in the interchange of roles.

For instance, if a defender moves forward to attack, they can fulfill a midfielder's role, or even take on striker duties, tactically creating unexpected elements. However, the challenge lies in defense; if a defender pushes forward, who covers the space left behind? Should midfielders surge toward the opponent's goal and be caught out by a counterattack, strikers must swiftly transition into defensive roles, covering for their teammates—a principle that applies similarly across all positions.

The requirements placed on players are immense. To what extent, exactly?

The father of Total Football, Michels, famously said: "To fully realize the potential of Dutch Total Football, you need at least seven world-class players on your team!"

Seven world-class players—this is the bare minimum!

Without having a certain level of ability, it's impossible to grasp or, even if one understands conceptually, to physically execute the demands of Total Football.

Regrettably, the high demands of this tactical philosophy have rendered it unsustainable; after the glory days of Dutch football, no one has been able to carry it forward. Even the Dutch giants struggle to adopt this high-freedom tactic in which forwards can play as defenders and vice versa. The Dutch national team tried to maintain such gameplay, but the lack of sufficient world-class players to execute it meant their fluid attacking play often resulted in underwhelming outcomes. With a strategy granting players such high degrees of freedom, any failure in one phase can lead to a massive collapse.

The tactical philosophy of Total Football is idealistic, yet it faces significant challenges in modern play. The original principles risk being resisted by players: how many world-class forwards would willingly transition into midfielders during a match?

Nevertheless, this Total Football, heralded as the third tactical revolution in football history, still provides subsequent generations a blueprint for new strategies. By removing the idealistic components and borrowing the practical aspects, many coaches have sought to implement its features effectively.

Aldrich could readily acknowledge that the varied and dynamic runs and positional changes among Millwall's players stem from this Total Football philosophy.

The later "Galaxy Team," Barcelona, also demonstrated traces of Total Football's tactical essence.

But PSV lack the ability to truly embrace total football. They are just 11 people defending or attacking at the same time, and have no similarity with the real Dutch all-out total football.

As a result, Aldrich felt let down; he hadn't witnessed a single instance of PSV players shifting roles in their positioning throughout the match.

Forwards remained forwards, midfielders acted as midfielders, and defenders stuck to defense, with each fulfilling their roles and maintaining their positions according to the game plan—systematic and predictable.

Thirty minutes had passed.

PSV withstood the threat of Millwall's six shots on goal, managing only two attempts of their own, having committed minimal resources: one midfielder and three forwards.

As the half-hour mark approached, PSV began to invest more in their attacking efforts, introducing an additional midfielder into the forward mix!

When Cocu attempted a through ball to break down Millwall's wing defense for a teammate, Senden, Southgate anticipated the pass and executed a perfectly timed tackle to redirect it towards Larsson, who had dropped back.

Larsson faced the rolling ball and made a decisive horizontal pass before quickly turning and advancing forward.

Aldrich's eyes suddenly sparkled with anticipation: This is it!

The tempo of the match shifted dramatically.

Where Millwall had been cautious and systematic, they began to explode into fast-paced, direct football on the counterattack.

Makelele received Larsson's pass and laid it off to Nedved, who was immediately confronted by a lurking defensive midfielder. Still, Nedved deftly dished the ball to Ballack, who strode forward, breaking through PSV's midfield line of defense. As Shevchenko made a decoy run inward, he drew a defender towards him, allowing Ballack to diagonal pass the ball swiftly to the rapidly advancing Schneider.

The opposing full-back promptly turned to block Schneider, but the German managed to send a first-time through ball into the box. Shevchenko sprinted toward the byline, half-turning to send a low cross back to the penalty spot.

Trezeguet surged in for the point-blank finish, dragging the PSV defender along with him. Behind them, Larsson glided into position at the penalty spot and tapped the ball gently into the net.

The ball rolled between the goalkeeper's legs and into the goal.

Both the goal and the goalkeeper's "small gate" were breached simultaneously.

Millwall took the lead!

A thunderous cheer erupted from Wembley Stadium.

Aldrich clenched his teeth, his eyes shut, and pumped his right fist in triumph.

That was it!

In the first thirty minutes, Millwall played conservatively, adhering to tactical requirements. Firstly, they focused on solid defense to avoid being caught out by quick counterattacks. Secondly, they sought to lull their opponents into a false sense of security.

Traditionally, Dutch teams do not fear teams with fast-paced attacks; as 4-3-3 proponents of attacking football, they engage in domestic tussles without shying away from quicker sides. There was no need for Millwall to start at an elevated pace.

Moreover, following Aldrich's game-day instructions, they could play off the psychological edge of their opponents wanting to win. Though Eindhoven wasn't going all out in attack, the more players they committed, the harder it became to switch back to defense. If Millwall suddenly accelerated the tempo, they could utilize their strength in fast breaks, moving the ball from one flank to the other, shifting the defenders' center of gravity, and ultimately, when the moment was right, hit them back on the opposite end, catching their defense completely unprepared!

After the celebration wound down, Aldrich gathered Ballack and Nedved before him, stressing the need for unified thinking—urging them not to grow complacent with their newfound lead or to stray from their established strategy.

The two midfielders nodded solemnly in agreement.

Having gained the lead, Millwall did not pursue a quick follow-up after the restart.

PSV, recovering from conceding, aimed to stabilize their emotions and also refrained from launching an overwhelming counterattack, which allowed both teams to return to a more relaxed rhythm.

With arms crossed and a watchful eye, Aldrich remained alert, continuously assessing the match dynamics, particularly his players' performances.

Today, Millwall's tactical approach was straightforward. If the match turned into a stalemate, they would stick to traditional point-to-point passing, allowing forwards to interchange runs, while defenders and midfielders maintained stability.

When PSV launched their attacks, Millwall had to be on guard. Defense was merely their foundational duty; more importantly, once they succeeded defensively, they had to exploit the opportunity, swiftly ramping up the tempo to apply pressure on their opponent's goal.

This played out similarly to a boxing match, where the most treacherous knock-out punch is concealed behind a flurry of probing attacks.

Millwall's players are quite comparable to their opponents in individual talent, with some of them excelling even further. Given that the match was held in London, Millwall's dominance became even more pronounced after they netted a goal.

The first half concluded with Trezeguet's header striking the post, leaving the teams to head to the locker rooms.