The Cost of International Duty

"The highly anticipated showdown of the Premier League's 10th round is about to begin, with Millwall hosting their North London neighbors, Arsenal, at the Lion King Stadium. Both teams' recent form is a cause for concern. With several foreign internationals returning from international duty, the fatigue from their travels is unavoidable. However, today's match carries great significance. Not only is it a six-pointer in the title race, but it could also mark a historic moment for Millwall. If they manage to beat or draw with Arsenal, they will equal a great record: 58 unbeaten matches in the top five European leagues. This incredible record was set by the last European powerhouse, AC Milan. Today, Millwall has the chance to write their name alongside that legendary team."

The Lion King Stadium was packed for this rare occasion!

In recent seasons, Millwall's home attendance has consistently been over 99%. However, this season, in the few home games played, the average attendance had dropped to 91%.

This wasn't due to the stadium being too large or a lack of interest from fans, but rather because many middle-class and wealthy fans who bought season tickets either lived far from the stadium or found the allure of home games insufficient, leading to a decrease in attendance.

For matches like today's against Arsenal, fans who had season tickets wouldn't miss it for the world. But if it were a relegation-threatened team, some fans who didn't care about the financial loss might choose to skip the game.

Arthur, Puskás, Yvonne—this trio of regulars in the Millwall stands over the past few years had now moved to the luxury box. Sitting with Arthur was Bert, while Yvonne held Earl in her arms.

The Lions' fans were in a relaxed mood. They had so much confidence in their team now. They no longer viewed every league game like it was a matter of life and death, as they did ten years ago. They didn't even mind if they won or lost; they no longer felt nervous.

A joke had been circulating among the fans:

"Every May, Liverpool fans start discussing next season. In May, Manchester United fans regret their team finishing second. And in May, Millwall fans celebrate their team's title win."

It wasn't even November yet. Millwall fans didn't need to look at the standings; it was meaningless. They were simply enjoying the game. When May arrived, they'd be ready to celebrate the championship their team would bring them.

In today's crucial match, Aldrich and Wenger sat on the sidelines, both remarkably in sync. They leaned forward, elbows on their thighs, hands clasped. Their expressions looked grim, as if both were deep in thought, gazing at the pitch.

Both coaches were feeling the pressure.

With the FIFA virus sweeping through the squad, what good was shouting instructions from the sidelines? No matter how much mental motivation they gave the players, physical fatigue couldn't be changed so easily.

Wenger was probably in a slightly better mood, though still concerned about the strength of the opposition.

Arsenal had lost two key players in the summer, and although their formation hadn't changed much, the new players were stepping up well.

They stuck to their usual 4-4-2 formation with two holding midfielders.

Goalkeeper: Seaman.

Defenders: Lauren, Adams, Keown, Silvinho.

Midfielders: Ljungberg, Parlour, Vieira, Pires.

Forwards: Bergkamp, Ibrahimovic.

Aldrich, however, was in a much worse position.

Arsenal's key players like Adams, Keown, and Parlour had managed to rest well, while nearly all of Millwall's first-choice players had been called up for international duty. Even though Materazzi, Butt, and Gattuso didn't play in their national games, the travel alone left them fatigued.

The saddest part was that Zambrotta, who had reported to the Italy national team without a scratch, came back only to be listed as injured, needing a three-week recovery period.

Ronaldinho returned the latest, having traveled across continents and hemispheres to join Brazil's national team. He had to deal with jet lag, a drastic climate change, and the hassle of long-distance travel. Damn it! Why was the world so big?

Aldrich simply decided not to include Ronaldinho in the matchday squad.

So, the Brazilian sat in the luxury box next to Arthur, dressed in casual, trendy clothes, accompanied by a graceful blonde beauty. Before the match started, he stood up and waved to the fans, greeting them warmly...

Aldrich had chosen Gronkjaer, Ashley Cole, and Klose to replace the injured or rested players, sticking to their usual 4-3-3 formation.

From the very beginning of the match, both teams struggled to pick up speed. As soon as they slightly increased the tempo, the mistakes in the final attacking phase became glaringly evident.

Henry and Larsson frequently made runs into space, but their performances were just a little off.

Aldrich turned to Klinsmann with a grin and joked, "I think I should be a bit more devious."

"Huh?" Klinsmann was utterly confused.

"Devious?"

"I should call up Keown and Parlour to the national team, and maybe even beg Adams to come back. I can always say it's for the experience. You see, today, Adams and Keown were full of energy, playing brilliantly. Vieira was a bit off his game, but those two were rock-solid at the back."

Klinsmann was speechless.

If he was seriously considering adding England internationals to the squad just to tire out Arsenal's core, then, well… that's pretty damn devious.

At this time, Arsenal's defense was solid.

Besides an aging yet steadfast backline, the midfield of Vieira and Parlour formed the cornerstone of Arsenal's success during this period.

Meanwhile, on the right wing, Ljungberg, the Swedish player who loved changing his hairstyle, was indeed both offensive and defensive. His defensive interceptions consistently ranked among the top in the Premier League.

Arsenal's attacking play wasn't particularly innovative. It was mostly based on wide play, and without a pure playmaker, it relied heavily on speed and players making late runs into the box.

In the 23rd minute, Aldrich stood up from the coach's bench, walked to the sidelines, and made a stern gesture to Gattuso, repeatedly striking his right fist into his left palm. The message was clear: be more aggressive!

Arsenal might have lost Henry, but with Ibrahimović, their attacking threat remained. Ibrahimović's physicality was undeniable, and there were very few defenders who could stop him. Plus, his technical skills were surprisingly nimble. Gattuso had been bulldozed by him twice already. It was getting a bit embarrassing.

Maybe it was because Gattuso had been in Italy for half a month. Maybe he'd been brainwashed, but today he seemed to have lost his usual wild-dog spirit, trying instead to learn a calmer, more composed form of defense with precise tackling.

The last two times, he lowered his center of gravity as Ibrahimović received the ball with his back to him. When Ibrahimović turned, Gattuso made his move. But his legs were too short, and Ibrahimović's long legs created space. As Gattuso reached for the ball, he missed it completely, lost his balance, and Ibrahimović accelerated past him.

Millwall didn't emphasize reckless pressing, but when the key area arrived, you had to get close to your opponent, forcing them to either beat you quickly or open up some space for teammates to intercept and cover.

So far, the team hasn't conceded any goals, but with Gattuso's defensive stance, he's likely to be overwhelmed in that position. After all, there's also Bergkamp, who withdrew from the national team and is unaffected by the FIFA virus.

Gattuso sensed Aldrich's discontent and quickly realized that his attempt to apply the defensive techniques of his Italian predecessors wasn't quite working in practice. Without hesitation, he adjusted his style and reverted to his old ways, charging up and down the midfield, relentlessly sticking to his opponents.

There were three Swedish national team players on the field today—Ibrahimović, Larsson, and Ljungberg.

Ljungberg and Ibrahimović, both playing for Arsenal, had an excellent understanding on the field. Pires and Bergkamp had played together for longer and were equally in sync. This synergy made Arsenal's wide attacks particularly threatening when they shifted play toward the center.

Between the 31st and 43rd minutes of the first half, Arsenal took control, pressing Millwall.

Aldrich stood in front of the bench, covering his mouth as he quietly exchanged words with Jansen.

"I don't know if it's just me, but why does it feel like Pirlo has disappeared in defense today?"

Jansen stood up, watching the match while replying softly to Aldrich's ear, "I feel that way too. Maybe he's too tired, or maybe it's because Arsenal are focusing on the wings. Their speed is so quick, and during their attacks, they've simply bypassed Pirlo's area, so we don't see him much in defensive situations."

Aldrich turned his head to look at Pirlo on the field, who wore a frown. Speed wasn't Pirlo's strong point, and the Premier League's pace would only get faster in the future.

Today, playing against Arsenal, Pirlo had more space to push forward due to the opposing team's double pivot. However, once he moved up, Arsenal's wide players quickly unleashed their speed. Even though Pirlo wanted to defend, his legs simply couldn't keep up.

Aldrich walked to the sideline and gestured for Pirlo to stay deeper.

In the first half, Arsenal played cautiously. Both of their holding midfielders were reluctant to push forward too much, only attempting long shots from about 35 yards from goal, quickly retreating to defend afterward.

Wenger probably hadn't expected that Arsenal wouldn't be too affected by the FIFA virus today.

But his pre-match worries weren't without reason. The key player, Vieira, was in subpar form, and right-back Lauren was his biggest concern defensively—afraid that Millwall might exploit him.

Millwall's attack was fairly underwhelming today. The whole team was affected by the FIFA virus. If they were up against a mid- to lower-tier team, they might have been able to maintain an advantage, but against Arsenal, their mistakes were far more apparent.

If Wenger had dared to take more risks today, Millwall might have already conceded by now.

Would Wenger's awareness of Arsenal's advantage at the end of the first half make him believe they could take a win on the road?

At least, the advantage was a sign.

If it weren't for the past two seasons of getting dizzy from Millwall's attacks, Wenger might not have been so wary. Aldrich's primary focus now was to prevent the opponent from building on their momentum.

As the first half was nearing stoppage time, the match had become somewhat dull. Arsenal had been cautious, Millwall's attacking errors were too frequent, and there had been only a handful of good shots on goal.

Some fans in the stands were already leaving their seats, ready to take a break, grab some food, or take a bathroom break.

But just then, a huge change happened on the field!

In the last few minutes, Arsenal had been attacking aggressively, with Ibrahimović standing out while Gattuso was his tenacious marker.

As the 15th second of injury time ticked away, Ibrahimović received the ball with his back to goal, and Gattuso immediately positioned himself close behind. With a swift motion, Gattuso reached for the ball, trying to break Ibrahimović's control, but the striker used his body to push Gattuso off and turned sharply, attempting to escape with a deft inside-foot touch. Gattuso's momentum was too much, and his foot collided with the unprotected outer ankle of Ibrahimović.

Ibrahimović let out a loud scream, his anger boiling over as he spun around. His arm, perhaps due to his height, swung out and hit Gattuso in the face, sending him crashing to the ground.