The Rise of Millwal

Chapter 131: The Tactical Shift

Chapter 131: The Tactical Shift

After the halftime break, the players of Aston Villa emerged with a positive mindset. If they could hold on for the next 45 minutes, they would lift the championship trophy. The players from Millwall entered the field, ready to kick off, and Aldrich called the warmed-up Materazzi over.

"Boss, what do you want me to do?" Materazzi asked, standing tall and speaking loudly, almost like a soldier pledging his loyalty.

Aldrich turned to him and softly asked, "Did you notice how the opposing team arranged their defensive formation in the first half?"

Materazzi was momentarily taken aback, then shared his thoughts. Generally speaking, his assessment was not far off the mark. Aldrich had him stand beside him and pulled out a notebook from his suit jacket, sketching out a simple diagram of Aston Villa's defensive system.

It consisted of three midfielders, one forward, and two defensive players, with four defenders aligned and one holding midfielder trailing behind. The defensive system was well-structured.

Assessing a team's defensive capability isn't merely about the number of defenders or their aggression; what's crucial is the layers in their defensive setup and the connections among the players. Often, when a star player breaks through and bypasses the entire defense or when a passing maestro pierces through with a precise delivery, it's not always about their extraordinary skills. Sometimes it's simply that the opponent lacks an understanding of team defense. Rushing all defenders toward a single player may appear fierce and tenacious, but in reality, it leaves significant gaps.

Today, Aston Villa's defensive system was working quite well. Given that this was the final match, the players' tactical execution and game focus were at an admirable level. They weren't recklessly pressing their opponents; instead, they slowed down the opponent's rhythm and compressed the space. When it was time to press, it would always be one defender going in, forcing the opponent into a difficult decision: either to pass or to attempt a breakthrough, while teammates would be lurking for the next interception opportunity. Their efficiency was remarkable, effectively curtailing Millwall's attacks.

As the second half began, Millwall's attacking style remained unchanged, employing a combination of wing play and central attacks to create opportunities across the pitch. However, several threatening passes into the penalty area were easily cleared by Simek.

For the first five or six minutes of the second half, Aldrich kept explaining to Materazzi the defensive tactics employed by the opponents in their own box. Materazzi was listening intently, nodding frequently.

Once Aldrich confirmed that Materazzi understood, he turned to him seriously and said, "Marco, your task after entering the game is as follows: when defending, disrupt the opposing midfielders and wingers. If you can't stop them, stay up front. During attacks, you need to position yourself at the front and stick closely to Simek. If he's not marking you, even better—take shots when you can. If he's focused on you, then cover for Henrik and David. Do you understand?"

Materazzi, tall and formidable, excelled in aerial duels and could strike well, particularly notable when taking penalty kicks—he hardly resembled a center-back in those moments.

He nodded, indicating he understood. Aldrich gave him a pat on the back, signaling that he could enter the field.

Taking advantage of a dead ball situation, the fourth official raised the substitution board.

Neil was substituted for Materazzi.

"What is Millwall thinking? They're currently trailing! Yet Aldrich has brought on a center-back! Young Neil was performing well today, providing significant support in the front, but Aldrich has taken him off; it's truly puzzling."

The Millwall fans exchanged bewildered glances, discussing this substitution.

Three center-backs on the field? Did they not want to win?

Even Aston Villa's head coach, Brian Little, was confused.

He anticipated what changes Millwall would make—reinforcing the midfield by bringing on Vieira or Ballack, or strengthening the front line with Solskj?r. Whoever was brought in, it would never be a center-back, yet Aldrich brazenly did just that!

Once Materazzi entered the field, the game continued as he charged into Aston Villa's penalty area, altering Millwall's formation at the same time.

Thuram anchored the back line, forming a dual center-back partnership with Stam, while Southgate pushed up to join Makelele in a dual midfield setup. Nedved moved up to play as an attacking midfielder, flanked on either side by Pires and Schneider, creating a setup resembling three attacking midfielders lined up parallel.

The most surprising aspect was at the front: Trezeguet and Larsson occupied the wings, with Materazzi surprisingly taking the lead position upfront!

The commentators struggled to interpret Millwall's formation changes. What the hell kind of formation was this?

It looked like a 2-2-3-3 on the positions. However, defensively, Aston Villa employed their old tricks, launching a long ball toward York, who had drifted to the left side. The first to chase down York was Schneider, successfully intercepting the ball and sending it to Southgate.

In defense, Pires and Schneider retreated deeply, resembling wing players in a 3-5-2 setup—fully committed to both offense and defense. But in attack, they abandoned the wings and clustered toward the center.

Makelele surged forward to disrupt plays and effectively support the attack, relieving pressure on Nedved, whose performance began to pick up.

Rather than sticking to the sidelines, Pires played closer to the top corner of the penalty area, taking shots or making 45-degree crosses—pressing their attack into the center.

Aston Villa struggled to adapt, as their two full-backs found themselves at a loss. With no pressure along the flanks, they instinctively closed in toward their penalty area, leading to a cramped space filled with players. Millwall's attacks became more straightforward, pushing directly from the penalty arc, with Pires taking shots, Schneider crossing, and Nedved launching shots or making forward runs, severely compressing the space inside the box, while Makelele joined to take long-range shots as well.

Immediately after the substitution, Millwall's offensive surge was relentless; the ball came in and bounced out, then came in again, creating a rhythm that left Aston Villa in disarray.

The biggest headache was Simek. He had a relatively easy time in the first half, as he didn't have a specific marking duty. Ehiogu and Wright were tasked with watching Larsson and Trezeguet. Even though they were at a disadvantage in terms of individual skills, Simek could lurk in the shadows, waiting for the right moment to intervene and effectively deal with the threats inside the penalty area.

Whether it was a stray ball or an attacking player, Simek was able to deal with them head-on.

However, since Materazzi entered the game, that tall Italian seemed to stick to him like glue, obstructing his view and distracting him from evaluating the opponent's attacking trajectories calmly.

To make matters worse, Simek did not have an absolute advantage in the physical tussles with Materazzi. When Schneider and Pires delivered high balls from 45 degrees, Materazzi contested twice in the air, leaving Simek in a cold sweat: once he headed wide, and another time the ball skimmed over their heads.

Aldrich observed from the sidelines. His focus was not on ball control—that would be meaningless. The midfield was already under Millwall's control. Even though it appeared Aston Villa had more players, if Millwall was resolute about controlling the midfield through passing, they could indeed set a record for passes. However, the game would then go into extra time, leading to penalties.

What Millwall needed was depth and attacking force. Crossing from wide areas posed negligible threats since Aston Villa would position themselves well to defend against high balls. Pires and Schneider's proximity to the central area made their 45-degree crosses more directly impactful.

Materazzi, Trezeguet, and Larsson were all excellent in the air; this was a tactical clash.

Simek had Wright and Ehiogu as defensive screens, while Materazzi provided cover against Larsson and Trezeguet.

By abandoning the wings, Aldrich knew it was a gamble. If Aston Villa launched counterattacks down the flanks, the risks would increase significantly. However, no tactical shift guaranteed a win, and the key question was whether Brian Little was willing to take that risk!

Brian Little rose and walked to the edge of the field, his brow furrowed with concern. Within merely fifteen minutes, Millwall had attempted over ten shots, including four on target.

Three midfielders could not contain the bombardment from Schneider, Pires, Nedved, and Makelele, especially when Materazzi drew Simek's attention, allowing Millwall's short passes to penetrate in ways unknown during the first half, particularly when Nedved surged into the penalty area.

Aston Villa's defensive rhythm was disrupted. The crux of the issue was that their two full-backs, Nilsson and Stoughton, were not making overlapping runs. Instead, they remained cautious in their defending.

Yet, when they too converged into the box, they inadvertently complicated their teammates' defense. They were backtracking from the wings while Millwall's players faced the goal directly; in terms of attacking impact, it became increasingly difficult to stifle Millwall's advances, leaving teammates uncertain while marking their targets.

Makelele received the ball and played a diagonal pass to Schneider, who, confronted by Kosic's defense, skillfully flicked the ball right. With plenty of space on the right wing, Kosic thought he would go wide and quickly turned to close down the area. Yet, Schneider elegantly executed a one-touch pass.

The ball zipped into the box, racing towards the danger area, as Materazzi absurdly sprinted toward the sideline, beating Simek to connect with a header that diverted the ball towards the goal.

Simek tightened his grip, shoving Materazzi away, but his head turned back toward the action.

In the penalty area, chaos ensued as a shadow stormed in, leaping high.

The golden hair shone brilliantly under the light!

Nedved!

Amongst the congestion in the box, Nilsson tried to disrupt, but he could not prevent Nedved from executing a header.

Though intending to guide the ball toward a corner, Nedved's header was straight at the goal—perhaps due to the pressure by defenders.

Goalkeeper Oakes instinctively tried to block, diving to his right in a frantic scramble.

The ball bounced directly at him, and he dove to catch it, but then he saw a leg appear in the commotion, striking the ball sharply.

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At least three players fell, but the ball continued its journey into Aston Villa's net.

The referee whistled loudly, signaling the goal was valid, pointing to the center circle.

Aldrich closed his eyes, clenched his right hand into a fist, and vigorously pumped it up and down in front of him.

Coaches and players from behind rushed out to celebrate frantically.

Rising from the ground, Larsson disregarded the pained figure of Aston Villa captain Ehiogu kneeling behind him and excitedly bolted toward the sidelines.