The Rise of Millwal

Chapter 165: Sound the horn for the championship battle.

Chapter 165: Sound the horn for the championship battle.

In the third round of the English Premier League, Millwall faced Coventry at home. Aldrich was determined to secure a victory in this match.

The atmosphere in the stadium was electrifying, and the excitement even reached the seasoned commentators from Sky Sports.

"Hello, everyone! It's Martin Tyler and Andy Gray back with you this weekend for the latest round of the Premier League. Millwall, who have not performed well from pre-season until last week's league matches, are up against a Coventry side that is not as strong. In yesterday's press conference, Millwall's manager Hall only said one thing. He implied that previous losses, including the Community Shield against Manchester United, the draw with Southampton, and the home loss to Middlesbrough, were merely warm-up matches. Andy, what do you make of that?"

"Many believe he's just saving face, but I see it differently. Objectively, he is trying to get his players back into shape. Millwall has not fielded their strongest lineup in the earlier matches. For example, in the past two league games, the midfield consisted of Lampard, Ballack, and Gattuso. Their performance wasn't terrible, especially considering the average age of the three is only 19. They've shown resilience and have had some bright moments, though they still lack maturity and luck. So, I'm very eager to see how they perform today. With Pires and Thuram gone, how will Millwall play?"

The players taking the field today were energized, eagerly gearing up for a big match.

In the pre-match locker room, Aldrich effectively lifted the team's spirits.

"The horn for Millwall's title chase in the Premier League is officially blown today. Until we secure the championship, no one can slack off. We need to show all of England why we are called the Lions!"

This instilled a powerful belief in the whole team: victory!

The match has begun, and Coventry and Millwall are tied on points. However, in their last match, they managed to secure a draw at the home ground of the London Hammers, and they are eager to resiliently earn some points against Millwall, who find themselves in a tight spot.

However, their hopes were dashed quickly.

Millwall maintained the core framework of last season's starting lineup.

Pires and Thuram were not irreplaceable; their absence wouldn't shatter Millwall.

In fact, the inclusion of Shevchenko in the forward line and the more assist-savvy Schneider as the starting right-back actually enhanced Millwall's attacking prowess. Especially with Pirlo still gaining attention, Nedved remained the focal point of the frontline's attack, which allowed Pirlo more room to maneuver.

It's fair to say that the last match, where Millwall crushed Liverpool 8-0 in the FA Cup, was crucial for Pirlo. It was a rite of passage that hugely boosted his confidence, allowing him to stabilize his role in orchestrating the midfield.

Nedved attracted defenders in the front while Pirlo calmly directed from behind. Millwall's attack flowed smoothly, incessantly testing Coventry's defensive nerves.

Attacks flowed toward Coventry's goal like a relentless tide, and even when the offensive plays concluded, Coventry's counterattacks would swiftly lose possession. Millwall's defensive unity and tactical discipline were impressive; their forwards didn't just drop back for show but actively disrupted Coventry's attacking shape. Once they secured a defensive win, the transition to offense was immediate, pushing aggressively into the attack.

Millwall's offensive structure was clear-cut, with appropriate spacing between lines, ensuring consistent threats from the front while solidly controlling secondary attack points.

After a one-two with Schneider, Shevchenko sprinted to the byline and delivered a precise cross to Trezeguet, whose header regrettably struck the crossbar, bouncing down into the field.

Before the audience's sighs could finish, Shevchenko, who had connected with Schneider, leapt up for a header from the rebound, and the goalkeeper, still lying on the ground, couldn't make a save.

"The Ukrainian has scored! That's his second goal of the season. In the last match against Middlesbrough, he salvaged a goal for Millwall. Clearly, he's in excellent form this new season! He's scoring with both head and foot, and Millwall's young players are truly enviable. Ferguson sought after super strikers all summer, but Hall parted ways with Pires without worry because he has Shevchenko to replace him. It's evident that Shevchenko has a stronger scoring ability in the box. This not-so-bulked-up lad is unforgettable."

After scoring, Shevchenko embraced Trezeguet. Although he has been at Millwall for a year, he still feels somewhat inexperienced. This isn't related to his skill level but rather to his struggle to fully express himself. Even after scoring, he refrains from celebrating exuberantly, seemingly fearing that a poor performance in the next match might lead to criticism.

Aldrich stood on the sidelines, smiling and applauding. His decision to place Shevchenko in the right winger position is because he prefers utilizing him to score goals rather than to create opportunities. On the right side, he has the capable Schneider providing assists, while on the left wing, Larsson offers a more well-rounded skill set, capable of both scoring and assisting. With Capdevila making runs to support, Larsson can effectively share the defensive pressure faced by Nedved, thus indirectly freeing him up.

Coventry struggled to mount any offense because they had trouble retaining possession. It wasn't that Millwall was merely playing keep-away; their pressing defense was outstanding. For a team lacking precision in passing, whether through ground passes or aerial balls, getting past Millwall's defensive wall was a tall order.

Thirteen minutes in, Nedved and Larson executed a classic one-two on the left side of the box. Larson flicked it to Nedved, who made a run for it and took a powerful shot that the opposing goalkeeper had no chance against. The ball hit the goalkeeper in the chest and bounced out, allowing Trezeguet to easily slot it into the empty net.

The goalkeeper from the opposing team was struck in the chest with such force that it felt like being hit by a heavy hammer. He spent nearly three minutes on the sidelines receiving treatment before finally collecting himself and returning to the pitch to resume the match.

At the 40th minute, Pirlo moved up to receive a pass from Nedved, unexpectedly advancing towards the box. He delivered a brilliant through ball that split the defense. Shevchenko successfully timed his run to collect the ball and laid it off to Larson, who swept it into the net at the far post.

Millwall's attacking trident had all found the net within just forty minutes.

In the stoppage time of the first half, Pirlo took a corner kick, and center-back Stam headed the ball into the net, solidifying the score at 4-0.

Fans were ecstatic after the first half; Millwall was back! The fast and ferocious Lions were back!

In the second half, Coventry retreated en masse to avoid a more humiliating defeat, but Millwall's assault only intensified. Aldrich substituted two players in the 60th minute, bringing on Ballack for Pirlo and Van Nistelrooy for Trezeguet.

The remaining time was a relentless siege on the Coventry goal. In the 70th minute, Ballack, receiving a back pass from Nedved, struck a stunning long-range shot that resulted in Millwall's fifth goal.

Millwall was firing on all cylinders, scoring at will against a powerless opponent.

Aldrich took a seat. He would only rise to applaud after each goal. To be honest, winning by six or seven goals against Coventry was not a huge achievement, as the two teams were not on the same level.

Moreover, Millwall's tactics were ahead of their time, rooted in their extensive running—this was their advantage. Aldrich wasn't sure how long this edge would last, but at least for a year or two, it should be fine. This was a matter of philosophy; it didn't just depend on what the head coach wanted to achieve but also required player cooperation.

Because Aldrich's team was young, his ideas resonated well with the players; it was a shared pursuit, not a question of who was elevating whom.

The new fitness training introduced last season was starting to show significant effects this season.

Combined with the steady improvement in individual skills, Aldrich believed this group of players could achieve unprecedented glory.

In the 83rd minute, Nedved connected with a pass from Van Nistelrooy, unleashing a powerful shot into the mesh. Millwall led by six goals!

Aldrich stood up joyfully, waving his arms in celebration, for this goal was magnificent. The forward combination ripped apart the opponent's defense through continuous passing movements. With only eight passes, each was crucial, maximizing the width and space of the field, where the players' understanding played a vital role.

Once he sat down, Aldrich noticed Benitez jotting down Millwall's goal patterns in his notebook. He chuckled softly, "Those kinds of goals can't be replicated. We don't practice them in training. What the players work on is actually quite simple, but because it's simple, it allows for various beautiful goals to emerge in unpredictable circumstances during a match."

Benitez raised his eyebrows with a sigh of disinterest.

Aldrich began to drift away, his mind starting to ponder other issues: money.

Last season, Millwall garnered approximately eight million pounds from television broadcast revenue, largely thanks to winning titles in both cup competitions, with around 70% coming from the Premier League.

This season was expected to exceed that by some margin. It sounds like it might only be five to six million pounds, but actually, according to the current Premier League broadcasting contract, each club averages about three million pounds. Of course, this is based on an average distribution; the Premier League revenue-sharing is not strictly by equal shares but partly equal. Millwall had a high number of televised matches and a good league standing, thus earning broadcast revenue that only trailed behind Manchester United and Liverpool. Though Arsenal's ranking was also high, their number of televised games remained low. They hadn't managed to shake off the burden of dull football. Fans often found themselves dozing off in the stands, let alone the viewers at home.

If next season arrives, the Premier League broadcasting contracts will see a significant increase. Based on last season's standards, Millwall could easily surpass ten million pounds solely from Premier League broadcasting revenue. As a result, Aldrich planned to offer contract renewals and salary increases to players next summer, hoping they would remain content and not seek to leave. While he might not be able to match top Premier League salaries, he certainly wouldn't skimp on salaries that matched their worth.

Moving into the new millennium, broadcasting revenues would further skyrocket, with top-tier teams earning over thirty to forty million pounds per season without difficulty. Coupled with Champions League and domestic cup revenues, mega-clubs like Manchester United could pocket over a hundred million pounds, and that would only represent less than half of their total income.

Aldrich couldn't operate like Manchester United through debt financing, even though that was the Glazer family's responsibility; after all, over a billion pounds of debt for a club like Chelsea a decade later, or Arsenal with over four hundred million pounds and Liverpool with over two hundred million pounds, was beyond what Millwall could sustain. Some of these clubs could afford such situations, but others were simply skilled at spending money.

It was clear that Millwall needed to pursue commercialization and globalization aggressively.

In terms of building a team, Aldrich didn't intend to follow other clubs by continuously creating short-term three-year plans, splurging on veteran stars. Instead, he wanted to nurture a self-sufficient Millwall, which undoubtedly posed challenges. But he lacked the financial might of Abramovich or the Abu Dhabi royal family, nor did he plan to list like Manchester United on the American stock market for financing.