The Rise of Millwal

Chapter 178: Christmas Derby

Chapter 178: Christmas Derby

Damn it, the Christmas rush is here again.

Compared to the grueling schedule of 46 matches in the Football League two years ago and last year's focus on cup competitions, this season has seen Millwall maintain a decent rotation from August to December, with key players getting ample rest and primarily concentrating on the league with an average of one game per week.

After reaching the quarter-finals in the League Cup and progressing to the last eight in the European Cup Winners' Cup, Millwall was now preparing to kick off their FA Cup campaign.

Aldrich was concerned that the players might start feeling weary of the matches mentally, so he planned to give the main squad a proper break during Christmas.

He was also adjusting the game plan. With such a significant lead in the league this season, Aldrich aimed to target both the European Cup Winners' Cup and the FA Cup—where the former is the second-most prestigious cup competition in Europe and the latter is the most traditional cup competition in England. Not to mention that Millwall is the defending champion.

The players were aware that at this stage, Millwall's rotation strategy would be modified.

This wasn't purely due to competitive reasons, but also psychological ones; Aldrich couldn't pinpoint when they would fully adapt.

However, the players made their preferences known to him.

Thursday's training wrapped up early, and Aldrich was in his office handling documents. With the winter transfer window approaching, several clubs had sent in offers. Although he was determined not to sell anyone, he still needed to glance at the offers in case a particularly enticing one came in, which would require him to adjust his contract extension plans for the players accordingly.

Nedv?d was the first to knock and enter. He got straight to the point, saying, "Boss, I don't need a holiday. I've fully adapted to the game's tempo here over the last two years."

Larsson, Trezeguet, Schneider, and Makelele followed suit, expressing similar sentiments.

Especially the forwards, who were in hot form, scoring left and right. Although no single player dominated the goal tally, they were all enjoying the game, finding satisfaction in both scoring and assisting their teammates.

The players' eagerness to continue thrilled Aldrich, though a few opted to take the holiday, like Pirlo and Capdevila.

As Christmas neared, the East London derby ignited once more.

When Millwall returned to prominence as a promoted team in East London, no one imagined that just a year later, the mighty Hammers would find themselves in such an awkward situation. Millwall topped the points table, while the Hammers languished in fifth from the bottom.

The first derby of the season was set to take place at the Lion's Den.

Due to the chaotic incidents of last season, the FA and the police had heavily cracked down on fan behavior. This year, the East London derby was relatively calm off the pitch; there were fewer pre-arranged fights among fans, and tensions on the streets seemed less frequent.

But inside the stadium, the charged atmosphere remained unchanged.

The Lions' fans waved various banners insulting the Hammers, while the two sets of supporters exchanged songs and chants, their voices hoarse from the noise.

In the packed stands, the fervent fans waved their arms menacingly. Aldrich stood on the sidelines, unable to hear what was being shouted from the stands, but it was clearly just insults and mockery hurled back and forth.

Redknapp stood with his hands in his jacket pockets, staring blankly at the game. It wasn't that he was dazed or confused; it was just that his appearance—small eyes—made it hard for anyone to see his intensity.

The Hammers had been struggling near the relegation zone since the beginning of the new season, with inconsistent results that fluctuated between securing a safer position and sliding back into danger.

At the Lion's Den today, the Hammers played with great intensity on the pitch, their tactical strategy unmistakable: a strong defense aimed at achieving a draw.

In place of Pirlo, Ballack started, and Zambrotta replaced Capdevila.

Although the personnel changes were minimal, Millwall's offensive force was dominant, yet something felt missing.

Creativity!

Yes, that's right—creativity.

Both Ballack and Lampard were capable of organizing the midfield with satisfactory short and long passes, but they lacked finesse. There was an organized approach, but it paled in comparison to Pirlo's ability to orchestrate plays silently yet powerfully.

The Lions' fans mocked the Hammers, "You're just a bunch of turtles, only knowing how to defend! You're too scared to even let one player cross halfway!"

Commentators appeared disillusioned, noting that the match resembled a brawl within West Ham's own defensive zone, as most players crowded their own box.

"Perhaps Redknapp could halt Millwall's winning streak, though this approach doesn't seem proud. Yet from a psychological standpoint, maybe it would still signify West Ham's victory," one commentator mused.

"Playing like West Ham does means neither wanting to win nor lose. If football continues to develop like this, it's doomed."

"But what can Redknapp do? If he doesn't use such a comprehensive defensive strategy, he's likely to go home defeated. This is a bitter rivalry; both in points and reputation, old Red can't afford to lose," another commentator replied.

Sighing, the same commentator observed, "At the end of the first half, the score was 0-0. Millwall had 17 shots, with only 8 being blocked directly by opponents. The only threatening attempt was a long shot from Ballack that hit the post."

As they walked into the locker room at halftime, Aldrich noticed the players complaining about their opponents.

"They don't even want to win!" Trezeguet vented. He had been tightly marked on all sides and had only one shot attempt in the first half, which ricocheted off a defender, leaving him fuming.

"I can't find any breakthrough openings to cut in for a shot; the penalty area is just packed with defenders everywhere!"

"Damn, someone pinched my ass during the corner just now; that was disgusting."

Barack's comment caught everyone off guard momentarily before they broke into laughter.

Once the chuckles subsided, Nedv?d looked up at Aldrich and asked, "Boss, should we take more long shots in the second half?"

They had tried a number of long-range efforts in the first half, but the results were suboptimal; West Ham was doing an excellent job of sweeping the ball away from danger.

Aldrich scribbled on the tactical board, then pointed to the goal line: "Fullbacks need to push deeper into the attack. The wingers should avoid blindly cutting inside and maintain spacing and layers to stretch their defense. In the second half, I'll substitute Rudd for Yap. He'll join David in front of the opponent's goal."

He explained a tactical shift to use both wings to pull the defense apart, maximizing the chance to exploit defensive weaknesses while adding a striker in the box. This would stretch the opposition's formations, with two wingers on the outside supported by Ballack and Nedv?d, allowing the attacking players to use layers to slice through the defensive line. Once an opponent slipped up, Millwall players would be ready to capitalized.

"On the flanks, you can try to create opportunities, but inside the box, if you don't have a shot, hold the ball and suddenly change the pace to force the opponent into mistakes."

The players listened intently, remembering their roles in the second-half attacks. While the guidelines weren't rigid, they needed to commit to the overall tactical principles.

Sometimes the emergence of a goal doesn't rely solely on the orchestrator, the facilitator, and the scorer; the teammates who never touch the ball still play critical roles through their movements and distractions, even though these aspects go unnoticed by spectators.

As the second half kicked off, Aldrich took his seat on the bench just as the substitutions were made.

"Hall opted for a substitution at halftime, replacing center-back Stam with Van Nistelrooy. This change doesn't warrant much discussion; keeping both Stam and Southgate on in the second half would be unnecessary. Towards the end of the first half, Stam even advanced to play as a forward, but sadly, he only managed to contribute with headers. Now, with the introduction of a proper center-forward, we should see an improvement in our attack. Let's wait and see if Hall's change has any impact."

As the second half began, West Ham quickly reverted to a defensive stance, with only Southgate remaining in their half, while Makelele prowled near the center circle to guard against counterattacks. The two fullbacks, Zambrotta and Schneider, pushed over the halfway line, each taking turns to join the attack.

In the front line, Millwall's attacking formation was structured as two central midfielders supported by wingers. The midfield held two strikers, creating a layered siege.

Aldrich sat calmly, knowing that breaking through a compact defense was a global challenge. He didn't fear teams that played offensively, as teams like Chelsea, with their counterattacks, would provide opportunities for Millwall. What concerned him were those utterly committed to defense; their static but dense defense squeezed the spaces to an extreme, minimizing the advantages of the strikers, and particularly stifling their speed.

The stalemate continued, but Millwall's influence began to grow. The Hammers' defense, although solid, wasn't impenetrable; occasional errors required teammates to assist each other, maintaining a state of high tension.

Twenty minutes later, Aldrich replaced Makelele with Lampard.

The substitution of Makelele was understandable; he hadn't had much to do in a congested area. On occasion, he had the chance for a shot, but after Nedv?d returned a pass to him, he blasted the ball into the stands.

Although Lampard was young, his long-range shooting ability outmatched Makelele's. Even so, as Aldrich sent him on, he cautioned against being too aggressive since there were already plenty of players in attacking positions. It was vital for players to maintain reasonable spacing and a structured system; otherwise, they might revert to old-fashioned strategies that wouldn't suit their game.

Millwall frequently utilized the fullbacks' overlapping runs to pull West Ham's defensive formation apart. This tactic was reminiscent of Manchester United's playstyle, except it operated horizontally, causing the defenders to shift back and forth, continuously creating gaps.

The alternating crosses and back passes heightened the tension among the fans in the stands.

With Van Nistelrooy's arrival, the threat from his runs increased markedly. He even missed an open opportunity, his shot blocked on the line by a defender's body.

In the seventy-ninth minute, Millwall finally found their chance.

Nedv?d received a cross and, without taking a touch, quickly laid it off to the left for Larsson. After receiving the ball, Larsson feigned a forward move, but the ball remained still, fooling the West Ham defenders—who, caught off guard, pulled back, inadvertently pushing their defensive line forward.

This subtle shift in rhythm exposed a gap in their defense. Larsson slipped the ball past the defenders, and Zambrotta, timing the run perfectly, sprinted to the byline and crossed it. In the center, Trezeguet, shielded by Van Nistelrooy, lunged forward to volley the ball into the goal.

The ball danced along the inside of the post and into the net, igniting a wave of jubilation in the stadium as players celebrated wildly, like a long-awaited rain after a drought.

Aldrich couldn't see how the ball had gone in from the bench, only witnessing the general commotion and eagerly filling in the gaps in his mind.

Once he confirmed the goal was valid, he leaped up, fists clenched, cheering in delight.

Redknapp, fuming, flushed with anger, kicked at an advertising board along the sideline.

Soon after, Aldrich made another adjustment, subbing in Elguera for the goal scorer, Trezeguet, to restore balance to the team's formation.

Previously, his tactical substitutions had been designed to lure the opposition out, but now it didn't matter how Redknapp reacted; Aldrich was unbothered by the Hammers' aggression, knowing at least their defensive structure wouldn't collapse.