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Chapter 68: New Crisis, New Challenges!

The career of a professional football player is quite short. From maturity to peak performance, it could be less than ten years. During these ten years, to create a professional legacy, players must stand on a powerful team. If Millwall couldn\'t provide that environment, Aldrich couldn\'t blame any players for wanting to leave.

The Premier League is undoubtedly a much bigger stage than League One, capturing the attention of Europe. When Millwall\'s players are exposed to brighter lights, even a slight achievement could result in a flurry of transfer inquiries from top clubs across Europe.

The world of football is inherently cruel; the best resources are always taken by giants from various countries. A typical example of this is Ajax, the newly crowned Champions League winners, who were drained of talent following the implementation of the Bosman ruling in late 1995.

Aldrich needed a trophy this season to inspire the team. If winning the Premier League was a miracle too far, then he would have to settle for two domestic cup competitions.

The coaching staff understood the harsh reality Millwall faced this season.

Millwall is essentially a small temple; to keep the gods, one must offer gold. Only with bright glory can one attract admiration.

Troop paused and said, "This may sound strange, but I think we can use the league to give the players some experience, narrowing the gap between the starting and substitute lineups. That way, we can aim to have an unprecedentedly strong lineup next season, rather than facing the awkward situation of substitutes struggling to step up. We can give our all in the League Cup and FA Cup. After all, both cup competitions only require seven matches to complete from the start of the Premier League teams to the final, as long as there are no replays. The League Cup has its final around late February to early March, and the first six matches will be completed from late August to the end of January. The FA Cup starts in early January and runs until May to determine the champion. This gives us considerable flexibility; for the most part, the two cup competitions will not overlap. We can prepare accordingly."

Troop\'s perspective was met with unanimous agreement from the coaching staff.

Millwall needed a trophy, but winning the league was undoubtedly the toughest challenge, while the cup competitions were easier, especially since even if they faced strong teams in the draws, those teams might not take the cups seriously due to league distractions.

Aldrich thought for a moment and said, "Okay, so our plan for this season is to focus the main lineup on the cup competitions. In the league, let\'s start scheduling our rotation based on the fixtures, ensuring that the most important matches are handled by the primary lineup—especially those against strong teams. The slightly weaker opponents can be managed by the substitutes. As long as the reserves hold their ground, next season, our first team will be stronger after undergoing the grind of the Premier League."

The coaching staff then began discussing the schedule.

Every Premier League team faces a challenging fixture list during the season, and for weaker teams, they\'ll often encounter a string of tough opponents at some point.

Millwall was a bit unlucky.

First Round: Away at Old Trafford.

Second Round: Home against Arsenal.

Third Round: Away at Anfield.

Fourth Round: Away at defending champions Blackburn.

Fifth Round: Home against Nottingham Forest.

...

Aldrich had no complaints about the schedule; he felt there was no point in lamenting it. The FA\'s scheduling wasn\'t randomly chaotic. Observing carefully, one would notice that other teams also faced tough opponents during their challenging stretches—Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool, Blackburn, Nottingham Forest... It just happened that Millwall\'s tough run began in the first round.

With no matches rescheduled, the Millwall coaching staff had prepared a rough rotation plan, setting a broad framework for the season. Any unexpected injuries or a scheduling change could be managed with minor adjustments.

Moreover, Aldrich\'s coaching philosophy limited any player to participating in matches no more than once a week. This meant that over a roughly nine-month schedule, no player would play more than 38 times. This was to prevent injuries and to maintain players\' competitive hunger, avoiding the psychological fatigue that comes with excessive matches. Thinking long-term, it would also help in extending the peak of players\' careers.

After concluding this topic, Aldrich lit a cigarette in the conference room. After ten minutes of relaxation, he threw out another important agenda item.

"Guys, I want to start transitioning the team\'s tactical style this season."

Everyone perked up, waiting for more.

Aldrich turned on the projector and displayed prepared images on the big screen, showcasing Millwall\'s current 4-4-2 formation.

Four defenders in line, two midfielders—one sitting deep, one advanced. Two wide midfielders, and two forwards, one positioned higher and the other slightly further back.

"Last season, our substitute lineup used a 4-3-3 formation."

Aldrich displayed another image, showing the formation after Beckham\'s departure in the second half of last season.

Four defenders lined up, three midfielders—one deep, one in the center circle, one slightly forward, followed by three forwards.

"The tactical formation used by the substitutes is my ideal setup. Last season, I hesitated to deploy the 4-3-3 from the outset due to a lack of a midfield orchestrator, which could weaken our attacking capability, so I opted for the traditional 4-4-2. However, I believe balance between attack and defense is crucial at this level. With the rapid pace of the game, if a central midfielder moves forward to assist in the attack while getting caught on a counter, relying solely on a lone defensive midfielder to intercept is unrealistic. On the other hand, a 4-3-3 allows us to leverage strong control in midfield, combining flank and central attacks, allowing wingers to cut in, and fullbacks to support attacks. Each midfielder has defined roles—one defensive midfielder focusing on defense, while two central midfielders take on the responsibilities of organizing attacks and providing support. The forwards must utilize the full width of the pitch and frequently interchange positions and dart into the penalty box to achieve optimal attacking effectiveness."

Seeing the tactical diagrams on the screen, members of the coaching staff pondered deeply. Aldrich projected a more detailed tactical explanation onto the display.

Jensen asked in confusion, "With three forwards, are two of them wingers?"

Traditionally, wingers primarily create threats along the flanks, mainly serving to provide crosses for the central forwards. If Aldrich\'s wingers merely filled this role within the 4-3-3, it would reduce the number of central forwards and not necessarily enhance their effectiveness.

Aldrich replied earnestly, "Yes, wingers, but not simply traditional, deep-crossing wingers. The wingers need the ability to cut inside and score while also creating synergy with the striker, two midfielders, and the corresponding fullbacks. Especially when fullbacks advance and create an overload situation on the flanks, the wingers should insert themselves into the box to attract defenders\' focus or directly create scoring opportunities."

Jensen frowned again, "That places high demands on the wingers\' abilities. They need precision passing, awareness of positioning and cooperation, breakthrough capability, and also must possess good shooting skills. And that\'s just on the offensive end; defensively, they would also need to run tirelessly."

Aldrich nodded, "Exactly—those demands are high, but we have players with that potential. Pires, Larsson—I believe they can do it. Solskj?r is also capable. Shevchenko, who just joined in the summer, although he\'s a center-forward by nature, he can also fit this role. Especially in the tactics, when wingers cut into the box or switch positions with the center-forward, having players like Larsson and Shevchenko in the box will be extremely powerful."

After considering it, Jensen nodded. "The idea is great, setting aside the forwards, for the three midfield positions, we have Makelele and Gattuso capable of fulfilling tactical needs. But who would play the role of the midfield orchestrator? Vieira? Or Nedved?"

"Neither. Next season, I\'ll still use 4-4-2. If I switch to 4-3-3, Schneider will be pushed out of the starting lineup, and I don\'t want to do that; it would hurt his confidence. But I hope the club, from top to bottom, instills this tactical ideology in the players, especially in the substitute lineup. For the midfield orchestrator role, I plan to develop our new Italian lad, Andrea Pirlo. Nedved, in the midfield, will serve a supporting role; his wide-ranging movement and forward runs can be one of the flexible winning points in tactical shifts."

The coaching staff exchanged glances, surprised that Aldrich placed such importance on the new arrival, Pirlo. The role of the orchestrator is undoubtedly the tactical soul of the team, while Nedved had already become the spiritual leader through a season of play.

Aldrich and his colleagues discussed the tactical changes extensively, refining the less mature aspects and exploring more valuable tactical variations.

Once the meeting ended, Aldrich clapped his hands to cheer everyone up, encouraging each other as they geared up for the new season.

Later that day, the first-team coaching staff gathered with the players at the Leo training academy and took a group photo in front of the shiny new training facility; it was their family portrait for the 95-96 season!

This new family portrait, alongside last year\'s, was hung in the corridor of the Leo training academy. Moreover, new season memorabilia started being sold in the club store—new jerseys, new scarves, new posters, and everything felt brand new.

Of course, a new season brings new challenges, all in pursuit of the championship trophy!

Team Roster for the 95-96 Millwall First Team:

Goalkeepers: Keller, Butt, Wright.

Defenders: Stam, Southgate, Richards, Materazzi, ElgLa, Mills, Ferdinand, Thuram, Zambrotta, Neil.

Midfielders: Vieira, Gattuso, Makelele, Nedved, Ballack, Pirlo, Lampard.

Forwards: Pires, Glenn Sharpe, Schneider, Trezeguet, Toni, Van Nistelrooy, Larsson, Phillips, Solskj?r, Shevchenko.

Total: 30 players.

End of Volume One: A Century Without a Trophy - end.