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Chapter 264: The Resilience of Millwall

Rio faced no real challenge today, and Les had every reason to hold his head high as he left the pitch.

True, he had spent most of the game strolling around, but that was by the coach\'s design. His teammates hardly offered him any chances, and their attempts to clear the ball from the back were utterly aimless. Les wanted to seize the moment, but he was left wanting.

The Millwall players trudged off the field, their frustration palpable. In the players\' tunnel, as they faced the cameras, most of them were too despondent to say much. However, the local young talent, Lampard, was cornered by a reporter who insisted on hearing his thoughts about the game.

Lampard had been rather unfortunate this new season. After scoring in the Community Shield, he was injured by Keane, and upon his return more than a month later, he found himself in a grueling battle. Though he was active throughout the match, making repeated attempts from distance, none of his shots found the target; they were either blocked by the opposition or sent soaring into the stands.

"I don\'t know what the Tottenham players are thinking, nor how they understand the sport of football. I don\'t want to face them again; it feels pointless. If we were in a knockout round, and if they gave us injury time, we would certainly win. They have no chance. This is White Hart Lane, and as the home team, Tottenham didn\'t register a single shot on goal throughout the match. I can\'t believe this is the same club where I watched Lineker and Gascoigne play together. Back then, Tottenham played attractive football; now? Do they even deserve to be in the Premier League?"

Other Millwall players echoed similar frustrations, lamenting their opponents\' lack of ambition to win.

Aldrich came back to the club without laying blame on his players for their performance. They demonstrated a clear hunger to win and an undeniable fighting spirit. The ultimate reason for their inability to clinch the game stemmed from a lack of tangible strength. This, in turn, shed light on a core problem: the depth of the Millwall squad. In strictly tactical terms, Millwall essentially possesses only 1.5 quality lineups. Discounting the third-choice goalkeeper, there are about seven or eight active players. Deploying them in matches mainly serves to boost their development, accumulate needed experience, and help them grasp the strategies they\'ve practiced in training. Furthermore, age corresponds to physical ability. Given the Premier League\'s focus on physical confrontations, if they can\'t utilize their technical strengths and teamwork, Millwall\'s bench might struggle significantly against several teams. It demands time to develop and refine, and only through daily practice and strengthening can results emerge.

The next day, Fleet Street ignited intense debates throughout English football regarding the final outcome of the match.

To put it nicely: Tottenham fought hard to draw against the defending champions.

But with most of Millwall\'s substitutes on the field, Tottenham was dominated for 90 minutes and couldn\'t manage a single shot - a statistic that spoke volumes.

Tottenham legend, Lineker, retired just three years ago, criticized the team\'s lagging performance, stating that Tottenham played worse than rubbish...

Various pundits joined the fray, leading to a heated discourse against the "bus parking" tactic.

Clubs pursued the reality of seeking better results in every game due to consequences on the league table, while fans, commentators, and media onlookers craved entertaining attacking football.

Some even raised cries of "English football is on the brink of death."

However, rational voices emerged, analyzing the situation deeply.

For instance, Liverpool legend Alan Hansen wrote a column titled: The Difference Between Parking the Bus and Counter-Attacking.

His subtitle read: The defending champions trail Leicester City by three points.

Hansen reviewed the first seven matches of Leicester City this season under Martin O\'Neill, offering memorable insights. Although O\'Neill\'s tactics were also conservative, they were definitely not about parking the bus; they were quite pragmatic.

This season, Leicester not only managed a draw against Millwall but also won at home against Aston Villa and Tottenham, defeated Liverpool at Anfield, and drew with Manchester United and Arsenal at home. In the latest round, they comfortably triumphed over Leeds United at Elland Road.

After seven matches, Leicester boasted four wins and three draws, maintaining an unbeaten record, similar to Manchester United\'s five wins and two draws.

In terms of outcomes, O\'Neill\'s side had drawn three matches against recognized strong teams as the underdogs, a small upset since for a team like Leicester, a draw is quite significant when facing top-tier opponents.

Yet against squads like Tottenham and Liverpool, they continued to fight fiercely for all three points, especially that unexpected victory at Anfield, which was even more commendable.

Alan Hansen deemed O\'Neill\'s tactical approach reasonable, stating there was nothing wrong with the weaker side adopting a defensive posture. But fundamentally, they aimed for victory from that defensive strategy. Had it not been for Arsenal\'s late equalizer, Leicester\'s list of top teams they stifled would have added the Gunners\' name to the tally too.

In conclusion, Hansen asserted that this season\'s lucrative Premier League broadcasting contracts and the expanded Champions League directly encouraged all Premier League teams to approach matches with less pure intent.

Previously, only champions could enter the Champions League, and once the points gap widened, only one or two teams would rally to chase after it, which propelled them to emphasize winning through attacking play.

Now, however, even the second-placed teams could enter the Champions League. This heightened competition among the top clubs turned cautious, especially in clashes between giants, as there was concern over losing "six-point battles" that would create distance in the table.

Mid- to lower-tier teams may have no chance for European competition, but the allure of remaining in the Premier League was too immense, compelling them to fight fiercely for every point. Staying in the Premier League guaranteed over six million pounds in broadcast fees each season, more than doubling what it had been in previous seasons. In light of this, a single point against a strong team wasn\'t just a draw; it could make the difference in the relegation battle at season\'s end.

Aldrich paid little mind to the external discussions. Although many praised Millwall, what use was that?!

Would it earn Millwall more points?

Millwall had become the target in the Premier League, inadvertently benefiting Manchester United. United was not in the eye of the storm; remaining unbeaten after seven rounds, they had opened up a five-point gap over Millwall, and even Leicester City had three more points than them.

This had brought Tony\'s situation back into the spotlight, with some suggesting that if Millwall had Tony in the lineup for tough matches, Aldrich wouldn\'t have to field a defender as a striker.

Aldrich felt irritated and chose not to engage with those opportunistic reporters who relished stirring the pot.

Millwall\'s schedule for 38 league matches wasn\'t all about tough fixtures. Managers like Wenger and Daglish had pride; asking them to park the bus? What a joke! Ferguson was even less likely to resort to such tactics. Other teams, whether they did park the bus or not, often couldn\'t match Millwall\'s strength or simply didn\'t want to. Losing was merely part of the game; no need to make the team look utterly defeated.

At the heart of the matter is the depth of Millwall\'s squad. If Duff, Gronkjaer , Ruud van Nistelrooy and Lampard are all in the best form of their careers, we can definitely beat Tottenham away from home.

Before the second round of the Champions League kicked off, Millwall had three league matches and one League Cup game ahead.

The club was collectively simmering with anger as they prepared to face promoted side Barnsley.

Aldrich called upon all his rested first-team players for the weekend.

This newly promoted team also tried to Parking the bus, hoping to snag an easy win against the defending champions, but they overestimated their own capabilities.

Even with everyone retreating to defend, Millwall took a commanding three-goal lead by halftime.

Nedved scored a hat-trick with his head and feet by the end of the first half.

On the sidelines, Aldrich paced back and forth, mumbling to himself.

Sure, Barnsley had Parking the bus, but they didn\'t possess Liverpool\'s or Tottenham\'s player depth. They also lacked the tactical command of O\'Neill from Leicester.

Structurally, it appeared they had a solid wall of defense, with layers of defenders, midfielders, and a forward forming increasingly secure barriers from front to back.

Yet their defenders only understood marking; their focus was solely on their opposing forwards. Millwall\'s front three combined their movement, passing, and supporting runs to provide Nedved with the opportunities he needed, leaving Barnsley\'s bus shattered.

In the second half, Aldrich substituted Nedved with Ballack to maintain the pressure.

With three goals down, Barnsley attempted to counterattack, which allowed Millwall\'s play to flourish even more. Under Aldrich\'s guidance, they scored another three goals in the second half: two penalty kicks from Larsson and one from Trezeguet in open play.

Millwall thoroughly dismantled the newly promoted side.

Next, they faced Everton, but that too ended in a draw. Millwall\'s players seemed to have been confused by the successive tactics of parking the bus, believing that every opponent would adopt the same strategy. They were caught off guard at home when Everton launched a surprise attack and hit two quick goals. Nevertheless, Millwall managed to come back in a tough battle.

Aldrich wasn\'t disheartened. Even with the first-choice players on the field, there was no guarantee of victory in every match; such is the nature of football.

Additionally, while Everton have struggled, they did invest heavily in quality players before Joe Royal left the club. The team\'s poor performance is a management problem, not a lack of hard power. For a team that scored two away goals but failed to seal the victory, it is no wonder that it needs to start the road to relegation almost every year.

In early October, Millwall traveled to Southampton. After their tense survival against Tottenham last season, Southampton adopted a free-spirited tactical approach this season. They seemed to believe that to survive in the Premier League, they had to play fiercely and openly; the more aggressive they were, the better their chances. This had helped them avoid an early relegation crisis in the new season.

In a thrilling attacking battle, Millwall emerged victorious with a 4-1 win over Southampton.

Following the match against Tottenham, Millwall recorded two wins and one draw in their next three Premier League encounters. Concurrently, league leaders Manchester United managed only one win, one draw, and one loss in their three matches. This reduced the points gap between the two teams to just two points, giving Aldrich a slight sigh of relief. At least they kept pace with Manchester United and avoided falling into a position of being a trailing underdog so early in the season.

Millwall\'s draw in the League Cup looked fairly promising as well, with their first match against Lincoln City and the second at home against Notts County.

Given that the second round of the Champions League would feature an absolute battle ahead, Aldrich opted to use the League Cup as an opportunity to train the younger players.

He was no longer concerned about domestic cup competitions. Millwall had several young talents in need of development, and the first-team players prioritized the league and Champions League. Domestic cups could be left for the young ones to take on; if they made a run to the finals, Aldrich would consider fielding his main players for a chance at the trophy.

Though Notts County played conservatively away from home, they still dared to launch attacks, providing an opportunity to develop Millwall\'s younger players.

Managing a reserve match proved more taxing than overseeing the main squad. Aldrich continuously reminded the younger players from the sidelines to keep moving and adapt their tactics based on the opponent\'s strategy. Eventually, thanks to Duff\'s brace and Van Nistelrooy\'s goal, Millwall triumphed at home with a 3-0 victory over Notts County, advancing to the next round.