The Rise of Millwal

Chapter 614: The Chessboard of Tactics

"Leeds United have equalized just before the halftime whistle! This is crucial for them—being behind at the break would have made the second half incredibly difficult! Pagliuca managed to parry Cahill's long-range shot, but he couldn't stop Kewell's follow-up. What a shot from Kewell! With almost no angle, he struck with power, sending the ball straight into the top corner of the net. The difficulty here wasn't about beating the goalkeeper—it was about finding the right angle, especially with Pagliuca still on the ground after his initial save."

Kewell's goal sent the crowd into a frenzy, with O'Leary nearly rushing onto the pitch to celebrate.

Aldrich's expression remained calm as he replayed Leeds United's entire attacking pattern in his mind.

In fact, when talking about Millwall's defense, it wasn't anything extraordinary. This team didn't dominate Europe by stifling opponents with impenetrable defense; instead, they were known for their attacking play.

A balance between attack and defense is a middle ground approach. It may seem full of variation, but in the end, it's just an approach that doesn't take either side to its maximum potential.

Aldrich had used this balanced attack-defense tactic before, with 4-4-2 being a typical example. It could help a team hold its ground in top-level competition, but it was hard to dominate at the highest level. That's why Aldrich preferred 4-3-3. It was not only more aesthetically pleasing to the football market but also aligned with the broader trend of attacking football.

Millwall's tactic of using offense to suppress opponents forced their rivals to commit more resources to defense, weakening their own attack. But to say that Millwall could prevent any chances for their opponent—especially when facing top teams—was unrealistic.

The result of this attacking pressure was clear. Opponents certainly had attacking opportunities, but their methods became more predictable. With fewer players pushing forward, they could only focus on one area of attack, unlike Millwall, whose pressing attack created more variations.

Aldrich glanced at the excited O'Leary. This goal made Aldrich realize how much effort O'Leary had put into preparing for this match, truly working tirelessly.

The first thing O'Leary had done was to figure out Millwall's defensive patterns.

Millwall's high-pressure pressing involved four core defensive principles. The first was delay—disrupting the opponent's attack right from the front line during transitions. The most effective example of this was their match against Valencia, where they limited the opponent's counterattacking threats to the maximum extent over 180 minutes. The second principle was balance—once the forwards disrupted the opponent, other attacking players quickly returned to their defensive positions. The third principle was concentration—once everyone was in position, they either organized their defense or applied relentless pressing, maintaining an orderly approach. The fourth principle was control—once the opponent advanced into dangerous areas, defenders needed to stay calm, focus on man-marking, and force the opponent away from the danger zone in layers.

These four principles formed the core of Millwall's defensive tactics, ingrained in the players over the years.

The first three points—delay, balance, and concentration—were tightly connected. If any one of these steps failed, it would lead to defensive vulnerabilities, forcing them to jump straight to the final point: control. This was the last line of defense, the final barrier when the opponent was pressing into the danger zone just outside the penalty box.

Usually, after a successful defense, the ball would be moved forward from the defense to the midfield and then to the attack. While each team had its own passing style, the ball generally moved from back to front, with short-distance passes even when adjusted.

Millwall's defensive strategy was built on this basic concept. The forwards pressuring the defense disrupted the ball distribution. When the ball reached midfield, it would fall into the balanced phase of Millwall's defense, where the midfielders had a high success rate of intercepting passes and winning the ball back, setting up counter-attacks.

O'Leary studied the system thoroughly and made an adjustment in attack, utilizing a clever decoy.

During the transition from defense to offense, Leeds' defenders made short passes to the midfielders, who deliberately avoided holding the ball. This denied Millwall any opportunity to press and immediately transferred the play to the full-backs. What seemed like routine recycling of possession in the backline was actually a calculated move to disrupt Millwall's defensive balance and delay strategy.

Millwall's forwards, seeing the ball shift to the full-backs, retreated, unintentionally freeing up space for Leeds' wide players. Leeds' midfielders refrained from organizing attacks directly, instead acting as intermediaries, returning the ball to the full-backs, Kelly and Harte, who became the key figures in launching long-ball attacks.

Leeds relied on long balls from the back but avoided targeting the central areas of the pitch. The traditional English style of lofting the ball forward, hoping for strikers and defenders to battle for the second ball, seemed outdated and ineffective.

Instead, O'Leary utilized Viduka in a wide role as a pivot. While not a particularly inventive tactic, it created significant problems for Millwall's defense. Their marking became disorganized, and Leeds capitalized on these mismatches to exploit the flanks.

Leeds' offensive strategy was limited—they lacked the ability to spread their attacks across the pitch. However, their focus on concentrated efforts in specific zones, coupled with well-rehearsed precision, turned their straightforward approach into a deadly weapon. n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

When Kelly and Hart sent aimless long balls forward earlier, leaving teammates stranded, Aldrich had dismissed it as reckless. But now, it was clear that Leeds' nervous and overly defensive mindset before conceding was the real issue. O'Leary's anger came from knowing this all too well.

Aldrich gave no instructions. With the first half nearly over and the score tied at 1-1, Millwall's confidence remained intact. Their crucial away goal still gave them the edge.

As for the defensive breach, Aldrich didn't blame the defenders. Defending in football is inherently reactive. Attack is proactive, and attacks lead to unpredictable changes. Defense must respond dynamically to these changes. Even in Italy, a country known for its defense, AC Milan—featuring world-class defenders like Kaladze, Maldini, and Nesta—would concede at least thirty goals in a season. It's not about player ability; it's about the unpredictable nature of attacking play and the variables in football that are beyond anyone's control.

If Millwall were to commit fully to perfect defense, their tactical setup would need a drastic change. Aldrich could follow Mourinho's example, adopting a 4-3-3 formation, but focusing primarily on defense. Two defensive midfielders and one central midfielder would hold firm, waiting for the opponent to attack. Once a gap appeared, they could counter-attack. That's the same idea behind England's tactical overhaul.

Football offers many roads to victory, and Aldrich wasn't obsessed with building a team around his personal style. But with this Millwall squad, going all-in on a defensive counter-attacking setup would likely rub some players the wrong way.

As the halftime whistle blew, the players filed into the tunnel. The Leeds United team exchanged words of encouragement, hoping to stage a second-half turnaround. Meanwhile, Millwall's players remained composed. The scoreline was tied, but they knew they were ahead where it mattered. After all, this was just 45 minutes of a 180-minute contest. For teams at this level, extended time only strengthens their resolve.

"Give me 45 minutes, and I'll show my strength.

Give me 90, and I'll be even stronger.

Give me 180, and I'll claim victory!"

Back in the locker room, Aldrich pulled out the tactical board and made targeted adjustments based on Leeds United's attack. There wasn't much to change in attack; the longer the game went on, the more impatient Leeds would become, and their attacking quality would drop. That's one of the reasons top teams remain strong for 90 minutes.

Rushing the attack could destroy everything. In knockout games, controlling the opponent's play is always the top priority. A mindset that focuses solely on scoring more than the opponent will eventually lead to disaster.

In the second half, both teams returned to the pitch. O'Reilly couldn't help but feel admiration when he saw Aldrich standing calmly on the sideline. He knew Aldrich had been through much more than he had in his managerial career. It was just the Champions League semi-finals, and unless there was a disastrous collapse, Aldrich would remain composed.

As for O'Reilly, his heart kept racing. He tried to calm himself but couldn't. No matter which team was attacking or defending, he was on edge.

Aldrich had been excited and nervous before, too. The emotional rollercoaster of a match was thrilling. If adrenaline was addictive, it was like a drug that provided relief. But Aldrich had learned valuable lessons from past failures. Recognizing the flow of the game, making timely substitutions, and adjusting tactics all required a calm mindset. Without it, the best decisions couldn't be made. If Aldrich couldn't stay composed, he would have to rely on the players to find a spark of brilliance. If they did, great; if not, it would be a matter of accepting fate.

After just 10 minutes into the second half, O'Reilly was already in a state of confusion.

It was clear Millwall had made tactical adjustments, especially defensively.

In terms of delaying tactics, Henry continued to harass the opposition between the defenders and holding midfielders, while Ronaldinho and Larsson kept a tight watch on the full-backs Kelly and Hart. At the same time, Millwall's two central defenders had their roles adjusted, with Southgate dropping back. Even when Leeds' attack pushed to the flanks and tried to cut back to the center, Materazzi, despite not being able to cover that wide area, could rely on Southgate's timely and precise interception.

O'Reilly couldn't believe his eyes. He glanced over at Aldrich, standing coolly on the sidelines, hands tucked into his pockets, his face betraying no emotion.

How was this even possible?

Millwall had conceded just before halftime. Yet, in a matter of minutes, Aldrich had not only adjusted the defensive tactics but also ensured the players executed them flawlessly on the pitch.

That was O'Reilly's secret weapon! Weeks of preparation—studying, plotting, drilling it to perfection.

Now, it felt like all that effort had slammed into a rock-solid mountain, leaving him powerless to shake it.

He had considered the possibility of Millwall adjusting their tactics, but had naively assumed Aldrich would simply reinforce his defensive setup, adding more bodies at the back and weakening their offensive efforts. This would have allowed Leeds to exploit other attacking options. It seemed like a brilliant move that would revitalize the game.

But Aldrich's changes to the defense were minimal, and the slight liberation of Southgate was enough to stifle Leeds' threat. More crucially, it took away Leeds' ability to vary their attack. The two attacking full-backs, whether in defense or attack, were contained by Ronaldinho and Larsson. This completely dismantled O'Reilly's tactical setup from its roots.

At halftime, the Leeds players, who had been pumped up with motivation, were now filled with anxiety.

Their coach's established tactics were no longer a threat. The full-backs' deliveries were ineffective due to interference, and at one point, Hart was directly dispossessed by Larsson. If it weren't for Henry's close-range shot hitting goalkeeper Martin, Leeds might have conceded another goal.

The players couldn't help but glance at O'Reilly on the sidelines, hoping for tactical adjustments. At this rate, nothing was working.

They had to win at home!

If they didn't, going to Lion King Stadium would be a completely different challenge—on top of the opponent's advantage of rest and superior conditions.

But they saw O'Reilly frowning with his head down, seemingly deep in thought...

This image was crushing for the players' confidence.

At least now, the coach seemed helpless—unable to help the team!