The Young Lion

The League Cup final is about to start, and Aldridge is doing the final pre-war mobilization in the locker room.

The players all know Aldridge's style and won't talk about tactics before the game. Those jobs were done in the past week's preparations.

The locker room was silent. The players put on their jerseys, tied their shoelaces, and stared at Aldrich solemnly with their heads held high.

Aldrich walked up to Keller with a serious face, and asked in a deep voice, Do you want the championship?

Keller replied without hesitation: Yes!

Aldridge moved to the side, came to Southgate, and continued to ask: Do you want a championship?

Boss, I dream about it!

Aldridge walked up to Stam again and asked, Do you want a championship?

Of course I want to!

 …

He asked the same question to every player in the locker room, and the answer was naturally the same.

Nobody wants a championship.

After the question and answer, Aldridge stood in the middle and said in a deep voice, We all want the championship, and we are extremely eager, but what do we rely on to win the championship? Is it by Henrik? Or David? Pavel? Robert? Bernd? Claude? Let me tell you, yes and no!

Aldrich pointed at Keller and said loudly, Today, you are the protagonist!

The same to you!

And you!

You, you, you...you are the most important people, and together, you are the strongest team, why? Because we are united! We are twisted together, our fists are facing We are not perfect individually, but we complement each other effectively, which makes us invulnerable and makes us far stronger than we look, right?

Aldridge's piercing eyes swept over each player, and they all nodded firmly.

They take this very seriously. During the nearly two years under Aldridge's command, they all deeply understood the importance of the team. The football philosophy instilled in them by Aldridge was also reflected on the field, which allowed them to grow rapidly. It has exerted a stronger strength than individual superposition.

Remember, glory belongs to the collective, it belongs to each of you. Today, we are going to usher in a final. We can't predict what will happen on the football field, but we can imagine it first. If we can't score, What to do? Don't panic, keep your focus on the game, don't be overwhelmed by the panic in your mind that you may lose the championship, believe in your teammates, believe in yourself. What if we lead? We must keep calm, the football field changes rapidly, the game does not At the end, anything can happen, we will not allow the victory to slip through our fingers, hold on until the end of the game, and then we celebrate without restraint. What is the worst situation? We are behind and the opponent scores first Now, what should we do at this time? Remember, adversity is the best stage to test a player. Withstand the pressure and show the determination and willpower to overtake the opponent. Only in this way can you prove your excellence. Tell me, you Can it be done?

As soon as Aldridge finished speaking, deafening roars resounded in the locker room.

can!

Aldridge nodded solemnly: Okay, Wild Lion, let's go.

After saying that, Aldridge walked out of the locker room first, and the players walked out in a row with high spirits and morale.

Out of the tunnel to the pitch,

Aldridge walked over to say hello to Aston Villa manager Brian Little.

When the game is over, the two will definitely not meet again, so they say hello before the game as a courtesy.

When Aldridge returned to stand in front of the coach's bench, he raised his head and looked around Wembley Stadium. The stadium for the national team's match was full of seats. Most of the stands were blue ocean, and there was also a dark red. There are far more Millwall fans than Aston Villa fans.

It is estimated that more than 40,000 Millwall fans came to the scene, while Aston Villa only had more than 10,000. After all, this is London, and Millwall has half of the home court.

In the stands, Brady led more than 3,000 members of the Lion Roar fan organization to neatly hold up the dark blue scarf. The design of the scarf is very simple.

1995-1996, Millwall team logo, Millwall name.

The meaning to be expressed is also very simple. They hope that this scarf will become the most memorable one.

The Millwall fans were a little quiet in the stands today, and apart from singing, they didn't even look at the Aston Villa fans.

Most of the fans are also full of anxiety, nervousness, excitement, worrying about gains and losses and so on.

Millwall set foot on Wembley and history has been made.

Even if they lose the game, it is Millwall's best result in a domestic cup.

In the previous 110 years of history, they didn't even have a cup runner-up!

But, who will remember the runner-up?

Coming here, of course we want the damn champion!

Grandfather, grandpa, father, and the family members and children around him, the eyes on the stands no longer represent individuals, but inherit the expectations of a century.

Millwall, let us be more proud and proud!

The referee team led the players of the two teams to enter the field.

Welcome to Wembley Stadium. On this sunny afternoon, we will be here to witness the birth of England's first championship award of the season. There is no doubt that this is a historic moment for Millwall. In the final, they have created the best cup results in the club's history, and Aston Villa entered the League Cup final for the second time in three years. They should be more calm than Millwall because they know how to face it. In such a high-profile game, the players are lining up for a group photo, and then we will introduce the starting players of both sides to the audience.

Southgate and Aston Villa captain Hugo Exiogu exchanged team flags, then shook hands with members of the referee team, and then they returned to their respective teams for a group photo before the final.

Then, the Millwall players gathered in a circle, bending over and putting their arms around their team-mates.

I don't know when, this has become their habit. Before the start of the game, the captain will also take the lead in boosting morale.

Millwall.

Come on!

Southgate led the players to shout three times in a row, and then everyone roared and straightened up, standing in formation and preparing to kick off.

Today Millwall's starting lineup is familiar to us. Goalkeeper: Keller, defenders: Thuram, Stam, Southgate, Neal. Midfielders: Schneider, Makelele, Ned Vader, Pires. Forwards: Larsson, Trezeguet. Their starting formation is 442. In comparison, the formation of Aston Villa's starters today surprised us. Goalkeeper: Oaks, Defenders: Nelson, Exiogu, Simeka, Wright, Staunton, Midfielders: Draper, Taylor, Kosic, Forwards: Milosevic, Yorke. It seems that today Aspen The head coach of Dunville, Leete, is very afraid of Millwall's attack power. He puts on a five-back formation, which looks like 532, but Yorke on the front line has good passing skills, and his range of motion should be It will be very big, so it may also be a 541 formation, and we will observe it carefully after the game starts.

Aldrich was surprised by Aston Villa's formation.

Aston Villa, who can rank fifth in the Premier League, of course cannot play such a conservative 532. This is an adjustment made for this game.

In the Aston Villa lineup, the midfielders and backcourt players are all able to recruit and fight well. There may not be any big stars, but they are definitely at the mid-level of the Premier League.

As for the two strikers on the front line, one is Savo Milosevic. The Serbian is a typical shooter who can score goals with his head and kicks, but lacks other qualities. The striker who was fed by others happened to be partnered with Dwight Yorke who had a certain coping ability and was able to pass the ball from his feet. This Yorke was also the partner of Andy Cole in the history of Manchester United's black winds and double evils. That Yorke, physically strong and detached, is the type of striker who can resist the pressure of the defender and hold the ball firmly.

Brian Little looks set to use defense to win the Carling Cup.

After the game started, Aldridge observed the situation on the court, frowning slightly.

Aston Villa really shrunk their defense, and the sense of hierarchy was very strong. The three midfielders protected the front of the penalty area and never rushed up. The five defenders were not lined up. It is to prevent Millwall from inserting or penetrating the threatening ball from penetrating the back line.

This defensive strategy is not original or advanced, and it can even be said to be retro. From the tactical principle, it is very similar to the original Italian chain defense.

Just like the fishing work of fishermen in the Mediterranean Sea, there are not one but two nets thrown into the sea for fishing. There is also an attached net behind the main net, so that the fish missed by the main net can also be caught successfully, ensuring that there is no A fish that slipped through the net.

In the chain defense, the function of the back center back is the attached net, which intercepts and destroys the missed ball or the forward offensive player.

Millwall's offense was impressive, and they were very patient at first, but after several penetrations were destroyed by the dense defensive line, the formation began to press forward involuntarily, and more and more players were invested in the offense, even forming a counterattack against Aspen. The siege of Dunville's half.

The roar in the stands was loud, and the Millwall fans were very excited to see this posture. The champion should be within reach.

But Aldrich had cold sweat on his forehead, feeling bad in his heart.

The players have been motivating during the preparations, which makes the players more forward oppressive and aggressive on the court.

But it seems that all of this is exactly what Aston Villa wants.

They put on a defensive posture from the beginning, and they were not afraid of Millwall's mad attack.

The offense is too forward, and Millwall's second half is empty. Although there are still three players to ensure the defense, can Makelele, Stam and Southgate cover the entire second half?

Milosevic and York on the other side relied on individual combat in the counterattack, and the space for them to run was very large. Once they seized the opportunity, the consequences would be disastrous.

Aldridge shouted the names of the players on the sidelines, so that the two full-backs should not assist too frequently. This is the final, and defense is always the top priority.

However, after Thuram and Neil withdrew, the frontcourt offense became even more difficult, as if they were stuck in a quagmire.

After Aston Villa's midfield pressure decreased, they did not invest too much force in the offense. The offense is very simple. A long pass or a direct pass sends the ball to the frontcourt. The rest depends on the freedom of the two forwards. played out.

Seeing this scene, Aldrich kept telling himself to be calm.

This is a final competition of patience. Whoever loses an inch first will present his life to his opponent.

Especially defensive counterattack tactics like Aston Villa often find a good opportunity after the opponent loses their minds and attacks frantically, and wins the victory with a fatal blow.

PS: Thanks to Lao Tzu Calling Pian Pian for the reward!