The Young Lion

The FA's fine was issued quickly, and it was quite a gesture of cutting the mess quickly and calming down the matter as soon as possible.

Aldridge, Jenson, and Craig were suspended for two games.

Southgate was suspended for three games with a direct red card and four additional penalties for a total of seven games.

Daoyi received a direct red card suspension for three games, and an additional six games, for a total of nine suspensions.

In addition, the management of the Millwall Stadium was negligent and the stands rioted, and a fine of 180,000 pounds was imposed.

The biggest fan riot in the stadium since the establishment of the Premier League in 1992 soon came to an end. Another ticket from the FA has not yet been announced. During the 15-minute stoppage of the game, even police officers on horses rushed into the pitch.

The FA cracks down on football hooligans. Millwall and West Ham United are the cradles of football hooligans. They just take this opportunity to crack down heavily. The unpublished list is said to have more than 400 fans on the list. They were caught on camera having a physical conflict with the police and will be sentenced to death by the FA: a life ban. In fact, it means that you can no longer step into the stadium organized by the FA for life.

And fans who have hurt others will also face prosecution.

Aldridge and his two assistants made rude remarks to the referee team. The FA only suspended him for two games. In fact, it was because of Millwall's cooperation in combating football hooligans that the FA raised its hand.

In any case, in the final sprint stage of the Premier League championship, if Millwall is given too harsh a penalty, it is easy to end up favoring Manchester United or Newcastle United, which will actually arouse greater dissatisfaction among Wild Lions fans.

Barry Knight, the law enforcement referee in the center of the vortex, was immediately protected by the FA and relegated him to a low-level league to enforce the law. Even if he returns to the Premier League in the future, it is estimated that it will be difficult to enter the Millwall game field again. .

England's suspension regulations are very different from other European leagues, that is, the suspension of players takes effect in domestic competitions, rather than the separation of league and cup competitions. Therefore, Millwall will challenge Newcastle United in the FA Cup in midweek. /4 game, Aldridge can not command the team on the sidelines.

Newcastle United have just lost to Liverpool in the league. The gap with Manchester United and Millwall narrowed to within a game.

Even if Aldridge is suspended, one of the team's main players is seriously injured, and the captain is suspended, Kevin Keegan still dispatches most of the substitute players at home. He must prepare for the last five games of the league.

Millwall, on the other hand, hadn't vented his anger yet,

Aldridge replaced Southgate with El Guerra and Neal with Zambrotta as a guest at St. James' Park.

Aldridge sat in the stands accompanied by FA officials to watch Millwall's 2-1 away win over Newcastle United. He advanced to the semi-finals of the FA Cup.

Kevin Keegan doesn't mind losing the FA Cup. He was even a little happy in his heart. Because of the FA Cup semi-finals, Millwall really ran into Manchester United. In any case, Millwall and Manchester United had a life-and-death battle for tickets to the final. For the last five rounds of the Premier League championship, Newcastle United will benefit.

Aldridge didn't look happy as the team headed home from the win.

Stepping into the semi-finals does not mean winning the championship, and there is nothing to be happy about.

Since there will be a European Championship this summer, and it will be held in England, England has high expectations for the national team and hopes to win the trophy at home. Therefore, in order to give the national team players more time to prepare, it is also the host country that arranges the stadium in advance. Welcome the arrival of strong teams from all over the world. Therefore, the English league will all end at the beginning of May, more than half a month earlier than in odd-numbered years, and therefore the schedule in April of this season is very intensive.

May 3rd is the final game of the Premier League.

In other words, Millwall will have four Premier League games and one FA Cup semi-final in the next 20 days.

Aldridge returned to London to give the team a day off for the weekend league game against Aston Villa. He will send a substitute, and in the middle of next week, he will play the main force and face Manchester United in the FA Cup semi-final.

Because of Neil's serious injury and the fan riots, Aldridge sat on the sofa when he got home, seemingly wanting to do nothing.

ding dong

Doorbell rang.

Aldrich got up and went to open the door, and there was a man with a tired look who seemed to be more depressed than him standing outside the door.

He is a bit fat, about the same height as Aldrich, wearing a shirt and trousers, with a bright forehead and a little bald head.

Raphael?

Aldridge looked at the night visitor in surprise.

He never thought that one day he would see this person at the door of his house. He expected that they would meet again in the Premier League. He was blue and the other was red.

It was 36-year-old Rafael Benitez.

Benitez, who had already begun to bald, looked tired, looked at the living room, and said, Won't you invite me in for a sit down?

Aldridge raised his eyebrows and moved out of the way. He stretched out his hand and asked, Sit whatever you want. What do you want to drink? Coffee or tea? Or water?

Is there any wine?

Benitez's mental state was slightly decadent, and he asked in a deep voice after sitting down.

Aldridge went to get two bottles of beer, one for each person. After sitting down on the sofa, Benitez looked at the beer in his hand and said with a wry smile, Aren't you rich? Why did you buy me a beer?

Aldrich was not interested in chatting and laughing, and said casually: What do you want to drink, go to the kitchen and see for yourself. There is a thermostat next to the refrigerator, and there is red wine in it. Aren't you working as an assistant for Bosque?

Aldridge didn't meet any big shots in Spain a few years ago, but he met Benitez, who was holding back as the coach of Real Madrid's b team. The friendship was not bad, and it could be regarded as hit at first sight, probably because both of them valued tactics very much.

Benitez sipped his drink and leaned on the sofa, staring blankly at the ceiling, and said softly: Didn't you watch the news? Del Bosque has been the acting head coach for two months, and I have long since stopped working at Real Madrid. .”

So what team are you coaching now?

Aldridge knows that Benitez will coach Valencia and Liverpool in the future, but it is really unclear where this guy is now.

Before returning to London in 1994, Benitez coached the Real Madrid b team, which had an excellent record.

Benitez said in a bleak tone: Valladolid asked me to coach, I went, and was fired.

Unsatisfactory record?

It's not unsatisfactory, it's very bad. More than half of the league, the team is at the bottom of La Liga.

Benitez took another sip of his drink. It seems that today he came to drink away his worries.

Aldridge asked, holding his chin, Then you are unemployed now? Have nowhere to go?

Benitez replied: Yes, I have several invitation letters from the West Second Team.

Oh, so you came to London for vacation? Go back to Spain to take over the team in the summer?

Benitez straightened his chest suddenly, stared straight at Aldrich, and looked at Aldrich with some trepidation in his heart.

I have a question I don't understand.

What's the problem?

Aldrich, compared to tactics, I don't think I will lose to you. In terms of age and qualifications, I should have an advantage over you, but. Why are you so successful in coaching the team? My team is terrible? I I even think that the players I coach are not as good as the boys in Real Madrid's b team. They don't understand what I'm talking about. It's harder for them to execute tactics than to let the cows fly to the sky. But Millwall's overall coordination is so smooth, and it doesn't matter. If you highlight your personal ability too much, why can your tactics be implemented in the team? Is it because you bought a group of obedient children?

Aldridge laughed when he heard the words, leaned on the sofa and started drinking.

Why are you laughing?

It's nothing. I think you are just frustrated and mentally hit. Maybe when you calm down, you will find the reason yourself.

You'd better tell me.

Benitez stared at Aldridge with piercing eyes.

Aldridge asked uninterestedly: How many years have you been in Real Madrid?

Player or coach?

coach.

Eight years.

Yeah, you have been in Real Madrid for eight years. At the beginning, you coached the u19 echelon, and then the b team. Many players in the team know you. Respect you, what you say, the players listen to you, and you understand The characteristics of the players, it is not a problem to polish the team. Of course the players can implement your tactical philosophy, so you can lead the B team to achieve good results in the La Liga. But you went to a new team, those players Who cares about you? They originally have a style of play, I think you will make drastic reforms after you go, let alone whether the characteristics of the players can adapt to your tactics, I think that as long as the team encounters difficulties, they will not care. What do you say, play back to what they are familiar with, and then there will definitely be conflicts between you and the players, and the team's record can be imagined.

Benitez widened his eyes and asked, Are you also following La Liga?

Aldridge curled his lips: I don't have time to worry about that. What attracts me in La Liga? Oh, I will take a look at the Spanish national derby. I'm really not interested in the others.

Benitez touched the top of his half-bald head, sighed and said: What you said is basically right. I don't understand it. As long as the players implement my tactical thinking, I also know that their abilities are just like that. , but at least relegation is not a problem, how did they end up at the bottom of the league? I am doing it for their own good.

I think you are too idealistic. Let's put it this way, the most advanced tactics are not suitable for all teams. S-level teams can use the best tactics, but A-level teams may not be able to use them. The team is even more useless. Some teams can only play both wings, some teams can only play defensive counterattacks, and some teams can only play long passes. It’s not that you use a set of advanced tactics The system can be applied to all teams, and doing so is often counterproductive. Appropriate tactics, appropriate players, the combination of the two is the best, and basically the latter determines the former, you can only choose according to the players Formulate tactics instead of using tactics to transform most players, unless you have no point pressure and you also have absolute authority on the team, even then, you still need the cooperation of the players.

Aldrich's understatement gave Benitez a feeling of enlightenment immediately, and his brows stretched out when he lowered his head and meditated.