The Young Lion

After the game, the players in the locker room did not wash and change their clothes. Even the injured Pires and Trezeguet were sitting in front of the wardrobe.

Everyone knows that this game failed to win, they have said goodbye to the league championship.

5 points behind Newcastle United, but there are only two rounds left in the league. Even if they win Newcastle United in the next game, it doesn't seem to make much sense, it's just to let the death sentence continue to the last round.

The players were so frustrated that none of them responded when Aldridge walked into the locker room.

Aldridge's expression was also very sad. He walked around the locker room, then stood in the center, and said with a heavy tone: I'm sorry, I failed your trust. The desire for the league championship has gone to my head. You should be allowed to rest more and stay in shape, and you should be allowed to face the game more rationally. It is all my fault. The victories all the time have made me conceited. No opponent can be easily won. I should realize that This point, your performance this season, is worthy of the league championship, but I can't put the trophy in your hands.

Aldridge said these words in a heartbroken manner, and his self-blame was beyond words.

As soon as the words fell, all the players in the locker room looked up at him with shocked expressions.

After falling off the championship train, the players came to their senses.

They stared at Aldrich with complex lights in their eyes.

Guilty, sorry, sad...

It is natural to think of the rotation strategy that Aldridge has implemented since the beginning of the season, but since the end of March, the team has no rotation.

Is it because the coach doesn't rotate or the players don't want to be rotated?

They know it better than anyone else.

When Newcastle United began to decline in the second half of the league and the gap in the standings was constantly being narrowed, the players naturally ignited the fire of ambition for the championship in their hearts.

If they want to win the championship, they naturally want to use the strongest lineup in every game, and even many players have been resting on the training ground in the past month. Aldrich will take the initiative to ask for continuous campaigns.

Aldridge agreed to them all.

But they overestimated their bodies, and they had to take care of both the cup and the league, in April when the schedule was intensive.

They finally showed their exhaustion after the eighth game.

In this game, they themselves can clearly feel it. They want to fight, but they can't use much energy. Running and sprinting are obviously difficult. Before the first half is over, many players are already out of breath.

At this moment, countless clips seemed to flash before their eyes, and Aldrich occasionally showed a worried look on the sidelines of the training field. In the preparatory meeting for each game, Aldrich dryly emphasized to be calm and play steadily...

Who has failed whom?

The young marshal, who had always seen things clearly, took all the responsibility on his own head.

He is like a father who dotes on his child. When the child is disobedient and wants to indulge, the father does not choose to be harsh. Instead, let the child go crazy with a tolerant heart. When the child bumped into a wall and his head was bleeding, the father still didn't blame him for anything, but began to bandage the wound for the child.

Aldrich could choose to yell hysterically at them, but that would only make the child rebellious. It will only create an irreparable rift between the two.

With tears in Schneider's eyes, he stood up and walked to Aldridge, and said softly, Boss, I'm sorry.

It was their willfulness that lost the title, not Aldridge's ego.

Is he conceited?

maybe. But he never showed that he took every game seriously and never changed the standard because of the strength of the opponent.

Aldrich smiled and said, Bernd, you don't need to apologize to me...

Boss, I'm sorry.

sorry.

 …

The players took the initiative to stand up and surround Aldridge, bowing their heads and admitting their mistakes.

Even though some of them are not well-educated, they still understand the basics of human relationships.

If Aldridge really yelled at you every day to fight for me and win the championship back, and now that the championship is almost declared over, they will naturally be dissatisfied.

After all, the responsibility always has to be borne by someone.

However, that's not Aldridge's style. He often boosts morale after setting the tone of the game, instead of delusional players relying on enthusiasm to kill the Quartet.

But in the last month, all the players on the team have gone crazy, and Aldridge's sobriety seems weak.

Just like last year, Aldridge could be furious at Beckham, definitely not because of Beckham's status as an outsider, or because other teammates were implementing the coach's tactical arrangements, and Beckham's disobedience not only angered Aldridge , also committed public outrage.

But recently, the players have collectively rebelled. Aldridge won't obey anyone who scolds them. They are winning. This reason is enough to refute.

Today's game, if they listened to Aldridge's pre-match arrangements from the very beginning, not to mention that they are sure of winning, but they will never play as a result of equalizing the score with a penalty kick before the end.

After falling from the clouds to the abyss, the players will take a serious look at themselves, and at the same time feel warm and grateful for Aldridge's tolerance.

Aldridge smiled and patted the shoulders of the players one by one, saying: Don't blame yourself, don't blame you, this is the first time I have experienced such a situation, I lack some experience, but I will learn from it, so that it will make people feel better. We will be stronger in the future, aren’t we? What you have to do now is to forget about the game, go back and have a good rest, don’t read the newspaper tomorrow, go shopping with your family, go to a movie with your girlfriend, or go to a restaurant to enjoy a meal, I can recommend some good restaurants to you. Well, I still have interviews to deal with, you all raise your heads, remember, you are tenacious fighters, you will not be defeated, keep your heads high, and it will be business as usual!

After Aldridge finished speaking, he turned and walked out of the locker room.

The players cheered up, some took showers, some ate, teammates sat and chatted together, Schneider went to play a soothing pop song, and the locker room quickly returned to life.

You don't have to worry about the game, but this month's crazy winning streak came to an abrupt end today. They all understand the fact that obeying the coach's command is the most important thing.

Meanwhile, Aldridge was interviewed in the mixed zone and was bombarded with questions from reporters.

After an unexpected two points dropped at home today. Is the league over for Millwall? I mean you're sure to get a ticket in Europe, the last two games. Even if you beat Newcastle United, you're still there. 2 points behind them.

Aldridge said calmly: If the result of this game is an accident, then it is disrespectful to Leeds United. Although they are fighting to avoid relegation at this time, their strength is very strong. Four years ago They are still the league champions, it's just that they haven't played well this season. Millwall has won six of the last seven games. I think the team played very well. The league is not over. Whether we can win the championship or not, today Neither is the end. Otherwise, can the teams in the middle ranks have a holiday directly?

How would you comment on Millwall's performance today?

The players were tired, but they persevered, especially in the face of adversity and finally equalized the score. This is a rare quality on the court. It is their tenacious fighting spirit that plays a role.

Why don't you give the players a break?

Aldridge was silent for a moment, then said: Of course you want to put all your best players on the pitch when you're potentially winning the league, but I made a mistake and I should have rested the players. I think , This is the lesson I should sum up, no matter what, there are still two rounds of the league, and there is still an FA Cup final waiting for us, next, we will not make mistakes again.

 …

It is dangerous for the head coach to publicly admit his mistakes, because it will lead to insults from the outside world and doubts from the inside.

But Aldridge took all the responsibility on himself, not to gain the sympathy of the players, but to protect the players and prevent them from being blamed by the outside world. Tell the truth: it's the players who insist on playing!

Then there will be catastrophic consequences.

The player will become the target of public criticism, and at the same time, his loss of control over the team will be exposed. At that time, internal and external troubles will collapse the team.

In the evening, Aldrich returned home, took off his suit and loosened his tie, and sat alone on the sofa, staring blankly at the ceiling.

Benitez went to watch Arsenal's game today, and it is estimated that he will come back very late.

Aldridge doesn't know how long Beitu will stay here, and he doesn't have the time to think about why the other party doesn't go to Spain to find out which West Division team he should take over next season.

Just as he was lost in thought, the doorbell rang.

Aldrich went to open the door wearily, and found that the visitor was Najib, holding two dozen beers in his left and right hands.

When he came to the living room to sit down, Najib opened the beer and handed it to Aldrich.

During this period, is it hard? Are you feeling wronged? You have to smile outside, defend players who have clearly made mistakes, and watch the hope of the championship slip through your fingers. Aldridge, in fact, you are The one who suffers the most, but you still have to appease the players.

After drinking a sip of wine and lighting a cigarette, Aldridge smiled bitterly.

It seems hypocritical to say it out, how can everything be satisfactory in the world?

What happened in a season is so intricate that it is difficult to summarize it in a simple way.

Aldridge wants to win the championship, but he needs a balance point. If there is no harvest this season, he will not be able to retain players. In order to win the cup championship, the league did not do its best, but this is also to allow more young players to grow up quickly , otherwise, even if the main lineup is used to win the league championship, what about next season? It is still a lean situation. Once the main lineup has a drastic change, not to mention player transfers, but injuries, the record will decline rapidly.

The head coach cannot focus on one season short-sightedly, but when Aldridge realized that Millwall had the hope of winning the league title at the end of March, he naturally started planning. Rotation is necessary because of the intensive schedule and the mentality of the players The stability of the game is also necessary, so that it can function normally, but when the latter took the initiative, Aldrich found that his plan had no possibility of implementation.

It is already considered luck to be able to fight until the penultimate round to shatter the championship hopes.

Millwall's sprint limit was already exhausted at Stamford Bridge.

Aldridge's retreat was because his plan may not be able to win the league championship steadily. In order not to let himself and the players seem to be divorced, he could only choose to compromise.

Are you in pain?

So what?

Complain to whom?

What's the point?

Aldrich picked up the beer and touched the bottle in Najib's hand, and said with a smile, I'm not talking about football today, I'm going to have a drink.

The two drank bottle after bottle, and they didn't seem to use alcohol to relieve their worries. They chatted about interesting things in the past, laughed at each other's childish and ridiculous behaviors, and talked about anecdotes that happened around them. Puskas' condition...sometimes happy and sometimes sad...