The Young Lion

When Ronaldo went from the Netherlands to Spain and went to the world, there was almost no club in Europe that did not pay attention to his performance. Aldridge would appreciate his performance with a bystander mentality as early as October last year. I really feel that Millwall and Barcelona have no intersection. Even though he made some remarks because of the Ballon d'Or selection, he didn't target Barcelona. He thought it was just a debate.

But in April, he belatedly remembered that one of Ronaldo's two club intercontinental titles was the European Cup Winners' Cup Winners' Cup in his only season with Barcelona.

Today, as expected, Millwall and Barcelona meet in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, to compete for the championship!

The two teams that have never met in history have ignited many topics.

Aldridge was portrayed by the Spanish media as an arrogant kid who despised Barcelona, ​​and Millwall's achievements were also attributed to the fact that the Premier League had no hegemony, and the clown usurped the throne!

On May 15th, the final of the European Cup Winners Cup will start, and the stadium is full of seats. In addition to the fans of the two teams, more than 10,000 neutral fans came here to enjoy this pinnacle battle.

The pre-match performances are going on in the stadium, and the players of the two teams are getting ready to go in the locker room.

Millwall took longer to prepare for the game than Barcelona, ​​and the players were in the best condition. In the dressing room, Aldridge saw eleven energetic fighters.

The players are full of energy and ready to go against an opponent like Barcelona, ​​which not only excites them, but also makes them feel hungry.

Yes, they can't wait to play against the top European teams, and the two rounds with Paris Saint-Germain are still unfinished.

Aldridge walked in front of each player, checked their mental state, and nodded in satisfaction after confirming that the boys were high-spirited.

Today is a final to decide the champion, a final that if you lose, you will become a stepping stone for your opponent. If you are waiting for a certain moment to make yourself different, waiting for a certain game to make Europe, let The world remembers you. So, today is! I have a beautiful ideal, and I want you to become the first love of the new generation of fans.

Aldridge's words made the players a little confused.

first love?

We are here to play football, not to fall in love!

After careful consideration, the players roughly understood what Aldridge meant.

Aldridge said lightly: Everyone who falls in love with football will have an opportunity, a certain game, a certain star, a certain moment, a certain name. A certain photo, etc. Busby's Manchester United. Pai Slee's Liverpool, Sacchi's Milan, European Red Devils Belgium, chain defense Italy. Maradona's Argentina, Selecao Brazil, Barcelona Dream Team and so on. I hope that Millwall can become the favorite of countless fans. First love, let them fall in love with our football, remember each of our players, recall the journey we have gone through, and this requires great moments, exciting games, our own style, and our own football philosophy , with our fighting spirit and so on. Wait, I think we already have what it takes to be great, and what we need now is the will to make it happen. Are you confident?

The players looked at each other's teammates. They didn't scream excitedly today, but puffed out their chests and vowed: Yes!

Aldridge nodded and said: Our opponent is Barcelona, ​​but we are not weaker than the other side, I think we are stronger! Today, we will beat them with Millwall football, otherwise, I think I will have no face to return London.

Larson asked suspiciously, Why?

Because our neighbors will laugh at me, not counting Manchester United, Manchester City, Everton, the three clubs that have won the European Cup Winners' Cup, London City, Tottenham, Arsenal, Chelsea, West Ham United, our four neighbors Having won this cup, if we can't go back with the trophy, I really feel ashamed, how can we deserve to be the king of London? Hehehe.

Aldridge smiled helplessly and spread his hands.

Simply counting the number of clubs winning the three major European cups, England has the most clubs in the Champions League and the European Cup Winners' Cup. So far, three clubs have participated in the UEFA Cup. The status of England in the history of the European League for nearly half a century, although the past few years have been at a low point, but with the commercialization of the Premier League and the full recovery of major clubs, England has started a new round of catching up.

Southgate stood up and said in a deep voice, In order for the boss to go home in a fair manner, guys, work hard today!

Fight!

The players shouted in unison, and then followed the captain out of the locker room.

Aldridge then walked out, and when he walked out of the player channel, the cameras on the sidelines quickly aimed at him, and the staff ran to three meters in front of him to capture close-up images.

Aldridge turned and walked towards the Barcelona coach's bench, and extended his right hand politely to Bobby Robson. The other party was a respectable elder who smiled at him, and the two began to talk cordially.

Jazz, my team and I are very excited to play against you here.

The gray-haired Robson smiled and said, I never expected England to have such a young and outstanding coach. It seems that I am really old.

But you are still able to coach a giant like Barcelona, ​​are you really old?

Aldridge smiled at him, and then he said: I have no ill will towards Barcelona, ​​but there are some media reports...

Hey, ignore them, the papers are full of shit most of the time.

Aldridge smiled knowingly. He didn't want to turn himself into a coach who lashed out at others without restraint, but he had his own views and thoughts to express, but in the process of disseminating them through media platforms, he would be criticized journalists easily distort the facts.

Turning his head and looking at the rest of the Barcelona coaching bench, Aldridge unexpectedly walked towards a young man, saying that he was young, but in fact he was ten years older than Aldridge.

That's right, it was the under God maniac, Mourinho, who had been following Bobby Robson's assistant since Lisbon.

Mourinho has been watching Aldridge. From the moment Aldridge walked out of the player tunnel, his eyes never left Aldridge's body, and carefully looked at the well-dressed young man full of confidence. Mourinho was full of doubts.

How did he succeed at such a young age?

Was it just money that bought the club?

This is impossible!

What is his formula for success? What is management philosophy? What about the basis of the tactical concept?

As Robson's assistant coach, one of Mourinho's responsibilities is to collect intelligence. Therefore, he should be the one who knows Millwall the best among all the Barcelona coaches, but he still can't use words to briefly summarize Millwall. If Paul's tactical routines are complicated and in-depth, Barcelona obviously don't have so much time to prepare for the game. Moreover, the proud giants have always focused on highlighting themselves. Never be led by the nose by the opponent. Most giants suppress their opponents with a steadfast posture. Take control of the game into your own hands.

Hello, Mr. Mourinho.

Aldridge very formally shook hands with Mourinho, who stared at him guardedly, after shaking hands. Aldridge noticed that the other party seemed to be facing an enemy, so he smiled and said: If you want to discuss tactics, you can come to me. I am also a person who likes to study tactics.

Aldrich said, turned and left.

Mourinho stared suspiciously at his back.

In fact, Mourinho's life in Barcelona will be very bitter.

After Robson left, Van Gaal took office, and Mourinho's work was completely marginalized. Robson was handed over to Mourinho for work such as team training, but Van Gaal would not allow him to intervene. . But for Mourinho, who already has a lot of experience, he began to sum up experience, explore his own football philosophy, and start discussions with all football insiders he can come into contact with, but in Spain. He has always been a small character who is not seen by the mainstream.

The subtext of Aldrich's words is actually digging.

Regardless of whether Mourinho will be the head coach in the future, and whether he will still be in charge of Chelsea, at least, if his workaholic can come to Aldridge's side now, it will definitely make Millwall stronger.

Aldridge kept smiling and walked back to his place, muttering in a low voice: Fortunately, they didn't notice.

Before that, Aldridge was still worried about whether he would be recognized by Robson and Mourinho. He made a big fuss at the press conference in Lisbon five years ago, and Mourinho chased him out angrily and almost turned into two people. The little reporter who got into street fights.

Fortunately, Aldridge had let himself disguise himself at the time, and the other party would not take that kind of thing to heart. Aldridge's figure has changed compared to before, and his voice has also changed.

Laughing at himself, Aldrich felt that he had a high opinion of himself, why should people remember him!

At this moment, players from both sides entered the field. Aldrich restrained his smile and his eyes became sharp. At the same time, the players on the field also looked at him. It's more like a friend of the players, as if they are simply supporting them, but the players can gain confidence through Aldridge's figure, strong confidence!

He is like a monument to victory, standing firmly on the sidelines forever, conveying confidence to every player.

The 1996-1997 European Cup Winners' Cup is about to start. The two teams that have reached the final this year are Millwall from England and Barcelona from Spain. Millwall is the new champion of the Premier League. Barcelona has already won the Spanish Super Cup this season. The champion, fell behind by 2 points to Real Madrid in the league, and they also broke into the final of the Copa del Rey. This is definitely a confrontation between the king's teams. The two teams are full of stars. Let me introduce the two sides Starting list, Millwall starting formation 433, goalkeeper: Bout. Defenders: Schneider, Elguera, Southgate, Capdevila. Midfielders: Makelele, Pirlo, Nedvi De. Forwards: Larsson, Trezeguet, Shevchenko. Barcelona starting formation 4231, goalkeeper: Baia. Defenders: Freire, Couto, Abelardo, Sergi. Double midfielders: Popescu, Guardiola. Avantgarde: Figo, de la Pena, Enrique. Forward: Ronaldo. This is a contest between two young teams. The youngest player on both sides is 18 years old and the oldest is 29 years old, the average age of Millwall's starting lineup is close to 23, the average age of Barcelona's starting lineup is close to 26, there is no doubt that this is a young match!

The players from both sides took a team photo before the game, and before the kick-off, Millwall's teammates bent down and hugged their shoulders in a circle, and Southgate shouted solemnly: Millwall!

The whole team shouted in unison: Go, go!

Millwall!

Come on!

Millwall!

Come on!

After the third shout, everyone stood up together, cheered and encouraged each other, and then the formation spread out, ready to kick off.

In the first half, Millwall kicked off first. (m)