The Young Lion

The Ballon d'Or awards ceremony collided with the Premier League's eighteenth round of the league.

French Football sent an invitation letter, Ronaldinho, Larsson, Henry, Pirlo, Nedved are all on the invitation list, inviting them to attend the Golden Globe Awards ceremony.

The Christmas Express of the Premier League is coming, and the day of joining the FA Cup is also approaching. Millwall has just finished the first stage of the Champions League group stage. The away game is full of substitutes in Germany. Hamburg is fighting for honor. :1 draw.

After returning to London, Aldridge let these invited players attend the Ballon d'Or ceremony, which can be regarded as giving them some sweetness in advance and taking a break. In the 18th round of the Premier League, Millwall will be a guest at Goodison Park. Challenge The Toffees Everton, then, will head to Old Trafford on Christmas Eve to take on the Red Devils Manchester United.

Aldridge doesn't want to see the players getting emotional at this time, the Golden Globe Award, the extremely glorious personal honor, and they are not allowed to go to the scene. What if they win the award? Aldridge does not have the ability to predict the future. He originally had it, but he is the head coach. Now, everything is full of variables.

Just let them go, and then come back and play Manchester United well. If you really won an award, that's even better, and the momentum is high!

Before the Golden Globe Awards ceremony, the results of the draw for the second stage of the UEFA Champions League group stage were also announced.

Millwall was lucky to sign, and Milan, Paris Saint-Germain and Anderlecht were drawn in the same group.

After the lottery results came out, the Belgian giants Anderlecht were the ones who wanted to cry the most.

If they were drawn to this group as the second place in the group, that would be fine.

But they are the first in the group!

Desperately against Manchester United, Eindhoven in the first stage. Dynamo Kyiv killed in the dark. Dynamo Kyiv crushed to the bottom of the group. Kicked Eindhoven to the UEFA Cup again, overwhelmed the Red Devils Manchester United to win the top spot in the group, what is the picture?

Qualifying is the first place. Anyway, in the second stage of grouping, it is best to meet the two weaker groups second place!

damn it!

Looking at the second place in each group, Millwall is the strongest, they have drawn it, and they have won the lottery!

Paris Saint-Germain is also depressed. Just one draw away from defeating Bayern in the group to win the top spot in the group, this is good, the second place in the group, and the strongest second place in the group, and the traditional giants Milan...

Milan is also depressed,

Millwall's name is too dazzling. Last season, he was double-killed by Millwall in the first stage of the group stage. In the end, he failed to advance to the top 16. This year he finally won the first place in the group of death. The top 16 met Millwall, the killer star.

Does this keep people alive?

Just joined Leeds. Barcelona, ​​Bisidas finished. Immediately entered the death group again, UEFA, who draws the lottery? You come to San Siro, I promise not to kill you!

It was Adam who drew lots on behalf of Millwall. He said in an interview after the game that he had drawn a good lottery.

After Aldridge commented on the lottery in private, whoever said it out loud made the headlines on non-match days on Fleet Street.

Millwall, Bayern Munich, Milan, Lyon, these are the results of the group draw that Hall is most looking forward to.

In fact, Aldridge's original words are: If Anderlecht is replaced by Deportivo or Valencia, or Bayern Munich and Lyon replace Paris Saint-Germain and Anderlecht, it will be very good.

Anderlecht would be happy to change positions with these teams, but if they don't change, why, the team drawn by Bayern is simply the best in strength, and Millwall is looking for excitement in exchange for this group?

Wild Lions fans really bought it, and felt that their coach's vision was very wonderful. Of course, they hoped to watch a few more strong dialogues in the Champions League.

Like the restructuring of the two seasons, even the Champions League matches, the stadium attendance has a downward trend. The matches between Millwall and Hamburg, Sporting Lisbon, and Spartak Moscow are really uninteresting.

The last 16 of the Champions League is out, and Fleet Street is a little more excited.

why?

In the round of 16, the Premier League has the most teams.

Manchester United, Arsenal, Leeds United, Millwall, all reached the last 16!

La Liga, Serie A, and Ligue 1 have two teams each, and the Bundesliga has only Bayern Munich.

The downward trend of Serie A became more and more obvious. Inter Milan fell in the qualifiers, Juventus fell in the group stage, leaving Milan and Lazio.

But now it is hard to say how strong the overall strength of the Premier League is in Europe. Fleet Street will not be able to find a draw on its own. Millwall is strong, but Millwall’s strength has clearly distanced itself from other strong teams in the Premier League last season. Millwall represents the Premier League, but it cannot represent the comprehensive strength of the Premier League as a whole. The key is to look at the results of all the teams representing the Premier League. In the top 16, there are four Premier League teams. Wait until the top 8. Look, the top 8 and top 4 are the stage to measure the top level.

On a sunny winter afternoon, the 18th round of the Premier League kicked off, and Millwall challenged Everton as a guest.

Millwall, with most of the main players absent, sent a substitute to play. Everton, who was at the lower end of the standings, set up a 451 midfielder to attack Millwall.

At the end of the game, there was a huge cheer at Goodison Park.

The numbers on the scoreboard are:

2:1

Everton defeated Millwall, who had an unbeaten record of 65 league games, at home!

The Millwall substitute who played an away game in the Champions League in the middle of the week, his performance has declined significantly today, coupled with his mentality, he is eager to prove himself, and wants to help the team get three points to overtake Manchester United. The game played very offensively not ideal.

The midfield combination of Lampard + Pedretti lost ground after being double-teamed by the opponent's 5 midfielders. The tacit understanding between the midfield line and the striker line was obviously lacking. After the disconnection, the offense played poorly, and the defense was the backcourt When the player provides support, the opponent takes advantage of the gap to penetrate.

After Aldridge shook hands with the opposing coach, he walked into the player tunnel. When he attended the post-match press conference, he came to the scene with a smile on his face.

The reporters stared intently at Aldridge. I saw him sit down. Smiling into the microphone, Hehe. This day has finally arrived. Do you have any questions?

this day?

The reporters suddenly realized.

This young marshal can take it easy.

Yes, there is no team in the world that cannot lose.

Where exactly is Millwall's limit?

In the previous 65 unbeaten games, people had countless predictions about who Millwall would fall under, but they failed to do so. They broke the limit time and time again.

Now, the record freezes.

David Miller of The Times suddenly applauded.

The other reporters followed suit and became the young marshal. A round of applause for Millwall.

Other times, when Millwall won, their applause seemed worthless.

But the applause at this time was not only applauded for the freeze frame of a great record, but also applauded for Aldridge's unexpected courage.

David Miller even imagined, at this moment, what kind of expression would Aldridge have?

anger? Unwilling? Will you die? Crying for revenge in the next fight?

No, Aldrich faced it with a smile instead.

The young commander's words were also very clear.

This day has finally arrived.

He has never been blinded by successive successes.

Aldrich is used to the usual applause. But today's news made him a little embarrassed. He raised his hand to stop them, and said with a smile: Millwall lost, don't do this, let's get into the topic.

David Miller was the first to ask.

Have you ever thought that the team will end their unbeaten record by losing to Everton, a team ranked lower in the Premier League?

Aldridge shook his head and said: No, we didn't lose a game in the league in the last stage of last season, the whole season of last season, the first half of this season until today, no, but I know It is impossible for the team not to lose all the time. In fact, there have been many times when the team has reached a critical point and almost lost. It will be like a mountain on the shoulders of the players. Even I feel the extra pressure. I think when this record becomes a bondage to us and affects us, we should get rid of the burden. This does not mean that I will be happy. Seeing the team lose, but as you can see, today we met Everton who are tenacious and need points. At their home ground, Millwall lacks a lot of key players. Played in the Champions League, today we lost, Everton fought back a victory, they should be praised, not us, we gained experience, took off the pressure, so that those young players will not be distracted by other things The impact, that's the positive impact of this loss.

A reporter immediately asked: Do you regret allowing a large number of main players to go to the Golden Globe Awards ceremony? If they can play, maybe Millwall can continue the unbeaten record.

Aldridge still shook his head and said: I don't regret it. If you are a reporter friend who knows me well, you won't ask this question. Anyone who is familiar with my coaching style knows that I pay attention to the team's planning for the whole season. The Premier League is about to usher in Christmas. Fast train, and we will play Manchester United next game, let these main players spend a relaxed and happy weekend, which will help them fight for the team in the next time, I don't think I need to reiterate, I never did it for the continuation It is not this season, nor was it last season. On the contrary, it is precisely because we pay attention to such a reasonable and scientific long-term team construction and planning that it is one of the guarantees for Millwall's record.

Many reporters nodded. There is no need to argue with Aldrich on this point. The facts are there. Millwall's work is step by step. When it is time to train new players, they will train new players.

The undefeated record is good, it can be used to show off, it can make the fans proud, and it is also a topic that the football circle will talk about from now on, but if the undefeated record becomes a burden, a kind of When there is a cancer that will make the team's future development unfavorable, it is time to decisively eliminate the negative impact.

Millwall insisted that all the main players play a full 90 minutes, just to continue the unbeaten record. The main players will not be able to rest, and the rookies will not be able to exercise. Not to mention whether it will cause chaos within the team, just doing so, really Good for club season plans?

This record has reached a terrifying 65 games, and no more can be asked for.

The Premier League is not a second-tier league, not a place where hundreds of games can be unbeaten.

It is acceptable for Millwall to end this record in a non-collapse scene or a situation in which the team fell into decline, and it will not cause any sequelae.

Those Millwall players who went to the Ballon d'Or probably didn't expect that when they returned to the club, a great record of the team could be fully recorded in history.

At the Golden Globe Awards ceremony that night, the ambitious Millwall players collectively encountered unprecedented embarrassment and blows. (To be continued..)