Chapter 14

The pre-season training for Millwall had begun, and Audrich was almost always on the team's training ground, personally supervising the players' various training sessions. During breaks, he would impart tactical ideas to the players and even discuss their positions and technical development individually. In these exchanges, he did not need an interpreter, as he had learned the major European languages over the past eight years, though not to a high level of proficiency, it was more than enough for communication with the players.

The young players here all possessed exceptional talent, and Audrich's guidance could only help them avoid unnecessary detours. For example, Vieira, at 18, still thought he was suited to play as a traditional center-forward, and Makelele was also actively adapting to the role of a full-back.

Audrich was patient and used the results of the training to verify the correctness of his player development. Perhaps it was his sincere and diligent presence with the players every day that truly moved them. In a short time, Audrich established a good relationship with the players, laying a solid foundation.

During each day's training, Audrich included a short 15-minute scrimmage.

If the 15 minutes ended in a draw, they would go straight to a penalty shootout.

This made many players feel "dissatisfied."

After each day's scrimmage, the players would always ask Audrich with lingering enthusiasm: "Can we play for another half hour? 20 minutes? Even 10 minutes?"

Who could be satisfied with just 15 minutes?

Even for ordinary people, 15 minutes of play is hardly enough.

This short scrimmage was designed to keep the players hungry for the game. If they were exhausted and satisfied from training, their excitement for the actual matches would be greatly reduced. Football training also requires a balance of suppression and release, suppressing the players' desire to play during training and then letting them fully unleash on the pitch, bursting with energy!

So, whenever the players requested to extend the scrimmage, Audrich would always smile and shake his head, then help the other coaches pick up the balls from around the training ground and put them away. Although the club's training ground had dedicated staff, Audrich would often take on these tasks when he had free time, which helped create a harmonious atmosphere within the club.

With two weeks left before the English First Division season opener, the club had scheduled three friendly matches for warm-up, against Birmingham, Oxford United, and Peterborough United.

These three teams were all relegated from the First Division last season. Audrich chose these weaker opponents to build the players' confidence.

On a sunny Saturday afternoon, the stands at The Den were packed, perhaps because the stadium's capacity was less than 20,000, and the audience was naturally all Millwall fans.

On this pitch, Audrich faced his first friendly match opponent, Birmingham City.

Audrich and his coaching staff walked out of the tunnel early and took their seats on the home team's bench.

The tactical setup for the friendly match had been communicated the day before, and the starting lineup was also finalized, representing what Audrich considered a stable first-choice team for the season.

Goalkeeper: Casely-Keller.

Defenders: Thuram, Stam, Southgate, Lucas Neill.

Midfielders: Schneider, Makelele, Nedved, Pires.

Forwards: Larsson, Trezeguet.

The most surprising aspect of this starting lineup was the inclusion of 17-year-old Trezeguet, rather than 21-year-old Solskjaer.

The team had six forwards, with Trezeguet being the youngest, followed by Larsson, Solskjaer, and Kevin Phillips.

Solskjaer had been recognized by the coaches and players on the first day of training, even jokingly referred to as the next Shearer that Millwall had picked up on a free transfer.

But Audrich had to make a difficult choice, as Solskjaer's technical style overlapped with Larsson's. In the English game, Audrich needed a forward who could hold his ground in the penalty area. Initially, he had hoped for a "Little禁区之王" (Little King of the Penalty Area), but Van Nistelrooy's performance in training was somewhat disappointing. Many players need time to "click," and it seemed that neither Luca Toni nor Van Nistelrooy had reached that point yet.

However, the 17-year-old Trezeguet, with his strong and brave presence, displayed an impressive physicality in training, likely due to his early entry into professional football in Argentina.

Audrich sat on the bench, chatting casually with Jensen. Jensen, who had seen and trained with some stars at Ajax, expressed that the current Millwall team was full of promise, though he regretfully noted that they were still some distance from the talent of Ajax stars like Overmars, Seedorf, and Kluivert, who were shining in the Ajax first team.

Audrich, hearing Jensen's words, thought about it carefully and could not refute it. His team, from a technical standpoint, could not compare to the many shining new stars at Ajax. Just the seamless combination of technique and speed displayed by Overmars was breathtaking.

Audrich shook his head with a bitter smile, perhaps due to the football atmosphere and characteristics of the English league. He had deliberately avoided signing players with overly flashy skills, fearing that the English pitch might ruin a masterful player.

However, in terms of physical intensity, the demands of the Italian Serie A were no less than those of the English league. The concrete-like Italian defense and intense physical battles were like steel clashes, while the English game was perhaps a bit rougher in terms of tactics and technique, but the basic physical intensity was the same.

As they chatted, Audrich suddenly stood up from the bench, noticing an unusual atmosphere in the stands.

In his memory, the stands at The Den were always noisy and boisterous, with a constant stream of chants and songs filled with coarse language to taunt the opponents, never a moment of peace.

But today, he found the stands unusually quiet.

He looked around the stadium and saw the fans sitting quietly, with some holding up scarves for the new season, bearing Audrich's name, expressing support for the new manager and owner. Most fans were there to enjoy the football, but in the past, they were easily influenced by the surrounding environment. In recent years, the English football authorities had cracked down on hooliganism, with significant results in the Premier League and First Division. Millwall, as a focus of the crackdown, had only the most active extreme fan groups like the Bushwackers remaining.

Perhaps because Audrich had stood up and appeared on the sidelines, the stands first erupted in scattered applause, which then continued for a long time.

From the southeast stand, the Millwall team song "Nobody Likes Us, We Don't Care!" began to ring out.

After looking around the stands, Audrich sat back down. He knew that most fans supported him, but many were still watching and waiting, especially since Audrich had completely overhauled the team's stable lineup of recent years.

Soon, the players emerged from the tunnel. This was just a friendly match, with no television coverage. The club's announcer read out the starting lineup one by one.

Each time a player's name was announced, the stands erupted in cheers and applause.

The fans didn't care about the players' ages or where they came from; as long as they wore Millwall's jersey and fought for victory, that was enough. Support, support to the death!

Audrich walked over and politely shook hands with Birmingham's manager, not engaging in much conversation. In his heart, he even thought, "I hope I never see him again!"

Birmingham was playing in the Second Division next season, and unless it was a cup match, Audrich certainly didn't want to see the opposing manager again.

The match soon began, and Audrich sat on the bench, watching the game intently, remaining motionless for a long time.

The other coaches also watched the game, but their expressions were anxious.

The average age of Millwall's starting lineup was just over 20, while Birmingham's players were seasoned veterans. From the start, Birmingham dominated the game, with wave after wave of simple long balls putting immense pressure on Millwall's defense.

After Birmingham's attacks, Millwall's counterattacks were not effective, with frequent mistakes, even from the technically skilled Schneider and Pires.

The situation was very passive, and Jensen leaned in to ask Audrich, "Should we give them a reminder? They're too nervous."

Without blinking, Audrich replied calmly, "They haven't found their rhythm yet. Look, it's only been 15 minutes, and Schneider is already panting heavily. He's nervous and sprinting too much, almost hyperventilating. It's fine, let them find their feel. It's just a friendly match. Our defense is very stable, which is a good sign. Not conceding a goal is a positive development."

The combination of Stam and Southgate provided aerial strength, with Stam occasionally overaggressive in his challenges but supported by the defensive-minded Thuram and Southgate. The defensive line's dangers were mostly false alarms, and with Makelele and Nedved providing excellent cover and tackling in the center, Audrich had no reason to be anxious.

The purpose of the friendly match was to help the players regain their match feel and adapt to the game's rhythm. In terms of team integration, Audrich's top priority was defense. As long as there were no tactical flaws, he had no need to put pressure on the players from the sidelines, which might make the stable performers like Southgate, Thuram, and Nedved mistakenly think the manager was dissatisfied with them.