Chapter 21

Larson's debut at Millwall was undoubtedly spectacular!

After scoring the second goal, the Den erupted, and the fans cheered and applauded for Larson. The fans in the nearest stand surged down, seemingly wanting to rush onto the field to bury Larson in a sea of people, but fortunately, the security formed a human wall to block them.

Amidst the cheers, Audrich turned to Jansen, who was beaming with joy, and said, "Did you see that?"

Jansen laughed excitedly, "Of course! He's simply unparalleled, his ability to seize opportunities is incredible!"

Audrich grinned, showing a bright smile, then turned to clap and cheer for the players, urging them to keep up the good work.

In the first round of the league, the game had only been going for 60 minutes, but Millwall was already leading 3-0. The players on the field were greatly encouraged, and their gazes all changed as they looked at the calm Audrich on the sidelines.

Both the first-half and second-half tactics had worked!

This was enough to win their hearts and respect.

Peter Dawson was now deflated. Having conceded three goals with less than thirty minutes left, he knew his team had no chance.

He waved his hand to signal the team to retreat, maintaining a balance between attack and defense to avoid more counter-attacks and further goals.

Peter still felt a bit不服气 (unconvinced). Two of the three goals were from counter-attacks, and one was from a set piece.

At this moment, Peter also realized that Millwall's two forwards were exceptionally fast, easily outpacing Sheff United's slow center-backs. Giving them space and distance to sprint was like handing them a one-on-one opportunity.

This was just the first round of the league, and Peter feared that if his team conceded more goals and was completely crushed, it would cast a shadow over the entire season.

He consoled himself: losing just means losing three points, nothing too serious.

If they lost both the game and their morale, the season would be truly difficult.

With a three-goal lead, the opposition's attacks weakened, and Audrich's tense nerves finally relaxed.

He checked the time; the game had reached the 70th minute. He turned to the bench and called out, "Patrick, warm up for five minutes."

The young players on the bench all looked at Vieira, who immediately put on his training vest and ran out to warm up, visibly excited. The other players looked slightly disappointed.

The next five minutes of the game were uneventful. After Vieira finished warming up, Audrich had already requested a substitution. Before Vieira entered the field, Audrich called him over, patted his shoulder, and whispered, "Did you see how Pavel played in the first 75 minutes?"

Vieira nodded. Since joining Millwall, Audrich had specifically designed a training program for him.

In terms of position, Vieira and Makelele were in conflict, but in terms of activity areas, Makelele was more vertical, sweeping through the midfield and defense, while Vieira was more horizontal, capable of organizing attacks forward. This was true for the mature Vieira.

Seeing him nod, Audrich continued, "When you come on, tell Pavel to push forward and play in the attacking midfield area. You take over his position, understand? Do you remember the passing points in your position during the attack?"

Vieira nodded again, then stretched and jumped a few times. At this moment, a throw-in paused the game, and the assistant referee displayed the substitution number.

David Trezeguet, making his first appearance for Millwall, was substituted off.

He had performed well today, with limited touches but a long-range shot, good positioning, and a goal, all of which were commendable.

So, as he left the field, the Millwall fans applauded him enthusiastically. Audrich greeted him on the sideline and pointed to Trezeguet in the stands, clearly indicating: This is our hero!

Trezeguet was flattered and walked back to the bench, high-fiving each teammate in celebration.

Audrich had just been building momentum for Trezeguet to win more support. Just as he turned around, a whistle blew on the field. Audrich watched in disbelief as the referee showed a red card, and the player receiving it caught him off guard.

The player shown the red card looked innocent and kept explaining to the referee. At his feet, a Sheff United player lay on the ground, clutching his leg and groaning in pain.

Audrich stared in shock at the player shown the red card.

It was none other than Vieira, who had just come on less than a minute ago!

Audrich realized that while the manager's view from the sideline might be more comprehensive than the TV broadcast, it didn't always capture all the action.

What had happened?

Before he could ask Jansen, he saw Peter, fuming, trying to rush over, but the fourth official held him back.

"What is your player doing? What the hell is he doing? Murder? Shit!"

Audrich ignored him and only understood what had happened after talking to Jansen.

After Vieira came on, Sheff United took a throw-in and played a one-two on Vieira's side. Vieira, perhaps nervous or afraid of performing poorly, tackled to prevent the opponent from approaching the penalty area. He missed the ball and kicked the Sheff United player's leg, but it wasn't a malicious foul, so the injury wasn't severe.

By the time Audrich understood, Vieira was already at the sideline, accompanied by captain Southgate, looking aggrieved and frustrated, his head down, clearly devastated.

Audrich greeted him and whispered, "Patrick, don't worry. You're young, and no one is born perfect. Making mistakes is normal. This is something you must go through to become a top player. Don't lose heart, or people will look down on you."

Vieira looked up at Audrich with a complex expression, seeing no blame in his face, and Audrich's tone was not scolding but encouraging, giving him a smile.

His mood improved slightly, and he nodded before walking into the tunnel.

After returning to the sideline, Audrich first looked at the field. Without his prompting, Nedved had returned to his original midfield position.

Originally, with a three-goal lead, Audrich wanted Nedved to push forward and showcase his attacking skills, but now, with one man down, everything was back to square one.

Without further prompting, Audrich waved to Bab on the bench.

Bab had a good idea why Audrich was calling him and asked, "Patrick?"

Audrich nodded and said, "Go comfort him. Don't let him be disappointed. Don't let him give up on playing midfield. This is my fault; I pushed him too hard."

Bab, responsible for Vieira's training in the first team, solemnly agreed and turned to go into the tunnel to find Vieira.

Audrich wasn't angry about Vieira's red card; instead, he felt some self-reproach.

This was a very young team, and he had been overambitious, a foolish and basic mistake.

Originally, out of the starting 11, only 17-year-old Lucas Neil had played in the youth and reserve teams last year, while the others had professional experience, even the 18-year-old Trezeguet, who had a year or two of league experience in Argentina.

But Vieira had only joined AS Cannes' first team last year, and his position wasn't a defensive midfielder. At Millwall, he was learning new defensive techniques and developing defensive awareness, essentially a blank slate. Audrich had rashly pushed him into the English First Division, and his red card was somewhat understandable.

Thinking about other players like Ballack and Gattuso, who also lacked professional league experience, Audrich realized he needed to re-evaluate his season plan and more cautiously and steadily develop these young players.

Perhaps because Millwall was down a man, Sheff United launched a fierce attack in the remaining time.

Audrich understood this development; with an extra man, it would be unacceptable to be half-dead.

However, Millwall's defense remained solid, and they didn't concede a goal. Sheff United lacked a standout player, and their overall attack was ineffective. Near the end of the game, their defense was breached again.

Pirlo received a pass from Larson outside the penalty area and struck the ball with his right foot. The ball shot into the top right corner of the Sheff United goal like a cannonball.

4-0.

In the first round of the 1994/95 English First Division, Millwall decisively defeated Sheff United with a clean 4-0.

After the game, Audrich didn't shake hands with Peter, and Peter had no intention of doing so. Both managers quickly disappeared from the sideline.

During the mixed zone interview, Audrich made no mention of the pre-game conflict with Peter. Despite the big win, he modestly praised his players' unexpected performance and described Sheff United as a resilient team...

Audrich barely praised his own team but lavished praise on Sheff United.

Only after he left did the journalists realize: he was indirectly praising his own team.

Praising the opponent who lost by four goals!

Audrich, the cunning guy!

PS: Thanks to the support from Tuo Tuoxie Bar!

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