Chapter 22

After securing a victory in the opening match of the league, Audrich did not mention Peter Dawson again. In his mind, even if he were a proud and conceited person, he had no interest in using an unknown figure like Peter Dawson as a stepping stone.

After the first round, Millwall surprisingly took the top spot in the league table, closely followed by Sheffield United, Oldham, Middlesbrough, and other strong teams with promotion ambitions.

Audrich gave the players a day off, but he worked late into the night when he returned home. The next day, he came to the hotel where the club's training was based and met with the entire coaching staff to discuss a new plan for the development of young players.

In the meeting room, they first listed the schedules for the three youth teams.

Jason pointed to the projection on the screen and said, "Before the FIFA international break in mid-September, we have seven matches in the League One, against Sunderland, Derby County, Bolton, Reading, West Bromwich, Burnley, and Tranmere. Two of these matches are midweek games, requiring the players to play two matches in a week. We also have the first round of the League Cup next midweek, and if we progress, we will face the second round in the last midweek of August."

Audrich looked at the first-team schedule projected on the screen and fell into deep thought.

The away match against Sunderland this weekend should not be too difficult, as the current Sunderland does not have the strength to challenge for promotion. They were mid-table in League One last season, on par with Shrewsbury Town. This summer, Sunderland did not make any significant signings, and their team strength is average, depending largely on their performance on the day.

However, the series of matches that follow will be a test for Millwall.

Derby County, who inflicted a 5-1 defeat on Millwall in the promotion playoffs last season.

Bolton, who brought in many experienced veterans this summer in an attempt to challenge for promotion.

Reading and West Bromwich, who were promoted to League One last season, may not be powerful, but they are familiar with winning and cannot be underestimated in terms of their overall strength and occasional bursts of form.

In the period leading up to the FIFA international break, Audrich must ensure that the team remains mentally stable. It is difficult to maintain composure in victory and defeat, and such resilience cannot be achieved through mere words from the head coach.

After some thought, he said, "The League Cup will be handled by the reserve squad. The first-team starting lineup will only deal with the league this season, unless we can reach the final in the cup, but I think that is highly unlikely. The season is long, and we should try to keep the main squad playing one match per week. They are still young, and the amount of matches should be moderate. Our goal for the next seven matches remains the same: not to lose, and to minimize the number of goals conceded. Even if it means seven draws, I am willing to accept that."

Hearing Audrich's seemingly "unambitious" goal, the other members of the coaching staff exchanged glances, and Jason frowned. "Just not losing in seven matches? That seems a bit low, doesn't it? We won 4-0 last time, and I think we can win at least two of the seven matches, especially against teams like Tranmere and Burnley. A draw against them would be meaningless. Besides, seven draws would only give us seven league points, while three wins would give us at least nine points."

Jason's opinion was widely acknowledged, but Audrich shook his head and said, "The second-place team in the promotion last season was Nottingham Forest with 83 points, and the first-place team, Crystal Palace, had 90 points. There are 46 matches in the league, and we have room for losing points in the early stages. I don't want to put too much pressure on the team. We must also recognize that our victory against Shrewsbury Town at home yesterday was due to their tactical mistakes, not a significant difference in overall team strength. Jason, you are being practical. Winning three and losing four would indeed give us more points than seven draws, but I see it differently."

The members of the coaching staff frowned and looked at Audrich, eager to hear his thoughts.

"Yesterday, the average age of our starting 11 was around 21. If we exclude the 25-year-old goalkeeper Keller, the average age of the other 10 players is only 20. They cannot afford to lose, and neither can we. Failure brings doubt, distrust, disappointment, and a loss of motivation. The players' focus will be scattered. At this critical stage of building confidence and trust, losing is the biggest taboo! A draw will not discourage our young team; it can even be considered a victory. Losing one goal, the players will feel regret or dissatisfaction. Losing two goals, they might console themselves that it's normal. Losing three goals is a blow. Losing four goals will leave a significant shadow on the players' minds and spread throughout the team, leading to a complete collapse."

Audrich's calm words left the entire coaching staff stunned.

In fact, these coaches were also quite young, and the most direct way to show responsibility for the team was through the league table. Accumulating more points was almost their primary goal.

Audrich tapped the table and said softly, "Alright, from now on, we need to forget yesterday's victory and not look at our position in the league table. Our focus should be on how to make the current team more competitive, not just the individual growth of the players, but also the shaping of the team's character and spirit. When we do this well, I believe victory will come naturally."

The coaches let out a long sigh and smiled at each other. They suddenly felt that Audrich, at 18, did not act like a young head coach. Even they had thoughts of quick success, but Audrich was unusually calm at this moment.

No one knew that Audrich had over 40 years of experience in his bones.

Babu suddenly said with concern, "Patrick made a mistake in yesterday's match. Although he has calmed down, I am worried that he will be burdened by pressure. I suggest he start by getting familiar with English football, playing in the youth or reserve team matches. In short, don't let him step directly onto the league stage."

Audrich nodded in agreement and said, "This is exactly what I wanted to discuss today. We have many young players in the team who lack professional league experience, and some have only played at the youth level. Therefore, I want to discuss the schedules of the reserve and youth teams with all of you, so these young players can gradually get the training they need."

Previously, Millwall did not participate in the reserve league, and the youth team only played in the youth league, which was mainly for developing young players, but with little effect in recent years. After Audrich took over the team, players from the first team who were either unsold or still young and hopeful were sent to the reserve team, forming a squad that entered the reserve league this season.

Jason took out two schedules, one for the reserve team and one for the youth team.

Audrich said, "Call the coaches of the reserve and youth teams and have them bring the player profiles. We not only want the players to participate in the reserve and youth team matches but also to implement the same tactics as the first team and support the growth of these players."

In other words, he wanted the players he saw as having no future to accompany the promising ones in their development.

This was a common practice in English clubs, even at Manchester United, where outstanding young talents were surrounded by lesser-known players for training, sometimes leading to legal disputes, but ultimately unresolved.

Now, with Millwall rebuilding, the youth and reserve teams were more like placeholders, so it was reasonable for Audrich to be directly involved in their plans.

For the next two days, Audrich and the entire coaching staff studied the technical characteristics of the players in the team, designing tactics to give young players more training and imparting them to the coaches of the youth and reserve teams.

By Wednesday, Audrich began to study the intelligence on the weekend's opponent, Sunderland. The entire coaching staff had almost no rest, overseeing the players' training and preparing for the weekend's match when the players were resting.

Although he was working from early morning to late night, Audrich did not feel tired at all. Instead, he found life very fulfilling. He left early and returned late, and apart from sleeping, he had no extra time for other matters.

At the pre-match meeting on Friday, Audrich noticed that the first-team players were more serious than they were at this time last week. Their expressions were solemn, and everyone's eyes were fixed on Audrich, ready to listen to his tactical instructions.

Seeing this, Audrich understood that the four-goal victory against Shrewsbury Town had established a foundation of mutual trust between him and the players.

This was good. Listen to me, and you won't go wrong!

Jason started writing on the tactical board, and Audrich calmly said to the players, "Our next league match is against Sunderland. This team was mid-table last season, with no distinct characteristics. They were the team with the fewest goals scored among the top twelve, and their defense was also mid-table. From their last match, where they drew away against the weak attacking Bristol City, it seems they are focusing more on defense this season. However, it is their home ground, so we need to be cautious about the risk of an upset."

Audrich patiently analyzed the opponent's offensive tactics and the areas the team needed to focus on in defense, then combined the tactical board's formation and said, "The opponent's defense is mostly concentrated around the penalty area, giving us little space. Therefore, in attack, our two forwards need to constantly move to create passing lanes. Robert and Ben, your passing routes should be in coordination with the corresponding forward. When the forward runs into the space, pass the ball to that side. After receiving the ball, the forwards can either cross into the penalty area or pass back outside, where Ben and Robert will be waiting to support. Pavel can move forward to link the attack, ensuring the ball is in constant motion and not staying too long on one side or with one player. Got it?"

The players, listening attentively, responded in unison, "Got it, boss!"

Audrich clapped his hands and said, "Great, the meeting is over. Let's play a good match tomorrow, but remember, don't treat the opponent like Shrewsbury Town. Treat every match as your most important one."