Chapter 31

The next day, when Audrich's team visited Tranmere, they suffered their first defeat in the league!

Before the match, Audrich and the entire coaching staff were quite relaxed.

In his plan, from the second to the eighth round of the league, which was before the FIFA match day, Audrich aimed for at least seven unbeaten matches, and he would be satisfied with seven points.

In the past five rounds of the league, Millwall achieved three wins and two draws, earning 11 points.

Most importantly, in the first six rounds of the league, Millwall had not conceded a single goal, and the defensive system had been successfully established. For this match, Audrich was not particularly concerned about the result, as long as the substitute players got some exercise and he could see their improvement.

However, in this away match, Millwall faced Tranmere, the home dragon of the League One.

Audrich's pre-season outlook was indeed flawed.

He did not consider Tranmere as a promotion rival, but Tranmere had an astonishing record in their four home matches in the first six rounds, winning all four!

However, they lost both of their away matches.

Tranmere's home strength made Audrich quite cautious in his lineup, even using a 4-4-1-1 formation with Solskjaer playing as a second striker, Beckham and Glenoar as defensive wingers, Ballack as a central midfielder, and Vieira as a defensive midfielder.

Even with such a defensive formation, Millwall faced a storm of attacks from Tranmere, who were on a roll at home.

Tranmere had 25 shots, 10 of which were on target, while Millwall's shots were less than half of that.

The final score was 2-1, and Millwall suffered their first defeat in the league!

Audrich was not disappointed; rather, he felt it was within expectations.

To be fair, before this year, players like Glenoar, Zambrotta, Ballack, Beckham, Neville, Vieira, Solskjaer, and Butt had little professional league experience.

If a group of young players with talent but no experience could easily defeat the home dragon of League One, then the professional league would be too easy.

The two consecutive wins in the League Cup were due to the opponents not taking it seriously, not fielding their full strength, and Millwall having the home advantage.

Losing by just one goal away to Tranmere, Audrich felt the purpose of training the players was achieved, allowing them to experience the atmosphere of the match and familiarize themselves with the rhythm of the game, even though they lost, they gained valuable experience.

However, after the match, the away dressing room was completely trashed by Materazzi...

Wearing the captain's armband for the first time, Materazzi did not win the match, not even a draw. The hot-tempered Materazzi did not blame his teammates but, after the match, could not help but turn the already simple away dressing room into a wasteland.

Audrich was interviewed in the mixed zone after the match, and the reporters, eager for a story, tried to provoke him.

"Was Millwall's use of substitute players to challenge Tranmere a sign of underestimating the opponent? Did the unbeaten record in the first six rounds make you think you could easily win all the matches?"

"Tranmere accused Millwall of playing dirty, and Materazzi should have been sent off in the first half. Do you agree with this view?"

...

Despite the loss, Audrich did not lose his composure in the face of the reporters' attempts to make him angry. He smiled and said that Tranmere was very strong at home and was the best home team in League One.

He did not mention his own team, but when asked if Materazzi's aggressive defensive actions should have been penalized, he replied nonchalantly, "This is England. I think Materazzi's performance meets the standards of an English defender. If every action was a foul, then Premier League center-backs would only play a dozen times a season and be suspended for the rest of the time."

The reporters, trying to stir up trouble, did not make Audrich angry. Even after the loss, he maintained his dignity.

What else could he do?

Losing the match and losing his dignity would be a losing proposition for Audrich.

After a brief interview, he returned to the away dressing room to prepare to leave with the team. However, he found that the players and coaches had already left, leaving only Materazzi sitting on the bench, lost in thought.

Looking at the smashed door and scattered wood chips in the away dressing room, Audrich slowly walked over and sat down next to Materazzi.

Today, Materazzi's performance was good, and Audrich acknowledged it.

The repeated breaches of the defense by Tranmere were mostly through the gaps on the wings with Neville and Zambrotta, and the reduced intensity of the backfield interceptions, which put the defense in a passive position, but the responsibility did not lie with the two center-backs.

"Unhappy about the loss?"

"Should I be happy?"

Materazzi's face was filled with frustration, and his voice was very low.

Audrich said softly, "I'm happy. I saw the results of the past two months of training. Marco, I give you a nine out of ten today. This is professional football, not a game. You can't expect a team with an average age of less than 20 to become invincible in less than three months. On the path to becoming the strongest team, there will inevitably be failures, but as long as each failure is a better failure, it means we are making progress."

Materazzi felt a bit better and nodded slightly.

"I know why you're unhappy. Part of it is the loss, and part of it is your pride and dignity as the captain. But as the captain, you can't be so dejected. You need to stand tall and show your teammates: we lost today, but it was deserved. Next time, we will win with honor."

Audrich spoke in a light tone, without the air of a coach, more like a friend chatting and comforting Materazzi.

Materazzi sneered and turned to look at Audrich, asking, "Boss, I got a nine today, what about the others?"

Audrich pursed his lips and said, "Richards got an eight, Butt got a nine, the two forwards got sevens, the two wingers got sixes, the two midfielders got sevens, and the two full-backs got sevens."

Apart from Beckham and Glenoar, whose performances barely met his expectations, the others showed significant improvement, and Audrich gave them fair evaluations.

Materazzi spread his hands and said, "Boss, you're happy, right? Why did no one get a perfect score?"

Audrich stood up and stretched, then turned with a sly smile and said, "I'll only tell you this: no one will ever get a perfect ten from me. This means I will never be satisfied with your performance. You always have room for improvement. No matter how well you perform, keep working hard for that perfect score."

Materazzi's eyes widened and he exclaimed, "Are you a fox?"

Audrich smiled and waved, saying, "What I am doesn't matter. What matters is what you are. I hope you are like the lion on Millwall's badge! Now, stop being a girl, get up, let's go. Do you want to stay here?"

Materazzi put on his coat and hesitated as he looked at the devastated away dressing room before leaving. The Tranmere staff outside glared at him with dark expressions.

"Boss, what about this?"

Audrich waved his hand without turning back and said, "Don't worry. If Tranmere wants compensation, they can send the list to the club. A few hundred pounds will be deducted from your weekly salary. We are men, if we break it, we pay for it. Don't worry about it."

Materazzi laughed and even playfully raised his eyebrows at the red-faced Tranmere club staff in the corridor.

The Tranmere club staff were furious!

Damn!

Looking at the young coach in his suit, they never expected him to condone the destruction of the away dressing room!

A blatant thug!

They were even more conflicted about whether to send a compensation list to Millwall.

The away dressing room, with its doors, cabinets, and chairs, was not worth much.

Should they really ask for a few hundred pounds?

Who would be the miser?

Who would be the one to lose face?

Sigh!

The staff watched as Materazzi and Audrich left, thinking in unison: Get out of here!

Getting on the bus, Materazzi formally apologized to his teammates for his over-the-top behavior in the dressing room. Those who didn't know him might think he was dissatisfied with his teammates.

Audrich didn't take the matter to heart. He got on the bus and clapped, expressing his satisfaction with their performance today.

Losing a match was not a big deal, and it wasn't necessary to harshly criticize the players after a loss.

They were on the path to improvement, and no one was slacking off or violating the tactics, which was enough.

Back in East London, Audrich put the loss behind him and began preparing for the next match, a home game against Burnley.

[End of Page]

[Start of Page]