Chapter 38

John Hendry's thick, long legs suddenly came into Keller's line of sight, leaving him thunderstruck!

He could only watch as Hendry used his toes to strike the ball and then slid into the goal with the ball.

"John Hendry! John Hendry! He was almost invisible for most of the first half, but at this moment, he completed a beautiful combination with Fleming, who came up to assist. He broke through the Millwall defense and extended his foot to send the ball into Millwall's goal from the front post, leveling the score for Middlesbrough! Millwall's previously unbreached defense has now been broken by Middlesbrough!"

Since the start of the league, the defensive combination of Thuram, Stam, Southgate, Neil, and Keller, including the goalkeeper, had tasted the bitter pill of conceding a goal for the first time.

The crowd at Ayresome Park erupted in cheers, and the Middlesbrough players huddled together to celebrate, then walked back to their half with their heads held high, as if leveling the score was expected. Their mature and experienced game sense was their greatest asset.

Brian Robson, after seeing the goal, simply clenched his fists and waved them, remaining calm and composed.

Aldridge calmly clapped his hands to encourage the players not to lose heart, as the game had merely returned to its starting point.

But this goal left Aldridge speechless, and he knew that Robson had given him a lesson.

Millwall's goal was not due to individual ability or player error; it was entirely the result of Middlesbrough's tactics.

Tactics are about surprising the opponent.

If Middlesbrough had sent their full-backs forward to assist from the start, Aldridge believed that Middlesbrough's wings would have been ineffective throughout the game, at least on Thuram's side. In terms of defensive ability, there are very few wingers in the First Division who can break through Thuram's defense.

It was only at this moment that Aldridge realized that Middlesbrough's previous conservative play was a tactic to lull the opponent into a false sense of security.

The defensive 5-3-2 formation had deceived everyone, and the slow pace of the game had created a fog of illusion for Millwall's defense. When Millwall's defenders confidently outnumbered the attackers, Middlesbrough's full-backs suddenly made high-speed runs, catching Millwall's defense off guard.

The tactic achieved the effect of "surprising the opponent," and the sudden acceleration from slow to fast caught even Aldridge off guard.

Aldridge thought to himself: Brian Robson, who adapts his tactics to the situation, is quite skilled.

However, he was not discouraged. This Millwall team was still far from fully formed, and their ability to control the game's rhythm and tactical flexibility was still in its early stages. This required more time and experience to develop, while Middlesbrough was already a very mature team with little room for improvement.

The ball was kicked off from the center again, and Millwall's defense learned from the previous mistake. The two full-backs paid special attention to the opposition's wing attacks, and Pires and Schneider also began to drop back for defensive support.

Seeing Millwall's players quickly adjust on the field, Robson, who had initially wanted to press the advantage, shook his head and gestured for the players to play cautiously, signaling not to take unnecessary risks.

As the first half was about to end, Aldridge saw the opposition revert to their slow, conservative tactics and remained calm. Millwall's defense would not be shattered by a single goal; this was the line of defense he had carefully built.

The referee blew the whistle to end the first half, and Aldridge was the first to leave the field and head to the dressing room.

Morale is a mysterious and intangible thing.

If Millwall had conceded first and then equalized, their morale would have soared.

But since Millwall scored first and then conceded, the players felt a slight sense of pressure.

The score was 1-1, but there was a strange feeling of something being taken away.

This is human nature, and Aldridge felt it too.

This emotional change is why Aldridge was very cautious about losing in the early stages of building the team, let alone being overturned, which would be a major taboo!

Cultivating a calm and composed mindset and overcoming the fear of loss takes time, and developing a strong, unflappable heart is a long and arduous process.

Back in the dressing room, the players were silent, sitting on the benches and breathing heavily, the atmosphere tense, as if the air had been frozen.

Aldridge did not want them to bear the pressure, as it could lead to negative emotions if not managed. He shrugged and smiled, "Robert, you should practice your shooting more when you get back."

The players were initially stunned, then burst into laughter.

Pires laughed bitterly, "Boss, can we not mention that goal? Even if I had a hundred more chances, I wouldn't slip again."

He knew that the bizarre goal in the first half would become a topic of jokes among his teammates.

Aldridge shrugged, "No, no, if you had a hundred more chances, it's fine if you slip a hundred times. As long as you score, I'll applaud, even if you score with your buttocks."

Ha ha ha...

The atmosphere in the dressing room suddenly became cheerful, and the gloom from the late goal in the first half dissipated.

After the laughter, Aldridge raised his hand, and the players stopped laughing, listening to his tactical instructions.

When it was time to be serious, Aldridge never held back, and he never believed that just motivating the players would win the game.

In front of the tactical board, Aldridge drew the positions of the opposition's defenders and said softly, "Middlesbrough's defense was mostly near the penalty area in the first half, rarely pressing forward or attempting offside traps. This is why our penetration attacks were ineffective. In the second half, your job is simple: we need to draw their defense out and force them to create space in the penalty area for our attackers. Robert, Beindorff, and Henrik, you three can operate in the area just outside the penalty box. When you have the ball and see an opening, take a long shot. Don't worry about the angle; the key is the number of shots and hitting the target. David, you will lead the attack in the second half, acting as a focal point for your teammates. When the opposition's defense presses forward, compressing our shooting space, you must be ready to exploit the offside trap. Understand?"

The players nodded seriously.

Aldridge reminded them of a few defensive issues and then let them rest for a moment before the second half.

He had confidence in the defense and knew they wouldn't fall into the same trap twice. The sudden breakthrough on the wing in the first half would not happen again.

In fact, Aldridge was grateful to Brian Robson. The goal had improved Millwall's defensive awareness, a valuable lesson learned from experience.

Experience is not learned or practiced; for defense, it is etched in the mind from failure.

Back on the sidelines, Aldridge stood, and the second half began quickly, with the cheers of both sets of fans filling every corner of Ayresome Park.

Aldridge observed Middlesbrough's tactical changes in the second half with great focus. Over the years, he had developed a subconscious habit of visualizing the overall formation changes from a bird's-eye view.

Millwall began to take frequent long shots while maintaining a solid defense, several of which threatened Middlesbrough's goal, making the fans on both sides very tense. Brian Clough responded quickly, not pressing the defense forward but instead pulling back the attacking players. Except for John Hendry, who roamed in the front, the other players retreated to the halfway line, creating a numerical advantage.

After regaining possession, Middlesbrough's counter-attacks utilized the width of the field with long passes, but the effect was not significant. Their full-backs, who joined the attack, were closely marked by Millwall's wing players.

Fifteen minutes into the second half, the game became a stalemate, with the ball moving back and forth between the two penalty areas, and both sides struggling to create scoring opportunities.

At this point, Aldridge finally understood Brian Robson's tactical setup.

It was neither a defensive 5-3-2 nor a full-attack 3-5-2. More accurately, it was an asymmetrical 4-4-2. While the formation looked odd visually, it did not define the problem. Tactics are the combination of formation and playing style.

Middlesbrough's full-backs were very coordinated in their attacking runs, never both advancing at the same time, always maintaining at least four defenders in the back line. This coordination ensured they never faced a numerical disadvantage in defense.

However, the alternating runs of the full-backs often caught the opponents off guard.

Aldridge was deeply impressed. No wonder Middlesbrough, despite a turbulent summer and no significant improvement in overall strength, had performed well in the first nine rounds of the First Division.

To build such a competitive team with limited resources, Brian Robson had some skill, though this was only in the First Division.

What surprised Aldridge even more was that, while England was still under the influence of Charles Hughes' famous "long ball" theory in the 1970s and 1980s, Middlesbrough's style was more ground-based and less focused on piling up attackers in the penalty area.

In this era, teams that could play ground-based attacking football, countering the "long ball" and "maximum positional advantage" theories, were unique in England. This is why Nottingham Forest, under Brian Clough, won the European Cup twice, and Clough was revered as a great coach for his use of short passing and ground-based attacks.

Aldridge was hesitant. With the game at a stalemate, taking a point away from this match would be beneficial for the entire season. At least they wouldn't lose to the First Division title favorites, Middlesbrough, away from home, which would be crucial for the players' morale and psychology.

Whether to adopt a risky tactic to secure a win or to hold onto the draw, Aldridge was undecided when the situation on the field suddenly changed!