Chapter 45

The third round of the FA Cup saw the match between Millwall and Arsenal officially kick off at The Den!

The stadium was packed, and Graham received a huge chorus of boos from the crowd as he entered, due to the article published in today's *The Times*.

For the 50-year-old manager, returning to The Den was not like coming home; he was merely a fleeting visitor.

In contrast, when Audrich entered, he was greeted with a roar of applause from the entire stadium.

Now, there was only one master of this stadium: Audrich.

Through his coaching performance over half a season, Audrich quickly became the darling of the fans.

As usual, he signed autographs for the fans in the nearby stands before calmly walking to the home team's coaching bench.

The South Stand was now completely dominated by the "Lion Roar" fan group. Today, they had ingeniously printed a large English letter on the back of their jerseys, which, when turned, formed a prominent message:

"We only love Audrich!"

Graham's eyes swept over the cheering stands. In his memory, Millwall's stands should not have been like this, and all these changes were due to the young man not far from him.

Seeing Audrich out of the corner of his eye, Graham couldn't help but feel a surge of anger.

Was it because of Audrich's youth?

His rising popularity?

Or his unexpected words and actions?

Or perhaps, it was because of Audrich's attire during matches, which was simply annoying.

In autumn, Audrich would wear a well-fitted high-collar suit, looking dapper.

Now, in the cold winter, the warm coat he wore also looked particularly impressive, with Millwall's emblem—a bright blue lion—on the upper left corner.

The other members of the coaching staff were similarly dressed, exuding a subtle elegance. In another setting, they could easily pass for male models in a fashion show.

All these signs suggested that Audrich was an outlier in the football world, and someone who was shunned by traditional England.

Other coaches disliked Audrich, but the fans loved him, especially the neutral fans. Loving football and idolizing stars often went hand in hand. Liking a club meant inevitably liking the stars within it.

Audrich could tolerate many things, but his attire was a point of contention.

He had a sense of aesthetics from 20 years in the future. In the current English football scene, big-name coaches like Ferguson, who wore the club's warm-up suits, looked more like dock workers from Glasgow.

Kevin Keegan, who left his curly long hair and wore a loose dark red suit during the League Cup match at Newcastle United, could easily be described as a country bumpkin.

Audrich's suits were custom-made by him and the tailor. Before winter arrived, he had each member of the club's coaching staff fitted with a well-tailored warm coat, which, with the club's emblem, looked both spirited and impressive.

It was this unconventional approach that made Audrich a constant focus of the broadcast cameras, even when he just stood on the sidelines.

Other coaches had valid reasons to dislike Audrich. He could overshadow them just by standing there, which was infuriating!

While Graham was lost in thought, Audrich glanced at Arsenal's lineup with a slightly regretful look.

Graham was determined to win this match.

Almost the entire first team was on the field!

Goalkeeper: David Seaman.

Defenders: Lee Dixon, Tony Adams, Martin Keown, Steve Bould, Nigel Winterburn.

Midfielders: Paul Merson, Paul Davis, John Jensen.

Forwards: Ian Wright, Kevin Campbell.

This lineup, except for the 34-year-old Paul Davis, who had been with the club for 15 years, all the other players were in their prime.

Tony Adams, 27; Martin Keown, 28; Paul Merson, 26; John Jensen, 29; even Ian Wright was only 30.

Audrich really wanted to grab Graham by the collar and ask: What the hell are you doing?!

How did that group of young talents under his command fail so miserably?

For £500,000, Andy Cole was let go. In less than three years, Andy Cole joined Manchester United, and Ferguson paid Kevin Keegan £6 million, with Newcastle United making a profit of over £4 million!

A player who set a new transfer record in English football was let go by Arsenal three years ago.

In eight years, this Arsenal team, which could have achieved greater glory, only won two league titles, one League Cup, one FA Cup, and the European Cup Winners' Cup last year, before quickly declining.

In this season's Premier League, Arsenal couldn't even hold its head high in London, let alone challenge for the title.

Audrich shook his head. The team's rise and fall was a typical case of the manager's responsibility. After the arrival of the Frenchman who created the new generation of Arsenal, most of the players were reinvigorated, which was a matter of the manager's ability.

Graham's conservative tactics suppressed the players' talent and fighting spirit, and his poor management led to the early fame of these stars, who fell into alcohol, women, extravagance, and indulgence, wasting their youth. By this season, the team was already disheartened, and many players felt weary and were considering leaving.

The referee's whistle brought Audrich back to his senses.

The first half of the match began.

From the start, Millwall played very steadily, not rushing to push the ball forward. They calmly passed the ball back and forth in the midfield, transitioning the ball longitudinally.

The biggest change in today's Millwall was in the midfield.

The usual double midfield was now a triple midfield.

The fans in the stands were surprised to see a new face on the field: the not very tall but strong Gattuso!

What role could he play on the field?

After observing for a while, the fans noticed that unless it was absolutely safe, neither Vieira nor Ballack would pass the ball to Gattuso. When the ball did come to him, he would quickly and simply send it to a safe place.

His role and characteristics seemed insignificant, almost like a dispensable player.

But his positioning revealed some clues.

Ballack was more forward, Vieira was near the center circle, and Gattuso was at the back.

Glenys and Beckham, along with Solskjaer, were also involved in the team's positional attacks. Millwall played very patiently, often taking over ten passes before attempting a long shot from a good angle.

Ballack and Solskjaer's long shots from outside the box did not threaten Seaman. Arsenal's counterattacks were simple and quick, passing through the midfield, spreading out on the wings, and then relying on the forwards' individual skills to score.

However, their counterattacks were often intercepted by Millwall's precise and effective defense as the ball passed through the midfield.

When Gattuso intercepted the ball from John Jensen for the second time, the Millwall fans in the stands excitedly realized: This is the second Makelele!

In training, Gattuso often exchanged defensive insights with Makelele. Their defensive styles were somewhat similar, but not identical. Makelele's ability to quickly and clearly pass the ball after an interception was something not everyone could learn, as it was almost an instinctive reaction and correct judgment.

With Vieira, who had improved over the course of the season, and the always energetic Ballack, Millwall had built a steel barrier in the midfield!

This directly led to Arsenal's ground passing being unable to reach their forwards, forcing them to revert to the English style of long balls and aerial attacks, trying to find their forwards in front of the penalty area.

But Richards and Matri were not easy opponents. In physical battles and positioning, Arsenal's forwards had no advantage.

After 30 minutes of the first half, Millwall's play became increasingly spirited and fluid, while Arsenal's veteran Davis was gasping for breath.

The frequent long shots frustrated Arsenal's defense. Adams and Keown commanded the team to push the defense forward, not fearing the space behind them. This defense was not just known for its numbers in the Premier League but also for its ability to catch players offside!

This defensive line's默契 (cohesion) was hard to replicate by other teams, and their frequent successful offside traps were a source of pride.

At the 40th minute of the first half, Tony Adams saw Ballack pass the ball to Beckham on the right wing. Seeing that Beckham had no intention of dribbling, Adams cleverly stepped forward, placing Solskjaer in an offside position.

The other two center-backs also默契 (cooperatively) let Solskjaer fall into the offside trap, and Beckham's diagonal long pass came as expected.

Tony Adams raised his hand to signal Solskjaer offside!

But the assistant referee did not raise his flag.

The ball, with a strong spin, landed on the left side of the penalty area, where Glenys sprinted to the ball and quickly passed it to the center. Solskjaer received the ball and deftly scored from a distance!

Tony Adams was furious!

He ran to the assistant referee and roared, "The kid in the middle was offside! The goal should be disallowed!"

At that time, the offside rule had not been further modified, so if Solskjaer was offside, even if Glenys was not offside when he received the ball, the goal would still be disallowed.

Only after the new offside rule was introduced in 2003, which encouraged attacking, would offside players who did not participate in the attack be ignored.

The assistant referee calmly said, "The player was not offside."

The TV replay showed that Arsenal's offside trap had a flaw. Glenys had slowly moved from the wing into the penalty area before Beckham's pass, and Dixon, who was marking him, followed. Dixon was the last man, and he was level with Solskjaer in the center. When Adams raised his hand, Dixon was misled, and a second of hesitation allowed Glenys to get past him.

After Solskjaer scored, the Millwall players ran to the sidelines to celebrate, and the fans in the stands chanted their familiar rhythm.

"Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole..."

Graham's face turned ashen, and he roared at the players to push forward and attack!

Audrich, however, remained calm. He had mentioned this goal in his tactical setup. Arsenal's defense often set offside traps, which, thanks to the current offside rule, left large spaces behind their defense.

Arsenal, known for their defensive style, was now trailing!

Graham, what are you going to do?

This was just Millwall's substitute lineup.