Chapter 46

After the team took the lead with a goal, Audrich took his right hand out of his coat pocket and calmly waved it towards the backfield. This gesture was intended for the team captain, Materazzi. Seeing the young coach's action, Materazzi began to retreat towards the backfield while shouting loudly to his teammates, "Now we're leading, follow what the boss said before the game—everyone needs to tighten up, especially David, you need to help Phil with more defense!"

Predicting the game situation is one of the tasks the head coach assigns before the game. Audrich usually arranges tactics in phases for the match, but he never plans for what to do if they fall behind before the game, as that could demoralize the team. When a deficit occurs, he often makes adjustments on the fly.

Seeing Materazzi convey his intentions, Audrich put his right hand back into the warm pocket. After the goal, he only clapped, without any additional celebration.

Now, he lowered his head, seemingly casually looking at the grass under his feet, occasionally taking a few steps back and forth.

Although Arsenal fielded their main squad, it did not mean they had a dominant control over the game. This was an Arsenal with clear strengths and weaknesses. Last season, they finished fourth in the Premier League, but their goal tally was not among the top, scoring only 53 goals in 42 matches, nearly 30 fewer than the champions, Manchester United.

More notably, Arsenal scored more goals away from home than at home. Was it because they were more combative away from home? Of course not. As a traditional powerhouse, teams visiting Highbury mostly focused on defense, making it difficult for the goal-scarce Arsenal to score. However, when playing away, their counter-attacks had more room to maneuver.

Now, Audrich was instructing the team to tighten up, allowing Arsenal to attack, while Millwall would counter-attack!

The tactical battle in football is similar to the horse racing strategy of Tian Ji, using different strengths and weaknesses at different stages. After Arsenal kicked off, Millwall's players, except for Solskjaer who was harassing in the midfield, all retreated to their half. In front of the defense, there was a steel barrier formed by Gattuso, Vieira, and Ballack. Glen Johnson and Beckham assisted Neville and Zambrotta on the wings, greatly compressing the space for set-piece plays. This made it difficult for Arsenal to get a shot off after several failed passing combinations.

The first half quickly ended, with Millwall leading by one goal and returning to the dressing room.

During the halftime break, Audrich simply said in the dressing room, "What we excel at is quick and simple passing, while Arsenal is not good at set-piece plays. They are not skilled in breaking down defenses, so in the second half, we will continue as we did after taking the lead in the first half. However, when the opponent pushes forward, we must be faster, simpler, and more direct in our counter-attacks. We don't need to dribble and break through; use positioning to tear open their defense. This Arsenal team is just a wolf in sheep's clothing. We don't need to fear them. They are old and lack energy, while you are young and full of vigor. Run hard, and we can rightfully defeat them."

The young players were greatly encouraged, and the first half of the game had built their confidence. The opponent was the champion of last year's European Cup Winners' Cup! Before the game, the substitute players were worried that Audrich would use the main squad because of the opponent being Arsenal, but Audrich kept his promise and insisted on letting them play in the cup matches. This made them feel that although Audrich was young, he was a true man.

Trust is mutual. Audrich trusted them, and they would repay him with trust and effort.

After the second half began, Audrich remained on the sidelines, appearing very calm, without shouting or making many gestures. In contrast, Graham, not far away, was waving his arms, urging his players to push forward, but the team's performance was getting worse, a silent irony.

Perhaps, as the TV commentator said during the halftime review:

"The current Arsenal is like Graham, a crumbling building, while the young Millwall is like a rising sun. Whether from a technical or tactical perspective, or the spirit and demeanor displayed by the players on the field, we have reason to expect Millwall, but we cannot hope for Graham to transform Arsenal. However, Arsenal's decline has been too rapid. In the Premier League, their goal tally is lower than last season, and their conceded goals are almost double. On the league table, they are never more than 10 points away from the relegation zone."

In the second half, Arsenal gradually began to push forward as a whole. They had too few players in their attacking lineup, and it was difficult to break through Millwall's zonal defense with individual skills. As the formation pushed forward, the gaps in the backfield grew larger.

After intercepting the ball from Paul Merson on the wing, Neville passed it to Beckham, who was only five meters away. Beckham turned and kicked the ball from the backfield, sending it over the midfield in a beautiful arc towards Arsenal's half.

Solskjaer had already started running before Beckham's pass. He burst from the midfield, brushing past Bould, successfully breaking through Arsenal's backline and about to get a one-on-one opportunity.

Tony Adams, who was not slow, chased from behind. The ball bounced once on the ground, and Solskjaer controlled it steadily. At this point, Tony Adams was already one meter behind him. Solskjaer, having slowed down after controlling the ball, shielded it with his body, made a sudden stop, and then pushed the ball forward. This sudden change in rhythm also slowed down Tony Adams.

Solskjaer's movements were fluid. After shielding the ball and making a sudden stop, he pushed the ball forward again and started running, fooling Tony Adams and continuing his one-on-one opportunity.

But just as he took a step forward, he felt a huge pressure from behind and fell heavily to the ground.

"Too ugly! Tony Adams actually tackled Solskjaer from behind, no doubt a foul!"

The referee decisively stopped the game and showed a glaring red card to Tony Adams, who was getting up from the ground!

If he hadn't fouled, Solskjaer would have had a clear one-on-one opportunity.

The Lion's Den erupted in cheers, fully agreeing with the referee's decision, applauding both the referee and Solskjaer.

Tony Adams did not argue or protest, but left the field with a grim face, not even passing the captain's armband to a teammate.

On the sidelines, Graham roared at Adams, "What are you doing, you fool?"

Tony Adams turned and retorted, "Shut up!"

Then he walked into the tunnel without looking back.

Audrich watched this scene of a mentor and disciple falling out, feeling a bit disheartened. The current Graham was a coach embroiled in a financial scandal, and Tony Adams was at a low point in his life, a trouble-prone alcoholic.

The mentor and disciple had a rift last year. Graham did not help Adams regain his form, and Adams did not publicly support Graham during his current coaching crisis. Their mentor-disciple relationship had reached its freezing point, and their bond had come to an end.

With 30 minutes left in the game, Arsenal was playing away, trailing by one goal, and down one man.

Materazzi took advantage of a dead ball to run to the sidelines and ask Audrich, "Boss, should we continue as before?"

Now they had a numerical advantage!

Audrich put his hand on his shoulder and whispered, "Our tactics remain unchanged. We will win in 30 minutes. And next, Arsenal will be the ones to panic. Just think, once they start to panic, we will have plenty of opportunities."

Materazzi nodded and ran back, shouting loudly to his teammates to stay focused and reiterate the tactical requirements, to avoid any confusion and disarray among the team.

The game did not have any significant turning points that affected the flow. In the Lion's Den, a once mighty team had fallen to the bottom.

In the 79th minute, Millwall's substitute lineup launched a whirlwind counter-attack. Gattuso intercepted the ball from Campbell and passed it to Vieira, who then passed it to Beckham on the wing. Beckham passed it to Solskjaer at the front, who, instead of dribbling, cleverly redirected the ball to the left wing. Glen Johnson charged into the opponent's half, dribbled at high speed, and then passed the ball back to Ballack in the center. Ballack pushed the ball to the right, and Vieira, who had been sprinting from the start of the counter-attack, scored a beautiful shot, making the score 2-0!

Throughout the counter-attack, Arsenal's defense, which had been pushed forward, was riddled with holes. Even Martin Keown, the rock of the defense, slipped and fell awkwardly when trying to stop Glen Johnson's pass to the center.

After scoring, Vieira ran around the field in excitement, roaring to the sky. Just half a season ago, he was a substitute who was sent off with a red card after only a minute on the field. But in this half season, his hard work paid off, and after scoring, he ran to the coaching bench to embrace coach Bab.

Although Audrich was the head coach, Bab was the one who trained Vieira the most, and this was normal. Audrich was not jealous at all.

Arsenal, having been penetrated by two goals from Millwall, lost all their fighting spirit, and the final score was 2-0.

Faced with this result, Audrich was not triumphant. Arsenal, despite their illustrious name, was now a team with a fractured morale.

After the game, Audrich did not shake hands with Graham but walked calmly into the players' tunnel.

Before the weekend game, the biggest news in English football was: Graham, who had coached Arsenal for eight years, was sacked by the board of directors!

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