Chapter 67

The Leo Youth Training Base was officially established.

A new meeting for the youth team coaching staff was held to lay down the guidelines for nurturing new talent.

The medical department was expanded.

Babu spent a month in the United States during the summer, bringing back professional knowledge of American physical training. He would promote the experience and knowledge he had learned within the club. In terms of physical training in sports science, the United States was already leading the world. Physical training is a separate professional field, which would help Millwall players train better, and it would be combined with the rational growth of sports equipment.

...

One by one, Audrich personally handled each matter because Millwall could be described as having nothing in the past, and what it did have was old and outdated, unable to keep up with the times. Therefore, Audrich had to ensure that the framework of the club, from top to bottom, was problem-free. Once everything was on track, he wouldn't have to worry anymore.

In mid-to-late July, the players returned one after another. When the day of assembly arrived, Audrich, dressed in the club's sports uniform, walked to the training ground with the coaching staff. There, the players were chatting, sharing the oddities and stories of their summer vacations.

"Huh? Who are you?"

Audrich walked among the players, looking puzzled and placing his hand on the shoulder of a somewhat chubby young man.

Pirlo laughed heartily, "Boss, it's David!"

"David? David Trezeguet? Are you his brother? Tell me, where is he? Don't try to fool me with a stand-in. Look at your figure, you're far from David. Look at your belly, it could be a trampoline. Hey, it's quite bouncy."

Audrich reached out and patted the young man's belly, which indeed felt fleshy.

The other players whistled and cheered.

"Right! I said he must be an imposter!"

Schneider also joined in the teasing.

Trezeguet, touching his bald head, lowered his head and said bitterly, "Boss, it's really me."

Audrich, of course, knew that the young man in front of him was Trezeguet. He waved to the players, "Today is the first day of training. The task is simple: go to the Leo Youth Training Base for a physical examination. I don't care how you spent your holidays, as long as you didn't break the law and are back at the club, that's enough. However, if your physical indicators are not up to standard before the new season starts, you'll be on the bench. David, can you still run?"

"Boss, absolutely no problem!"

Saying that, Trezeguet was the first to run out of the training ground. Compared to his agile figure from last season, this clearly fatter young man looked somewhat comical as he ran.

Audrich shook hands and greeted each returning player. Some players even brought gift boxes, presenting them to Audrich and the other coaching staff. Most of the gifts were local specialties or souvenirs from their travels.

Audrich carried a large bag of gifts, nodding and smiling as the players ran past him.

Only a few players in the team had noticeably gained weight. The older players, especially team role models like Southgate, Nedved, and Larsson, clearly maintained appropriate exercise during the holidays. As for gym enthusiasts like Gattuso and Ballack, their muscles were noticeably more developed.

Audrich had Craig lead the players to the youth training base, while he asked the other first-team coaches to return to the hotel for a meeting.

In the meeting room, he took out the Premier League schedule for the next season and had the coaches review it.

After everyone had looked at it, Audrich, like in the pre-season meeting of the previous season, first discussed the depth of the squad with everyone, the talent reserves at each position, and whether targeted signings were needed to strengthen the team.

On this topic, everyone's opinions were relatively consistent.

With a thirty-man first team, Millwall had sufficient depth as long as there were no widespread injuries.

Next, Audrich, as he did last season, categorized the Premier League teams by strength.

"Based on the analysis of our scouting reports, at least five teams can challenge for the championship next season: the defending champions Blackburn, Manchester United, Liverpool, Newcastle United, and Arsenal. Teams that can consistently stay at the top of the table include Nottingham Forest, who finished third last season, and Tottenham. However, this is a conservative estimate. Each season, there are always a few teams that perform beyond expectations. Since Millwall is in London, our derby opponents, in order of importance, are: West Ham United, Chelsea, Wimbledon, Tottenham, Arsenal, and Queens Park Rangers. In summary, I want to ask everyone a question: Can Millwall challenge for the championship in the new Premier League season and ultimately win it?"

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone was stunned!

All eyes involuntarily turned to the young figure at the end of the long table.

Audrich's gaze was sharp, his handsome face cold and stern.

This was a very serious topic.

The team's season goals are crucial to the entire season's plan.

If a team has no ideals or goals, it will naturally lack motivation, taking one step at a time, playing wherever it ends up. If they play well, they aim for higher goals; if they play poorly, they give themselves an easy way out. Such a team will never amount to anything.

Just like last season, Audrich's goal was to develop the team, and results were not important. Therefore, even when they were leading in the League One, he never shifted the focus to the cup competitions. A season is a whole, with strong continuity. The consequence of shifting focus from one goal to another could be disastrous. Historically, many teams with competitive advantages in multiple fronts ultimately collapsed and lost everything, largely due to greed and overestimating their own strength. The impact of high expectations on a team can also have a chain reaction.

The coaching staff members lowered their heads and thought seriously.

Premier League champion?

The myth of a promoted team winning the title?!

This wasn't exactly a new concept. In English football, about twenty years ago, Nottingham Forest, in their first season in the top flight, shattered Liverpool's dream of a three-peat. However, such a miracle has only happened once in the past fifty years of English football.

In the French Ligue 1, promoted teams winning the title are more common, with Saint-Étienne, Bordeaux, and Monaco all achieving it.

As for the Kaiserslautern miracle, that was still two years away.

Audrich had the ambition to challenge for the throne, but after carefully analyzing Nottingham Forest's miracle, he found it difficult for Millwall to replicate such a feat.

In the 42-game season, Nottingham Forest only lost three matches. The reason wasn't that they had the strongest squad, but rather that Brian Clough's tactics were the key. When England was dominated by the simple long-ball tactics, Nottingham Forest's fluid passing and attacking play was like a refreshing breeze, eventually turning into a massive tornado that swept through the top flight, even outpacing the defending champions Liverpool by seven points to win the title.

While it wasn't a revolutionary tactical change, it created a massive wave in England. Millwall, however, did not have the strong tactical advantage to dominate the Premier League.

But the desire for a championship still made Audrich bring up the topic.

If the entire coaching staff could convince him with valid reasons, he was willing to go all out with everyone.

Jensen spoke first, clearing his throat and then saying, "Audrich, I think we must discuss this topic rationally. First, although Millwall's first team has thirty players, how many are under twenty? Half of them! They have talent and ability, but they are still growing. Playing time must be managed reasonably, and they cannot be relied upon to play all the matches and perform consistently throughout the season. Moreover, the Premier League is highly competitive. The strong teams you mentioned will not underestimate us. Playing against us means they must secure three points. There are also derby matches, and even matches against mid-to-lower table teams will be intense because we are their relegation rivals. Beating us will help them secure their safety."

Hearing this, Audrich closed his eyes and thought.

Jensen made a lot of sense. Another advantage of Nottingham Forest's miracle was that they had very few must-win derby matches throughout the season.

However, being in London, Millwall had two fierce rivals in the Premier League, plus other derby-related opponents. Out of 38 matches, over 10 were derby matches, which were almost like decisive battles, increasing the intensity and the likelihood of injuries.

Audrich abandoned the idea of challenging for the championship in the new season, despite its allure. It was somewhat unrealistic, as Millwall was still too young and could not withstand any negative impact. Putting too much pressure on the players would only shackle their minds.

The league is a long journey, a nine-month marathon, and no one knows what unexpected events might occur.

But Audrich still said solemnly, "But Millwall needs a championship. We need a championship to retain our players. If we come up empty-handed next season, I won't have the confidence to persuade anyone who wants to leave."

Indeed, to retain all the players in the team, Audrich needed a championship, a tangible trophy to keep them, to inspire them, to give them the motivation to stay and the ambition and confidence to achieve greater glory!