Chapter 93

England has a rather inhumane tradition when it comes to treating injured players. Once a player is injured, it seems as if he becomes invisible. From the head coach to the teammates, almost everyone acts as if he doesn't exist. Even when the head coach communicates with the injured player, it is usually done through a third party, a tradition that many clubs adhere to almost superstitiously.

Because football in England is a man's sport, symbolizing passion and resilience, akin to a battlefield. Those who can't get back up after falling are considered losers. To prevent injured players from affecting the team's morale, clubs typically isolate them from the team. This tradition only began to change with the internationalization of the Premier League.

Aldridge is rational in his approach to tradition. Good traditions should be followed, such as the privacy of the dressing room, but he disdains those that clearly make injured players feel depressed or under psychological pressure.

Trezeguet was no longer able to walk. He was supported by two team doctors to the sideline, where Aldridge was already waiting. With his shoes off, Trezeguet's right ankle was swollen like a pig's trotter.

"When did you get injured?"

Aldridge asked softly.

Trezeguet lowered his head, his voice trembling with fear, "Yesterday."

He was afraid that Aldridge would lose trust in him from then on.

However, Aldridge patted his shoulder and said calmly, "David, being injured is not a problem, but deliberately hiding your injury is a big problem. Take your time to recover; the team will wait for you."

Trezeguet, who had endured the intense pain without shedding a tear, suddenly felt his eyes moisten. He looked up, choking back tears, "Boss, I'm sorry."

"You haven't let me down. Your body is your own; you need to learn to protect yourself. Health always comes first."

"Thank you, boss."

Trezeguet was then taken into the tunnel by the two team doctors.

When the team doctors entered the field, Aldridge had already instructed Solskjaer to start warming up. Now that Trezeguet had to leave the field due to injury, Aldridge was waiting for a stoppage in play to make the substitution.

Solskjaer came to Aldridge's side. Aldridge, keeping his eyes on the game, asked softly, "Ole, do you know what to do when you come on?"

Solskjaer replied immediately, "Yes, the opponent's Wright is slow, and Schmeichel's range of movement is limited. There's a lot of space between the two midfielders and the defenders."

Aldridge nodded. Solskjaer's focus on the bench was the best in the team, and his game-reading ability was far superior to that of most others.

"Once you're on the field, you can frequently switch positions with Henrik. To be honest, Liverpool's defense can't stop the two of you. You can take the ball and make more dribbling and breakthroughs."

"Understood, boss."

There were three minutes left in the first half when Millwall made a substitution, with Solskjaer replacing the injured Trezeguet.

Liverpool took a one-goal lead into the halftime break.

The Anfield fans breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing Millwall's aggressive attacks in the first half, they had thought the opponent was really strong, but it turned out they weren't that great!

Manchester United being scored five goals was because they had weakened, and Arsenal, with a divided team, would probably score at least five or six if they came to Anfield...

Millwall, a name that doesn't match its performance!

Aldridge walked slowly, and in the tunnel, the Liverpool players wore proud expressions. Young Redknapp even shouted at Aldridge, "Kid, what did you say before the game? Now, shouldn't you go home and find your dad? Oh, your dad isn't a coach, so you can only cry in his arms, oh, little Aldridge, what's wrong? Why are you crying?"

Young Redknapp clearly held a grudge over Aldridge's pre-game taunt. Now that Liverpool was leading, he naturally had to retaliate.

"Shit! What did you say? Have the guts to come over here!"

The usually quiet Southgate suddenly flew into a rage, shouting and about to charge over. The players behind him were stunned for a moment, then also moved to charge, but Aldridge blocked them at the front. The Anfield tunnel was narrow, and he alone blocked everyone behind.

The Liverpool players also rallied behind Young Redknapp, standing together aggressively, as if ready for a brawl.

Aldridge smiled and said calmly to Young Redknapp, "Jamie, as long as your father coaches West Ham, I will be his enemy. You don't understand the war in East London, and I don't blame you. Here's a piece of advice: don't be too smug until the game is over. Also, I feel sorry for Liverpool. Millwall wouldn't be proud of beating Arsenal, but you're celebrating now. You don't deserve the red shirt. Behind me stand warriors who never bow their heads. You, hahaha, are just playboys."

With that, Aldridge turned and gestured for the players to return to the dressing room.

The Liverpool players angrily shouted and cursed at Aldridge.

"Shout and curse, playboys, I've seen it all before."

Bang.

The away team's dressing room door was tightly shut.

Aldridge didn't have time to care about the atmosphere on the Liverpool side. The young men in front of him sat down calmly.

Aldridge didn't plan to write anything on the tactics board today. He just stood at the front, arms crossed, and asked lightly, "How do you feel? I mean, do you feel any pressure playing here?"

The players looked at each other and shook their heads in unison.

Perhaps because Aldridge had always been on the sideline, they could always see his figure, that fearless and upright stance, which seemed to remind them to be fearless.

Aldridge shrugged and said, "Alright then, take a rest, and play well in the second half."

"Boss, aren't you going to talk about tactics?"

Southgate asked, raising his head.

He didn't want to lose, and his question was what almost every player wanted to ask.

It seemed they had gotten used to Aldridge's halftime adjustments, which helped them play better in the second half.

Aldridge smiled and said, "Just play like we did in the first half. We can win. We created more chances than they did in the first half; we just had a bit of bad luck. Since you want to hear it, I'll ramble a bit."

The players focused intently on Aldridge.

He sat down and said casually, "You should know that the stronger the team, the more obvious the home advantage, and the better their home record. A big reason for this is that the away team is intimidated by the home atmosphere and becomes conservative, giving up the initiative. Do you know how many goals Manchester United conceded at home last season?"

Everyone shook their heads.

Aldridge held up his right hand and showed four fingers, smiling, "You can count them on one hand. Manchester United conceded only 4 goals in 21 home league games last season!"

This statistic made the whole team gasp. Only four goals in 21 home games?

Aldridge continued, "But do you know how many goals Manchester United conceded away last season?"

Everyone shook their heads again.

Aldridge looked at his hands and then his feet, saying helplessly, "Claude, lend me a hand."

He lifted Makelele's hand and raised his own legs slightly, saying, "24 goals."

4:24.

This was Manchester United's defensive record at home and away last season.

The players understood after hearing this.

Aldridge smiled and said, "Got it? Although Manchester United does lose some home advantage when they play away, it's not just because of that. The most important thing is determination. Many teams surrender before the game even starts when they face Manchester United away. At home, for the sake of pride, they have to fight, and in the process, they realize that Manchester United isn't invincible. The same goes for Liverpool. Their home and away goal conceded ratio last season was about 1:2. As long as we forget the pressure here and forget that they are Liverpool, treating them as an ordinary opponent, playing our own game, and showing our strength, what's Liverpool? We scored five goals at Old Trafford; is it so difficult to score here at Anfield? Besides, to be honest, Liverpool's defense is not as strong as Manchester United's. Pavel should have a deep understanding of this."

Nedved naturally nodded. The midfield defensive combination of Keane and Butt was on a different level from Redknapp and Barnes.

England once produced tactical master Chapman, whose WM formation evolved into classic tactics in European and South American football. However, England often becomes complacent after achieving a certain level of success. The three-forward tactic from over 60 years ago, where the two wingers' roles are basically the same as today's English wingers—creating opportunities on the wings and passing to the center forward—hasn't changed much.

When 4-4-2 became the mainstream in England, English tactics entered a "hibernation" phase, with attacking players not defending and defensive players not attacking, a trend that continues to this day, and it's unclear when it will be awakened.

Aldridge is building a team with a combination of technical and tactical skills. From the first half's performance, Aldridge has always been confident in the game. The lack of goals in the first half was related to Trezeguet, and the goal conceded was not catastrophic. Scoring a goal in football can happen in the blink of an eye. Millwall isn't struggling to score, so he won't panic and try to change things.

Sometimes, making changes at the wrong time can be self-destructive.

Clapping his hands, Aldridge smiled at the players, "Let's go out. The enemy is not strong; we are stronger. It's that simple. In an hour, we'll bring victory home."

The whole team roared in unison.

They straightened their jerseys and followed Aldridge, who was smiling, out with high morale.

Aldridge felt pleased; the team's character was already taking shape.