The Young Lion

In Aldrich's mind, the overall idea of ​​building a team is similar to eating.

The first is to eat a buffet. You can take whatever you want. If you need to fly with both wings, you can buy strong players on the side. If you want to play defensive counterattacks, you must buy players with fast counterattacks, etc. This is what the head coach wants. design.

The second is to tailor the suit according to the needs of the food. What kind of cards you have in your hand, you must use the most suitable play method to maximize the power of this deck. In terms of their characteristics and good positions, after placing them one by one, the framework of the tactical formation is almost formed, but the limitations are bound to be great.

Middlesbrough's tactical formation is the second.

In the tenth round of League One, Aldridge's team will go to North Yorkshire to challenge Middlesbrough, who is second in the league!

Aldridge was very serious in the pre-match preparation meeting, and the entire coaching staff believed that in the forty-six rounds of the league, the most important game is this game!

This season, Middlesbrough has changed the chairman of the club and the head coach. The situation is similar to that of Millwall. The new coach that Middlesbrough has used is former Manchester United captain Brian Robson. way of managing the team.

With Bryan's prestige, and with his transfer from Manchester United to Middlesbrough's Clayton Blackmore sitting in the dressing room, Middlesbrough has surprisingly smooth transition in this turbulent summer, and With almost no running-in period, Middlesbrough has become the favorite for the League One championship!

In the first nine rounds of the league, Millwall had six wins, two draws and one loss, accumulating 20 points.

Middlesbrough also achieved six wins, two draws and one loss, with the same points as Millwall, but ranked second in terms of goal difference.

In the eyes of outside football critics, although Millwall is now ranked first, the team is too young to be an unstable factor. On the other hand, Middlesbrough is a mature team with an average age of about 25 years old in the main lineup. The oldest players on the field are striker Hendry and defender Pearson at 30 years old, followed by former Manchester United player Blackmore at 29 years old. It can be said that Middlesbrough has a very mature central axis, which is very important for the whole season. Consistent performance is crucial.

There is one more factor that makes Middlesbrough title favourites, and that is their tactical formation.

Defensive 532.

This kind of formation is also used by a team in the Premier League, George Graham's Arsenal, extremely utilitarian passive tactics, can make the game extremely boring for the sake of points!

Aldrich believes that Millwall is now barefoot, and Middlesbrough wears shoes, so there is no need for him to be afraid of the other side.

However, the result of this game is of great significance to the young team.

If you lose, then the barefoot will be afraid of wearing shoes.

Don't let the team have the idea that losing is justified.

Therefore, he is extraordinarily fine in arranging tactics.

Although the opponent's John Hendry is 30 years old, he is a pure shooter. This kind of player may not see him a few times in 90 minutes of the game, but maybe give him a one-minute highlight. , he will rewrite the game, and pay special attention to his marking. His partner striker is the 20-year-old Graham Kavanagh. The characteristics of this player are very obvious. It can even be said that he is a defensive player. A striker who will harass our defense by actively running in the frontcourt. It should be noted that his header is very good.

And the creativity after taking the ball should not be underestimated, we must cut off his connection with Hendry.

In the pre-match preparation meeting before departure, Aldridge arranged tactics on the tactical board, and in the defensive arrangement against the opponent, the first thing to do was to analyze the characteristics of the opponent's two forwards and conduct defensive strategies.

The players listened very carefully, everyone knew the meaning of the next league game, it was the real top battle!

The next day, Aldridge led the team to North Yorkshire, before the game in the afternoon, accepted the pre-match interview here in Middlesbrough.

Because it was the top game, this league game was held at night, also for the sake of ratings.

Sitting in the press conference hall, Aldrich looked at the reporters representing more than 20 media representatives in front of him with a half-smile, and he still had a deep impression on several of them.

This is a big change from the scene before League One kicked off two months ago.

The young reporters of The Sun and the Daily Mail were also very excited to see Aldrich.

Before the reporters started asking questions, Aldridge first greeted the two reporters with a smile.

Thomson, Richard, are you still interns?

Thomson, representing The Sun, looked a little shy, smiled awkwardly and shook his head.

Apparently, he has turned regular.

It’s just that his skin is still a little tender. After interviewing Aldrich two months ago, he submitted his well-behaved manuscript to the editor of the newspaper for review. In the end, it was changed beyond recognition by the editor, and the news that appeared in the newspaper the next day That article also changed Aldrich from the inspirational young marshal described by Thomson to a playboy who used the club as a toy.

In this regard, Thomson, who still has professional ethics, feels ashamed. Fortunately, it seems that Aldridge doesn't care.

Richard, on the other hand, seemed much more sophisticated, and smiled with his mouth open: Thanks to you, I have been officially hired by the Daily Mail, hehe.

Aldridge held his chin and asked curiously, Does it have something to do with me?

Richard said triumphantly: Of course I have. I have been following and reporting on Millwall. In the past two months, Millwall has surprised everyone. Hehe, Mr. Hall, I have known for a long time that I have been following you , I won’t lose my job.”

After all, Richard raised his eyebrows at his colleagues, which made the reporters from the big newspapers The Times and The Guardian sniff.

Richard entered the industry not long ago at a young age, but he is not afraid of anyone as a newborn calf. Others disdain him, and he uses his reflex skills, and he responds with a contemptuous sneer.

Now Millwall's strong momentum is attracting attention, and reporters from major newspapers also come here to run news. Richard is very proud, and feels that he has been following Millwall, which is considered to be a foresight...

There are so many media friends here today, how about this, each ask a question, as short as possible, and related to the game, I refuse to answer other questions, let's start, Richard, what do you want to know?

Aldridge sat up straight with a gentle smile on his face.

Richard also straightened his back, and asked loudly: Mr. Hall, before the season, you once said that Millwall's goal this season is to relegation, but after nine rounds of the league, your team ranks first. It can be said that in the eight games played by the main lineup, you have created a record of zero goals, and you have only conceded two goals in nine games. Wolves, now, what goals does your team have?

This issue is also concerned by other reporters. In fact, based on the strength on paper, outside football critics do not think Millwall is particularly strong, because many players are new faces. Whether they can maintain a stable and outstanding performance depends on the Still a question.

But will the thrill of victory brought by Lien Chan and Lian Jie go to the mind of the young Marshal Millwall?

Aldridge rubbed his forehead and said with a wry smile: It doesn't seem to have anything to do with the next game. Well, Millwall's goal this season is relatively simple, which is to train the players. What I said before the season remains the same. This is a young team. My team has unlimited potential. I don't care about the overnight gains and losses, and I don't stare at the standings every day. As long as my team is improving every game, I will be satisfied. If I still say that this season My goal is to avoid relegation, and you will definitely scold me for hypocrisy in your hearts.

Hehehehe.

The reporters present all smiled tacitly.

Because of the large number of teams and the many rounds of matches in League One, the relegation line is roughly around 50 points.

And Aldridge's team scored 20 points after only nine rounds in the league. Even if there is a bus in front of the goal, they can easily avoid relegation in the remaining 37 rounds...

Aldridge spread his palms and said helplessly: Because the Premier League has reduced its team this season, everyone knows that the only way to upgrade is to win the League One championship and pass the play-offs. The competition will be more cruel and fierce than in previous years, so let's talk about points now. The goal on the list is too early, I only value the next game, one game after another, what will be the final result, time will give us the answer.

The reporters were a little less interested, and they naturally hoped to hear Aldrich's rhetoric, so that they could make a big deal about it. This kind of low-key and pragmatic argument really has nothing to attract attention.

Although what Aldridge said is true, it is a bit premature to talk about the situation of the standings. As long as the top-ranked teams lose two games, they will immediately fall to the middle or even lower reaches of the standings.

Thomson raised his hand and asked: Mr Hall, Middlesbrough manager Mr Robson was asked what he thought of you in the previous press conference, he said you had a good start as a manager, Millwall ushered in a new era in your hands, expressed respect for you, and said that Middlesbrough cannot underestimate the young Millwall, and other teams in League One should also value Millwall's Existence, what do you think about it? And what do you think about Mr. Brian Robson?

Aldridge lowered his eyebrows and pondered for a moment. Although Brian Robson didn't say any bad words at first glance, it was actually a psychological warfare. It was nothing more than trying to make Millwall the target of League One. It seems that Bryan Robson is copying Ferguson's set.

In all fairness, Aldridge's coaching career started at the same time as Brian Robson's, and the other side only took charge of the team as a player-coach this season.

I can only say that Mr. Robson has done in-depth research on Millwall. I really hope that every opponent in League One will despise us. It is best to put the main players on the bench to rest when we play against us. hehe.

Hearing Aldrich's straightforward words, the audience laughed again.

Take Millwall lightly?

The teams that underestimated them before were basically crippled by Millwall's efficient defensive counterattack. Only pragmatic teams like Bolton and Reading got points from Millwall.

Mr Bryan Robson is an awe-inspiring man, and it's not my turn to judge his coaching ability. Middlesbrough's record in the past two months has said it all. Compared with Millwall By the way, they are the favorites to win the championship, and the team that wants to reach the Premier League will definitely hope to beat their direct competitors by defeating Middlesbrough.

Aldridge’s words are not flattering. Bryan Robson was not only a magical captain in English football in the 1980s, but also a natural leader. After Middlesbrough quickly filled the team with cohesion and combat effectiveness.

But coaching a team and being the captain of the team are two different things, and the limit of a head coach's achievements is not only determined by his mental attributes.

There is no need for Aldridge to have a grudge with Bryan Robson. It is enough to emphasize that the opponent is the favorite for the championship. Even if other teams play Millwall with a lot of energy, at least Middlesbrough will not want to take advantage of it.

Aldrich spoke freely, and occasionally made a joke, which was full of humor. The press conference ended in a happy atmosphere.