The Rise of Millwal

Chapter 175: Millwall Supermarket Opens??

After scoring, Millwall played with increased composure. Aldrich repeatedly rose from the sidelines to instruct Pirlo, giving him tactical changes to implement during the match.

Pirlo is creative and possesses a broad vision, but he still has room to improve when it comes to controlling the rhythm and adjusting the attack.

In his role as a playmaker, passing is merely a fundamental skill. There are many players with precise short and long passes, but relying solely on passing won't result in greatness. The deeper, invisible qualities are what set ordinary players apart from excellent ones, or even world-class players.

This season, elevated to a key starting role by the young coach, Pirlo felt immense gratitude. However, Aldrich's repeated guidance during this match left him thoroughly impressed!

He learned how to mislead the opponent in attack, how to use deep penetration pressure to create space for late-arriving players, and how to thwart fierce counterattacks from the opposition.

Watching Pirlo on the field, he still appeared calm and unhurried, yet he provided Millwall with crucial firepower in their offense, enabling them to launch wave after wave of attacks.

"Martin, Hall is nurturing that Italian lad carefully. At the start of the season, I mentioned that Hall was taking a risk by using this Italian player, as his style wasn't flashy and his defense was concerning, especially his lack of speed. Besides his solid passing basics, I couldn't see any exceptional qualities in him. Yet, during Millwall's recent insane winning streak, this Italian lad has quickly matured. Look, today's Pirlo still has that same rhythm. I thought he would lose his magic once the opponents got familiar with him, but with Hall communicating with him constantly from the sidelines, it's as if he treats this match like a training session. Pirlo's contributions have made Millwall's offense even more diverse. It's not an exaggeration to say that Pirlo orchestrated Millwall's attacks, leaving Chelsea in a reactive state."

"I agree with your point. He's made Millwall's attack more deceptive, switching left and right, forward and backward. However, I'm more concerned about whether he could showcase such strength in other teams. It's evident that Millwall's players have excellent chemistry, allowing them to play smooth, fluid football, and their individual abilities are unquestionable. Oh, Chelsea is launching a counter. Leboeuf clears the ball, Di Matteo takes a step with it, a misstep! Nedved quickly slides in to poke the ball away, and it's back at Pirlo's feet. He launches a long pass! Trezeguet has no defenders near him, takes a step to the side— is it a shot? A clever through ball to the flank, Larsson! Right-footed blast! It's in! Four-zero! Millwall scores again in the 85th minute of the second half, utterly destroying Chelsea, and Larsson gets his second goal. How many goals has he scored this year?"

"If we only count the league, since January till today, he's netted 34 goals, and with cup matches, that's a terrifying 41!"

Aldrich clapped from the sidelines and gave a thumbs-up to the field before returning to the coaching bench.

Fans in the Stamford Bridge stands began to exit; they expected an exciting contest, but it was clear Chelsea and Millwall were on completely different levels.

Chelsea's forwards were struggling to make an impact, and Di Matteo had lost his previous spark, managing only four shots on goal.

Millwall's football displayed absolute dominance on the pitch.

With a four-zero victory at Stamford Bridge, Aldrich continued his reign as the dominant force in London's football wars.

After a hurried handshake with Gullit, Aldrich turned to leave and appeared calm during post-match interviews, exuding an air of humility.

Millwall's 15-game winning streak not only shook the entire British football scene but also garnered attention across the European continent!

The Times' headline the following day read: "Millwall: Unbroken Winning Streak in the Top Five Leagues!"

The scariest winning record in Europe was set by Benfica 25 years ago.

In the context of the top five leagues, the current record holder is Real Madrid, which was set 35 years ago — also 15 consecutive wins.

For the whole of Europe, the little-known Millwall has tied Real Madrid's record of 15 consecutive wins in the Premier League, immediately drawing widespread attention.

After the six-goal drubbing of Manchester United, top clubs from mainstream leagues had already sent scouts to observe Millwall players live.

Why?

Because Millwall sounds like a platform for stars to rise.

With Ajax rapidly losing players and several stars leaving for free during the summer, it was now a frenzied time for major clubs to scoop up talent.

FIFA began considering new transfer rules to address the chaos in the transfer market caused by the Bosman ruling, especially regarding transfers between clubs from different countries.

Millwall was terrifyingly stable. After adapting to the Premier League, Aldrich's players had strengthened their mental resilience, and they thrived under pressure in high-stakes situations.

"Who will stop Millwall?"

The Star called for English Premier League teams to end Millwall's winning streak; otherwise, the league might effectively end in January.

When Tottenham trudged back to North London with a painful 1:4 defeat at Lion's Den, all the media in England proclaimed: a new league record for consecutive wins was born.

16 consecutive wins!

Aldrich was ecstatic for his players, but before he could fully celebrate, new troubles appeared on the horizon.

"AC Milan wants to take Nedved and Larsson!"

"Internazionale has set its sights on Larsson!"

"Juventus..."

The three northern giants of Italy were all eyeing Millwall's players, and reports from Milan indicated that AC Milan had sent an invitation for player transfers.

Moratti, who had just taken over Inter Milan last year, was very sincere. Upon learning that Aldrich spoke Italian, he reached out directly to discuss possible signings over the phone.

Moratti wanted too many players; he even wanted to take all four members of Millwall's attacking unit.

He was eager to revive Inter Milan, especially after witnessing the collapse of crosstown rivals AC Milan's dynasty.

Money wasn't the focal point of negotiation for him.

Moratti's offers were straightforward and sincere.

But Aldrich talked to him at length, insisting he wouldn't sell any players.

His approach toward AC Milan was less accommodating.

Before the League Cup kicked off mid-week, Aldrich was repeatedly asked about player transfer news at a press conference, and he grew a bit impatient. After reporters had finished questioning him, everyone's eyes were on him, and Aldrich finally spoke with an impassive expression.

"A year and a half ago, I remember the Italian media mocking Millwall. I recommended the Italian players in my team to the youth teams under the Italian national team. That wasn't my obligation, but I did it for the sake of developing players for the Italian national team and also hoped my players could proudly wear national team jerseys, even if only that of the U18 team. However, the Italian media ridiculed us. I recall some headlines: 'Where is Millwall from, a village?' Now, some of their clubs want my players, thinking we're beggars? To throw olive branches through the media without even sending a formal inquiry to the club? That's right, I'm talking about AC Milan. You have glory, countless championships; you are a prestigious football giant. Though we, Millwall, are from humble beginnings, we have pride and guts! You think tossing a few scraps will make my players run over like dogs to pick them up and wag their tails for you? Ha! Our little village has just one response: no."

The audience erupted in disbelief, camera flashes went off as Aldrich coldly stood up to leave.

Every field has its own rules.

The head of Internazionale took the time to call for private discussions, and although Moggi from Juventus secretly contacted Andrew, he at least symbolically sent a fax for inquiries. Only AC Milan showed no courtesy, directly making sweeping claims through the media that Nedved, Larsson, and other players should play at San Siro, as that would be the highest honor for them.

Other teams, like Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, also inquired about the potential transfers of several players, but everyone was respectful of the rules.

Perhaps the Milan dynasty had given AC Milan too much superiority, or perhaps people looked down on Millwall, but Aldrich couldn't accept it. He didn't care how the outside world viewed it; if they didn't play by the rules, there would be no common ground. He was the owner and head coach of Millwall, fully aware that dignity is more important than money!

AC Milan's vice president, Galliani, miscalculated this move. He had even researched the summer transfer of Thuram to Parma and understood the behind-the-scenes dynamics within the Italian football community. He knew that Thuram's desire to transfer had been granted by the club, but the price was too high. Galliani, who typically aimed for good deals at low costs, could not accept such a high offer. Thus, he decided to approach the player secretly, hoping to influence the club's decision through the player's personal wishes.

After all, we are in the post-Bosman era; players have more say in transfers!

But now, he regretted it—he hadn't expected Aldrich to be such a hard-headed young man. Yes, he thought Aldrich acted impulsively, offending the big clubs with his words. Such a person would find it difficult to make a mark in this circle.

However, his own underhanded tactics left him no choice but to try to mend relations with Millwall through back channels.

He genuinely wanted Millwall players.

Last year, AC Milan, crowned Serie A champions, found the new season to be a disaster. The operations in the summer transfer market had drawn much attention back then, but after half a season, Galliani's dealings looked less impressive. Players like Dugarry, Davies, Reiziger, and Bromqvist didn't fare well collectively. The miserable record and the player performance sheets showed almost no transactions that Millan fans would praise as good deals, most of those players destined to become fleeting visitors to the club.

Galliani desperately tried to restore relations with Millwall, still harboring hopes for the winter transfer window.

After Aldrich left the press conference with a cold demeanor, Millwall lost their next League Cup match the following day.

It wasn't that Millwall performed poorly; the substitutes prioritized experience over results.

Moreover, Aldrich encountered an excellent opposing coach: Martin O'Neill.

His team, Leicester City, newly promoted, was improving match by match as they adapted to the Premier League's pace. Having learned from Brian Clough, O'Neill began utilizing conservative defensive tactics and quick counterattacks combined with ground play rather than relying heavily on traditional long ball methods.

While he was coaching a small team, it wasn't wrong to play conservatively given the overall player quality. Aldrich didn't feel regret in letting his substitutes take the fall in the League Cup quarter-finals.

After the match, he and O'Neill enjoyed a pleasant conversation. However, O'Neill had his eye on one of Millwall's players, not for purchase, but for a loan.

He was interested in borrowing Gronkjaer, a speedy player who would certainly excel in counterattacks.

But Aldrich politely declined. He preferred his players to grow within their tactical system and, with plenty of matches left in the season, substitutes would inevitably see sufficient playtime.