The Rise of Chelsea

Monday nights were the beer nights that coaches clung to without exception.

Aldrich had indulged himself early at the hotel since the team had a day off. In the afternoon, he had accompanied Melanie on a shopping spree, braving the cooling weather to buy plenty of autumn and winter outfits. Through a woman's unique perspective, Melanie did her best to style Aldrich into a trendy guy.

Having been defeated in two consecutive poker games by Craig, Aldrich took a seat at the bar, enduring Craig's boastful banter. Jensen and Meulensteen were engrossed in an EPL highlight show on TV, discussing the technical abilities of players from the matches. Meulensteen, being an expert in this area, was animatedly analyzing the skills displayed during the recent goals, highlighting moments of brilliance and meticulous execution.

Moniz was sitting at a nearby table, sipping beer and debating tactics with Babutolop. The two came from completely different backgrounds, and in the Netherlands, there was a meeting of football philosophies. Babutolop often countered Moniz's views using tactical theories that prioritized strategy over skill. Moniz, in turn, relied on examples of outstanding players to make his points, creating a vibrant atmosphere between them.

Aldrich opened a bottle of beer and started to drink when he noticed Benitez sitting alone at the far end of the bar, jotting things down in a small notebook. Occasionally, he would take a swig from the bottle next to him before turning his attention back to tactical notes.

Aldrich walked over and chuckled, "What are you up to?"

Benitez, with a furrowed brow, looked up and replied, "I'm trying to sort out Millwall's midfield setup."

Aldrich snatched the tactical notebook from him, flipped to a new page, and began writing down three names along with some numbers regarding his assessment of their roles:

- Makelele: Defense - 65, Organization - 25, Offense - 10. 

- Pirlo: Defense - 15, Organization - 55, Offense - ?. 

- Nedved: Defense - ?, Organization - ?, Offense - 65.

Returning the notebook to Benitez, Aldrich smiled and said, "This is a static estimate of their capabilities, but during a match, these roles can evolve based on the circumstances. The key point here is balance; the contributions of these three players must coalesce to achieve maximum effectiveness in organization, defense, and attack. Unlike the current setup for the attacking midfielder, where both organizing and attacking responsibilities are heavily emphasized while defense often falls short, many midfield players tend to lean towards defense, leaving the organization solely in the hands of the attacking midfielder. Defensive midfielders with excellent passing abilities are beginning to play a more significant role, like Albertini and Paulo Sousa. The outside world claims Millwall is creating history, but that's just nonsense. Our only creative method lies in allowing players to take on multiple roles while covering extensive ground, but they certainly can't be expected to do it all; there must be a clear distinction between primary and secondary contributions."

Benitez pondered this and said, "But Nedved's deep defensive withdrawal compensates for Pirlo's weaknesses, which lowers his threat level when transitioning to attack."

Aldrich shrugged, "Not necessarily. Think about it this way: if Nedved starts too close to the opposition's goal in attack, he can easily be marked out of the game. His speed and stamina let him create more attacking options when moving from defense to offense. His forward runs can confuse opposing defenders, showcasing his uniqueness. If someone else attempted to do this, they would likely struggle. Pirlo may have weaknesses in defense, but his creativity and vision are unmatched in terms of reading the game. Many players have solid passing abilities, yet only a few consistently find the best passing options in attack. Some players might have a passing success rate hovering around 85%, but the effectiveness of their passes in an attacking context often falls short—passing sideways when a forward pass is required, or opting for a less dangerous through ball instead of switching play. They might succeed in making the pass, but the threat level decreases drastically afterward."

Benitez nodded, recognizing the validity of Aldrich's thoughts. They clinked bottles together, agreeing to indulge for the night.

In midweek, the team had a League Cup match against Sunderland, who were currently in the relegation zone. Aldrich decided to send out a squad filled with young players, and they comfortably won 2-1 at home. After the match, the players were off to international duty, not returning for over ten days.

During this break, Aldrich invited those staying in London for dinner and a movie, while the remaining first-team players headed to the Leo Training Academy to play a few teaching matches against the youth team.

The team had been on an impressive ten-game winning streak, and large areas of East London had become Millwall territory. Fans were incredibly enthusiastic; even when the first team wasn't playing, they would come to the youth training base to watch sessions and matches.

Naji remained meticulous in his approach. Last season's young talents had smoothly transitioned to the first team, which was closely tied to the club's coherent tactical philosophy from top to bottom.

Many clubs boasted about their youth academies, but countless homegrown stars failed to shine in the first team or were forced to leave in search of opportunities. Besides intense competition within large clubs, there were often tactical discrepancies between the youth and senior teams. This is why Ajax and later Barcelona rose to prominence in youth development; their attacking styles—Ajax's all-out attacking and Barcelona's tiki-taka—created the perfect tactical alignment between youth teams and first teams, enabling the emergence of talents.

Currently, the standout talent in the youth team was Ronaldinho. At just sixteen, he was a dazzling star at Leo's Training Academy, showcasing a vast array of skills on the pitch.

However, Naji often felt a sense of headache with Ronaldinho. He frequently sought Aldrich's advice on how to nurture the young player. The issue was Ronaldinho's versatility; he couldn't be pinned down to a specific position.

As a winger, he was brilliant at breaking down defenses and dribbling past players with ease. In a playmaking role, he also displayed impressive creativity.

Following the first team's tactical philosophy, if they wanted him to focus on organizing, he would be in direct competition with Pirlo. Placing him further back in midfield, however, would waste his goal-scoring potential, as playing in that role would suppress his exceptional skills. Furthermore, if he lost the ball, it could be disastrous for Millwall's defense.

Positioning him as an attacking midfielder or on the wing would not be an issue, but it would also reduce his time with the ball since the primary task of organizing the attack would fall on the areas behind him.

Aldrich's advice to Naji was: "Don't constrain Ronaldinho's movements too strictly, but broadly allow him to function between the left winger and attacking midfielder roles."

He also discussed a tactical nuance: positional interchange.

No player should be absolutely fixed in one area on the pitch; the only concern should be whether their abilities can overcome positional limitations.

Millwall's current tactics had stabilized, revealing their capability, yet they had not yet reached the peak envisioned by Aldrich. On this endless pursuit, player abilities and team chemistry would elevate their overall effectiveness.

Larsson and Shevchenko had already begun experimenting with positional shifts between left and right wingers in training, but due to the unique attributes of Trezeguet, he was restricted to the striker position. Positioning him out wide would significantly diminish their attacking effectiveness.

Meanwhile, though Nedved had begun to unleash his attacking ability as Pirlo primarily undertook organizing duties, he had yet to reach his full potential. The next tactical "change period" in attack would involve more nuanced approaches, with Ronaldinho being a crucial piece in Aldrich's plans.

After the FIFA Match Days, the players returned to the squad. Even before Aldrich arrived at the training ground, they were already engaged in warm-up exercises, their moods light and relaxed.

Upon his arrival, the players gathered and prepared for the standard stretching exercises led by the fitness coach.

"Bernard, after practice, head to the reception area on the first floor of the hotel. In a couple of days, it's your birthday and the fans have sent many gifts; they're all waiting for you there. Don't forget to pick them up, and happy early birthday!"

Upon hearing this, the players turned to Schneider with early birthday wishes, causing him to smile shyly.

The club frequently received various gifts from fans. Many fan groups would collectively send birthday greetings, and even for players whose birthdays fell during the summer break, fans would either send gifts in advance or catch up upon their return for the new season. They would also often unfurl banners with congratulations during matches.

Having just gone through the FIFA Match Days, the team's training was quite relaxed and primarily focused on recovery.

This weekend's league match would see them travel to face Blackburn, a team which had fallen from grace after being the EPL champions over a year ago. Shearer's departure to St James' Park was merely the beginning, leading that star-studded team—built on hefty investments—into a state of disrepair.

Millwall was in great form, but more importantly, the players' mindset was improved. They were confident and composed, having gained invaluable experience from last season's near miss. Their mentality was maturing and stabilizing.

This season, Aldrich had found a good rhythm in managing the team's rotations. Besides some younger players who were still nervous at the start of the season, they were gradually maturing and at least no longer shying away from the spotlight.

After defeating Blackburn 3-1, Millwall extended their winning streak to eleven matches. Meanwhile, Manchester United scraped a 1-0 victory at home against an own goal by Arsenal's Winterburn. This didn't indicate a clear recovery for them but showed they were at least stabilizing their decline, without letting the gap with Millwall widen.

Like the previous two months, Millwall completed November with a perfect record. Newcastle United, Leeds United, and Everton all fell to defeat, and as December began, Millwall was 15 points ahead of second-placed Liverpool, who were just 1 point ahead of Manchester United.

December was a month Aldrich disliked because the EPL started speeding up. Before Christmas, Millwall had two significant London derbies to navigate—an away match at Stamford Bridge followed by hosting West Ham at The Den.

This new season saw Glenn Hoddle take charge of the England national team, while Gullit hung up his playing boots and donned a tracksuit to take the helm at Chelsea. During this summer, Chelsea made significant investments, strengthening their squad across the board with French enforcer Leboeuf, midfield core Di Matteo, and scoring machines Vialli and Zola.

Starting this season, Chelsea officially entered a high-speed development phase to close the gap with the elite clubs. Gullit's managerial style leaned towards attacking football, which drew more attention to Stamford Bridge, resulting in marked improvements compared to previous seasons. The outside world held high expectations for Chelsea to emerge as a new force in London under Gullit's stewardship.

Under these circumstances, Millwall, who had already set a record with fourteen consecutive wins, strode into Stamford Bridge like a proud lion.