Bracing for the Derby

The first leg of the European Cup Winners' Cup quarter-final at the Bran stadium turned out to be a one-sided match. Bran, playing at home, went into the half with a shocking three-goal deficit. After fifteen minutes into the second half, Aldrich substituted Pirlo for Ballack and Van Nistelrooy for Trezeguet, which allowed the team to take full control of the midfield and launch an aggressive style of attacking football.

After the adjustments in midfield, Bran retreated into a full defensive stance in the second half. It was a bit too late for them to pull back; at that point, their defense had already lost its meaning. With the intention of avoiding a complete debacle at home, they could only settle for conceding one less goal.

Meanwhile, Millwall opted not to push the attack too aggressively, being cautious of injuries. They slowed things down, using quick passes and combinations to carefully find weaknesses in the opponents' defense.

It was in the 86th minute when Larsson executed a precise through ball, allowing Nedved to burst into the box. He made his way to the byline before pulling it back into the center. Van Nistelrooy fumbled the first touch and was taken down from behind; he didn't even get the chance to complain to the referee about the foul.Shevchenko arrived at the far post in time to slot the ball into Bran's net.

In the end, Millwall secured a resounding 4-0 victory away against Bran, putting them on the brink of the semi-finals.

After the match, Aldrich headed straight for the exit, with no intention of shaking hands with the opposing coach. After all, it wasn't a hard-and-fast rule, and given the way the other side had belittled his team, he didn't feel the need to be courteous.

At the post-match press conference, a reporter from England asked him to comment on the match.

Aldrich paused for a moment and said, "It's unfortunate that we're only bringing home a draw from Bran."

The reporters present were taken aback. 

"Dude, your team just won 4-0 against the opponent!"

"A draw? Have you lost your mind?"

Before further questions could be posed, Aldrich suddenly smiled and said, "Well, our youth team lost 1-5 during the day. So with us winning 4-0 in the evening, it's a total score of 5-5. That means it's a draw overall."

The English journalists erupted in laughter, while the local reporters looked a bit embarrassed.

Returning to the main topic, Aldrich answered a few more questions, finally mentioning that in the second leg in London, Millwall would take their opponent seriously and would never give them a chance to come back.

But most reporters suspected that while Aldrich seemed serious, he would likely let some younger players gain experience.

Meanwhile, Nagy, who was in Oslo, Norway, watched the live broadcast of the match at the hotel with the coaches and players.

After the game, he turned to the youth players with a serious expression and said, "Did you see that? You guys embarrassed yourselves in Bergen during the day, but luckily, our first-team players saved face for the club. You might think, 'They're all stars; winning is just what they do.' Let me tell you, that mindset is completely wrong. You should remind yourselves: they are the present of Millwall, while we are the future. No matter your age, as long as you wear the Millwall jersey, you must shoulder the honor of the club. We are not afraid of losing, but we cannot afford to let a match slip away without putting up a fight. Now go back to your rooms and get some sleep. Rest well, because tomorrow we're going to have a good match against the youth team from Hønefoss. Then you'll get a day off to explore the area. The day after, we face the strongest youth team in Norway, Rosenborg. I hope you all can return home with your heads held high instead of being the laughingstock."

The youth players collectively agreed and returned to their rooms to rest.

That night, Aldrich and his team boarded a flight back to London.

Given Millwall's momentum in the Premier League, their 4-0 triumph over Bran in the European Cup came as no surprise to Fleet Street. The media merely gave a brief mention of the result, while Manchester United's loud 4-0 win over Porto in the Champions League quarter-finals had one foot already in the semis. This led the British media to sing praises for the Red Devils, as it had been over ten years since an English team made it to the Champions League semi-finals. After a ban from European competition, it wasn't until this year that Premier League teams had even the hope of advancing past the group stage. This year, Manchester United not only progressed out of the group but were also on the verge of the final, with just three matches left to contend. A win against Porto in the second leg and two semi-final matches would lead them straight to the final.

Since losing to Millwall in the first half of the season, Manchester United had not suffered any setback in the league until March, tallying mostly wins. The point gap between them and Millwall had narrowed to just 13 points with nine league matches remaining.

The gap was set to shrink to 12 points just before the last round of league matches, but while Millwall secured a draw, Manchester United ended up losing to Sunderland away, missing the chance to close the gap to 10 points, which made Ferguson's post-match criticisms lose a bit of their sting.

This weekend, Millwall was set to host Sunderland, who had shocked Manchester United in the previous round.

To leave more preparation time for the European Cup during April and May, Aldrich planned to use his main squad to wrap up the Premier League title. Therefore, he decided to start his main players in the match against the newly promoted team, while intending to deploy some substitutes for next week's FA Cup match.

In their clash at The Den, Aldrich faced off against Peter Reid.

The coach was relatively young, at just forty, and he had some proud moments in his coaching career, notably leading Manchester City to surpass Manchester United in league standings a few years back. However, his coaching philosophy seemed to lag behind the times, and traditional English playing styles struggled to achieve breakthroughs in the league.

Sunderland needed points to stave off relegation, while Millwall had already developed a strong backbone, leading Manchester United by 13 points, which relieved them of undue pressure.

When Aldrich saw Sunderland's starting lineup, he was taken aback and turned to Jansen, saying, "Am I mistaken, or is it just me, but do they seem to have a lot of players I don't recognize?"

He usually kept track of the names and characteristics of players, even on mid-to-lower-team squads. However, among the eleven players starting for Sunderland, he felt at least four faces were quite unfamiliar.

Jansen also found it puzzling, so he consulted with Benitez, Craig, and other coaches. After confirming, he returned with an answer for Aldrich.

"Half of them are reserves. They've played less than five times this season."

Aldrich scratched his head, pondering, "Is this a tactical surprise?"

If it was, didn't it seem like there were a few too many unexpected elements?

He asked Benitez, "What kind of trick is Reid up to?"

Benitez snorted, "No trick; he's just preserving strength for the next round to pick up points at home against Nottingham Forest."

To be honest, Aldridge still lacks the consciousness that a strong man should have.

Sunderland, coming to The Den to face the league's most formidable team, Millwall?

What were the chances of them getting points?

If Reid thought they could just park the bus and scrape a draw, he was sorely underestimating Millwall. Since the early season, the only team to come here and claim a victory was Middlesbrough; every other visiting team had walked away with a loss! Plus, Millwall was averaging an impressive 3.6 goals per game.

If he dares to field his full-strength squad and ends up suffering a heavy defeat, it would completely shatter the morale gained from their hard-fought win against Manchester United in the previous round!

Their next match would be back in Sunderland against Nottingham Forest, who were at the bottom of the table with little hope of avoiding relegation. Therefore, Reid was wise to choose to conserve his strength.

Aldrich was overthinking this, assuming that even if the opponent fortified their defense, they would at least try to sneak in a counterattack.

He failed to realize that Millwall had become a team that other clubs feared even before stepping onto the pitch.

Faced with a Sunderland side that seemed cobbled together and lacked any team cohesion, Millwall effortlessly claimed victory, despite having just returned from Norway earlier in the week.

Throughout the match, teammates did their utmost to create scoring opportunities for Larsson. On one particular breakaway, Trezeguet opted to pass to the oncoming Larsson instead of taking the shot himself, allowing Larsson to find the back of the net.

After scoring, Larsson shook his head with a smile toward Trezeguet, who simply laughed and picked him up, clearly unfazed.

As the final whistle blew, thunderous applause erupted from the stands. Fans in the south stand held up Larsson's number 11 jersey, chanting in unison, "European Golden Boot Winner!"

The final score was 6-0, with Larsson completing a hat-trick, bringing his league tally to 30 goals.

The Swedish player was deeply touched at the match's conclusion, frequently clapping to thank the fans and hugging each teammate. He knew that hitting such goal-scoring heights was not just about his own ability but also owed much to the unselfish support of his teammates.

Aldrich, on the other hand, remained calm. After the match, he approached Peter Reid. They had been acquainted for about a year since they met at a coaches' association dinner, where Aldrich had been crowned Premier League Manager of the Year and Reid led Sunderland to promotion, earning him the League One Manager of the Year accolade. They had shared a deep conversation then.

"Aldrich, congratulations on making history with Millwall's first league title. Truly impressive."

"I was just lucky; some big teams slipped up, and my players performed admirably."

"Don't be so modest—it's hypocritical. I hope we'll see you again in the Premier League next season."

"Hey, why the long face? Show some of that spirit you had taking down Manchester United. There are still eight rounds left, and it's not impossible to avoid relegation."

"You're right. See you next season."

"Yep."

After chatting for a bit, the two parted ways. As Aldrich walked into the players' tunnel, the mixed zone felt lackluster; it seemed that Millwall's wins no longer made great headlines.

Still, someone tried to poke a hole in the win, asking Aldrich, "Sunderland fielded half of their reserve team—that's basically surrendering. Do you think Millwall's victory was a little hollow?"

Aldrich shook his head, chuckling, "I don't see it that way. I often give a lot of new faces a chance in certain matches as well. A team isn't just made up of 11 players or 16 on the roster. Can you depend on just those few to get through an entire season?"Your question is really foolish. If substituting in new players means the opponent has already surrendered before the match starts, then every time I put a few new faces on the field later, wouldn't that imply Millwall is surrendering too?"

The questioning reporter was momentarily stumped; the argument held what seemed to be a logical point but did indicate a fundamental difference that he couldn't refute. He chose not to pursue it further.

Manchester United won 2-0 against Sheffield Wednesday, and with eight league matches remaining, Millwall still led by 13 points. Ferguson was left weakly criticizing Sunderland's tactics, although he had to concede a bitter truth: Manchester United's chance of a repeat title was now in jeopardy!

Even if Manchester United were to win all eight remaining matches, would Millwall really lose five?

Moreover, Manchester United would be focusing their efforts on the Champions League, while Millwall also had European ambitions but were comfortable breezing through their matches. The real competition was likely only in the semi-finals, and that was still in April, when they could expect to be completely free from league pressures, while Manchester United would still need to secure a second-place finish in order to qualify for the Champions League.

A new week brought two matches for Millwall. The FA Cup quarter-finals kicked off, with Millwall hosting Wimbledon, who had previously eliminated Manchester United.

This was a local derby, and Wimbledon's aggressive style of play had seen a resurgence this season, prompting Aldrich to field a strong lineup.

**Goalkeeper:** Keller 

**Defenders:** Mills, Materazzi, Ferdinand, Zambrotta 

**Midfielders:** Gattuso, Lampard, Ballack 

**Forwards:** Toni, Van Nistelrooy, Phillips