The Rise of Millwal

Chapter 589: Adjustments on the Fly

Chapter 589: Adjustments on the Fly

Fans of Beckham will undoubtedly remember his priceless free-kick goal in 2001, a moment that left an indelible impression. It was during the final round of the World Cup qualifiers when England secured a dramatic last-minute draw against Greece at home, pushing them ahead of Germany in the standings to qualify for the World Cup.

The coach of Greece at that time was Rehhagel, the mastermind behind Kaiserslautern's fairy-tale run and Greece's historic win in the 2004 European Championship in Portugal.

Beckham's jaw-dropping free-kick was nothing short of a work of art, but it raised a question that kept many scratching their heads: How could England, who made light work of Greece away, come back to their own turf, in a situation where a draw would have sealed their qualification, and yet end up pushed to the brink, only to be saved at the very last second by Beckham's brilliance?

Looking back on this period with the perspective of someone who had been through it, Aldrich knew the answer was simple: Rehhagel.

At present, Rehhagel is not yet the head coach of the Greek national team, but his appointment is imminent. Under his guidance, Greece will rise sharply, embarking on a legendary journey. Meanwhile, England, having beaten Greece away, would return home only to face a dramatically revitalized Greek team, both tactically and mentally refreshed. They had hoped for a straightforward victory but found themselves on the brink of elimination.

Aldrich no longer compares himself to other renowned managers. As the leader of a dynasty team, he is entitled to unwavering confidence in himself and the ambition to overcome any obstacles.

If Eriksson could lead England to a full three points in Greece, Aldrich has no doubt that he can do the same.

However, victory doesn't rely solely on confidence and determination. Solid, grounded work is the true foundation of success.

Standing on the sideline, Aldrich carefully observed the tactical setup of Greece today.

Greece had a very focused approach at home. Their attack and defense seemed balanced, yet they were calculated and daring, combining the expected with the unexpected.

Right from the whistle, England were pinned back, with Greece concentrating their attack on Lampard and Ashley Cole's side. It was evident that Greece had done their homework, studying England's last three games thoroughly.

England's three defensive midfielders had their positions carefully guarded. Attacking through the middle was extremely difficult due to Scholes, who often dropped deep into the half during defense.

The only way was down the flanks, with two options: one side had Beckham and Neville, while the other had Lampard and Ashley Cole.

Greece knew that Beckham's defensive side was much stronger than Lampard's, in terms of coordination and experience. So, they decided to attack down the right, hoping to break through and find space on the wing.

Lampard and Ashley Cole had been loaned out to Charlton in January, where they became key players, helping Charlton not only stabilize their mid-table position but also climb steadily upwards. Their time in the Premier League was showing clear improvements.

However, today they were specifically targeted by Greece. Their defensive zone was under frequent pressure.

Ashley Cole was frustrated, annoyed by the opponent's tactics. Unlike Lampard, who could rely on long passes, Cole struggled with risky back-passes and was forced to clear the ball long, giving possession back to the opposition.

He knew this wasn't the outcome Aldrich wanted to see.

Defending successfully was just a basic requirement for a defender. Stability in ball distribution was the real priority in attack. With England aiming to play fast, his long clearances were disruptive to the team's attacking structure.

Southgate noticed Ashley Cole's dilemma and, in one defensive situation, dropped deeper to ensure he had enough space to receive and adjust the ball. After Ashley Cole intercepted the opponent's cut-back pass, he signaled to Southgate, who had found a safe position. Cole then passed the ball to the nearly touchline-positioned captain.

Southgate controlled the ball cleanly and passed it to the right flank to Neville, starting England's offensive build-up.

Aldrich frowned from the sideline. Greece's intense pressure on the right wing was causing another problem: Lampard and Ashley Cole, wary of further pressure on their side, were hesitant to push forward during counterattacks.

For a short period, England's attack was limited to just three players, with only Beckham or Neville supporting from the back. The lack of passing options and the more predictable movement of players made it easier for Greece to mark England's attacks. The width of the field was also underutilized.

Aldrich lowered his head, pondering, letting out a soft sigh.

He had expected his players to adapt and fully grasp his tactical essence, but it seemed that in practice, they still lacked the flexibility to adjust in real-time. This had always been a problem for the England national team—players lacked creativity, and the tactical system was not flexible enough.

With the match heating up, Aldrich walked over to the coaching bench, one hand resting on the roof. "Butt's positioning is too rigid," he said to Jansen. "Draw up a simple tactical diagram and get it out onto the field so he knows exactly what to do. If he can't adjust, I'll bring Hargreaves in. At least he's been getting regular chances at Bayern this season."

As Aldrich's assistant coach, Jansen had been with him for years, deeply familiar with his tactical philosophy. Through watching the game, he could spot issues right away.

He asked, "Are we drawing it up based on the current situation only?"

"No," Aldrich replied. "I want him to understand the highest standard."

Aldrich spoke and turned to watch the match, his other hand on his hip.

Butt, stationed as the central defensive midfielder, had help on either side, but that didn't mean Lampard and Beckham were purely focused on defending for him. In fact, their presence often tightened the space around him. The truth is, Butt was the key to unlocking the potential of both Lampard and Beckham. Without him holding the foundation, the attacking threats from the back would lack the support they needed, leaving them ineffective.

After finishing the tactical sketch, Jansen brought it to Aldrich for a quick glance. Aldrich gave a small nod of approval and said, "To avoid drawing unnecessary attention from the cameras, have one of the players take this onto the pitch during a water break. Make sure it goes directly to Butt."

Jansen nodded, carefully tearing the page from his notepad and folding it repeatedly until it was no larger than a fingernail. He then approached Joe Cole and said, "Head to the touchline for a warm-up. Take this with you, find a chance to hand it to Gary, and tell him to pass it to Nicky."

Joe Cole's expression shifted from disbelief to sudden realization.

Of course. The match was only 20 minutes in, and England and Greece were neck and neck. No one was injured, so why would they ask him to warm up?

Ah, he thought, chuckling inwardly. I'm just here to deliver a message.

These days, even playing courier had to come with a bit of cover.

Joe Cole found the situation amusing as he slipped on his training bib and grabbed the tightly folded note Jansen had handed him. He jogged leisurely to the sidelines, initially drawing a fair bit of attention.

"Hey, it's not even halfway through the first half, and England has a player warming up! With England still not scoring, it looks like Hall can't sit still any longer!"

Joe Cole had been warming up for three minutes and was already feeling irritated. On the pitch, Neville was a bundle of energy, either reinforcing the central defense or charging up the wing to support the attack.

Three minutes in, Greece suddenly switched tactics, trying to catch England off guard. Neville, however, wasn't fooled. He locked down the flank, forcing their player to dribble the ball out of play.

Joe rushed over to grab the ball, ready to help. Neville approached the sideline, his hand outstretched for the pass.

"Give me the ball now, you're wasting our counterattack opportunity! What are you doing?" Neville snapped.

Joe Cole thought to himself: "Mate, if I give you the ball, you'll just pass it and run off. That would really mess things up!"

He jogged over to Neville with the ball in his hands. Just before letting go, he said loudly, "This is the boss's note for you. You're to pass it to Nicky back on the field. It's his command—I'm not the one causing chaos here!"

Neville took the ball from Joe Cole and glanced at the folded note in his hand. Turning his head, he saw Aldrich give him a subtle nod from the bench. Understanding, Neville didn't say another word and immediately resumed play with the throw-in.

The counterattack may have been thwarted, but it forced Greece to retreat and reorganize their defense. Neville quickly ran over to Bart, handed him the note, and ran back to his position. As he did, he called out loudly, "The coach told me to give this to you."

Bart first lifted his head and glanced at the situation on the field. Scholes passed the ball to McManaman, who made a beautiful run down the left wing. However, there was only Owen in the center to support, so McManaman slowed down, waiting for the players coming up from the back.

Taking this opportunity, Bart opened the note. It was palm-sized, with a simple tactical diagram showing positioning and lines indicating attack and defense. In England's tactical meetings, everyone knew this was Aldrich's usual approach.

The formation was fine, a 4-3-2-1, but the area marked for Bart's defensive midfielder role was large, almost covering the entire space from the backline to the halfway line. What was even stranger was that the arrows for Beckham, Lampard, Neville, and Cole were all solid lines pointing forward, indicating an attacking role.

Crazy?

Both full-backs and defensive midfielders going up to attack?

Wait!

Bart took a closer look again. His arrow had three directions—left, center, right—all dashed lines, meaning defense.

Considering the situation on the field and the marked area on the note, Bart finally understood what it was trying to remind him of.

At first, he completely misunderstood Aldrich's instructions.

Completely wrong.

He thought his role as a defensive midfielder in the center meant protecting key areas vertically—falling back into the penalty box when necessary. If Lampard or Beckham's zones came under pressure, he believed he should step in to assist.

Assist?

No. The note made it crystal clear: he wasn't just an auxiliary player. The defense in that area—it was his responsibility from the start!

England's 4-3-2-1 formation was just a decoy to confuse the opponent. In attack, it could be seen as a 4-1-2-1-2 or 4-2-3-1.

The key point was that Bart's role was as a lone defensive midfielder!

Lampard and Beckham, in attack, one would push forward into the attacking midfield area, while the other would shift slightly forward into the midfield to maintain the structure of the attack and provide support.

And Bart, he was the one guarding the entire defensive midfield zone. His role was to protect the other two pseudo-fullbacks!

He couldn't afford to treat Lampard and Beckham as midfielders!

Bart had made that mistake before, which led to Lampard hesitating to push forward when pressured on the left side, worried about covering his defensive zone.

It was understandable; teams like Spain and Brazil, with their evenly distributed attacking threats, could stretch out their offense. But Albania was weak and couldn't apply much pressure. However, Greece, being a second-tier European team, couldn't afford to spread their attack too much. Otherwise, the players wouldn't be able to connect and would have to concentrate their forces on a smaller area.

Bart had previously thought his defensive duties were fine, and he hadn't given it much thought. But now, looking back, he realized that while he had limited the opponent's attack, he had completely failed in providing protection for his team's offensive play.