The Rise of Millwal

Chapter 305: The Final Push

The atmosphere at Alpi Stadium was electric, with Juventus fans' cheers reaching the sky. It felt as though Millwall's eleven players had walked into the tiger's den, destined to become a meal for Juventus, the fierce beast.

As the match resumed, Aldrich adjusted his tactics. The team shifted from a 4-2-3-1 defensive counterattack to a 4-3-3 pressing attack. The most noticeable change was that both full-backs were more involved in attack, while the two defensive midfielders pushed forward, broadening their pressing range.

At the same time, Aldrich had all the substitutes, except the goalkeeper, warm up.

Juventus seemingly anticipated the scenario following their goal and adjusted their play accordingly, becoming more fluid and adaptable.

Millwall intended to attack?

Then we will defend!

Juventus' defensive formation dropped deep and Millwall had little space to launch a counterattack. What this effectively means is that if Millwall make a mistake when regaining possession, their backline will be completely exposed. The situation worked in favor of Juventus' attackers, who did not need to send more players forward. Of the three forwards, it was Zidane who orchestrated the play in midfield, while Inzaghi and Piero found themselves with plenty of space, allowing them to maximize their individual skills.

If Millwall didn't press hard and retreated quickly to defend, Juventus would be even happier to take their time, gradually advancing without rush, re-organizing their offense if needed, patiently wearing down their opponent.

From the 55th to the 60th minute, Aldrich quickly grasped Juventus' calculations, and it wasn't hard to imagine he would do the same if he were in their position. Before Juventus scored, Millwall's gameplay wasn't much different from theirs.

One mustn't follow the opponent's rhythm; the first step is to disrupt it. Even if Millwall couldn't control the game, they couldn't let Juventus methodically chip away at their morale.

Start pressing right from the forwards!

This was a risky approach, but there was no choice; it had to be done.

After Millwall switched to a 4-3-3 formation, their attacking play still struggled, which only allowed Juventus to thrive, making their counterattacks feel unstoppable.

When Del Piero took possession, he brazenly burst through defenders. At that moment, he was one of the deadliest forwards in the game!

He dribbled into the penalty area, evading the covering defender Capdevila, and as he faced Southgate, he twisted left and right, preparing to shoot. Fortunately, Makélélé charged in from behind, intercepted the ball, and passed it back to the goalkeeper. Butt then cleared it to Schneider on the other flank.

The German stormed forward.

In the midst of the tight defense, if Millwall wanted to break the deadlock, they had to pass without exposing defensive players. Some players needed to distract and disrupt the opponent's defense.

Zidane was world-class in attack, but his defensive capabilities were lacking; after all, players had their characteristics, and one couldn't expect too much. God is fair in that regard—one player couldn't be a combination of Nesta and Maradona.

Thus, he barely moved towards the flank.As Schneider picked up speed, he left Zidane behind, surging forward with the ball. The moment he advanced to support the attack, he suddenly found himself in a tricky situation.

Juventus's defense was solid; the four defenders and three midfielders formed a barrier, tightly linking their two lines into a formidable chain. Schneider's push down the flank was meant to draw the nearest midfielders to him, but they didn't bite. Instead, they compressed their space, maintaining distance from teammates. As Schneider reached the baseline with little choice but to cross, Pesotto was ready to intercept; at that moment, a cross would just require a header, which would pose no real test for Juventus' defenders.

Millwall's attacking players struggled to unsettle Juventus's chain defense, as there was hardly any space to break through their layered lines.

When they tried to use combination play through quick passing and movement, as soon as any player made a pass, Juventus defenders would collapse on the receiving player, causing Millwall's attempts to falter.

Instead, Juventus's counterattacks grew increasingly threatening. Zidane drifted past a panicking Pirlo and executed a dazzling roulette to evade Makélélé. As he advanced, he passed the ball in behind to the onside Inzaghi. Seeing Inzaghi breaking through one-on-one, Butt rushed out just in time to launch a desperate clearance. Otherwise, Juventus could have extended their lead.

Millwall's pressing required the goalkeeper to be involved in both offense and defense, serving also as a sweeper. When the opponent threatened to breach their defense, the keeper had to anticipate and expand the defensive area.

Butt had done well in that moment, but Aldrich couldn't find the time to commend him.

With 75 minutes gone, there were less than 15 minutes left.

He called Ballack over and began outlining their tasks for when he entered the game.

"When you come on, you and Nedved will play as two attacking midfielders in a 4-2-2-2 formation. Keep your focus and read the game closely. Pay attention to the forwards' movements, and watch Nedved's position; when he moves forward, you need to create threats on goal by making runs. Understood?"

Ballack nodded expressionlessly.

Aldrich substituted Shevchenko for Ballack, allowing Larsson and Trezeguet to play as twin forwards, shifting their setup to a 4-2-2-2 for a stronger push through the middle.

Although the wing play generally focused on the full-backs marking the opposite full-backs, with Juventus' full-backs holding their positions, Millwall could deliver early crosses before facing off against their full-backs.

Positioning in the 4-2-2-2 was essential, but how they moved was key.

Especially with Ballack and Nedved reversing and interchanging positions with the two forwards, their synergy was critical for Millwall to find the back of the net.

In the five minutes following this substitution, Millwall's full-backs frequently pushed forward, serving crosses that threatened the opponent's goal.

The tactical objective was clear: draw them out of their shell.

After all, having strong aerial players in the center—Larsson, Trezeguet, Nedved, and Ballack—would give Millwall a significant headed threat in front of goal.

However, Juventus' defense remained unshaken, even tightening their lines more, allowing their full-backs to retreat while giving Millwall room on the flanks.

If Millwall thinks they can break through Serie A's top defense with crosses, they underestimate their opponents.

Lippi relaxed in his chair, enjoying his cigar, with a calmness that belied any worries about the match.

Millwall's attacks were mostly bluster with little real danger, so he felt no urgency at all. In fact, the look in his eyes, shrouded in mystery, conveyed a quiet but solid sense of confidence.

In the 82nd minute, Millwall launched another attack toward Juventus's goal. However, Larsson, holding up play, was fiercely tackled by Montero, promptly leading to a swift counterattack from Juventus!

Deschamps and Conte combined to shake off Nedved's pressure, then Zidane and Conte executed a one-two to evade Pirlo. Zidane moved forward, passing to Davies in front of Makélélé. At this moment, Millwall's defensive line had only four players left, while Capdevila raced back to cover.

Zidane ran to the left, while Inzaghi stayed in the frontcourt. Del Piero moved to a larger gap on the right, taking away Millwall's defense. Davis charged forward with the ball, and Makelele kept dropping back to help defend, while also paying close attention to the sprinting Conte. Juventus has the advantage in 5 on 4!

"Juventus counterattacks! This is an excellent opportunity as they unleash their attack just as Millwall fails to regain their shape. This could be a pivotal moment!"

Makélélé didn't press forward; instead, he retreated to guard the critical spaces according to the opponent's attacking intentions, forcing Davies to pass the ball. If Millwall could compress their defenders in the box, even with just four players, Juventus might not be able to produce a better attack; they needed to strike fast!

He saw where Del Piero was and delivered a short pass, but suddenly, Southgate burst out, precisely intercepting the ball.

Del Piero threw his hands up in frustration, exclaiming in vain.

"Too slow with the pass!"

That theft by Southgate was crucial. During his return, he had deceptively backed off, confusing Davies about when to deliver. The timing could not have been better; in slow motion, it was evident that Southgate anticipated the delivery and moved forward to the line of pass.

"This attack has faltered, and it's a pity—Juventus missed a chance to widen the score. For the first time in the match, Lippi stood up, clearly displeased with that counter, understanding that had they executed it, it could have crushed Millwall's will!"

With six or seven minutes left to play, including stoppage time, they probably wouldn't exceed ten minutes because the second half had flowed smoothly without many fouls or delays.

Aldrich stood on the sidelines, hands on his hips, as the attack appeared stagnant. Millwall's offense seemed fierce yet held little real threat.

A dead end—this was an abyss unlike anything he had faced before!

The weight of despair bore down on him, twisting in his gut, leaving him reeling in hopelessness and confusion.

What choice did he have now? To give in?

Juventus was infuriatingly slick, and their experienced tactics felt like a relentless storm.

This time, there was a seamless switch between offense and defense, but the counterattack failed. Lippi's anger is completely justified. Juventus crafted this strategy carefully, leading Millwall into a frantic attack, advancing their formation, and then bursting out on the counterattack. Unfortunately, it didn't work out. This chance is a hundred times better than their actual chance of scoring!

Aldrich wondered if he should emulate Guardiola and approach Lippi now to congratulate him.

That fleeting, confused thought vanished from his mind in an instant. He shook his head, urging himself: To hell with that! He wouldn't congratulate the opponent; this wasn't the time to be hypocritical!

Once the match ended, he could display sportsmanship. Aldrich had no issue with that, but the game was still ongoing, and facing unprecedented challenges, he refused to bow yet!

If destiny was to smile upon Millwall with a miracle, then Aldrich would actively pursue the occurrence of that miracle!

Millwall wasn't finished yet!

Taking advantage of a dead ball, Aldrich called Schneider over, almost dragging him by his jersey to pull him close.

Schneider was startled, thinking he had angered the coach with his performance.

"Bernd, from the next moment onward, no crosses. Cut inside with the ball, work with your teammates, and pass the same message on to Capdevila!"

Upon hearing this, Schneider nodded, quickly running to relay the request to Helguera, who communicated it to Southgate, leading to Capdevila being informed.

With less than five minutes left in the match, Aldrich loosened his tie, revealing a fierce determination.

Juventus, let's see whose resolve is stronger!

With Millwall's adjustments, their attack now involved seven players pressing forward, while in defense, they fielded two centre-backs and one defensive midfielder against Juventus's two forwards and a central attacking midfielder. In one-on-one matchups, Juventus would naturally hold an advantage. While Makélélé was a master at defending, he would struggle against Zidane; Helguera and Southgate would find it tough against Del Piero and Inzaghi. With so much space at the back, the likelihood of Millwall's defense being breached increased significantly.

Lippi noticed Millwall's full-backs pushing to the halfway line during their defense and their offensive players having to fall back, assuming that Millwall was getting desperate enough to go for broke while still maintaining a threat on counterattacks.

The game has entered its final moments.