Aldrich's preseason preparation plans faced a harsh reality check. As the upcoming season would see his team competing in the European Winners' Cup, he wanted to familiarize his players with the various football styles from other countries, even if he didn't value the tournament highly. His plan included inviting Celtic for a friendly match in London, followed by a trip to France for a game against Monaco, then heading to Spain for a match against La Coruña, and finally returning to London for two domestic friendlies.
Before the Olympics, Andrew had finalized Rivaldo's transfer to Europe, with Rivaldo joining La Coruña in Spain during the summer. Due to this connection, Andrew facilitated a friendly match between Millwall and La Coruña, while the match against Monaco was arranged by Aldrich with Tigana during his time in France.
Scottish football, known for its short passing game, has roots deeply embedded in the miners' culture of unity. Aldrich's invitation to Celtic was aimed at allowing Millwall to experience this cohesive Scottish style of football.
However, as August approached, Aldrich was forced to cancel the friendlies against Monaco and La Coruña. The results from the team's training sessions showed that his players were simply too worn out.
Aside from a few players who participated in the European Championship, most of the squad had just returned from the Olympics in the United States, leaving no time for rest. Aldrich realized that he failed to account for the fact that Spain, Italy, and France all qualified for their Olympic football teams.
It was particularly troublesome that Millwall's young players were prime targets for national teams.
Thus, Aldrich couldn't take his squad to France and Spain for away friendlies.
Benitez relocated to London and immediately took on the role as one of Aldrich's assistant coaches.
However, he was taken aback during the first training session.
Aldrich and the returning players were having a good time, treating practice like a casual game of football – it felt relaxed but was a bit of a mess.
After training, Benitez asked in confusion, "Is this how you train your players?"
Aldrich sighed and responded, "Of course not, but you have to understand what the players need. They've just come out of a physically demanding period and are quite fatigued, so putting them through intense training now wouldn't be effective and could hinder the entire season."
The following days were spent in a light-hearted atmosphere, with the Millwall players enjoying their time.
When Celtic came to the Den for their first match, Aldrich placed those who participated in the European Championship and Olympics on the bench, piecing together a vibrant lineup for the friendly.
He continued this strategy against newly promoted Sunderland and Everton, letting the players rest as much as possible.
In three friendlies, Millwall drew every match. It wasn't that their performance was particularly poor; it was simply that the opponents took the games seriously.
In mid-August, just one day before the Community Shield kicked off, Millwall held a press conference.
Aldrich attended casually and, when asked about Millwall's preseason state, he stated everything was going according to plan and the friendlies were not about winning or losing.
This summer was relatively quiet for Millwall. Besides the contentious agreement with the FA to rent Wembley, the plans for Millwall's new stadium had yet to materialize, and loan agreements were still undecided.
Recently, Fleet Street had been mocking Arsenal as their neighbor. At the press conference, Thomson from The Sun directly confronted Aldrich: "Mr. Hall, have you heard of Arsène Wenger?"
In the past few days, London media had blasted headlines to ridicule Arsenal.
"Arsène – Who?"
The reporters in the audience chuckled, as most were ready to hear Aldrich deliver some spicy comments about their neighbors.
However, Aldrich disappointed them.
Wenger had visited the Den twice, but it wasn't enough for anyone to remember him.
With a sigh, Aldrich found Fleet Street's arrogance hard to bear.
"Do you know who Glenn Hoddle is? And what about George Weah? Let's just mention those two for now."
The reporters exchanged puzzled glances, and Richard frowned, "Mr. Hall, I don't understand your point."
Hoddle was the new England national team manager, while Weah was last year's dual Ballon d'Or winner. These were two legendary figures; how could anyone not know them?
Even if Aldrich had chosen to ignore other matters outside, he should remember Hoddle from their encounters in the Premier League!
Aldrich sighed again, feeling rather bored, and stated, "Then you should ask Hoddle and Weah if they know who Wenger is."
The reporters remained confused.
"Mr. Hall, can you explain why?"
Aldrich rubbed his forehead, helplessly saying, "If I recall correctly, Hoddle's only league title came under Wenger's management. When Weah won the Ballon d'Or, who was he most grateful to? It was Wenger, the man you're constantly mocking and ridiculing."
The room fell silent as Aldrich stood up to leave.
British media had grown overly self-satisfied, arrogantly mocking others while remaining oblivious to their ignorance.
At the end of the day, it was still because Wenger was currently in Japan. If Wenger were in France, the British press would likely be more respectful.
Although Wenger only secured one league title in Monaco, he had achieved respectable results in European competitions, outperforming many English coaches.
Fleet Street had shot themselves in the foot, offering up their faces to be slapped, but they didn't care—after all, it was just news, and dignity had little value!
The next day, as they prepared for the Community Shield at Wembley, Aldrich maintained the lineup he had used in the friendlies, a mix of starters and substitutes.
Manchester United fielded a well-rounded squad, having better prepared for summer training than Millwall.
At least England didn't qualify for the Olympics, and none of Manchester United's players were in the national squad. Therefore, their players had ample time to rest.
Wembley was packed, yet Aldrich sat quietly, not standing on the sidelines to direct, even when the game was going against them.
When the final whistle blew, Manchester United edged Millwall with a solitary goal from Solskjær, lifting the Community Shield.
Afterwards, Aldrich faced criticism from the public, as many noted that while he had been bold in his verbal assaults against English football's elite, his team performed poorly.
And that was just the beginning.
In the Premier League opener, Millwall drew 0-0 against Southampton away.
Four days later, they suffered a 1-2 defeat at home to Middlesbrough.
This marked the end of their two-year unbeaten streak at home.
The form was not only due to Millwall having a half-starting, half-reserve squad that didn't click; Middlesbrough had also improved significantly, acquiring several strong players like Juninho, Ravenelli, and Emerson, making them formidable competitors as the league began.
Millwall's woes continued, as they barely defeated a fourth-tier team, Bristol City, in the League Cup via penalties.
From the early August friendlies to the upcoming third round of the league at the end of August, Millwall's performance left pundits speechless!
Had they really fallen that quickly?
It was faster than a comet colliding with Earth!
Criticism for Manchester United's title defense became louder than ever.
The reason? In the season's opening match, Manchester United's charming David Beckham scored a stunning long-range goal.
Although Millwall hadn't slipped into the relegation zone, they were perilously close.
Aldrich aimed to compete for the title this season, but winning relied on the players, so he focused on their form.
Over the past month of training, it appeared that those players who had little rest over the summer were gradually improving.
Their performance metrics during training had surpassed their peak state from last season, and mentally, they had shaken off the weariness and boredom of competition, rekindling their hunger for the game!
After easily advancing in the League Cup, each player showed their best form in training, allowing Aldrich to finally confirm that their season was set to begin!
Before the weekend match against Coventry at home, Aldrich attended a press conference.
Lately, he had been under heavy fire, with people getting incredibly personal, even with gossip columns inventing stories about a supposed trust crisis in the locker room, suggesting that Millwall might be poised to lose key players before the transfer window closed.
Hands shot up as reporters inquired about locker room conflicts and whether players wished to leave Millwall.
Aldrich remained tight-lipped, finally stating just one line.
"The preseason warm-up for Millwall has concluded."
The next day, Fleet Street collectively criticized Aldrich's arrogance, mocking his excuse as childish.
On match day, Aldrich entered the stadium early. The fans in the stands were vibrant and enthusiastic, showing unwavering support for the team, despite their first home loss in two years.
In England, fans are categorized distinctly. The first type are the supporters who stick with their team through thick and thin, regardless of results. The second type are fans who lack commitment and switch allegiances based on whose football is more appealing. Before Manchester United's rise, they might have favored Liverpool or Tottenham, and when Manchester United captured their attention, they would jump on that bandwagon. The third type is the fair-weather fan—those who focus wherever the glitz and glamour are.
Millwall, before Aldrich's arrival, had little appeal to the latter two types of fans. Therefore, even with a smaller stadium, the stands were filled with passionate supporters who didn't care about external opinions or allow the team's results to diminish their loyalty. They were the bedrock of the club's long-term survival.
Although Millwall now had its fair share of fans and fair-weather observers, should the team's performance falter, those latter types would turn and leave without a second thought.
Aldrich stepped onto the stands, making his way toward the executive box. The atmosphere was more comfortable in the VIP area, where seating was spacious. In the top row, sitting in the back row of the passage was Arthur, Puskás, and Irwin.
Puskás had spent the past few months receiving treatment in the UK, and his condition had improved significantly to where he was mostly lucid and mentally sharp. As the new season began, he wanted to come watch Aldrich lead the team, so he arrived at the Den.
However, to ensure he wouldn't have any issues, Aldrich asked his friend Irwin to keep an eye on him, while the staff at the stadium remained on alert.
Arthur felt that watching the game from the box was not exciting enough, so he sat next to them.
Fortuitously, Arthur had previously witnessed the "Battle of the Century" between Hungary and England at Wembley when he was young, and Puskás was a legendary figure from his memories.
"Hey, Aldrich, your team doesn't seem up to par," Puskás remarked without holding back, chuckling.
Aldrich smirked and replied, "Hold off on making any conclusions just yet. Stay here and watch carefully; let's talk about the team's performance after the match is over."
"Little lad, you said it yourself, don't forget!"
After sharing a laugh, Puskás turned back to chat with Arthur. As a father, Arthur could tell how much Puskás appreciated Aldrich, enthusiastically introducing him to the players of Millwall and elaborately discussing what they could achieve on the pitch.
Nedved, for example, became the superhero in Arthur's description—a tough guy who could blast both the ball and the opposing player into the goal!
Aldrich exchanged a few words with Irwin before navigating the corridor down to the pitch.
As the players took the field, Millwall's starting lineup, the strongest of the season, prepared to face the visiting underdogs, Coventry.
Goalkeeper: Butt.
Defenders: Schneider, Stam, Southgate, Capdevila.
Midfielders: Makelele, Pirlo, Nedved.
Forwards: Larsson, Trezeguet, Shevchenko.