After the New Year, Millwall faced a series of tough matches in the league. Just finishing their battle with Manchester United, they were now set to visit Anfield.
Liverpool had seen a significant decline this season. Early on, the board decided to have Houllier and Evans co-manage the team. The result was disastrous performances, leading to Evans's resignation in November. Houllier then took sole control of the squad.
While Houllier didn't emphasize Liverpool's youth training as much as Evans, he still unearthed some promising talents from the youth team, promoting future stalwarts like Gerrard and Carragher.
While studying in France, Aldrich and Houllier had a brief exchange in Auxerre, when the two watched the European Cup together. In addition to Wenger, his familiar opponent and neighbor in the Premier League, Aldrich also had intersections with coaches such as Fernandez and Tigana in the Champions League. Now, he is facing Houllier again in the Premier League, which makes their relationship even more interesting.
In their early-season clash, there had been no communication between the two, mainly because Evans was still the main coach, while Houllier was more of a figurehead.
For the away match at Liverpool, Aldrich arrived in the city half a day early.
He visited Melanie's parents, who had invited him over. This was unusual, as they were staunch Liverpool fans.
Her parents were aware of the tension between Aldrich and Melanie, though it wasn't a full-blown rift. There were just differing views, and neither was willing to bend, leaving them in a sort of cold war.
In a private conversation, Melanie's mother informed Aldrich that Melanie would be heading back to Liverpool in February to start her maternity preparations. With a strong sense of ambition, she intended to take only a month off after the baby was born and then join the remaining members of the Spice Girls to work on a new album. Despite Geri's departure, they still hope to capitalize on the popularity they've built, using the Spice Girls name, but just pursuing their own careers.
Aldrich was firm and forthright in telling Melanie's family that he did not want her to continue her singing career. He suggested that she could find another career - anything that would allow her to have a family life. But the long separation had to end. It was vital for their children's development.
Melanie's parents could only convey his sentiments. They, too, wanted their daughter to have a fulfilling family life. In their eyes, Aldrich's career was already highly successful, and with a decent family background, they believed their daughter didn't need to push herself for her career any longer.
As Aldrich departed from Melanie's parents' house, he understood that their conversation reached no conclusion. Frankly speaking, it seemed Melanie was hoping he would bend, and they could revert to their old relationship—acting like a couple in love, without any changes even after welcoming a child.
Reentering Anfield, Aldrich put personal matters aside. He did this well, perhaps because he no longer held expectations for Melanie. Sometimes, women could be more obstinate than men. With lowered psychological expectations, he felt less acute disappointment.
Anfield was roaring, despite Liverpool's apparent decline in performance with more losses than wins. The dedication of the KOP fans, however, remained commendable.
Prior to the match, Aldrich and Houllier shared a moment, chatting and reminiscing about old times, with their conversation having nothing to do with the game ahead. While they were technically rivals, Houllier lacked the unshakeable poise of Ferguson, especially given that Liverpool was facing one of its deepest lows in recent years.
"Haha, it looks like Hall and Houllier are old acquaintances," a commentator remarked. "Although Hall may not have played, he's well connected in the football world, which often surprises us commentators as he seems to have friends everywhere."
"And that's definitely a good thing. Hall is sociable and well-networked. Take Sunderland and Preston, for example. Reid and Moyes have a good relationship with Hall, and they borrowed some players from Millwall to boost their performance. The addition of Phillips has been outstanding. If he continues playing well in the second half of the season, Sunderland's promotion hopes will be alive."
"Yes, a coach's network is vital for the team. At least Millwall's players have solid loan opportunities for development, strengthening the inter-club relationships. Speaking of the Championship, it reminds me of a previous article from Fleet Street that analyzed how West Ham lost to Sunderland and Preston right before Christmas. Fleet Street suggested it was Millwall's scheme to lend young talent to Sunderland and Preston as a way to thwart West Ham's promotion back to the Premier League. If that's true, then Hall certainly has put in a lot of effort to undermine a rival!"
Aldrich's purpose of loaning young players is certainly not to deliberately hinder West Ham United's promotion. The current situation is just a coincidence.
Once both teams entered the pitch, Aldrich stood calmly on the sidelines.
Today, he continued with the starting lineup that had faced Manchester United.
Goalkeeper: Butt.
Defenders: Schneider, Materazzi, Ferdinand, Zambrotta.
Midfielders: Pirlo, Makélélé, Nedvěd.
Forwards: Larsson, Henry, Ronaldinho.
If there were no injuries affecting the squad, Millwall's lineup would remain consistent. Once Southgate returned from injury, he would replace Ferdinand.
Liverpool's squad looked familiar, yet the spirit of the team was in tatters, the discipline of some players was completely missing and the team's reputation as a whole was in tatters. They were blamed for the team's decline! This once-respected and proud club was now struggling to return to its former glory, while the fans - God bless them - could only watch their heroes struggle on the pitch.
Unlike the balanced and calm Manchester United, the struggling Liverpool are exactly the opponent Millwall hoped to face.
Liverpool felt they still had a fighting chance. The pressure on the points table meant they couldn't afford to play conservatively at home, which meant Millwall wouldn't face overly dense defenses. After all, Liverpool's backline was far from elite, ranking third in goals conceded among the top ten teams.
As the match commenced, Millwall adopted their balanced offensive and defensive stance. The defensive line, along with defensive midfielder Makélélé, focused on defense, while Pirlo, Nedvěd, and the two wingers maintained a balanced defensive input. Center-forward Henry disrupted the opponent's midfield build-up.
When Liverpool's initial attack failed, Millwall swiftly shifted to a counter-attack.
Larsson surged down the wing, finding plenty of space. A quick, effective combination began to unfold. Nedvěd made a forward run, receiving a pass from Pirlo. Upon receiving the ball, Pirlo showcased his precision with a perfectly placed diagonal ball sent to Ronaldinho, who had cut in from the left. The timing and angle of the pass were both optimal, which was precisely why Aldrich stood firm on utilizing Pirlo.
After receiving the ball, Ronaldinho performed a feint before breaking past the defender. As Hyypiä moved to mark him, Ronaldinho cleverly passed the ball back to Nedvěd, who had made an overlapping run.
At the edge of the penalty area, Nedvěd fired a long-range shot that struck the crossbar and bounced out.
Though the ball didn't hit the net, it was a significant threat. Aldrich nodded slightly, realizing that if Henry had made a more dynamic run earlier, Nedvěd might have opted to pass to him instead of taking a shot.
Whenever they faced Liverpool, the match tempo was always rapid, with the only difference being the fluidity of the attacking play.
With Millwall's attacking unit possessing superior control, Liverpool's frantic attempts to intercept passing lanes were not proving effective.
In the past, that approach had troubled Millwall since they relied heavily on passing. Players like Trezeguet and Shevchenko struggled against tight marking. Now, however, with Ronaldinho, Nedvěd, and Henry possessing strong ball control, and Pirlo continuously improving—particularly in ball management—the elegance of their play yielded clearly practical results.
In the 22nd minute of the first half, Ronaldinho attracted two defenders on the left; even in a tight spot, he managed to release the ball to Henry, who executed a wall pass with him. Ronaldinho then broke into the penalty area as Hyypiä closed in and cleverly fed the ball to the unmarked Larsson, who easily slotted it home.
"What a beautiful goal! Millwall's attack utterly demolished Liverpool's defense. Ronaldinho drew defenders to the wing, while Henry's movement created space by taking another defender out of the equation. After their combination, Ronaldinho burst past a defender and, with only Hyypiä left in the middle, he faced difficulty blocking the shooting angle. Predictably, the Brazilian played a pass instead, and Larsson was there to finish it off. It felt as if there had been a transformation in Millwall's offense!"
"Indeed, Martin, I noticed that too. We saw traces of this shift in the last match against Manchester United. Hall's team used to rely on exquisite teamwork to penetrate opposition defenses, with many teams employing a compact defense to stifle Millwall's passing game. Now, there's more individuality among Millwall's attackers. Let's not exaggerate—Ronaldinho, Henry, Larsson, and Nedvěd exceed a 70% success rate in one-on-one situations. Thus, marking them requires teammates' support. Because of this, a single player drawing multiple defenders can create opportunities for their teammates, leading to weaker defensive setups elsewhere. That recent goal is a prime example."
Aldrich was pleased with the process leading up to that goal. It wasn't that he wished to abandon fluid teamwork entirely; rather, he aimed to maximize the potential of his available players. Their different talents dictated their unique technical abilities. Not allowing Ronaldinho to showcase his flair would be a waste.
To harness these players' collective power, Aldrich must not let his ideals dictate his tactical decisions. The new tactical framework was built around their unique skills.
Ronaldinho was meant to draw defensive attention in the attack and create chances for the team.
Once the goal was scored, Liverpool would undoubtedly become more aggressive in their approach. Aldrich felt untroubled by this, knowing that with Liverpool trailing, Millwall's attack would have even greater opportunity to shine. Yet, how many goals they might score remained to be seen.
Houllier became more and more frustrated. He could never have imagined that this young man, with whom he once shared the joy of watching football, would become the nightmare of all the coaches who interacted with him back then.