The Rise of Millwal

424  The Charity Shield Challenge n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

August 1st, Wembley Stadium—just a week before the new Premier League season kicks off, the Charity Shield opens the festivities as the curtain-raiser for English football. Fans poured into the stadium, eagerly anticipating a clash between last season's Premier League champions, Millwall, and the runners-up, Manchester United.

Since Millwall also lifted the FA Cup last season, this pre-season contest against Manchester United, the league's second-best, was a fitting matchup.

In the past ten days, Millwall played four warm-up matches, managing two draws and two wins—decent enough.

Klinsmann stood on the sidelines, feeling somewhat conflicted.

With Aldrich absent, he took command for the game. In the friendly matches, he had enjoyed himself from the comfort of the coach's seat.

Today's Charity Shield felt almost like a warm-up match. Should he sit back, or guide the team from the sidelines?

"Before we officially kick off the new Premier League season, let's take a moment to enjoy this Charity Shield match. Last season's double winners, Millwall, are taking on last season's Champions League winners, Manchester United, here at Wembley. Both teams have retained their core starting lineups over the summer, so there aren't any major changes. Unfortunately, we won't see Schmeichel starting for United today. Despite his stellar performance in the latter half of last season, he decided to leave in the summer. Sir Alex Ferguson has brought in Bosnich as his replacement. During the warm-up matches, this goalkeeper had little to prove, so the big question on the minds of Red Devils fans is whether Bosnich can fill Schmeichel's shoes if Millwall shows up with their true skill. As for Millwall, fans shouldn't worry; Hall is absent due to family matters. Assistant coach Klinsmann will be handling the team's tactics today. This is a test for Klinsmann, facing off against Sir Alex Ferguson, the man who led United to Champions League glory last season. Traditionally, Charity Shield matches tend to be open and entertaining, so we hope today's match will deliver a thrilling spectacle for the fans."

Millwall and Manchester United are recognized as the top teams in English football, and the new season will see Europe's elite keeping a close eye on their performances. Both teams boast an appropriately aged roster filled with top-tier talent, while teams like Arsenal, Chelsea, Leeds United, and Liverpool won't attract the same level of scrutiny. Arsenal's defense is aging, Chelsea's locker room issues are surfacing, Leeds is still on its rise, and Liverpool is undergoing a rebuild under Houllier, with a revival still far off.

Millwall's starting lineup remains unchanged from last season.

Goalkeeper: Butt.

Defenders: Schneider, Materazzi, Southgate, Zambrotta.

Midfielders: Makélélé, Pirlo, Nedvěd.

Forwards: Larsson, Henry, Ronaldinho.

Championship teams rarely rush to change their lineups, and Millwall is in great form, so the team has little to worry about the team's strength declining due to aging players. This means that Millwall has a bright future in the new season, and every opponent is on guard that they may show a stronger strength than last year.

Meanwhile, while Manchester United enjoyed a stellar run in the last Champions League, their youthful and balanced ensemble still harbors some troubling elements that cannot be ignored.

Goalkeeper: Bosnich.

Defenders: Neville, Silvestre, Stam, Irwin.

Midfielders: Beckham, Keane, Scholes, Giggs.

Forwards: Yorke, Cole.

While the attacking potential of this lineup is undeniable, there are fresh faces in goal and on defense. Furthermore, Irwin will turn 34 this fall—clearly, United's defense has not only struggled to improve from last season but even to maintain last season's stability.

From the first second of the match, both teams launched into an offensive duel. The tackles were spirited, but given the nature of the game, they were kept somewhat restrained—no one wanted to risk injury before the season had truly begun.

Ultimately, Klinsmann opted to remain on the sidelines to show respect for the match.

But he quickly realized there wasn't much for him to manage.

Aldrich's tactical overhaul from last season has now reached its full potential.

His 4-3-3 system is built on the principle of balance, with a clear division of duties between the defense and the attack.

On the surface, it may appear to be a classic formation, where defenders handle the backline and forwards focus solely on offense.

However, the logic is sound: their attacking prowess is second to none. With a front five delivering the offensive output that most teams require six, seven, or even eight players to achieve, Millwall can reinforce its defensive structure, bringing a more balanced approach and added stability to their overall play.

The dazzling attacking unit had reached a new level of understanding after half a season together, and their power was beginning to show.

Manchester United may excel in attack, but their defense simply couldn't withstand the fully matured offensive force that Millwall had developed.

In the 6th minute of the match, Henry took the ball on the wing, dribbling past Neville with a sharp change of direction. As he cut diagonally into the box, Silvestre recklessly rushed in to challenge. Stam, seeing this, shouted angrily, "Don't go in!"

But it was too late. As Silvestre stepped forward, Ronaldinho made a diagonal run into the inside channel beside Henry. Predictably, Henry slid a through ball, and Ronaldinho collected it in the box. Stam anticipated the move and, in the next second, blocked Ronaldinho's shooting angle, sticking close to him.

Ronaldinho, with calm composure, simply laid the ball back to the top of the box. Henry, having moved into position, was being closely marked by Keane. But Henry let the ball roll past him, and by the time Keane reacted, it was already too late. Nedvěd surged in from behind and, with perfect timing, slid the ball through to Larsson, who had cut inside. Larsson was clear on goal, with Irwin unable to catch up.

Confronting Bosnich, Larsson pulled off a brilliant fake, making it seem like he was going for the shot. As Bosnich lunged and lost his footing, Larsson calmly passed the ball into the unguarded net.

"Millwall has taken the lead in the seventh minute, with Larsson scoring a very easy goal. He has Nedvěd to thank for the assist, but Manchester United's defensive issues were on full display here. Neville couldn't handle Henry one-on-one, and Silvestre's rash challenge left Ronaldinho with too much space to exploit. Once Stam covered, the other side of the box was completely open, and there was no way Irwin could catch up to Larsson. Can you really blame him? Millwall's play was seamless, with four of their attackers breaking through United's five-man defense in just five seconds. Sir Alex Ferguson will have to address this, and you can't really fault Bosnich for the goal. Larsson finished his one-on-one calmly—honestly, even if Schmeichel were still in goal, he might not have been able to stop it."

The crowd at Wembley erupted in cheers, with mostly Millwall fans filling the stands. They celebrated the goal and cheered for their team.

Today's match against Manchester United is one everyone had been waiting for. Didn't United just lift the Champions League trophy last year?

Wasn't Ferguson knighted?

That sounds impressive.

We enjoy playing against big teams.

Having seen United's final against Bayern Munich, Millwall fans couldn't help but feel a tinge of skepticism.

It wasn't that they disrespected United's championship; they just felt Bayern wasn't as formidable as expected.

Leading in the match, hitting the woodwork twice before ultimately losing, the fans naturally thought of last year when Millwall faced Real Madrid in the Champions League final. Millwall maintained its advantage, relentlessly attacking and striking the woodwork multiple times—definitely more than Bayern's two—and ultimately claiming the trophy. Now that was true power on display.

As summer laughter turned into a serious realization, Ferguson understood: his pleasant mood was over!

He felt strange today; seeing Aldrich absent from the Millwall bench was unsettling.

Regarding that previous goal, he viewed the defensive missteps from another angle.

It's better for problems to emerge now than during critical matches.

Silvestre was brought in with the expectation he could start, but no one thought he'd be an instant defensive stalwart.

If there are issues, solve them. It would be strange for young players not to make mistakes.

Though Ferguson felt uneasy, he remained composed.

However, ten minutes later, his calm shattered.

"Wow! Pirlo has just scored with a shot straight down the middle! What on earth is Bosnich doing? That shot posed no threat—it had no angle, and the pace wasn't fast. The ball just rolled along the grass, and if it had been any weaker, it could have passed as a defender's back pass! But somehow, Bosnich crouched down to collect it, and the ball slipped right through his hands, under his legs, and into Manchester United's net!"

Ferguson was seething.

What the hell? This butter-fingered debacle is unacceptable!

"Damn it! I gave up on van der Sar for you, and now you've messed up on your first official match! This is just a disaster!"

Manchester United had two options when choosing Schmeichel's successor: Ajax's van der Sar or the free agent Bosnich. Ferguson went with the latter, and van der Sar ended up joining Juventus in Serie A. But Bosnich, the much-anticipated successor to the legendary goalkeeper, is giving the Red Devils fans a nightmare debut that feels like watching a disaster unfold.

The moment Bosnich touched that ball, he was probably the only one on the pitch who realized it was going in.

Not even Pirlo, who took the shot to just test his luck, thought it would end up in the net.

Conceding such a goal is deflating and shaken even United's players, affected by Bosnich's blunder.

In no time, United found themselves down by two goals—it felt as if the Charity Shield was solely a practice for Millwall.

Klinsmann didn't care about anything else; the moment that second goal went in, he passionately pumped his fist in celebration on the sidelines.

He was feeling a lot of pressure too. If he lost this game while temporarily in charge, how could he explain it to the fans and Aldrich? Even though the Community Shield might not be a big deal, a win is a win—better to take it than give it away.

Schneider was truly out of line!

Pirlo didn't even bother to celebrate his goal, but Schneider ran right up to him and mockingly imitated Bosnich's embarrassing attempt at a save, and he did it perfectly.

With a serious expression on his face, he looked straight ahead, then suddenly bent down as if to kneel and catch the ball with both hands, only to change his expression and look down between his legs...

The Lions fans in the stands were going wild with laughter.

Although our own Butt has never received much praise from outsiders, he doesn't let in the shots he should save, and he rarely makes miraculous saves on those he can't reach.

You'll never see Bart make a dumb mistake like this; even if you can't count on him to do something extraordinary, his performances are consistently reliable.

The fans are satisfied with that; it's enough for them.

But on his debut for the Red Devils at Wembley, Bosnich heard a chorus of jeers, and his mentality began to crumble.