The Young Lion

Millwall came and went in a hurry, arrived in Amsterdam in the morning by plane, and played a friendly match with Ajax at the Arena Arena in the afternoon. After the game, he returned to London by plane and the team was disbanded at 8 pm.

This friendly match ended with Millwall's victory and did not give the Dutch giants a face-to-face sweep of Ajax 5:2.

Originally, Aldridge let the players play freely with a relaxed mind, but Ajax was too serious. They took the posture that they must take this friendly match. Olsen just took office to rush to prove himself and completely ignore it. In addition to his control of the team and the defect of the tactical system caused by the departure of many core teams in the team, plus Ajax has always been used to playing 433 offensive football, this opponent Millwall is not afraid of, you are hitting a counterattack , Play the same five goals in the reconstruction of Ajax.

The Dutch media lamented the sadness of the fall of the former giants. Two years ago, Ajax was still the king of Europe. Now at home, even Millwall, who has not played in the Champions League, can humiliate them.

Fleet Street applauded Millwall for applause. Some people think that this is a milestone for Millwall to tear off the label of "Ajax in England". In addition to Millwall's first team coaches, except for coaches Audridge and Benitez In addition, the other coaches are all from Ajax, and Millwall’s style of play has also become his own, and began to make “Milwall” a special synonym. When this word is mentioned, not only will this team come to mind, I also think of a passionate football style.

Five days later, Millwall will participate in the final warm-up match before the opening of the Premier League: Community Shield.

Aldridge, who returned to London after defeating Ajax, did not rush home, but came to the training base, where he had an office and other coaching staff shared one.

Craig did not go to the Netherlands with the team, but stayed in the club to study the information sent by Andrew's brokerage company.

Tomorrow there will be a forgotten young player to try out training.

In the coaching staff's office, Aldridge had his arms around his chest, and his head gazed slightly at the video of the game on the TV.

Craig is holding the remote control next to him, and from time to time fast forward the video, Craig will slow down when the player they will try tomorrow will appear in the camera, and it will come in slow motion. Let them analyze player performance.

"From his running position, he still has a strong ability to read the game. However, as a striker, he has consciously avoided physical contact with the opponent's defender and opposed the fight for the ball. At the same chance of more than 100 times, he only had 7 successes! That’s why he was abandoned, but I think he shouldn’t have been used that way.”

Aldridge nodded from time to time as Craig elaborated.

Through the long-distance camera footage in the game video, coupled with slow-motion, the coach can more accurately analyze the player's every choice of running position and personal performance in the game, which intuitively reflects the player's ability, unlike the promotion of many agents. Players sent to the club "excellent performance highlights video".

Aldridge shook his head and said: "Liverpool makes people speechless. David Lamore received a technically-oriented instruction in the youth team. The Liverpool youth team also played a continental style tactic. After Lamor was seriously injured, Avoiding physical confrontation is a matter of reason. Even if there is a shadow in the heart, it can be improved by the guidance of a psychologist. It is a disastrous decision to lend him to Doncaster. When the player needs the club’s care most, he let He went out to exercise alone, and Doncaster played the most traditional English football. Under this tactical system of high-lifting and long-passing rushing, Ramall played the role of column center, not that he performed badly. It’s because the team level is too low. He doesn’t have any teammates who can play at the same rhythm. He is obviously a piano player, but he is asked to clean the toilet..."

Liverpool's youth training concept is different from traditional England. During this period, rookies, Irving, Gerrard, Carragher, Thompson, etc., although in the ranks of the top players, they do not appear to be outstanding in technology, but in In English football, they are better than more than 99% of their peers in the same period. In special training, they also have outstanding advantages, such as the combination of Owen speed and shooting, Carragher body and balance.

In such a youth training environment, David Lamore was able to suppress Owen. Although age is a very important factor, he could not deny his potential and the level of ability he had reached.

In May last year, Irving gave Ramall a substitute, and then Ramor was seriously injured during training. After the injury, Irving has entered the first team. Ramor rented Doncaster in the second half of the season and scored one in 20 games. No ball, but Irving scored in his debut, rewriting the record of the youngest goal in the Premier League.

Before Owen became famous, Ramall was a dazzling prodigy than Owen. One year later, the fate of the two turned upside down.

Perhaps it was Ramall’s poor performance in Doncaster’s half goal that did not score in the last half of the season, which finally made Liverpool determined to give up the once-anticipated “Tomorrow Superstar”.

Looking at it from the shallowest point of view: he can't score in the low-level league that Doncaster is in. Can he expect him to make a difference in Liverpool?

But Aldridge didn't see it that way. Ramall encountered difficulties. The physical and psychological impact of the serious injury must have made his career highly impacted.

But his technical ability is still there, especially the invisible quality "game reading ability". This item is especially critical. There are many players with outstanding personal abilities who are very poor in this item. They show a kind of "myself" on the field. The effect of "playing gorgeously" is not contributing to the team, or even harming the interests of the team.

Aldridge decided to give Ramall a chance. The striker, who is about to turn 20, can no longer play in the UK.

The big teams are not interested in him. Even the small team of Doncaster's level seems to have little interest in him. After all, the number of zero goals in half a season is too horrible.

The lower-level club sent him an invitation letter, but Ramall could not accept it himself. The contract he received when he joined Liverpool at the age of 16 was higher than the bids of these small teams.

Millwall is not stingy with young players. Even with a contract with a weekly salary of 500, a year’s salary is less than 30,000 pounds. A million salary budget can train nearly 40 rookies, and Aldridge gives the youth team. The annual budget is 4 million, which includes salary and daily expenses.

Like Millwall, who dare to spend more than 10% of operating income to invest in youth training, there is only one in England.

The next day, Aldridge did not personally preside over the training of Ramall and handed it over to the youth team.

A younger player with better talent than Ramall, the Millwall youth team grabbed a lot, but Ramor left an impression on Audridge last year, so he paid special attention to whether Ramall could be in Mill in the future. Wall kicked out, and Aldridge’s expectation is not too high, just wait and see.

The new season is about to kick off, and the players have gradually improved their status in the training ground. Everyone has very high expectations for the new season. They can’t wait to set foot on the Champions League stage earlier.

Even if the Champions League has experienced a new round of expansion, the number of participating teams has risen from 16 to 24, but the level of the event has not declined. On the contrary, the competitiveness has improved, because the league champions and runner-ups of powerful countries have the opportunity to participate and can let Some of the more competitive runner-up teams have also set foot on this stage, such as Serie A, and Barcelona after last season's league goal scoring a hundred but ultimately helplessly can only rank Real Madrid.

Stimulated by the Champions League stage, the players' fighting spirit is more vigorous than last season.

After a day of training, Aldridge and the coaches went to pick up the **** scattered around the stadium.

At this moment, a Mercedes-Benz entered the training base and stopped in front of the office building. Andrew, who had not seen him for a long time, got out of the car and appeared. Then he opened the rear door and smiled and brought two young teenagers of about ten years old Came out.

The three came to the training ground, the two teenagers looked around curiously, and Andrew gently touched the heads of the two with his left and right hands.

Aldridge finished picking the ball, turned back to see Andrew, and at the same time saw the two teenagers looking away, and he felt an excitement in his heart.

With a growing smile on his face, Aldridge walked in front of Andrew, first bent down to greet the boy on the left formally, and extended his right hand to shake hands.

"Hey, do you like people calling you KUN, right? Hello, my name is Audrey Hall. If you like it, you can play here. There are a lot of good teenagers."

Aldridge uses Spanish. Although it is different from the Spanish in Argentina, there is generally no problem in communication.

The teenager stared at Aldridge with his head in a serious way: "Boss, I will play well here."

After speaking, he reached out and shook hands with Aldridge, but he couldn't hold Aldridge's hand in one hand, so both hands were used.

Aldridge was surprised. He glared at Andrew, knowing that it must have been taught by the other party.

Moving to the other side, Aldridge looked at the young boy with a pretty face and smiled: "Leo, I know you are sick, but don’t be frustrated, everyone will be sick, you will recover soon here, I hope You enjoy football here."

Andrew touched his head with two hands, the former was 9-year-old Aguero, and now Aldridge is facing 10-year-old Messi.

Messi has been diagnosed with a lack of developmental hormones, treatment is only the most basic aspect, more important is his future growth, Aldridge will let him get the best medical care here, and at the same time to help him grow In addition, a coaching team should be set up to make special plans for his situation.

The 10-year-old Messi's eyes are now shrouded in darkness, and he can't see any glory.

Unlike Cristiano Ronaldo who took up the family's hopes since childhood, Messi's growing pressure comes more from the spirit and body.

Even in the original history, 11-year-old Messi was diagnosed with a disease, required years of treatment and daily tireless special training, and was thin among his peers because of his short stature. His road to success It is also an admirable history of inspiration.

When meeting Aldridge for the first time, Messi nodded gently without saying a word.

Aldridge is no surprise, because of his personality, even when Messi becomes a football superstar in the future, he still shows an introverted personality.

Taking these two teenagers to the youth team to report in person, Aldridge gave them the same dormitory.

Millwall’s dormitory for young players is a family-style apartment. Everyone has a shared large living room and dining room. There is a room for two people. The first floor of the dormitory has indoor small courts and a gym, swimming pool and other facilities.

When entering the dormitory building, it was almost time to eat, but Aldridge stopped. Messi and Aguero, like him, looked at the open indoor court, and only one of them faced down Like a watery boy, he faced the wall three meters away, repeatedly kicking the ball with his left foot towards the wall.

Kick, catch, kick, catch...all with the left foot.

I found someone at the door. The teenager stepped on the ball and turned his head to look over. He said hello to Aldridge, and then glanced at Aguero and Messi.

Aldridge said to Messi and Aguero: "His name is Cristiano Ronaldo. At the age of 12, you will be teammates."