Thank you for the rewards of "Thief Death" and "Sadness and Emptiness"! ――

After leading his country to a 3-1 win over visiting Japan at Old Trafford in November, Aldridge has been in the middle of a secluded lifestyle.

Ewen was about to give birth, and Aldrich, a good family man, was very competent and waiting by his side at any time.

The Premier League is about to enter the Christmas Express schedule, Millwall's table in the league is okay, stabilizing the top three, but it feels like it lacks the stability of the past, after all, distraction in Europe, after defeating Lens in the fifth round of the Champions League group stage, Millwall's ranking overtook Barcelona, because Barcelona and AC Milan ended in a draw, so that AC Milan is still at the top of the table with 9 points, Barcelona and Millwall have 8 points, and Millwall is at the top with a record of matchmaking.

This is the case in the group stage, where the front team is behind, and the back is a battle of life and death.

Counting Millwall, it was just that they didn't play well in the first game, conceded 2 points on Lens, and the last three games became a battle of life and death, losing one game and losing all of them.

The first two games won against Barcelona and Lens, and the last game was to visit San Siro, which is another life-or-death battle, AC Milan can qualify undefeated, and although Barcelona is in third place, as long as they beat Lens in the last round, they can also advance to the round of 16.

At the beginning of December, Aldrich accompanied Evan to the hospital, and the due date was just two days away.

On December 9th, another important moment in Aldrich's life was born. When he held his newborn daughter in his arms, he felt that this moment was more exciting and joyful than winning any World Cup.

Probably the prenatal care was good. Evan didn't look particularly haggard and weak after giving birth, and the photos of her and Aldrich kissing the baby's face left and right were full of happiness.

"Birth of the little princess Bonnie!"

It's rare that the weather in London is good these two days, the winter sun is shining warmly on people, Aldrich gently pushes the cradle back and forth in the bedroom, looking at the little face with a big palm, he can't help but smile at the corner of his mouth all the time, and Evan sits on the opposite side of the cradle. The face is full of love, as if there is really a three-dimensional maternal brilliance.

"Bonnie, what will you be like when you grow up?"

"Huh. Her mother is a beauty, and she will definitely be a big beauty in the future. ”

Evan raised his head and looked directly at Aldrich, and asked, "Then you say, she will be beautiful in the future." Or am I pretty? ”

Aldrich said without hesitation: "Of course you are pretty. ”

Evan smiled disapprovingly. Getting up and going out of the house, intending to go downstairs to get some food and come back, Aldrich looked down at the sleeping baby in the cradle and whispered, "You will definitely be the prettiest in the future." ”

"Aldrich, I hear you."

Aldrich looked up and was stunned to see Evan grinning through the bedroom door

Compared to the sunny winter in London, the city of Milan in Italy is cloudy and rainy.

Millwall, who had just won the Toyota Cup in Japan earlier this month, took on AC Milan away and played 88 minutes. Andrea Pirlo took a return pass from Shevchenko from outside the box and fired a long-range shot that bounced off the wet turf on the rainy day. Straight into the corner of Millwall's gate.

Pirlo's blow before the end was like a dagger smeared with poison and pierced into the heart of a mad lion!

The atmosphere in the stands of the San Siro was bursting with excitement, and all the Milan fans cheered wildly for Pirlo.

However, Pirlo slowly walked towards the backcourt with his head drooped, and his team-mates came to celebrate, and he gently pushed his team-mate away and continued to walk towards the backcourt.

"Andrea Pirlo saved AC Milan! 1:1, 1:1, Klinsmann paid for his conservatism! When he took the lead by one goal, Klinsmann only wanted to keep 1:0 until the end of the game, but AC Milan did not let him succeed! With a score of 1:1, AC Milan will advance to the round of 16, while Millwall will say goodbye to this season's Champions League! In the other game, Barcelona has led Lens 3:0, if this game ends in a draw, Barcelona will advance to the round of 16 as the group leader, the group of death to the final round, at the last moment, the suspense is still zài, but Barcelona has gone ashore early! ”

In the cold rain, Klinsmann, soaking wet, could only call the team to press heavily at the last moment to pray for a miracle.

Unfortunately, the miracle did not come.

When Millwall scored first in the 53rd minute to break the deadlock on the field, Klinsmann chose to retreat between advancing and retreating, and this retreat, Millwall no longer had the energy to fight back.

If they can hold on for five more minutes, Jurgen Klinsmann will get the result he wants and Millwall will be in the last 16 of the Champions League.

However, in the end, it turned into a mad lion struggling powerlessly in San Siro.

Carlo Ancelotti wiped the rain from his face and let out a wild roar as the referee blew the full-time whistle!

AC Milan beat defending champions Millwall to the group of death!

The Lions collapsed on the field, and even the players on the bench looked sluggish.

For the first time since '97, Millwall missed the last 16 of the Champions League, and their worst Champions League record was the last four of the Champions League!

This time, as the defending champions, they were eliminated from the group stage and forced to move to the Europa League.

Thousands of Lions fans from afar were also stunned in the stands.

In the Group of Death, Millwall's record against their direct rivals is not bad.

With one win and one loss with Barcelona, the overall score of the match is better than that of the opponent.

Both games with AC Milan were drawn, and the number of away goals scored was not as good as that of their opponents.

The real factor that really knocked them out was the two points they dropped in the first game in France, against Lens!

However, such reasons could not convince the Lions fans, for whom no one would calculate such gains and losses.

The mad lion has lost the momentum of the king!

The most unacceptable thing for the fans at the scene was Klinsmann's conservatism, the utilitarian of only wanting to hold on to the draw after taking the lead.

As a result, some Lion fans booed. Some people echoed the Lions fan base on whether to support Klinsmann's position or not. Disagreements began to arise.

The new season is about to pass the halfway point, and before that, no matter how alarmist Fleet Street is about Klinsmann's unstable position, the Lions fans have always ignored the media and firmly supported Klinsmann.

But after the failure to qualify for the Champions League group stage, the fan base against Klinsmann began to emerge and gradually grew!

Aldrich, who was happy with his daughter, comforted his children at home for the first time.

Bert and Earl sat sullenly on the couch. Millwall's failure to reach the last 16 of the Champions League left the two little ones at rock bottom.

They asked Aldrich a lot of questions.

"Why didn't the Wild Lion make the cut?"

If Millwall is not in the group of death, in any of the other groups. Even if the defending champions do not perform well, they will definitely make it to the round of 16, which is nothing more than the difference between first and second, but in the group of death. Eliminated by Barcelona and AC Milan.

"Is Klinsmann leaving?"

If Klinsmann is sacked, he could progress to the last 16 of the Champions League. Aldridge will fire Klinsmann, but the truth is that it will not change the fate of the Lions in Europe.

"Dad, if you're still the head coach, will the Lions be like this?"

Aldrich was silent.

Self-confidence, of course he has.

But if he's still on the team, how can he have a good time with the kids? How to take care of your own woman in every detail? How to enjoy the joy of the birth of my daughter from beginning to end?

On this day, Aldridge's email was full of emails from Lions fans, and Aldridge didn't read the contents. Simply closed that email account.

The next day, when the whole team of Millwall returned to London. Another piece of news is in the dust.

"Millwall players go on strike!"

"The Ivorian striker: I don't see a future here!"

Fleet Street alarmism is inertia, and in fact, Millwall did have players go on strike in protest.

But just a player.

Drogba.

The 24-year-old Ivorian striker, who will be 25 in four months' time, sat on the cold bench for nearly half a season after returning to Millwall in the new season, and his only appearance was in the league game against Liverpool, where he was rated as one of the worst in the game.

At the beginning of the season, Henry and Klose controlled the main force, when Henry was injured, Drogba once thought that he had hope of being on the top, but after the Anfield battle, he was abandoned, in terms of technical ability, he was outstanding in individual confrontation, but Millwall is mainly active in attack, and more needs the ability of the striker to respond, Drogba's teamwork is slightly poor, and his lack of tacit understanding with his teammates is related, which takes time and the game to cultivate, but unfortunately, in the giants, time is scarce for everyone, after Henry's comeback, Mo said Drogba, Even Larsson didn't have a chance to play, and Drogba was disheartened and wanted to leave, not because he was messing around, but because he was using more intense means.

Klinsmann responded to the crisis that broke out in the team, first relegating Drogba to the reserves, and then Drogba voluntarily submitted a transfer request.

At the same time, the Christmas Express schedule arrived.

The god of war Nedved announced his comeback after half a year of serious injury!

As a result, Klinsmann was faced with a new dilemma, Nedved's place in the team.

Jurgen Klinsmann opted to remove Pedreti from midfielder and use Nedved and Alonso as a double central midfielder, ideally both of whom can attack and defend and provide more powerful midfield support for the attack.

But in the early days of practice, Millwall's Christmas schedule was miserable, and after exiting the Champions League, morale was at rock bottom, with all games left this month without a win, and the League Cup was stopped in the last eight.

When the January transfer window opened, another player in Millwall's squad also submitted a transfer request.

Essien at the back.

The African player, who has been on loan in the past although his ownership belonged to Millwall, does not have much sense of belonging to Millwall, and under Klinsmann, when he originally had a midfielder, he can still compete with De Rossi and Pedreti, and after Nedved's return, he and Drogba have made the same sound: here, there is no future in sight.

On the first day of 2003, Klinsmann visited Aldridge, and he felt guilty, but Aldridge received him warmly.

The two had been in talks for a long time in the study, and Klinsmann needed a steady dressing room first to turn the tide in the second half of the season, so he needed to get rid of Drogba and Essien.

Aldridge agreed to his proposal and asked the club to put the two up for sale.

In Aldrich's view, this situation is inevitable today.

If five years ago, Millwall was facing a lack of resources and being poached from the main force and facing a crisis of lack of success, then now Millwall is facing a crisis of over-resources and internal chaos.

Why is this happening?

On the one hand, Aldrich prepares for the work of genius.

On the other hand, the "poor" is afraid.

In the past, I was afraid that whoever in the team would be poached if they became famous, then the foundation of the team could be shaken, and there was nothing wrong with being more prepared.

And now Millwall have Thierry Henry, Klose, Drogba and 22-year-old Villa.

You can't expect these strikers to share their playing time equally, even if it's a big club, at most two of them can compete with each other!

At this point in time, in '03, Millwall had 25-year-old Henry and could ignore any other striker of his time.

So, Drogba, you can let him go.

The same is true in the midfield position, there are De Rossi and Pedretti, the latter may not have the potential to be comparable to the world, but De Rossi and Essien can still compete, although everyone has different advantages and disadvantages, but after all, De Rossi is an orthodox person from Millwall's academy, and furthermore, African players have a "hard injury": Africa Cup of Nations.

The Africa Cup of Nations is held in the middle of the European season, and once African players are called up, the impact on European clubs is very obvious, especially the main players of the giants.

Aldridge agreed to let the two go, and it was also a signal to the outside world that Millwall's management was firmly behind Klinsmann. (To be continued......)