Having fought so hard to make the play-offs last season Millwall’s semi-final defeat to nil was a big disappointment, so are the Lions ready to kick on again this year or can we expect a hangover from Alex Neil’s side? We spoke to William Scott (@willscottsports) from News At Den.

How was last season for Millwall?

WS: Absolutely brilliant. They set two club records (highest-ever second-tier points tally and fewest away defeats, while leading the league in clean sheets, away points and fewest away goals conceded) and were a coin flip away from automatic promotion.

If Zak Sturge hadn’t been wrongfully sent off against Blackburn, if Thierno Ballo had put away that sitter at Saint Mary’s, if all eight central midfielders hadn’t got injured at the same time, if Harry Souttar hadn’t marked his return from a 16-month absence with a man of the match performance at the King Power, etc.... Every club has what ifs, and Millwall certainly benefited from some marginal decisions, but when you finish one point off automatics, it’s not hard to wonder what could’ve gone differently.

Especially since it all went so wrong in the play-offs. The first part went as planned - the Lions did what they needed to do at the MKM Stadium, and even had a late goal disallowed (a harsh but fair decision in my view). We all had very high hopes heading into the second leg at The Den - players had been rested against Oxford, they had home advantage, the analytics that indicated Hull were overrated were extensively dissected, and all looked well set up for Millwall to finally make the Championship play-off final.

The first half went well despite some early nerves and a surprise Hull switch to a back three. The chances mostly fell the Lions’ way, and most encouragingly talisman Femi Azeez looked lively after a muted first leg. Then, in the most Millwall way possible, it all imploded.

The Lions have taken huge strides forward in terms of mentality, and accepting that they do belong up with the big boys of the division, but there is still a bit of an underlying fragility (most famously exposed during that implosion against Blackburn three years ago) that can be exposed in moments of crisis. The ‘don’t get too high, don’t get too low’, relaxed mentality works well across a 46-game campaign, but in the crunch time, when your backs are against the wall, having a stereotypical Millwall nutter in the vein of Alan Dunne or Terry Hurlock, who will crack heads and put in the leg-breaking challenge that gets The Den roaring, is absolutely needed, and there wasn’t really anyone like that in the squad.

So, when Mo Belloumi gets the breakthrough (that had been coming since half-time) with a superb goal on the hour mark, they didn’t have someone who could steer them out of it. Instead, Millwall retreated within themselves. There was no sense of a coherent fightback, just heads dropping and frustrated challenges flying in. That Hull’s second came from a mistake by the usually reliable club captain Jake Cooper summed it all up. They just didn’t turn up when they needed to.

That’s not to say they’re not usually a resilient bunch. They mounted numerous late comebacks, were excellent away from home, and Alex Neil has frequently praised their attitude. They never stopped running; they just lost their heads a bit.

Regardless, it was a fantastic season that brought us a lot of joy and represented a real breakthrough after ten years in the division. The hope is now that they can build on it rather than it being a one-off.

Millwall in the league last year…
Norwich 1-2 Millwall Sargent 55 – Neghli 51, Langstaff 83
Millwall 0-3 Boro Hackney 49, Jones 87, Burgzorg 90
Sheff Utd 0-1 Millwall Cundle 38
Millwall 0-2 Wrexham Moore 58, O’Brien 90
Charlton 1-1 Millwall Carey 40 – Bangura-Williams 88
Millwall 1-0 Watford Neghli 10
Swansea 1-1 Millwall Vipotnik 12 – Coburn 45
Millwall 0-4 Coventry Wright 29, 66, Simms 81, Kesler-Hayden 87
Millwall 3-0 West Brom Cooper 18, Azeez 56, Sturge 72
QPR 1-2 Millwall Burrell 85 – Azeez 36, Ivanovic 45
Millwall 2-0 Stoke Azeez 10, Crama 21
Millwall 1-0 Leicester Azeez 44
Oxford 2-2 Millwall Brannagan 45, Placheta 90 – Ballo 11, Cooper 66
Birmingham 4-0 Millwall Seung-Ho, Gray 45, Cochrane 49, Stansfield 66
Millwall 1-1 Preston Ivanovic 36 – Smith 15
Portsmouth 3-1 Millwall Swanson 22, Segecic 51, Williams 89 – Ivanovic 72
Millwall 1-0 Sheff Wed Azeez 71
Millwall 3-2 Southampton Azeez 72, Taylor 81, Crama 90 – Armstrong pen 55, Azaz 87
Bristol City 0-1 Millwall Ivanovic 59
Derby 1-1 Millwall Cooper og 88 – Clarke og 81
Millwall 1-3 Hull Emakhu 80 – Joseph 6, 13, McBurnie 88
Blackburn 2-0 Millwall Gudjohnsen 3, Ohashi 45
Millwall 0-0 Ipswich
Millwall 2-1 Bristol City Neghli 16, Langstaff 81 – Randell 49
Southampton 0-0 Millwall
Millwall 2-1 Swansea Ivanovic 39, Taylor 90 – Cabango 47
Watford 0-2 Millwall Azeez 69, Coburn 81
Coventry 2-1 Millwall Esse 11, Wright 78 – Ivanovic 29
Millwall 4-0 Charlton Ramsay og 7, Taylor 81, Cundle 90, Emakhu 90
Millwall 1-1 Sheff Utd Ivanovic 19 – Brooks 17
Wrexham 0-2 Millwall Cleworth og 59, Coburn 85
Sheff Wed 1-2 Millwall Lowe 60 – McGhee og 72, Langstaff 74
Millwall 1-3 Pompey De Norre 64 – Caballero 46, Swift 55, Pack 67
Millwall 3-0 Birmingham Azeez 25, Crama 31, Cooper 49
Preston 0-2 Millwall Leonard 29, Cundle 90
Hull 1-3 Millwall Gelhardt 18 – Cooper 14, Ivanovic 70, Coburn 78
Millwall 1-0 Derby Coburn 43
Millwall 1-2 Blackburn Cundle 54 – Jorgensen 80, 85
Ipswich 1-1 Millwall Clarke 41 – Coburn 50
Boro 1-2 Millwall Fry 26 – Coburn 59, 86
Millwall 1-2 Norwich Ivanovic 56 – Mattsson 62, Schwartau 76
West Brom 0-0 Millwall
Millwall 2-0 QPR Mazou-Sacko 3, Neghli 17
Stoke 1-3 Millwall Taylor og 60 – Neghli 20, Azeez 55, Coburn 69
Leicester 1-1 Millwall Cooper og 78 – Langstaff 90
Millwall 2-0 Oxford Azzeez 34, 48
Hull 0-0 Millwall
Millwall 0-2 Hull Belloumi 64, Gelhardt 79

Do you consider it a success to finally make that jump into the play-offs, or are you disappointed with how it ended?

WS: Undoubtedly. Millwall are well ahead of schedule. Like a lot of other teams, the Lions have adopted this buy-low, sell-high, sustainable model, which takes time to get up and running. Year one went surprisingly well, finishing just shy of the play-offs, and I would imagine the hope heading into year two would be to edge into the top six. Instead, they had that sewn up with games to go, and nearly did one better. They’ve given themselves a great platform for success.

The other main reason for positivity is the huge step forward that several of their prized ‘assets’ took. Femi Azeez, Tristan Crama and Camiel Neghli all look Premier League quality, and their values have inflated massively. Certainly the first two are worth £20m+, perhaps even Neghli too, with the likes of Josh Coburn, Mihailo Ivanovic, Caleb Taylor and Zak Sturge not far off either. Of course, performances on the pitch are the most valuable aspect of that, but the model eventually necessitates selling some of these guys and reinvesting into several more calculated gambles, only this time at a higher price point than players they were targeting two years ago.

The club believe this is the way to get to the Premier League sustainably, and they have certainly taken a huge step forward. They just need to get this season right.

Alex Neil, still the right man for the job?

WS: 100%. He guided Millwall very ably last season, with players often praising his training ground insights and tactical adjustments. Even if he got it a bit wrong against Hull, he gets it right nine times out of ten. He’s a real asset, especially with his promotion experience.

He’s certainly not attached to any one tactical plan or scheme - he is highly pragmatic while also looking to play front-footed and exciting football. Millwall are a nightmare to play under him. They’re physical and press very aggressively (they led the league in nearly all pressing metrics last season), while also looking to maximise every set-piece (their back four combined for eleven goals last season). They’re excellent defensively too.

He also just gets the club. He knows what the fans want to see - no tippy-tappy, death by a thousand cuts, Russell Martin-esque stuff. He wants to punch opposition teams in the face from the off, which is far more enjoyable to watch.

He has the full backing of the club’s hierarchy, especially director of football Steve Gallen, with whom he has a great relationship. Everyone is aligned at the top level, which is half the battle these days.

What transfer business has been done this summer? What still needs doing?

WS: They’ve done plenty, especially early on. There’s been a nice blend of youth and experience. You’ve got Mark Sykes, Danny Batth and Massimo Luongo, who have about 1,000 Championship appearances between them, while still trying to bring through the next generation of ‘assets’.

As mentioned, Millwall have been shopping in a slightly more expensive tier of prospect this summer - and pretty much all their younger signings (bar Baggott) are fresh off a breakout season at a good level of football (League One, Belgian top flight, Ligue 2).

Mathis Servais looks to be the standout - the Belgian is only 21 but is brilliant technically and has a goal in him, which was missing from midfield last season. In typical Millwall fashion, he injured his hamstring and is out for the first month of the season.

The others all look promising too - Tairyk Arconte brings badly-needed pace up front, Kyrell Lisbie will hopefully fix the problem position of left wing, Baggott looks like Cooper’s successor, and Metcalfe is a range midfielder who loves a tackle.

They’ll take time to get used to the Championship, but hopefully they’ll slot in nicely. They all look like worthy additions at the moment.

As for what’s needed, that’s the debate currently raging in the fanbase. At the fans forum on Monday, Gallen said they were looking to add one or two more, so it won’t be anything crazy, especially given how large their squad is already.

Perhaps another winger and a right-back now that Crama has just had surgery on his ankle.

Depending on how Jensen looks in the opening few games, they might need a goalkeeper as well.

Ins >>> Mathis Servais, 21, AM, Mechelen, £3m >>> Tairyk Arconte, 22, CF, Rodez, £2.5m >>> Elkan Baggott, 23, CB, Ipswich, £1m >>> Mark Sykes, 28, RM, Bristol City, Free >>> Jenson Metcalfe, 21, CM, Bradford, Undisclosed >>> Kyrell Lisbie, 22, LW, Peterborough, Undisclosed >>> Danny Batth, 35, CB, Derby, Free

Outs >>> Macaulay Langstaff, 29, CF, Salford, £750k >>> Billy Mitchell, 25, DM, Sheff Wed, Free >>> Danny McNamara, 27, RB, Charlton, Free >>> Wes Harding, 29, CB, Plymouth, Free >>> Adam Mayor, 21, LB, Hibs, Undisclosed >>> Barry Bannan, 36, CM, Sheff Wed, Undisclosed >>> Joe Bryan, 32, LB, Released

Where is the team strong and weak?

WS: Millwall have a really well-rounded starting eleven that often performs better than the sum of its parts. Their back four is excellent, keeping the most clean sheets in the league last season. They have a physical midfield that can compete with most in the division. They’re excellent at set-pieces and out of possession as well.

They scored enough goals to put themselves into the play-offs, but it was never a particular strength. The main question, I suppose, is, outside of Femi Azeez and set-pieces, where are the goals going to come from?

Azeez was often their inspiration when it came to breaking down low blocks, finishing the season with 18 goal contributions. While Coburn and Ivanovic are very able at the level, they have not consistently shown the same ability to take the game by the scruff of its neck.

Lisbie is a potential solution. Left wing was a problem position last season. Thierno Ballo was very functional - he did all the modern stuff right, but lacked the physicality to be a dynamic option, while Tommy Watson was an unmitigated failure. While it would be unfair to expect Lisbie to hit the ground running and replicate Azeez’s goal contributions on the left, the hope is he can provide a much more consistent threat than what they had last season.

Servais and Arconte are also potential solutions. Arconte is a completely different profile to Coburn and Ivanovic, and should suit them well in more end-to-end, open games. Servais has already scored twice in pre-season, and was described by Neil as a “quarterback” when playing deeper. Hopefully he can help them crack the sort of stubborn low blocks some teams will bring to The Den.

How do you see the season going? I was surprised to see you such long odds...

WS: There is a slight sense Millwall might have missed their moment. While I still stand by my assessment that last season was a success, several of the big hitters went missing or were hampered by poor starts. Given some of the sums being thrown around this summer, I would expect this season’s iteration of the Championship to be a lot more competitive. At a minimum, I can’t imagine any of the relegated sides doing as badly as Leicester. That said, Millwall are still a good side who, on paper, have improved this summer. I’ve pencilled them in for fourth or fifth.

Links >>> Millwall official website >>> South London Press — Local Paper >>> News at Den — Blog >>> North Stand Banter — Forum >>> News Shopper — Local Paper

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