Became The Premier League’S Youngest Manager [EN]: Chapter 193

193. Carabao Cup Semifinal

The goddess of the draw has a wicked sense of humor.

Any soccer fan who’s followed the game for a season or two knows this feeling well.

It’s that moment when you’re blindsided by a derby [a local or regional rivalry] at a crucial point in a tournament, or when you have to face the league’s strongest team when you’re fighting to avoid relegation [being demoted to a lower league].

As Mark Twain said, reality is stranger than fiction, and soccer provides more than its fair share of dramatic moments.

However, Burnley’s January schedule wasn’t just a trick of the draw; it felt like the devil himself had rigged it.

At least, that’s how it felt to Hyungmin and the Burnley coaching staff.

“The FA Cup third round is against Blackburn, and before and after that, we have to play Liverpool in the Carabao Cup semifinal, both legs?!”

Hyungmin yelled as he saw the confirmed Carabao Cup and FA Cup schedule from the Football Association.

If I’d known it would be like this, I would have thrown the Carabao Cup quarterfinal!

I don’t know if it’s the goddess of the draw or the devil incarnate, but I never expected to see three lines of such malicious scheduling stamped with the Football Association’s official seal.

Tuesday, January 9, 2024: Carabao Cup semifinal first leg against Liverpool at Turf Moor.

Saturday, January 13, 2024: FA Cup third round against Blackburn at Ewood Park.

Tuesday, January 16, 2024: Carabao Cup semifinal second leg against Liverpool at Anfield.

It’s bad enough that the Carabao Cup semifinal opponent is Liverpool, who are currently leading the league, but it’s even worse that the FA Cup third round opponent is Blackburn.

They’re currently in the English Championship [the second tier of English football], but Blackburn is Burnley’s historic rival.

Aside from the so-called “big clubs” like Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City, and Liverpool, they are one of only two clubs besides Leicester City (who had their own fairy tale win) to have won the Premier League.

A strong winning tradition led by legendary English national team striker Alan Shearer.

They’ve been on a long decline since then, but that history still gives Blackburn fans a reason to puff out their chests, no matter who they’re playing.

And the East Lancashire Derby [a match between two rival teams from the East Lancashire region of England] between Blackburn and Burnley will be renewed for the first time since August 2017.

As two of the 12 clubs that founded the English Football League in 1888, it’s a historic regional rivalry that has continued for 135 years.

A total of 104 derbies have been played, with Burnley holding a slight edge with 42 wins, 21 draws, and 41 losses.

Whatever the case, it meant that both teams would throw everything they had into the match, regardless of their objective strength.

Burnley club officials, including Mike Garlick and John Banaszkiewicz, threw all reason out the window the moment the draw was announced and began preparing for an all-out war with Blackburn.

With the former club owner and current club director leading the charge to plan a march to Blackburn’s home stadium, Ewood Park, on game day, the official Burnley Football Club supporters’ association, which usually avoided the microphone even at the completion ceremony, issued an official statement.

To summarize the lengthy statement, the Burnley Football Club, flying high in the Premier League, will crush you guys wallowing in the second division with our masterclass manager leading the way, so prepare yourselves.

In fact, Hyungmin had a lot of issues with the statement, like why they needed to wash their necks if they were going to be trampled on, and whether competing with opponents who were already wallowing in the mud would just get them dirty too, but he decided to keep his mouth shut.

Even Helena was swept up in the directors’ fervor and requested personal protection from the Lancashire Police, while simultaneously ordering a new crimson dress to wear to Ewood Park that day.

“Oh… we can’t afford any more injuries…”

While Hyungmin sat on his office sofa, burying his face in his hands, Karolina shook her head beside him.

“Aren’t you worried about the Carabao Cup? We have to face Liverpool!”

“Hey, this isn’t the time to worry about that…”

To make matters worse, the first game in February is the Premier League Round 24 game against Liverpool, which was postponed due to a scheduling conflict with the Champions League in the first half of the season, and we have to face them twice in the Carabao Cup.

The worst schedule imaginable, with eight games in January alone.

Facing anyone would be tough, but games against Liverpool (twice!) and Blackburn have been thrown into the mix.

***

“Ah, really…”

Hyungmin sighed in annoyance as he watched the figures in red uniforms running towards the away fan section at Turf Moor.

Heavy rain has been falling in the northwest of England for days, but Turf Moor Stadium, with its state-of-the-art drainage and heating systems, is maintaining perfect playing conditions by draining the water and keeping the temperature at a comfortable level.

Of course, that wasn’t much comfort to the Burnley players in their crimson kits, who were gloomily watching the opposing players while getting rained on through the oval opening in the middle of the roof, or to Hyungmin, who was getting soaked with them in the technical area [the area near the sideline where the coaches stand].

“Liverpool’s third goal. It’s 0-3. The scorer is Liverpool’s number 20, Diogo Jota.”

“What are you going to do?”

As the announcer’s dry voice echoed, Karolina walked out to the technical area and asked Hyungmin.

Hyungmin turned to look at the head coach, shaking his head as he looked at his players on the bench, their faces etched with frustration.

“No way.”

Karolina looked like she had a lot to say, but she bit her tongue, deciding not to discourage the manager now that he’d finally come to his senses and was managing the players’ stamina for the rest of the season.

“I’m really… really annoyed.”

“Let’s pay them back in the next game.”

I knew this was a possibility, but we got hammered.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp knew how to use Liverpool’s deep roster effectively.

Unlike Hyungmin, who started with mostly rotation players, Klopp put out his best attack line of Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez, and Diogo Jota, and a midfield of Harvey Elliott, Jordan Henderson, and Fabinho.

You could argue that Thiago and Jude Bellingham’s absence made things a little easier, but even this lineup was enough to overwhelm Burnley’s midfield of Christian Medina, Tommaso Pobega, and Luka Sucic.

Christian Medina, who has improved a lot at Burnley over the past season and a half, was still no match for Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson’s experienced game management and defensive skills.

In addition, Luka Sucic couldn’t break through Liverpool’s starting defensive midfielder Fabinho, and Tommaso Pobega failed to contain Harvey Elliott. In reality, the midfield was completely overrun, which decided the game.

On the surface, it may seem like a strong attack and aggressive pressing are key, but for both teams, controlling the midfield is the foundation of their tactics.

There’s a reason why Hyungmin spent all the money he had in his first season to sign Nicolas Seiwald from RB Salzburg.

With the first half ending in a miserable 3-0 score and the wall of Liverpool, who are having a dominant season, feeling insurmountable, Hyungmin desperately racked his brains.

“I can’t substitute the midfielders.”

The very next game is the derby match against Blackburn, followed by the second leg of the Carabao Cup semifinal against Liverpool.

A grueling schedule of eight games in January alone.

We need to conserve the players’ energy as much as possible.

“But let’s think about the attack.”

At Hyungmin’s words, Karolina also began to think.

“Are we taking Jamal out?”

“Both Jamal and Vini. I can see that they’re both tired.”

“You’re going to replace both wingers?”

Both players have played a lot of minutes during the first half of the season, when injuries were piling up.

Of course, Adam Hlozek and Keane Lewis-Potter returned in December, which allowed them to reduce their playing time somewhat, but it wasn’t enough to alleviate all the fatigue that had built up since the first half of the season.

Furthermore, Emanuel Vignato is under a lot of physical strain as he adapts to the fast and intense style of the Premier League.

“Ah, I see. So you’re going to put in Dwight and Andre?”

At the head coach’s question, Hyungmin shook his head, realizing what he was planning.

“No. Tell Adam and Keane to get ready to come on at the start of the second half.”

“Really?”

At Karolina’s question, Hyungmin turned to his friend, not even bothering to wipe the raindrops from his face.

“If it’s a game that we’re likely to lose anyway, there’s something I want to try.”

“Haa…”

He always chooses curiosity over stability at crucial moments like this, even though he’s been so successful.

Karolina, about to say something to the manager, sighed deeply, swallowed the words she was about to say, and trudged back to the bench to get out of the rain.

She had to instruct Adam Hlozek and Keane Lewis-Potter to prepare for the second-half substitution.

***

People who don’t know him well might think that the manager has given up on the game.

If the two attackers who are being substituted at the start of the second half, after conceding three goals in the first half against the league’s best team, are players who just returned from injury last month.

It would be easy to assume that he’s just writing off the game to help the returning players regain their form.

However, the Burnley fans, who have seen firsthand that their young masterclass manager from Korea never gives up, even when defeat seems inevitable, leaned forward and focused even more intently on the game.

And with the start of the second half, Burnley completely changed their attacking pattern, showing why Karolina agreed to substitute the two attackers without a word.

Jamal Lewis, who makes linear runs, and Emanuel Vignato, who has excellent speed.

They certainly have solid skills, and they played a significant role in Burnley’s rise during the first half of the season.

However, if the midfield is completely dominated by the opponent, as it was in today’s game, it’s difficult for the fullbacks to move forward recklessly, and the wingers in front of them are either isolated or forced to drop back frequently to help defend.

Either way, the attack is stifled.

On the other hand, Adam Hlozek and Keane Lewis-Potter have a completely different style from the two who played in the first half.

The ability that Hyungmin, Karolina, Jonathan Landres, and the scouting team had been targeting to strengthen Burnley’s tactical options in the summer transfer market.

It’s their dribbling skill, which is considered among the best in the Premier League.