Became The Premier League’S Youngest Manager [EN]: Chapter 112

112: Caught Off Guard

“What the… what is this?”

Before the match began.

Hyungmin, upon receiving the opposing team’s final starting lineup, wore a thoroughly disgusted expression.

Carolina, who was examining the lineup alongside him, clicked her tongue.

“I think we might have underestimated them a bit too much.”

“Well, Jesse isn’t one to easily show his hand to the opposition.”

Leeds’ manager, Jesse Marsch, presented a tactical shift that caught Burnley off guard, especially considering their team was full of former Red Bull players who knew him well.

Thanks to this, Hyungmin and Carolina were sweating bullets as all their preparations for the match were thrown into disarray.

“Has Jesse ever used a 5-2-3 formation before?”

At Carolina’s question, Hyungmin frowned, racking his brain.

“He did use it a few times during his Salzburg days… but it was rare.”

“So, you don’t remember it at least…”

Carolina, confirming Hyungmin’s answer, frowned as well.

“This is the first time he’s brought it out this season… Looks like we’ll just have to rely on our fundamentals.”

“Jesse will tailor his tactics specifically against us, though, right?”

Carolina clicked her tongue at Hyungmin’s point.

For a team to bring out a new formation in a regular Premier League match meant they were confident in their ability to execute that formation and its corresponding tactics at a minimum level.

Of course, in modern football, the formation isn’t solely determined by numbers, and it continuously transforms during the match, but there’s still a general framework.

With three central defenders on the field, the number of possible scenarios is inevitably limited.

“Basically, the 5-2-3 will naturally transition into a 3-4-3 formation, and when attacking, they’ll use the 5-2-3 to press from the front.”

Fundamentally, with a three-back system, the defense becomes solid, and the formation changes depending on how the flanks are utilized.

If the wing-backs on both sides drop back defensively at the same time, it becomes a 5-2-3 formation; if they maintain a mid-level position, it transforms into a 3-4-3 formation; and if they push forward, it turns into a 3-2-5 formation.

Alternatively, taking a more conservative approach, one wing-back might push up while the other drops back, transforming the 5-2-3 formation into a 4-3-3 or 4-2-4 formation.

Hyungmin and Carolina, with the Burnley squad warming up under Paulo Morais’s instructions on the field, were sweating profusely as they laid out Leeds’ starting lineup and began considering all the possibilities.

“So, the central defenders are Diego Llorente, Pascal Struijk, and the captain, Liam Cooper…”

“Pascal Struijk played quite a bit as a defensive midfielder under [former Leeds manager] Bielsa, filling in for Kalvin Phillips. Diego Llorente also has excellent passing ability. But none of the three are the type to charge forward, so we don’t have to worry about the central defenders joining the attack.”

Carolina nodded at Hyungmin’s observation, recalling his analysis of Leeds under Marcelo Bielsa last season.

“The left and right flanks are Rasmus Kristensen and Junior Firpo. Junior Firpo is much weaker defensively than Rasmus, so if they were to transform, Rasmus could drop back and create a four-back.”

“Would they really go that far with two defensive midfielders already?”

Hyungmin shook his head at Carolina’s concern.

“With Tyler Adams and Marc Roca both starting, it seems like the three central defenders and two midfielders are completely focused on solidifying the back, and they’re planning to pour attacks in from both flanks.”

Carolina clicked her tongue at Hyungmin’s prediction.

“Looks like they’re giving up on the center and focusing on exploiting Guga and Jamal. Well, it’s not a bad idea. Our team’s weakest links are the two fullbacks.”

Burnley’s style, which demands aggressive attacking involvement and high activity from the fullbacks, carries a high risk of creating space behind them on the flanks.

Jesse Marsch’s plan is to exploit that space by focusing on the wing-backs and wingers on both sides.

The fact that Daniel James, famous for his speed even in the Premier League, was chosen over the more technically skilled Jack Harrison, along with Luis Sinisterra, indicates that they’re betting on speed and stamina.

The plan is for the wing-backs and wingers to cooperate and break through Burnley’s flanks, then link up with Leeds’ central striker, Patrick Bamford, to directly attack the goal.

“What are you going to do? Meet fire with fire? Or fall back together?”

At Carolina’s question, Hyungmin paused to think.

Jesse Marsch caught them off guard by bringing out a 5-2-3 formation, different from their usual 4-4-2, but he probably expected Hyungmin and Carolina to figure out his tactics as soon as they saw the starting lineup.

In the end, Hyungmin and Carolina’s experienced senior forced a simple choice upon the two juniors.

Would they fall back and play a game of jabs?

Or would they come forward and engage in a heated, counter-attack-filled slugfest?

It was a strong expression of their determination not to lose at home, while acknowledging the gap between Burnley, currently 4th in the league, and Leeds, currently 12th.

If Burnley also fell back, they would also drop defensive midfielder Nicolas Seiwald down to defend the backline alongside central defenders James Tarkowski and Anel Ahmedhodžić, and reduce the number of times fullbacks Guga and Jamal Lewis charged forward.

That would likely lead to a long and tedious match where both teams sat back, solidified their defenses, and attempted counter-attacks.

Or else…

“…You’re going to meet fire with fire?”

“Well… thinking about it, the World Cup break is coming up soon, so there’s no need to conserve too much energy…”

As Hyungmin slowly revealed his thoughts, Carolina listened and chuckled.

“…And a flashy defeat is better than a bland draw?”

“Couldn’t you at least say a flashy victory?”

Carolina shrugged at Hyungmin’s retort.

“Well, I’m not one to back down because I’m scared of the opponent either.”

“Then let’s go at it properly. Jesse will be expecting that too.”

***

“Yes! Shoot from there!”

“Take a shot!”

“That’s it!!”

The Rifle Volunteer Inn.

The traditional little pub, not far from Turf Moor [Burnley’s stadium], was packed with residents who had gathered to watch the Burnley match.

Next to Henry Smythe and Mitch Tyler, who couldn’t get tickets to the Leeds away game, Henry Tyler and two other burly men barely managed to squeeze around a table, standing with the rest of the fans as they shouted at the Burnley players on the big screen.

The young player in the claret uniform barely evaded a fierce, almost violent tackle inside the penalty box, desperately swinging his left foot as he fell, trying to reach the ball that was leaving his body.

“Aaaah!!!”

The foot made clean contact with the ball, but the shot was too straightforward.

The pub was filled with disappointed groans as the opposing team’s goalkeeper safely caught the ball in his arms and fell forward to defend.

Henry Smythe, seemingly disappointed, slammed his hand on the table, emptying the beer glass he was holding in one gulp.

“John! Another one here!”

“Pour it yourself!”

John Mason, the owner of The Rifle Volunteer Inn, who had been watching the game with a scowl, gave a curt reply to his old friend’s request to refill his glass, not even bothering to pour the drink.

Behind Henry Smythe’s hulking figure as he grumbled and pushed through the crowd with his beer glass, the conversation between the Tyler father and son was faintly audible amidst the noise filling The Rifle Volunteer Inn.

“…Are you alright?”

“Well, Karim said that the manager is a little less worried about stamina now that the World Cup is coming up? He said the stamina training has decreased, and he feels like he can finally breathe.”

“Hmm…”

It’s good when they’re on our team, but when they’re on the national team, they’re on the German national team facing the English national team.

Mitch Tyler, frowning slightly as he pondered, remembered that the World Cup hadn’t started yet and decided to stick to his duties as a Burnley fan.

“Well, if the manager says it’s okay, then it’s okay. Anyway, this is no joke.”

“Ooooh!!! Here they come again!!!”

Before Mitch Tyler could finish his sentence, The Rifle Volunteer Inn was once again filled with the fans’ anxious shouts.

This time, it was a Leeds attack after regaining possession.

The white and claret uniforms clashed as the players collided in a fierce attack that unfolded down the right flank through the goalkeeper.

The ball received by Leeds’ right wing-back, Rasmus Kristensen, passed through defensive midfielder Marc Roca and was launched towards the feet of Leeds’ right winger, Daniel James, who was charging forward.

Approaching Daniel James was Burnley’s left-back, Jamal Lewis, who had quickly returned to his defensive position and was now lunging forward with a deep tackle.

“Aaaah!!!”

Against the backdrop of Burnley fans’ disappointed groans, Daniel James narrowly pushed the ball away, dodging Jamal Lewis’s tackle by a hair’s breadth.

However, before he could even plant his foot back on the ground, Burnley’s defensive midfielder, Nicolas Seiwald, who had come running, pushed him off the ball in a shoulder-to-shoulder challenge.

“Yes!!!”

“Show them what you’ve got, Niki!!”

“Well done!!”

However, amidst the cheers of the Burnley fans filling The Rifle Volunteer Inn, which wouldn’t reach the stadium, Nicolas Seiwald in the big screen hadn’t even turned around yet.

Leeds’ right wing-back, Rasmus Kristensen, who hadn’t stopped running after sending the pass, slipped his foot between Nicolas Seiwald’s legs and stole the ball back.

The two players, who had played together at RB Salzburg, were fiercely battling for the ball, pushing and shoving each other, while Jamal Lewis, who had gotten back on his feet, and Daniel James, who had been knocked down, rushed in, each extending their feet towards the ball.

A fierce struggle was unfolding among the players crowded in a small space, so intense that it could be mistaken for a PE class in elementary school rather than the world’s best professional football league.

The atmosphere was so heated that it was more like a martial arts match than a football game, with elbows and knees flying and kicks aimed at each other rather than the ball, and it was strangely bizarre that not a single yellow card had been issued yet.

Not only the players but also the managers and assistant coaches of both teams had rushed to the technical area, shouting and issuing instructions to the players non-stop.