Became The Premier League’S Youngest Manager [EN]: Chapter 113

113: Caught Off Guard

[…In the end, the ball rolls out behind the goal line!]

[While both teams’ players are fiercely claiming possession, the referee ultimately rushes to the sideline to check the VAR [Video Assistant Referee] decision.]

The excited exclamations of the caster and commentator poured out from the large screen.

[Burnley and Leeds are really going at it today. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen such an intense slugfest!]

[Burnley and Leeds put on quite a show last season as well. As if trying to continue that tradition, they’re locked in a fierce battle this season as well.]

Using the interlude while the referee checks VAR, the large screen displays the current match statistics.

[Up to the 30th minute of the second half, Burnley has 14 shots, and Leeds has 12 shots. A total of 26 shots have been fired in 75 minutes, and both teams’ goalkeepers are putting on insane displays of saves, still holding the score at nil-nil!]

Combined, the two teams are taking a shot roughly every three minutes.

Considering the time it takes to develop an attack after gaining possession and the time the ball is stopped in between, it’s truly a relentless, back-and-forth battle.

The large screen briefly showed the goalkeepers’ saves from the first half.

From mid-range shots launched from outside the penalty box to point-blank shots fired so close that the goalkeepers’ faces nearly collided with the ball.

Both teams’ goalkeepers used their hands, feet, and torsos, and Burnley’s Nick Pope even blocked a shot with his face out of desperation, collapsing onto the field.

After being checked by the medical staff, he was cleared to continue playing, but it was a moment that had Burnley fans breathing a sigh of relief from multiple perspectives.

[Today, Leeds’ Jesse Marsch has brought out a 5-2-3 formation for the first time. In the defensive formation, the three-back line essentially forms an ‘M’ shape with the two defensive midfielders, while the two wing-backs and three forwards develop counterattacks, creating a very aggressive setup.]

[Facing this, Burnley’s Coach Kim is showing a spirited approach. He’s going head-to-head with the 3-0-7 formation that Burnley recently used against defensive teams.]

The caster added to the commentator’s assessment.

Leeds aims to exploit the flanks with counterattacks, while Burnley disregards this and applies intense pressure from the front line to block the attack from developing in the first place.

When Leeds attacks with five players, Burnley defends with three, and when Burnley attacks with seven players, Leeds defends with five.

Both teams are engaging in an absurdly aggressive game where they are often at a numerical disadvantage in defensive situations.

“Marching On Together!”

“We’re gonna see you win!”

“Na na na na na na!”

“We are so proud!”

“We shout it out loud!”

“We love you!”

“Leeds! Leeds! Leeds!”

Amidst the Leeds fans, known as some of the most passionate in England, singing their hearts out to the point where the stadium seemed ready to burst, the relatively smaller number of Burnley fans also raised their voices in song, not wanting to be outdone.

“No one likes us!”

“We don’t care!”

“We are Burnley!”

“Super Burnley!”

“We are Burnley!”

“From the Moor!”

As the fans competitively raised their voices, Karolina approached Hyungmin, who was exhausted from shouting and giving instructions throughout the match, no less than the players or fans.

“I checked with Paulo and Simon.”

“What are the substitution priorities?”

“Nicky is first in terms of sprint distance, but Sebastian and Jamal are in the red zone.”

Nicholas Seiwald, who plays as a defensive midfielder, always ranks first or second in sprint distance, but his excellent stamina means that his risk of injury doesn’t increase significantly.

Having dismissed concerns about the young Austrian midfielder, who is loved by the coach, teammates, fans, and critics alike for his natural stamina and durability, Hyungmin checked on Sebastian Szymanski and Jamal Lewis, who were still playing on the field.

Jamal Lewis, who brilliantly shut down Leeds’ relentless attacks on the left flank, now looked very tired.

Of course, considering that Leeds’ right winger Daniel James and right wing-back Rasmus Kristensen also looked equally exhausted, it was a cost-effective exchange of players’ stamina at a 2-to-1 ratio.

“Let’s replace Jamal with Charlie.”

Karolina nodded at Hyungmin’s words.

Although it’s a very intense game, there is plenty of hope that Burnley’s experienced veteran can appropriately control the opponent’s attack while adding a sharp edge to their own.

The problem is Sebastian Szymanski, who started as a central midfielder but has been effectively playing like a second central forward, constantly penetrating the opponent’s penalty box throughout the game.

Hyungmin glanced over his shoulder at the away team’s bench.

As the fierce battle continued into the second half, the players, unable to contain their excitement, were all out warming up.

Among them were midfielders Luka Sučić, Christian Medina, and Tommaso Pobega.

First of all, Christian Medina is excluded because he hasn’t fully adapted to the physical battles and stamina demands of the Premier League amidst this intense slugfest.

That leaves Luka Sučić and Tommaso Pobega…

“…Luka or Tommaso?”

Karolina’s question, reading Hyungmin’s thoughts, keenly cut in.

Both are young, but they have shown their skills sufficiently this season.

Luka Sučić is a creative and technical midfielder who is being touted as the next generation prospect for the Croatian national team, which is enjoying its best era ever.

On the other hand, Tommaso Pobega, true to his Italian roots that emphasize defense, is technically skilled but also much more combative and aggressive than Luka Sučić.

Hyungmin, glancing at the tight game, ended his brief contemplation.

“…Let’s go with Tommaso.”

“Trying to make it more solid?”

“That too… It seems like we’ve reached a point where the game will be decided by mistakes rather than creativity.”

With almost 80 minutes gone, both teams’ players are showing clear signs of fatigue.

With neither team having scored yet, decreased stamina equates to decreased concentration.

If it were a one-sided game where one team was overwhelmingly pushing the other, there would be room for the creativity of a substituted player to shine, but in such a tight game, perseverance and fighting spirit can be the deciding factors.

Karolina nodded and quickly gave instructions to the bench while heading towards the fourth official, and Hyungmin crossed his arms again and watched the game.

“Hoo… Hoo…”

Burnley’s young midfielder, Tommaso Pobega, took deep breaths in and out as he surveyed the field.

Being substituted into a game, especially late in the game, affects both the substituted player and the remaining 21 players on the field.

While they have a stamina advantage because they have fully conserved their energy before entering the field, no matter how diligently they have been watching from the bench, they inevitably participate in the game with less awareness of the game’s flow, less coordination with their teammates, and, above all, without being fully warmed up.

And if you are suddenly thrown into a fierce battle like the one unfolding between Leeds and Burnley today, it can take time to regain your rhythm.

“Get lost, kid!”

As possession returned to Leeds after Burnley’s attack failed, Tommaso Pobega, attempting the front-line press that the coach had instructed, was met with the thick English accent of Leeds’ central defender Diego Llorente, causing him to scoff.

[Che dici, codardo?] [What are you saying, coward?] (Translated from implied Italian)

Even if they don’t understand each other’s words, they can immediately recognize insults.

The two men, both around 180 centimeters tall and weighing in the mid-70 kilograms, with similar height and build, began to exchange fierce elbow strikes, avoiding the eyes of the referee and VAR.

[Accidenti, non pizzicarmi, X!] [Damn it, don’t pinch me, you X!] (Translated from implied Italian)

Diego Llorente looked around, but unfortunately, there wasn’t a single Italian speaker on the Leeds team.

Of course, he couldn’t ask his teammates, who were already exhausted from tension and fatigue, to insult the arrogant kid for him.

With both of them keeping their eyes on the ball, understanding roughly what the other was saying even though they couldn’t understand the words, Leeds’ attack began once again.

“Mark! To the left! Jack is open!”

“Got it!”

Mark Roca, the defensive midfielder who received a short pass from Leeds’ goalkeeper Illan Meslier, turned his body to avoid Burnley’s pressure and replied that he had heard his teammate’s call.

The intensity of Burnley’s midfielders’ pressure, who had been attempting to press from the front line for nearly 80 minutes without rest, was now clearly decreasing.

Feeling that it was much easier to evade the pressure from Burnley’s central midfielder Nico Gonzalez, who was panting heavily just moments ago, Mark Roca sent a pass deep to the left forward.

“Jack! Here it comes!”

The English attacker from Manchester City, who had replaced the Colombian winger Luis Sinisterra, who was physically exhausted, softly received the pass at his feet and dribbled diagonally from the left sideline of the field towards Burnley’s penalty box.

“Abdu! Slowly!”

“Alright!”

In response to the shout of captain James Tarkowski, who was coordinating the defense line from behind, Burnley’s central defender Abdu Diallo lowered his upper body in front of Jack Harrison.

Rather than trying to steal the ball, he was stalling for time to slow down the attack and waiting for support to arrive.

It was an absurd situation where the number of Leeds players rushing to attack was greater than the number of Burnley players returning to defend, but the fact that Burnley had been able to hold on despite the numerical disadvantage throughout the game was because they had something to rely on.

“Ugh!”

With a short cry, Jack Harrison was pushed away from the ball by the intense charge that struck him from the side.

Burnley’s defensive midfielder Nicholas Seiwald, who had covered the short distance in an instant, pushed away the opponent and passed the stolen ball to Abdu Diallo, who had been silently watching the scene right in front of him.

“Haa… Haa…”

“Well, that was excellent!”

While sweating profusely, Abdu Diallo leisurely praised his young teammate, who never seemed to tire and had easily erased the opposing team’s attacking opportunity, and immediately launched a pass towards the front line.

Leeds’ attack, which had not expected Jack Harrison to lose the ball so quickly, was caught off guard.

And the one who received the ball just outside Leeds’ penalty box was Karim Adeyemi, who had been showing a threatening presence on Burnley’s right flank but had unfortunately not been able to score.