Became The Premier League’S Youngest Manager [EN]: Chapter 115

115: The Great Disaster

Manchester United.

Considering its long history and numerous achievements, it’s a prestigious club with a legacy unmatched by newer teams like Manchester City, Chelsea, or even Arsenal.

Combining their league titles and European trophies, only Liverpool rivals them in English football history, solidifying their place among the top two clubs.

After the English First Division became the Premier League, they dominated, practically owning the league under the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson.

From the 1992/93 season to the 2012/13 season, they clinched the title 13 times in 20 seasons.

And their *worst* performance during that period was 3rd place, highlighting their incredible success.

However, this era of glory ended with Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement.

David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, José Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjær, and Ralf Rangnick.

A manager with Premier League experience, a seasoned veteran with years of success, a renowned manager who brought trophies to every club, a club legend turned young manager, and a manager known for systematic player development and tactical systems.

They tried various managers and faced repeated failure. Now, after appointing Erik ten Hag, who had achieved remarkable success with Ajax in the Netherlands, they hoped for improvement in the 10th season since Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure, with their sixth manager at the helm.

The squad underwent a significant overhaul, starting with the free transfer of Paul Pogba, who, despite his world-class potential with the French national team, had been inconsistent and underperformed at Manchester United.

Veteran striker Edinson Cavani, deemed surplus to requirements, was released on a free transfer, along with Jesse Lingard, Nemanja Matić, Juan Mata, and Lee Grant. Other reserve players were either sold or loaned out.

New signings were primarily players scouted and vetted by Erik ten Hag from the Dutch league.

Lisandro Martínez, an Argentine national team center-back who orchestrated build-up play from the back at Ajax under Erik ten Hag, was signed for £55 million to bolster the central defense and improve passing from the back, areas consistently identified as weaknesses.

Tyrell Malacia, a 22-year-old left-back who had impressed at Feyenoord in the Dutch first division, was signed for £13 million to provide backup for starting left-back Luke Shaw, a talented player prone to injuries.

And Christian Eriksen, a Danish national team player who had shone for Ajax, Tottenham, and Inter Milan, overcame a cardiac arrest that threatened his career and made a remarkable comeback at Brentford, was signed on a free transfer.

Most notably, they managed to acquire Frenkie de Jong from Barcelona for a substantial £85 million, including add-ons, after lengthy negotiations. De Jong had developed into one of the world’s best midfielders under Erik ten Hag at Ajax.

This signing was expected to revitalize Manchester United’s central midfield, which had lacked a clear leader since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement. Frenkie de Jong lived up to the hype, showcasing excellent defensive skills, linking play, and orchestrating attacks.

The problem was that the rest of the Manchester United squad struggled to implement the high-pressing and intricate passing and attacking style that Erik ten Hag demanded.

In the Champions League, which they qualified for after finishing 4th last season, they advanced easily through the group stage. However, in the Premier League, they showed considerable inconsistency until early October.

Recently, they had been improving, winning 5 out of 6 games and climbing to 2nd place in the league, but the top of the table was so tight that rankings shifted based on goal difference alone.

Therefore, the Manchester United manager, coaching staff, and players were determined to secure 3 points in their last Premier League game against Burnley before the Qatar World Cup winter break, aiming to finish the first half of the season on a high note.

Of course, a win against Burnley, who had narrowly defeated Leeds 1-0, and slightly dampen the spirits of their local rivals, would be a welcome bonus.

The problem was that Hyungmin and the Burnley squad had no intention of letting Manchester United have their way.

***

“No one likes us!”

“We don’t care!”

“We are Burnley!”

“Super Burnley!”

“We are Burnley!”

“From the Moor!”

“Hoo…”

Amidst the fervent chants of the Burnley home fans echoing through Turf Moor, Hyungmin, standing in the technical area with his arms crossed, waiting for the referee’s whistle to signal the start of the game, took a deep breath.

“Are you nervous?”

At Karolina’s question from beside him, Hyungmin started to deny it, then stopped and nodded.

“A little.”

“Well, it’s been a while since we’ve had a head-on power struggle.”

Erik ten Hag, who had been alternating between a 4-3-3 and a 4-2-3-1 formation, had increasingly settled on the 4-2-3-1 as the first half of the season progressed, and that was the formation he deployed today.

Protecting the goal, guarded by goalkeeper David de Gea, were Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Harry Maguire, Lisandro Martínez, and Luke Shaw from right to left.

Ahead of the back four, which combined experience and defensive solidity but wasn’t particularly known for its attacking prowess, were the Ajax-developed Dutch national team duo Frenkie de Jong and Donny van de Beek in central midfield.

Reunited with his former partner, Donny van de Beek had successfully shed the label of a failed signing by rediscovering the attacking flair and energy he had displayed during his time at Ajax.

Ahead of Manchester United’s central midfield, which had been significantly improved in terms of energy and balance between offense and defense, were Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford, both English national team players, on the left and right wings, with Portuguese national team attacking midfielder Bruno Fernandes in the center.

And veteran striker Cristiano Ronaldo, still going strong at 37, led the line as the center forward.

In comparison, Burnley showed gaps in various positions due to injuries.

In central defense, which had guided the team to 4th place in the league despite some organizational issues in the first half of the season, James Tarkowski partnered with Anel Ahmedhodžić, as Abdou Diallo was unavailable.

With the now-indispensable Nicolás Seiwald in defensive midfield, Tommaso Pobega, known for his defensive capabilities, partnered with Sebastian Szymański in central midfield, instead of the more attack-minded Nico González.

Upfront, Wout Weghorst started as the center forward. His physical presence was deemed necessary to compete with Manchester United’s experienced defense, rather than Benjamin Šeško, who, while possessing good movement, was considered less effective in direct physical battles against Premier League center backs. This was seen as a logical decision.

However, the biggest change Burnley showed today compared to usual was on the left and right flanks.

On the right flank, Guga as a defender and Karim Adeyemi as an attacker were deployed, maximizing attacking potential.

On the left flank, Charlie Taylor as a defender and Jamal Lewis as an attacker were deployed.

This was the core of the asymmetrical strategy devised by Hyungmin and Karolina, who were struggling with injuries to left wingers Dwight McNeil and Maxwel Cornet.

The plan was to defend the left flank firmly with two defenders, while focusing the attack on the right, aiming to exploit weaknesses.

If Karim Adeyemi and Guga failed to penetrate the space behind Luke Shaw, who often pushed forward, and break down Manchester United’s defense, they risked being pinned back in Burnley’s penalty box, constantly under pressure from the opposing team’s attackers.

Even with a fully fit squad, victory was never guaranteed. Now, they had to face a team on the rise with a tactic born out of necessity due to injuries.

Beep!

Hyungmin, who had been reviewing his tactics and starting lineup in his head until the last moment, was startled by the referee’s whistle signaling the start of the game.

“Well, it’s too late to change anything now.”

At Karolina’s words, spoken after observing Hyungmin’s expression, Hyungmin sighed again.

“It’s right to attack with full force in the first half, isn’t it?”

At Hyungmin’s question, Karolina glanced at Burnley’s bench.

Benjamin Šeško, Joe Gelhardt, Luka Sučić, and Christian Medina, among others, were all promising youngsters with decent skills and potential, but it was too much to expect them to single-handedly change the game if they were substituted on.

Hyungmin and Karolina, after much deliberation, had decided to gamble on the first half, where they could fully utilize their physical advantages and the home advantage.

“We didn’t have a choice, did we?”

At Karolina’s answer, shrugging her shoulders, Hyungmin resisted another sigh and simply turned his attention to the stadium.

Wout Weghorst.

Age 30.

Position: Center Forward.

A member of the Dutch national team, though not a regular starter, he’s a valuable player known for his ability to change the flow of the attack or break down opposing defenses in the second half of games.

Utilizing his impressive physique (197 cm and 84 kg), he had been playing for Burnley in the English Premier League, after a stint in the German Bundesliga, for almost a year.

Last season, after Chris Wood, who had been in excellent scoring form in the first half of the season, suddenly transferred to Newcastle, Weghorst joined Burnley during the winter transfer window and scored 6 goals in the second half, proving a useful addition.

However, this season, he was competing fiercely with the promising Benjamin Šeško for a starting spot and was slightly behind in the pecking order.

Nevertheless, he had been delivering high-quality performances, scoring 5 goals in 6 Europa League games and 4 goals in the Premier League, including 3 starts and 6 substitute appearances.

Given a chance to start in the last game of the first half, he was determined to showcase his abilities to the manager. As he watched the game unfold, a familiar voice reached his ears.