Became The Premier League’S Youngest Manager [EN]: Chapter 125

125. 2022, The Beginning!

A few days after Hyungmin’s, perhaps, overly confident remarks.

The day before the match against Liverpool, Hyungmin mentally berated himself for blurting out those words during the coaching staff meeting.

“Ahahaha. Nicky has the flu? And he needs to be isolated for three days because it could spread to the rest of the team? So, he can’t play against Liverpool? Hahaha.”

Yes, now even the starting defensive midfielder is out.

They had barely managed to climb up to 3rd place in the Premier League, but now, against last season’s champions, a ridiculous situation had unfolded where four players were out of the starting eleven. Hyungmin was starting to panic.

‘Manager Klopp, you know I like you, right?

I’m a Liverpool fan, and I even helped you win last season, so could you please go easy on us this time?’

As Karolina and Jung Taejin watched with a mixture of pity and disbelief, an interview with Liverpool’s manager, Jurgen Klopp, began to air on the TV in Hyungmin’s office.

[…is that so?]

In response to the reporter’s question, Klopp answered with a serious expression.

[…rather than the tension of competing against the 3rd-place team as the 2nd-place team, Burnley itself is a tense opponent.]

[…Did we expect Burnley to do this well for so long? Of course, we didn’t anticipate it. I can only say that Manager Kim is leading Burnley to achieve great results. Burnley’s players are young but demonstrating outstanding skills. We also need to be fully prepared on Monday to see good results.]

“No, you really don’t have to do that…”

Watching the interview, Hyungmin gloomily muttered while looking down at his available lineup, which was missing key players.

***

“I’m so glad that Jurgen is a Red!”

“I’m so glad he delivered what he said!”

“Jurgen said to me, you know!”

“We’ll win the Premier League, you know. He said so!”

“I’m in love with him and I feel fine!”

The ecstatic Liverpool fans were singing their support song for their manager at the top of their lungs.

The atmosphere at Anfield [Liverpool’s home stadium] is always magnificent.

European football fans are known for their enthusiasm, but there are a few places where players consistently praise the atmosphere.

One of them is BVB Dortmund in the German Bundesliga [German professional football league].

Nicknamed the ‘Borussen’ and boasting a striking yellow uniform, they call the Westfalenstadion, with its capacity of 81,365 seats, their home.

At the Westfalenstadion, which boasts the highest average attendance in Europe, the south stand, in particular, with its 25,000 seats adorned in the club’s symbolic yellow color, is filled with home fans, forming the so-called ‘Yellow Wall.’

It is an unwavering support for the home team and a gateway to hell for the visiting team.

And it was Jurgen Klopp, who led Dortmund to two consecutive Bundesliga titles, overpowering the Bundesliga’s strongest team, Bayern Munich, who commented on the Westfalenstadion and the Yellow Wall, saying, “Coming out of the dark tunnel and entering the bright stadium feels like being reborn.”

The destination chosen by the renowned manager who led Dortmund to glory was Liverpool, which has just as passionate fans as Dortmund and Anfield, known for having the hottest atmosphere in England.

It is a bit smaller than the Westfalenstadion with 53,394 seats, but the atmosphere is just as intense.

And the fans’ trust in the manager who ended 30 years of waiting and brought them the Premier League title and the European Champions League title is almost religious.

This season, Liverpool continues to compete for the Premier League and Champions League titles. They were now hosting Burnley, who had ruined their title challenge last season with one win and one draw, and the fans loudly sang their support song for the manager who was thoroughly defeating them.

***

“Ugh…”

Hyungmin painfully clutched his head, while Karolina, standing next to him, remained silent.

The score difference was widening beyond repair.

More serious than that was the performance, which was being suppressed in every area.

Tommaso Pobega was put into the defensive midfield position that Nicholas Seiwald had vacated, but despite running hard, he was unable to completely fill the void.

There was no need to say more about the attack, which was missing both Dwight McNeil and Karim Adeyemi.

With Virgil van Dijk, considered by many as the only player in the Premier League capable of a 1-on-1 battle with Wout Weghorst, firmly guarding the defense, Liverpool’s fullbacks were constantly pushing forward, supplying high-quality passes and crosses.

And finishing them off were Mohamed Salah, currently regarded as one of the best strikers in the world, and Darwin Nunez, the 65 million pound man.

After conceding two goals in the first half, they adjusted their tactics, but they conceded two more goals in the second half, and the game was slipping out of Hyungmin’s hands.

In Hyungmin’s field of vision, as he despaired, he saw the assistant referee raising the substitution board and the player standing next to him.

“Vardy? Why is Vardy here?”

Hyungmin was shocked by the sight of the player warming up.

Jamie Vardy, who had been one of the most threatening strikers in the Premier League for the past eight seasons.

It was already surprising that he had left his beloved Leicester at the age of 34 and transferred to Liverpool, the champions of last season.

Hyungmin was even more dazed by Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp’s seemingly ruthless decision to substitute in a striker in the 80th minute with the score at 4-0, just to solidify their victory.

The Burnley players, who were more mentally exhausted than physically, all wore expressions of disbelief.

Even some Liverpool players looked slightly apologetic.

Suddenly, Hyungmin turned around and quickly walked towards the home team’s technical area, about 10 meters away.

Everyone, including the players on the field, the nearby spectators, the assistant referees, and both teams’ coaching staff, was tense at the away team manager’s sudden action.

Usually, when the opposing team’s manager invades the technical area, it starts with a verbal argument, and if it goes further, they might grab each other’s collars or both teams’ benches might rush out and start a brawl.

However, disappointing the photographers who were eagerly flashing their cameras and expecting a brawl or argument between the managers, Hyungmin spoke in German, low and fast, to Klopp, who was approaching him with a puzzled expression.

[Come on! You have to have some professional ethics! Don’t do this to each other!]

[Didn’t you trample all over Manchester United?]

[But they’re Liverpool’s rivals!]

Jurgen Klopp covered his mouth with his hand to avoid being caught on camera, then gave his signature bright smile to the young Burnley manager who was complaining to him in German, and covered his own mouth with his hand.

[That’s right! We have to show that we are definitely superior! Do you know how many points Burnley took from us last year? Five points! I thought I was going to die of a heart attack on the last day of the league!]

[But we beat Manchester City and you won the title!]

[We have to win this year too! Without your help this time!]

[Ugh!]

The moment Hyungmin let out a frustrated sigh while exchanging low and rapid words with the opposing team’s manager, heads close together.

His collar was firmly grabbed and pulled back.

[I’m sorry, Manager Klopp. I’ll properly educate this rascal.]

[No, Proline Stefan. It was a pleasant conversation.]

Liverpool’s Klopp gave a bright smile and subtly raised his thumb to Burnley’s head coach, Karolina Stefan, who was smiling and apologizing.

“Hey, let go of me!”

“You rascal. Follow me quietly before I kill you.”

While showing a friendly smile, completely unrelated to his true feelings, to the assistant referees who were hesitating whether to give a warning to the away team manager who had left the technical area, his head coach replied irritably to the young, renowned manager of Burnley, who was being dragged away by the collar.

While the Liverpool coaching staff watched with amused smiles and the Burnley coaching staff watched with exasperated expressions, Hyungmin, who was forcibly dragged to the away team’s bench and seated, gloomily watched the game unfolding before his eyes.

He had already used all his substitutions, and the game was tilted to the point where it was difficult to do anything.

“Ah… things were good until the Arsenal game…”

***

Hyungmin sighed as he put down the newspaper with its sensational headlines.

“Honestly, the tactics were a bit rigid. If we had dropped deeper in the second half, we might have conceded fewer goals.”

Hyungmin shook his head at the head coach Karolina’s point.

“Then who would attack? Either way, the result is the same whether it’s 2-0 or 5-0. It’s just self-consolation, saying that the difference in skill isn’t that great. We had no choice but to keep attacking in order to catch up somehow.”

“Thanks to that, you conceded five goals to the other team.”

“…That’s true.”

Hyungmin sighed.

Watching Hyungmin, Taejin, who had been watching the two people’s conversation from the side, said in a deliberately bright voice.

“Let’s look at the bright side. Anyway, we’re halfway through the season and Burnley is 4th in the league. We also confidently passed the Europa League group stage and advanced to the round of 16. I don’t think we need to listen to the media grumbling.”

“That’s true… but we have 11 wins and 6 losses in 17 games. No draws either. Winning or losing, it’s too extreme, that’s true.”

While they were talking, Karolina gestured to the news coming from the TV in the office.

“Wait! Be quiet for a second.”

[…Manager Zinedine Zidane has been sacked. Currently, Chelsea is in 7th place in the league with 9 wins, 3 draws, and 5 losses, earning 30 points. It seems that owner Todd Boehly decided to sack him after the team’s performance of 2 wins, 1 draw, and 2 losses in the last five games.]

The three looked at each other, unable to hide their bewildered expressions, while the news caster continued the explanation excitedly.

[…For now, Neil Bath is expected to serve as interim manager for the upcoming Carabao Cup [English football cup competition] quarter-final against Burnley. Former Italian national team manager Roberto Mancini and former French national team Didier Deschamps are leading the list of candidates for the manager position…]

“Wow. Really? That’s scary… Sacking the great Zidane after just one season.”

Taejin exclaimed.

Then Karolina shook her head at Taejin.

“Top European clubs are originally known for being ruthless, but Chelsea is a bit extreme. Roman Abramovich also sacked managers as soon as their performance dropped a little, and Todd Boehly is no different.”

“Or, since Zinedine Zidane was a manager appointed by Roman Abramovich, maybe they’re trying to appoint a new manager who can bring his own color?”

“That’s possible too. Anyway, Chelsea’s performance isn’t very good right now.”

While Karolina and Taejin were talking while watching the breaking news, Hyungmin’s cell phone, who was sitting blankly in shock next to them, began to vibrate.

“Huh? Who is this? It’s an unknown number?”

Hyungmin muttered as he picked up his cell phone.

“Yes, hello?”

A calm and dignified voice flowed from the other side.

“Is this Burnley’s manager, Hyungmin Kim’s phone number?”

“Yes, it is, but?”

“I am Chelsea’s owner, Todd Boehly.”

“…!”