Became The Premier League’S Youngest Manager [EN]: Chapter 137

Clang!

“Get out of the way, kid.”

“Oh, shut up. Just tall and lanky.”

Just after a fierce header duel that left them both sprawled on the field, Burnley’s center forward, Benjamin Sesko, sprang up and immediately retorted to the taunt from Liverpool’s center-back, Ibrahima Konate, who had risen almost simultaneously.

A cocky display from a fresh-faced 20-year-old prospect… though Ibrahima Konate was only 23 himself.

Both came from the Red Bull system, having been highly anticipated at RB Salzburg and RB Leipzig, respectively.

However, their positions were at opposite ends of the spectrum: one a center forward at the very front, the other a center-back at the very rear.

While the two bickered, the ball had rolled out of play and was passed to Liverpool’s goalkeeper, Alisson, for a goal kick.

Benjamin Sesko, leaving behind a disgruntled Ibrahima Konate, positioned himself appropriately between Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate, Liverpool’s other center-back, as instructed in the manager’s tactical briefing.

Then, with his back to the opposing team’s goalkeeper, who was preparing to take the goal kick, Benjamin Sesko surveyed Burnley’s side of the field.

In Burnley’s defensive second line, almost down to the halfway line, Nicolas Seiwald and Tommaso Pobega, who were starting, each marked Liverpool’s central midfielders, Harvey Elliott and Jordan Henderson, while Nico Gonzalez patrolled left and right, ready to intercept any passes that slipped through.

The defensive midfielder Fabinho, positioned in the center, was left unpressured.

It was a clear invitation to pass the ball to Fabinho.

“Can’t you just pass it over nicely?”

Liverpool’s world-class defender, Virgil van Dijk, chuckled as he spoke to Burnley’s young forward, who was approaching to pressure any short passes that might come his way.

“If you pass the ball to me nicely, I’ll let it go nicely.”

However, Virgil van Dijk’s smile deepened at the young prospect’s unwavering response, which hinted at bloodshed if the ball wasn’t handed over.

He was still far behind in terms of physique and experience.

But since no sane goalkeeper would pass to an opposing forward lurking right in front of the goal, it was obvious the ball would bypass him and go to someone responsible for building up from the back.

Moreover, Virgil van Dijk shook his head, looking towards the opposing team’s technical area, seeing the young forward ready to sprint and intercept if a pass was made to Ibrahima Konate, all while keeping him in check.

“What crazy scheme is that mad manager planning now…”

***

Meanwhile, in Liverpool’s technical area, German maestro Jurgen Klopp was engaged in what could barely be called a conversation with his assistant coach, Pepijn Lijnders.

“What’s that guy thinking? Can the players even handle that?”

“I’m not sure…”

The young Dutch tactical genius seemed taken aback by the opposing manager’s tactics as well, unable to give a definitive answer to the manager’s question.

Though, to be honest, it wasn’t really a question.

*Are they just playing the first half and going home?*

Both of them glanced simultaneously at the opposite technical area, where Burnley’s young manager was staring intently at the field with his arms crossed and a blank expression.

And as if they were fine with being substituted at halftime, almost all of Burnley’s players were covering the field with insane amounts of energy.

The apparent formation was Burnley’s typical 4-3-3, but a closer look revealed a completely different structure.

Abdou Diallo, starting as the left full-back, formed a back three with the central defensive duo of James Tarkowski and Anel Ahmedhodžić.

Above them, Nicolas Seiwald and Tommaso Pobega formed a second line in midfield alongside Guðmundur Guðmundsson, who had pushed forward.

Finally, the front line consisted of Dwight McNeil, Benjamin Sesko, and Karim Adeyemi, lined up from left to right.

With this diamond shape formed by these nine players positioned roughly across the halfway line, Nico Gonzalez freely roamed up and down the second line, providing support where needed and linking passes in attacking situations.

And to disrupt Liverpool’s attempts to build from the back, Benjamin Sesko relentlessly chased the defenders, seemingly unconcerned with attacking.

“What is this?”

Jurgen Klopp muttered, feeling an inexplicable sense of unease as the back of his neck grew cold.

Under normal circumstances, Liverpool would exchange passes to break through the opposing team’s defensive block, and if they lost the ball, they would immediately apply intense pressure to trap the opposition in their own half.

To this end, Fabinho would form a triangle with the center-backs in the middle to solidify the defense, while the full-backs, Andrew Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, would advance forward, linking up with Jordan Henderson and Harvey Elliott in central midfield to supply passes to the front line.

Liverpool 2.0, perfected with the skill and stamina to seamlessly transition between pressing and passing.

But today, both the flanks and the center were blocked.

Burnley’s right-back, Guðmundur Guðmundsson, was charging enthusiastically all the way to the front line, preventing Liverpool’s left-back, Andrew Robertson, from easily advancing and potentially leaving space behind.

And in midfield, Jordan Henderson and Harvey Elliott were struggling against the relentless energy and defensive prowess of Burnley’s Nicolas Seiwald and Tommaso Pobega.

Moreover, whenever Liverpool’s right-back, Trent Alexander-Arnold, moved forward to get involved in the stagnant central passing game, Burnley’s left-winger, Dwight McNeil, would pounce on the space behind.

With both the center and flanks shut down, attempting to circulate the ball at the back was made difficult by Benjamin Sesko’s constant harassment and mind games with the center-backs.

And if they tried to do something through Fabinho, who was positioned in defensive midfield, Nico Gonzalez would sprint over like a man with his hair on fire to apply pressure.

With or without the ball.

The constant movement and pressure were taking a toll on Burnley’s players, but Liverpool’s players couldn’t comfortably develop their attacks.

Jurgen Klopp continued to tilt his head, organizing his thoughts as he watched the situation unfold on the field.

*Okay, it’s all well and good for Burnley.*

Continuous pressure to stifle the opponent’s attack, constant threats in the front line to keep the defenders on edge, all good.

But if they run their players like this, there’s no way they can maintain their stamina for 90 minutes, right?

The reason he didn’t utilize the heavy metal tactics from his Dortmund days, where he earned the nickname for relentless pressing from the starting whistle to the final whistle, in the Premier League was because the players’ stamina couldn’t hold up over the long season.

If they expend their energy like this, even if Burnley’s players are flying high, their stamina will start to run out around halftime.

Except for that midfield maniac, Nicolas Seiwald, that is.

Anyway, in that case, Liverpool’s attackers would gleefully unleash their attacks on a stamina-depleted Burnley in the second half, and if they turned the question of whether shots would go in into a game of probability, Liverpool’s chances of winning would increase significantly.

So, after confirming Burnley’s fierce pressure in the first half, he had instructed his attackers to conserve their energy rather than overexert themselves, in preparation for a counterattack in the second half…

Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp, carrying his train of thought that far, abruptly turned his head to look at the opposing team’s technical area and bench, where a solemn atmosphere hung heavy.

“…Could it be…?”

***

“…There’s no one else like you in this world.”

As the game passed the 30-minute mark and approached 40, Karolina approached Hyungmin, who was watching the game with his arms crossed, and shook her head.

“Trying to decide the game in the first half against *that* Liverpool and then sit back in the second half? Is he crazy?”

“He is crazy, isn’t he?”

Hyungmin readily admitted.

“But there’s no way we can beat Liverpool with a conventional approach, right?”

“Haa…”

Karolina sighed.

Hyungmin acknowledged that he couldn’t beat Liverpool, who had soundly thrashed Burnley this season, with a normal approach.

If they approached the opponent, who had the upper hand in everything from the players’ skills to the completeness of the tactics, the organization, and the chemistry between the players, in a conventional way, they would only suffer another crushing defeat.

So, what he was thinking of as a crazy scheme was…

“…Benjamin is already close to the red zone [a level of exertion that risks injury]. He absolutely has to be substituted at halftime. And it might be difficult to field Dwight in the second half.”

Karolina shook her head, relaying the message from Paulo Morais, who was already pale as he looked at the players’ activity metrics on the bench.

“Guðmundur also looks like he’s getting tired, and if Nico and Tommaso are in their current condition, they’ll enter the red zone around the 60-minute mark, he says.”

“Still, it’s a relief that we don’t have to replace the entire midfield because we have Niki.”

“Is that even something to say…”

Hyungmin’s tactic was simple and crude.

Put out the best lineup, score the first goal against Liverpool in the first half, and then sit back and lock down the game in the second half.

To do that, they would push hard without conserving energy in the first half, and then use all five substitutions around halftime to replace half of the starting lineup.

In other words, it was a strategy to compress the distance they would run in 90 minutes into 45 minutes, creating opportunities with intense pressure by running and running.

The faces of the substitutes on the bench, who were already anticipating being投入 [tōnyū – thrown into the game], were filled with tension and determination.

Perhaps the second half would be a desperate struggle where every minute was nerve-wracking to maintain a one-goal lead, but he consoled himself that it would be more comfortable than facing a head-on battle and suffering an obvious defeat.

“More than that, scoring the first goal itself still doesn’t seem easy.”

“That’s why he’s saving it like that.”

“Haa…”

Karolina sighed once more and then clicked her tongue as she stared intently at Liverpool’s side of the field.

“He doesn’t look comfortable either.”