Became The Premier League’S Youngest Manager [EN]: Chapter 153

153: Nemesis

With Dwight McNeil surrounded by three Manchester City players, Nicolas Seiwald had a multitude of options: charge in any direction and disrupt an opponent.

Conversely, İlkay Gündoğan had to carefully approach Dwight McNeil, maneuvering to avoid his own teammates.

That slight difference in timing provided Dwight McNeil with the crucial opening he needed.

“Aah!”

Just as Nicolas Seiwald converged, Dwight McNeil used his back and shoulders to fend off Phil Foden, who was attacking from behind. Using that momentum, he skillfully nutmegged [passed the ball between the legs of] Rodri, who was stretching out to block him.

“Ooh!!!”

Dwight McNeil leaped forward, evading both Phil Foden’s desperate attempt to trip him as he fell backward and Rodri’s obstruction, who was still trying to block him head-on.

“Go!”

Nicolas Seiwald, seizing the opportunity, created space by forcefully bumping into Rúben Dias’s shoulder.

Gasps of admiration from Burnley fans and sighs of dismay from Manchester City fans echoed through the City of Manchester Stadium as Dwight McNeil chased after the ball, which rolled behind Rodri, leaving the entangled Rúben Dias and Nicolas Seiwald in his wake.

“Block him! Don’t let him get close!”

“Pass! Watch out for the cutback [a pass played back towards the penalty spot from near the goal line]!”

Following Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson’s instructions, center-back John Stones abandoned his mark, Benjamin Šeško, and rushed to intercept Dwight McNeil.

Despite the urgency, he remained cautious, calling for backup.

Manchester City’s central midfielder Kevin De Bruyne and left-winger Riyad Mahrez, who were in the starting lineup, hurried to support John Stones, moving towards Burnley’s Benjamin Šeško and Jo Gelahardt, who were lurking near the center of the penalty box.

“Spread out!”

At Benjamin Šeško’s call, both he and Jo Gelahardt retreated towards the right side of the penalty box, seemingly pushed back by the Manchester City players.

With Dwight McNeil poised to either cut inside and pass or deliver a short cross as he advanced diagonally from the left flank towards the penalty box, the remaining Manchester City defenders, except for John Stones, were inevitably drawn to the right, following Benjamin Šeško and Jo Gelahardt.

“No! Hold your positions!”

Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson’s urgent command rang out, but it was too late.

Quickly advancing and facing John Stones in a one-on-one situation, Dwight McNeil subtly lowered his left shoulder.

“Ah!”

He had been too focused on buying time.

John Stones, who had been anticipating defensive support and aiming to create a stalemate rather than aggressively challenging, instinctively shifted his weight to the right, regretting being deceived by such a simple feint.

However, Dwight McNeil, capitalizing on that momentary lapse, pushed the ball to his right, breaking through into the center of the penalty box while John Stones was caught off balance.

Now, only the Manchester City goal, guarded by the goalkeeper, stood between him and success.

And because his vision was momentarily blocked by John Stones, Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson had to rely solely on instinct to position himself, unable to fully track Dwight McNeil’s movements.

The possible shot angles were limited to the right, center, or left.

If you consider the three height options—top, middle, and bottom—along with the three horizontal options, you can roughly divide the goal into nine squares.

A world-class goalkeeper like Ederson can effectively cover about three of those positions, and with good positioning, he can even influence five or six.

It was too late to rush out and narrow the shooting angle.

Ederson, diving to his left with the mindset of blocking a penalty kick, could only watch helplessly as Dwight McNeil, who had unleashed a shot with his right foot as soon as the opportunity arose, sent the ball into the lower right corner.

“Uwaaa!!!”

As the City of Manchester Stadium reverberated with the cheers of the away fans, Hyungmin stared blankly at the goal from the technical area.

“What is this…”

Did Dwight suddenly lose his mind today?

Hyungmin hadn’t forbidden him from attempting individual breakthroughs when the chance presented itself, but there were specific instructions for facing Manchester City today, and there were many more conventional options available.

From passing the ball out to the sideline when surrounded by three players, to sending short crosses to Benjamin Šeško or Jo Gelahardt during a breakthrough, or playing a cutback pass to Sebastian Szymański, who was running up from behind.

Normally, even if Dwight McNeil was eager for a goal, he would position himself to receive a return pass, but this time, he was so stubbornly determined to score himself.

“What is this…”

As Hyungmin muttered in disbelief, he glanced at the home team’s technical area and met the gaze of Manchester City’s manager, Pep Guardiola, who was clutching his head in frustration at the goal.

Was this something you planned?

There’s no way, right?

Right?

The two masterminds, considered among the top three in the Premier League, shook their heads in disbelief at the actions of the young ace, who had single-handedly disrupted the tactical battle that had unfolded throughout the first half.

***

Beep!

“Agh!”

Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola once again clutched his head in agony.

He was already losing his hair, and his scalp specialist constantly warned him, but he couldn’t resist the urge to grab his head during moments of intense frustration.

Manchester City players were vehemently protesting on the field, but João Cancelo, the player who had received the red card, silently walked towards the sideline.

As soon as the whistle blew, Burnley’s medical staff rushed onto the field and surrounded Dwight McNeil, who was writhing in pain on the grass, to provide immediate assistance.

“Does a nemesis really exist…”

“It’s unlike you to say something like that.”

Pep Guardiola shook his head at the words of his head coach and trusted advisor, Juan Manuel Lillo, nicknamed ‘Juanma’.

“No, things just keep going wrong whenever we play Burnley!”

“That’s just called having bad chemistry.”

*Isn’t that the same thing?* Pep Guardiola thought to himself.

This was already the 6th match against Hyungmin Kim’s Burnley.

When they had narrowly defeated them 2-1 in the first match of the previous season, there were moments of surprise, but they still managed to secure a comfortable victory.

Then, when they faced off in the FA Cup semi-final and lost 2-0, he wasn’t pleased, but he dismissed it.

His planned tactics hadn’t been executed properly, and he knew better than anyone that upsets often occurred in cup competitions.

However, when Dwight McNeil suddenly went berserk and they lost 3-0 in the last Premier League match, where a draw would have secured the championship, and they even missed out on the title, a sense of unease began to creep in.

The players also subtly began to dread facing Burnley.

Still, he believed he had taught them a lesson by unleashing a barrage of goals with Erling Haaland and Phil Foden in the first match of this season, winning 5-2.

Following the FA Cup semi-final last season, they conceded a surprise goal to Nico Gonzalez’s sudden shot at the start of the Carabao Cup [EFL Cup, a domestic cup competition in England] semi-final this season, and things continued to go wrong throughout the match, eventually losing 2-1.

And today’s match.

Unlike the first half, which unfolded as both managers had anticipated, the second half descended into complete chaos.

In the first half, Hyungmin’s strategy of retreating slightly further than usual and compressing the space between the two penalty boxes, and Pep Guardiola’s plan to exploit opportunities in the front line through precise passes from the back, complemented each other, resulting in a back-and-forth battle for possession, like interlocking gears.

However, with Dwight McNeil’s individual brilliance leading to a goal at the start of the second half, the game suddenly opened up.

Excited Manchester City players, eager to equalize, began launching long passes to Erling Haaland in the front line, and conversely, Burnley players, seeking to extend their lead, pushed forward to pressure Manchester City’s goal.

A chaotic game where one team would somehow mount an attack into the opponent’s penalty box and take a shot, and then the other team would regain possession and launch a shot from the opposite end.

Of course, the spectators and critics were thrilled, but the managers, who could feel the game slipping from their grasp, experienced something akin to fear.

In the 79th minute of the second half, Erling Haaland drew a foul against Burnley’s center-back Anel Ahmedhodžić at the edge of Burnley’s penalty box, and after a lengthy VAR [Video Assistant Referee] review, the referee awarded a free kick instead of a penalty kick.

Fortunately for Manchester City, Riyad Mahrez converted the free kick with a stunning goal, leveling the score.

And now, in the 85th minute of the second half.

João Cancelo, Manchester City’s left-back, received a straight red card for fouling Dwight McNeil during a breakthrough, leading to another unexpected turn of events in the game.

It felt like being strapped onto a runaway roller coaster with no brakes or accelerator.

Even considering the added extra time, there were only 10 minutes left in the game, but why did it feel so long?

***

“Dwight, what’s wrong with you…”

At the same time, as Hyungmin watched João Cancelo being sent off from the opposite technical area, Carolina, who was standing next to him watching the game, shook her head.

“It’s really unsettling when a normally well-behaved model student’s eyes glaze over.”

“I understand, but why does it have to be today…”

*If you have a complaint, just tell me…*

Thanks to Burnley’s young ace, who was wreaking havoc on the left flank throughout the second half, the tactics Hyungmin had meticulously planned for today were completely ruined.

Fortunately, Pep Guardiola’s tactics were also in disarray, resulting in a back-and-forth slugfest, with only more goals missing.

*I worked so hard to devise tactics to counter Manchester City…*

As Hyungmin muttered to himself, the medical staff who had been attending to Dwight McNeil began to retreat, carrying their equipment.

Dwight McNeil got to his feet with a slight limp, but he jumped up and down a few times, signaling that he was alright.

“How is he?”

“Well, he’ll have a pretty bad bruise, but there’s no damage to his muscles or bones. He should apply an ice pack after the game, and he’ll be fine after a session in the cryo machine [a chamber used for cold therapy] tomorrow.”

“I’ll double-check while massaging him after the cryo session tomorrow.”

Hyungmin nodded in response to the words of team doctor Simon Morris and fitness coach Paulo Morão.

Jamal Lewis, who was warming up on the sidelines in anticipation of a possible substitution, felt a twinge of disappointment, but *I’m honestly afraid of what kind of misfortune I’ll encounter if I replace that crazed young ace.*

*And Dwight McNeil’s touch is exceptionally sharp today.*

“Okay. Thank you. Good work.”

As the medical staff returned to the bench, the game resumed with a Burnley indirect free kick.

Watching Dwight McNeil moving with renewed intensity, Hyungmin muttered.

“It’s okay if we just draw, so let’s just get through today’s game without any further incidents, okay?”