Became The Premier League’S Youngest Manager [EN]: Chapter 159

159. The Eve of the Final

Wednesday evening, May 24, 2023.

In one of the conference rooms of the Four Seasons Gresham Palace, one of Budapest’s finest hotels, the first team coaching staff and players of Burnley, who were to compete in the Europa League final the next day, gathered under strict access control.

Hyungmin, standing in front of the large screen set up on one side of the conference room, looked around at the faces of the seated players.

Except for one player who joined mid-season, these were faces he had been with for at least one season, and up to two seasons.

A young team with an average age of 24.3 years.

Even that was only because Jung Taejin’s inclusion raised the average; without him, it would drop to a mere 23.8 years.

Among the starters, central striker Benjamin Šeško, who played in 37 games this season, scoring 15 goals and providing 2 assists, was the youngest at just 19 years old.

The oldest of the starters was goalkeeper Nick Pope, who played in 36 games this season and recorded 13 clean sheets, still in his prime at 31 years old.

Among the faces that had gathered at the beginning of this season, only Wout Weghorst had left, replaced by Jung Taejin, but overall, the same squad and coaching staff remained.

“It’s been quite a journey, hasn’t it?”

“Hehehe.”

The squad chuckled softly at the manager’s words.

Some players had been together since last season, and others had joined this season, but the disorganized teamwork that had plagued them at the beginning of the season had transformed into something solid and cohesive.

Hyungmin, looking around at the players smiling and bumping fists with their teammates in Burnley’s relaxed atmosphere, smiled and said,

“Tomorrow’s game is important, but I think everyone here will have the chance to play in games like this often in the future. So, it’s good to give it your all, but don’t overdo it. Especially Karim and Max!”

“Yes, sir!”

The two young Burnley forwards, who had made it onto the roster for tomorrow’s game through desperate rehabilitation, replied energetically.

“Since you two haven’t been back from injury for very long…”

“I will pay ggreat attention!”

Max Cornet replied loudly, still with his rough French accent.

“‘Pay great attention’? Max, where did you learn that phrase?”

“Frome Game of Thrrones, no?”

When captain James Tarkowski asked, Max Cornet replied proudly.

As the players chuckled, Hyungmin, sensing the softened atmosphere, nodded to Carolina.

As the prepared materials appeared on the screen, the players began to focus on the manager again.

“Okay, this is Tottenham, who we’ll be facing tomorrow.”

Although they had fiercely competed for 4th place in the Premier League, Burnley ultimately edged out Tottenham to secure a spot in the European Champions League.

In their head-to-head record this season, Burnley won 2-1 at their home ground, Turf Moor, and 1-0 at Tottenham’s home ground, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

In particular, with both games decided by a single goal difference, the media and critics alike were predicting a similar pattern for this final.

Burnley, overwhelming opponents with relentless pressing and tremendous activity, versus Tottenham, specializing in precise counterattacks based on solid defense.

With a clash of spear and shield expected, Hyungmin displayed Tottenham’s formation on the screen.

“The formation Tottenham has used most often this season is 3-4-3. However, Tottenham tends to transform into a 5-2-3 in defensive situations, and a 3-2-5 in attack, with the wing-backs moving actively.”

Hyungmin pointed to the two central midfielders.

“So, you can get distracted by the wing-backs’ movements, but the key here is actually the midfielders. If the midfielders don’t move appropriately according to the offensive and defensive situations, distributing the ball and defending, everything collapses.”

Tottenham’s midfielders basically need to have tremendous activity and a combative nature, along with ball distribution skills above a certain level.

Therefore, Tottenham’s four main midfielders – Pierre-Emile Højbjerg from the Danish national team, youth academy product Oliver Skipp, Yves Bissouma acquired from Brighton, and Rodrigo Bentancur brought in from Juventus – all excel in activity and defensive abilities, and their ball distribution skills are also above average.

“The disadvantage and advantage here is that there are only two midfielders. As you know well, that means you start with a numerical disadvantage in the midfield battle.”

However, as the 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 formations have become the norm, most teams generally deploy three midfielders in the midfield.

Therefore, Tottenham’s two midfielders basically start with a numerical disadvantage, having to face three opponents.

Nevertheless, the reason Tottenham’s manager Antonio Conte insists on fielding two midfielders is that the moment they gain an advantage in the midfield battle, despite facing a 3-on-2 situation, suddenly one extra player becomes available in attack.

Setting up a three-back line to solidify the defense is to prepare for the possibility of being breached in this midfield battle, and retraining offensive-minded wingers as wing-backs to maximize these advantages.

“The reason we beat Tottenham in the last two games was also because of this.”

But against Burnley, who have the powerhouse Nicolas Seiwald who can overwhelm the opponent even in a 3-on-3 situation, taking a 3-on-2 numerical disadvantage meant that the midfield was crushed, leading to defeat.

As the players who remembered the previous games nodded, Hyungmin explained his and the coaching staff’s predictions.

“So, I think tomorrow they will come out with a 3-5-2 formation, solidifying the midfield and reducing the number of attackers slightly. In fact, he used this formation quite often when he was the manager of Juventus or Chelsea. And then they’ll try to win by a one-goal difference, so gaining an advantage in the midfield battle will be more helpful in controlling the game.”

As the prepared materials changed, Tottenham’s formation was altered to 3-5-2.

“There are quite a few possible combinations, but it doesn’t really matter. That’s because the players Tottenham has are all quite similar in terms of their tendencies for each position. First, the defense will be Cristian Romero, Eric Dier, and Davinson Sánchez, centered around Romero. Here too, it doesn’t really matter who comes out, they’re all similar.”

The requirements for a central defender at Tottenham are that they must be tall and good at distributing the ball.

“There are three possible midfielders, but this also… In fact, there are only four specialized central midfielders, so no matter how they are combined, you can assume they’re all roughly the same.”

They excel in activity and defensive abilities and prioritize stable ball distribution to the flanks rather than creative passes to the front line.

“In attack, Harry Kane will definitely be there, and for the other spot, there are several options, but Son Heung-min will be there because it’s a big game.”

The other attackers who could play in such a big game are Dejan Kulusevski, a member of the Swedish national team, and Richarlison, a member of the Brazilian national team, but both are inferior to Son Heung-min in terms of experience and skill.

In particular, it would not be easy to exclude the ace of the Korean national team, who boasts an almost telepathic connection with Harry Kane, from this game.

“Then, all that’s left are the wing-backs… Ivan Perišić will be on the left.”

The veteran, who was signed from Inter Milan on a free transfer last summer, was placed in the left wing-back position.

“The problem is the right side. Honestly, it’s a position that Tottenham has been struggling with all season… Either Matt Doherty or Lucas Moura will come out. Jed Spence hasn’t yet gained the trust of Antonio Conte…”

Hyungmin mentioned the only variable in the expected lineup of the opposing team.

“If they’re defensive, it’ll be Matt Doherty, and if they’re offensive, it’ll be Lucas Moura, but since there are five substitutions, they’re likely to change it according to the game situation.”

While it wasn’t too difficult to pick out Tottenham’s formation and 10 of the players who would start, who would fill that last spot was a topic that sparked a huge debate between Hyungmin and Burnley’s coaching staff.

In a big game like the final, would they conservatively use Matt Doherty, who is relatively strong defensively, or would they use Lucas Moura, who is relatively offensive, to strengthen the weakened attack, having already deployed six players in defense and midfield?

If they start with an offensive and then go down to defend, Lucas Moura will come out first, and if they defend first and then attack in the second half, Matt Doherty will come out first.

“So, Dwight and Abdu.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Yes~!”

The two players who will be in charge of Burnley’s right flank in tomorrow’s game quickly responded to the manager’s call.

“You need to respond appropriately depending on who comes out as the wing-back. If Lucas Moura comes out, you need to pay a little more attention to defense, and instead, you need to exploit the space behind them as much as possible. Conversely, if Matt Doherty comes out…”

“I’ll press and pressure them from the front.”

Hyungmin smiled at Dwight McNeil’s answer.

“That’s right. We’re not going to play a retreating game tomorrow, so no matter how they come out, just go and beat them up.”

As Dwight McNeil nodded, Hyungmin hesitated for a moment before moving on to the next slide.

“…By the way, I bet on Lucas Moura starting first, and the coaching staff bet on Matt Doherty starting first.”

“Can we bet on that too?”

When Hyungmin looked at Taejin’s face, who was in charge of the coaching staff’s betting, the veteran playing coach shrugged.

“Well, why not.”

“Everyone heard what the dealer said, right? Those who want to bet should go to Taejin after the meeting and place their bets.”

As the players chuckled, Hyungmin gestured to Carolina to move on to the next slide.

“Okay, tomorrow Tottenham’s key will be to defend the center firmly and launch quick counterattacks through the flanks. Of course, since it’s the Harry Kane and Son Heung-min combination, they can also stab straight to the front line in one go. The central defenders better be prepared.”

As if the light atmosphere from the joke just now had disappeared, the central defenders nodded with firm expressions.

The two Tottenham attackers, who combined for 46 goals this season, were a terror to any team’s defense.

Of course, there was also a monster like Manchester City’s Erling Haaland, who scored 46 goals alone, but Erling Haaland was treated as a natural disaster by the remaining teams except for Burnley, who suddenly became Manchester City’s nemesis this season, so he was excluded.

“Then, shall we take a look at how to deal with this together?”

As the players’ eyes lit up, Hyungmin began to unravel the results of the 고민 [gomin – a Korean word for deep contemplation or worry] that he and the coaching staff had been racking their brains over all week.