Became The Premier League’S Youngest Manager [EN]: Chapter 161

“Focus! Focus, everyone!”

Halftime.

The Burnley locker room in the Puskás Aréna [a large stadium in Budapest, Hungary] was filled with a tense silence. Players, bodies steaming, eyes blazing, exuded an intense energy.

It was the biggest game of their lives, but they’d conceded an early goal and then relentlessly attacked for 45 minutes without managing to score.

Amidst the swirling frustration, self-blame, anger, and annoyance, Hyungmin slammed his hand on the tactics board.

“I said, focus!”

Only after confirming that he had their attention did Hyungmin let out a long sigh.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t think my tactics were wrong.”

“…?”

The players paused, surprised by the coach’s unexpected words. Hyungmin realized he’d captured their attention more effectively than with his scolding. He quickly continued, “Our approach isn’t wrong. We all knew Tottenham could launch a counterattack at any moment! It’s just that instead of us scoring first and them counterattacking, the order was reversed.”

The players reluctantly nodded.

Hyungmin pulled the tactics board closer and began moving the markers. “Look here! Apart from the goal we conceded, there weren’t any other real threats.”

Of course, this was largely because the furious Burnley players had relentlessly attacked for 45 minutes, even pressing the opposing goalkeeper, but Hyungmin decided to omit those details.

“In the first half, we had 65% possession. We had 21 shots to their 1. Shots on target were 6 to 1. We’re ahead in every metric.”

Of course, Tottenham had achieved a one-shot-one-kill, scoring with their only shot, while Burnley had unleashed 21 shots but failed to score due to Tottenham’s desperate defense and goalkeeper Hugo Lloris’s saves. But those were minor details, so he omitted them as well.

“Okay, I know everyone is frustrated and annoyed, but that doesn’t mean the opponent’s goal will open up any faster. Right now, everyone needs to take a deep breath and approach this more calmly.”

The frustration began to subside with the coach’s calm and confident explanation.

“Alright, we won’t change the basic tactics. Coach Antonio Conte [Tottenham’s coach] also secured the lead in the first half, so he won’t want to cause problems by changing tactics at the start of the second half. It’ll likely be similar.”

Hyungmin tapped the tactics board and began explaining. “However, Lucas Moura has been showing unstable play in defensive situations, so he’ll almost certainly be substituted. The most likely candidate is Matt Doherty. But if they’re thinking of going all-in on defense, Japhet Tanganga might come on instead.”

Unlike the specialist wing-back Matt Doherty, Japhet Tanganga is primarily a central defender.

He can play right-back, but his attacking ability is weaker compared to his solid defense.

However, if it’s an Italian coach who led even the national team in the country of *catenaccio* [a tactical system in football known for its highly organized and staunchly defensive style], and who doesn’t hesitate to play a game with a one-goal difference, then choosing to go all-in on defense is certainly possible.

“What’s important for us isn’t who comes on, but that the defense will be strengthened in the second half. And then, after assessing the situation, they’ll either substitute an attacker at the end or aim for a counterattack again.”

Players like Dejan Kulusevski or Richarlison, who are waiting on the bench, can easily replace the tired Harry Kane or Son Heungmin and inject new energy into the attack.

“We’ll worry about that later. I’ll just talk about what we need to do.”

Hyungmin tapped the Burnley markers.

“In the second half, James and Anel will still protect the back, and Niki will still guard the line above them with Abdu, just like before.”

Forming a square with four players to trap Tottenham’s two attackers.

“Guga will also advance to Karim’s side and form a front line of four, just like before.”

Guga’s marker, the right-back, moved up and stood alongside the attacking line formed by Dwight McNeil, Benjamin Šeško, and Karim Adeyemi.

“But, Sebastian! Tomaso!”

“…Yes?!”

The two midfielders, who had been listening intently, responded reflexively to the coach’s call.

“Why are you shooting so wildly? Don’t just shoot as soon as you see the goal! There are so many opposing players in the penalty box that there’s no way you’ll get a clear shot!”

Basically, with Tottenham’s five-man back line and Burnley’s four attackers, there are nine field players alone.

Including Tottenham’s goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, there are a whopping ten players standing in or near the penalty box.

The space is crowded, and trying to break through with a long-range shot only increases the number of shots without being effective.

It’s already a long shot, and it’s even more of a headache if possession is lost.

The two midfielders, who had been shooting whenever they saw the goal throughout the first half in an attempt to make up for the deficit, lowered their flushed faces.

“You can shoot if a really good opportunity comes up, but if the front is blocked, try to pass to the side and create a cross, or you can even try to dribble and break through directly. You can also look for better opportunities while passing the ball around. Got it?”

“Yes!”

Hyungmin, having finished the instructions in a hurry, looked around at the players.

“If Coach Antonio Conte makes any more tactical changes, I’ll respond, so don’t worry about that. What you need to focus on right now isn’t us.”

“…??”

The players’ faces were filled with question marks.

Looking around at them, Hyungmin managed his expression, suppressing a twitch at the corner of his mouth, and gave a small smile. “Do you think it’s easy to maintain a one-goal lead for 89 minutes? They’re under much more mental strain than we are. And if they concede one goal here, all the desperate defending they’ve been doing will be meaningless, and they’ll be much more devastated.”

The players’ faces lit up with understanding.

Of course, if they succeed in holding out until the end, or if they score another goal, Burnley could collapse, but Hyungmin decided to omit this as well.

Because it’s minor.

“So, go out there and calmly look for openings. There are 45 minutes, so there’s plenty of time. Got it?!”

“Yes!!”

The players, having regained confidence, answered loudly.

“Then go out there and bring back the trophy!”

“Yes, sir!”

***

60 minutes into the second half.

“Sebastian!”

“Hmph!”

At the shout of Benjamin Šeško calling him from the front, Burnley’s central midfielder Sebastian Szymanski was about to send a pass into the heart of Tottenham’s penalty box when he suddenly came to his senses and passed the ball to Tomaso Pobega, who was waiting beside him.

As if it was a feint, Benjamin Šeško didn’t even wait for the pass and started moving again to find space inside the penalty box, and Burnley’s midfield started circulating the ball again, probing for opportunities.

“Over here!”

“Okay!”

Tomaso Pobega, who received Sebastian Szymanski’s pass, didn’t hesitate and immediately connected the pass to Nicolas Seiwald, who had come up from behind to support.

As the ball moved back, Tottenham’s central midfielders Rodrigo Bentancur and Pierre-Emile Højbjerg, who had been pressing Burnley’s two central midfielders until just now, retreated again.

If the first half was a battle between Burnley’s fierce front pressing and attack after conceding an early goal, and Tottenham’s solid defense to fend it off, the second half was proceeding in a somewhat different manner.

Tottenham’s defense was still solid, but Burnley’s players were no longer rushing their attacks and were instead slowly creating opportunities.

The fact that no shots had been fired in the 15 minutes since the start of the second half, after the wild shots that were fired roughly every two minutes in the first half, was proof of that.

The atmosphere in the stands was one of bewilderment from both sets of fans as to how to interpret this situation, but the Tottenham players on the field were feeling even more pressure than in the first half.

At least when they were running around desperately defending, they didn’t have time to think.

Now, the Burnley players were gritting their teeth and watching for opportunities, clearly signaling their intention to cut off their breath if they made even one mistake.

The ball passed to Nicolas Seiwald was moved to the left flank and passed to left-winger Dwight McNeil, but he didn’t force it when the front was blocked and instead retreated again, dropping back to left-back Abdu Diallo.

Then, it passed through central defenders Anel Ahmedhodžić and James Tarkowski in turn, and connected to central midfielder Tomaso Pobega.

Tottenham’s attackers Harry Kane and Son Heungmin attempted to press or intercept in between, but it was easy for the Burnley players to avoid them by passing the ball around because the numerical disadvantage was too clear.

And Guga, who received the ball that Tomaso Pobega had spread to the right flank, attempted to dribble past the sideline for a moment, but upon seeing two or three Tottenham players approaching to block him, he willingly surrendered and passed the ball back again.

The scene that had been repeated for 15 minutes of the second half.

Like throwing punches with the right and left hands in turn, the ball went from Burnley’s center to the left flank, then to the right flank via the backline, and finally returned to the center.

The one who received the ball was Sebastian Szymanski.

In the flow that had continued for 15 minutes, Tottenham’s midfielders, who had become accustomed to it, anticipated that the ball would either go back or return to the left flank and were guarding their positions at the top of the penalty box without pressing as hard as before.

And finally, the opportunity that the young midfielder, who the Polish national team boasts and the Burnley fans love, had been eagerly waiting for arrived.

“Gasp!”

Amidst the screams erupting from Tottenham’s defense, Sebastian Szymanski raised his right foot and fiercely struck the ball, piercing the space between Tottenham’s two central midfielders like an awl.

The one who received the ball was Benjamin Šeško, who had quietly and secretly slipped into that space behind the defense.

How he managed to hide his 195cm height, the 19-year-old attacker who had succeeded in penetrating to the very center of the penalty box before Tottenham’s defense realized it, didn’t even think about receiving the incoming pass and instead let the ball flow to his left, with his back to Tottenham’s goal and three central defenders.

“Block him!!”

Tottenham’s goalkeeper Hugo Lloris shouted like a scream, but the Tottenham players, who had become accustomed to the slow tempo that had continued throughout the second half, were a half-beat late in responding to the surprise attack.

Left wing-back Ivan Perišić and Davinson Sánchez, the left-sided central defender, moved towards the ball at the same time, but the opponent was not easy to deal with.

Karim Adeyemi, who announced his fantastic debut on the world stage at the Qatar World Cup.

The young attacker, who had quickly risen to become the ace of the German national team, instantly cut diagonally into the penalty box from the right flank and controlled the ball under his feet that Benjamin Šeško had sent.

“Hmph!”

“Oh no!!”

Tottenham’s left wing-back Ivan Perišić roughly tackled him from his right, but Adeyemi smoothly sent the ball to his right, jumped over him with a low jump, and then controlled the ball again with his right foot.

Everyone watching the game could tell that he hadn’t bought even the minimum amount of time, even without seeing Ivan Perišić’s dumbfounded expression as he slid on the grass.

As the Tottenham defense faltered from the sudden attack, the Burnley attackers simultaneously penetrated into the penalty box, making it impossible for the defense to recklessly stick to only Karim Adeyemi.

Only Davinson Sánchez, among Tottenham’s central defenders, desperately ran towards him, turning his arms back and spreading his body as much as possible to try to narrow his shooting angle.

An attempt to block Karim Adeyemi’s path to the goal and buy time until more support arrived.

However, Karim Adeyemi instead increased his speed towards Davinson Sánchez.

“Huh?!”

With Davinson Sánchez’s flustered shout, Karim Adeyemi, who had increased his speed, dribbled to the left and went around the right side of Tottenham’s central defender.

Davinson Sánchez, who had spent a precious second stopping due to the momentum of his run, could only watch helplessly as the opposing attacker brushed past him.

He lightly brushed past the last Tottenham defender who could hinder him.

The remaining defenders were in a situation where their attention was diverted by Dwight McNeil and Benjamin Šeško, who were frantically penetrating into the penalty box, and Guga, who was penetrating after him like a wave of attacks, and Sebastian Szymanski, who was charging up from the opposite side.

Now, all that remained was goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.

And as soon as the desperate face of Tottenham’s veteran goalkeeper, who was still standing on the goal line and unable to move forward, as if he hadn’t expected that two defenders would be broken through so quickly, came clearly into view, Karim Adeyemi strongly pushed the ball with his right foot, ignoring the momentum of his body heading to the left.

The target was the lower left corner of Tottenham’s goal.

The ball, which drew a trajectory that seemed to graze the goalpost slightly, passed the dazed goalkeeper as it was and crossed the goal line.

“Aaaaaah!!!”

As the crimson stands of the stadium shook as if an earthquake had struck, Karim Adeyemi raised both arms to the sky.

It was the beginning of the counterattack.