Became The Premier League’S Youngest Manager [EN]: Chapter 178

Burnley clinched their first victory of the season with a thrilling win against Manchester City, but it’s still just three points in the grand scheme of things.

After the Premier League’s 6th round, Burnley finds themselves languishing in 20th place out of 20 teams.

West Ham sits just above them in 19th with 1 win and 1 draw, accumulating 4 points.

Brentford is 18th, mirroring West Ham’s record with 1 win and 1 draw, also totaling 4 points.

Aston Villa occupies 17th place with 1 win, 3 draws, and 2 losses, giving them 6 points.

And Norwich is 16th with 2 wins and 1 draw, totaling 7 points.

To compound matters, Burnley secured their 3 points against West Ham, Aston Villa, and Norwich, meaning they won’t face these relegation rivals again in the first half of the season.

In essence, they need to recoup the points lost to relegation contenders by taking points from teams higher up the league table.

Now, Burnley urgently needs to start accumulating points to escape the relegation zone and climb to at least 17th place.

The silver lining is the congested mid-table, with Fulham in 11th place with 2 wins, 1 draw, and 3 losses, totaling 7 points, their position bolstered by goal difference.

Meanwhile, Liverpool is on a relentless march towards their third consecutive Premier League title, dominating in 1st place with a perfect record of 6 wins from 6 games, amassing 18 points. Manchester City trails in 2nd place with 4 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss (courtesy of Burnley), totaling 13 points, edging out Newcastle based on goal difference. The leading pack is so far ahead they’re almost out of sight.

Fans who’ve followed the Premier League for the past couple of seasons might find Burnley’s rock-bottom position jarring, but the most stoic are the long-suffering supporters who witnessed the team’s collapse and subsequent plunge into the fourth division in the early 1990s.

“We are Burnley!”

“Super Burnley!”

“We are Burnley!”

“From the Moor!” [A reference to Burnley’s location near the Pennine Moors]

“Led by the man!”

“From the east!”

“Super Burnley!”

“Super Kim!” [Referring to their manager, Hyungmin Kim]

70th minute of the second half.

The fervent cheers of Burnley’s away fans, who somehow smuggled in a drum rarely seen at European football matches, drowned out the chants of the home supporters filling Fulham’s stadium, Craven Cottage.

The players on the pitch seemed equally unsure of whose home ground it was.

Whistle!

As the referee’s whistle signaled a foul, the Burnley players, poised to launch a counter-attack after winning the ball, slumped in disappointment, while the Fulham players sighed in relief, shuffling into position to reflect the change in possession.

Despite relinquishing possession, the Burnley players didn’t concede an inch of ground, pressing the opposing central defenders from the front. Conversely, the Fulham players retreated into their defensive zone, showing little appetite for attack.

“Focus! Get your head in the game!”

Luka Sučić, a key cog in Burnley’s midfield, protested against captain Nicholas Seiwald’s harsh reprimand after sending Fulham’s veteran midfielder Nathaniel Chalobah sprawling in a challenge.

“Hey! I’m putting in the work here!”

“Press properly! Or you’ll be watching from the bench!”

A quick glance towards the away team’s bench revealed Patrick De Paula and Christian Medina warming up on the sidelines, their eyes glued to the action.

Of course, the other five players, barring second-choice goalkeeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell, were also going through their paces, but unless there was a sudden tactical reshuffle, those two were the most likely candidates for substitution.

Unsurprisingly, the expressions of the manager and head coach, standing shoulder-to-shoulder in the technical area with arms crossed after conceding the equalizing goal, were far from cheerful.

“No, how is that my fault?!”

Luka Sučić, the Croatian national team’s highly touted midfield prospect, pathetically protested, but his Burnley teammates barely batted an eyelid.

Benjamin Šeško, who marked his sensational return with a hat-trick against Mönchengladbach, had fired Burnley into the lead in the 13th minute with a blistering right-footed shot after a dazzling solo run, making it seem like they were on course for a comfortable victory.

However, in the 59th minute, Fulham’s captain and central defender, Alfie Mawson, managed to shake off his marker during a corner kick and headed home the equalizer.

The culprit responsible for marking Alfie Mawson during the corner kick was none other than Luka Sučić.

Of course, it was arguably unfair to expect the slender Luka Sučić, of average height and just over 70 kilograms, to single-handedly contain a burly defender standing at 188 centimeters and weighing 90 kilograms, but the Burnley players weren’t buying any excuses.

Especially the Burnley defenders, who have to contend with the towering presence of Lorenzo Lucca (201cm) and Benjamin Šeško (195cm) in training day in and day out, were particularly unsympathetic.

Fueled by the pressure to redeem himself and the burning desire to maintain the team’s winning momentum, he charged into the opposing team’s midfielder from behind, only to earn a dressing down from the captain.

As Luka Sučić wore a frustrated expression, Burnley’s manager, arms still crossed in the technical area, was deep in discussion with his head coach.

“They seem to have come out with a much more organized approach in the second half, don’t you think?”

“It’s a home game, so they’re not going to roll over. They seem to be trying to manufacture set-piece opportunities, knowing they have the height advantage.”

While conceding the equalizer was a setback, neither Hyungmin nor Carolina held Luka Sučić solely responsible.

It wasn’t as if he had completely lost his man during the corner kick or was caught napping; being outmuscled by a seasoned central defender in a one-on-one aerial duel could be considered a natural occurrence.

Moreover, Fulham boasts a number of players with superior physical attributes, spearheaded by the Serbian target man Aleksandar Mitrović (189cm), who played a pivotal role in guiding the team back to promotion after tearing up the English second-tier Championship for two consecutive seasons.

It appeared that Fulham’s manager, Marco Silva, was effectively utilizing the assets he had acquired from his time in the Championship, where even more brutal physical battles take place than in the Premier League until recently.

“Well… if they really want a height contest, let’s give them one.”

“Yeah. Paulo is already giving us pleading looks.”

There was no way the fitness coach or team doctor would sanction the reckless decision to allow the starting central striker, fresh from injury, to play the full 90 minutes for two consecutive games.

Hyungmin had already briefed Benjamin Šeško and Lorenzo Lucca on the planned substitution schedule before the match.

As the pre-arranged 70-minute mark approached, Hyungmin, who had yet to use any of his five substitution slots, nodded in acknowledgment.

“Shall we bring them all on at once, then?”

“Hehe. Sounds good.”

Carolina spun around, strode towards the bench, and gestured to the players.

And although it was undeniably a soccer match, strangely, instead of loosening their legs, two imposing figures were limbering up their broad shoulders, following Carolina and lumbering towards the touchline under the watchful eye of the fourth official.

Central striker Lorenzo Lucca.

Central midfielder Patrick De Paula.

Within Burnley, they are known as the training partners that defenders dread the most, and the midfield destroyer comparable to Nicholas Seiwald, according to the manager and coaching staff’s assessment.

Benjamin Šeško, wearing a composed expression, and Luka Sučić, looking dejected, jogged to the sideline, and the two replacements sprinted onto the pitch, exchanging high-fives.

As Hyungmin watched the two players dash to their respective positions and signal tactical adjustments to their teammates, he sensed a gaze and turned his head. Marco Silva, the manager of the opposing home team, was staring intently at him, seemingly sensing a shift in the atmosphere in the technical area.

Hyungmin smiled and waved at his managerial counterpart.

“Sorry, but we’re on a tight schedule too!”

***

Hmm, something feels off.

No, I’m getting a bad feeling.

The young Portuguese manager, part of a recent wave of talented coaches emerging from the country, tilted his head in contemplation.

Of course, he’s still considered young, at least by Premier League standards.

He was a fresh-faced 34 years old when he embarked on his managerial career at Estoril Praia in the Portuguese first division in 2011, and after accumulating 12 years of experience, he is now 46 years old.

That makes him 10 years older than the young Asian manager with black hair who waved at him from the opposite technical area.

Granted, that black-haired prodigy secured his first senior managerial role in the Premier League at the age of 34 and transformed a team widely tipped for relegation into European contenders, even lifting a cup trophy in his debut season, but he too has weathered numerous triumphs and setbacks while navigating the Portuguese, Greek, and English football landscapes.

And the wealth of experience he has amassed over those years was now triggering alarm bells.

“The ones who just came on, Lorenzo Lucca and number 15 next to him. Who are they?”

His head coach, Luís Boa Morte, who has been by his side since his Everton days, responded instantly without even consulting the data.

“Lorenzo Lucca and Patrick De Paula. Patrick De Paula is the midfielder they signed from Brazil. Lorenzo Lucca is…”

“Ah.”

There isn’t a Premier League manager who isn’t familiar with Lorenzo Lucca by now.

A big fish that Burnley’s football director, Jonathan Landres, reeled in from the Italian second division, Serie B.

No, “whale” might be a more fitting description.

The only player whose stock continued to rise even during Burnley’s dismal 5-game losing streak.

A giant standing just over 2 meters tall with surprisingly agile movement and an almost supernatural heading ability.

But what truly captivates the analysts of every Premier League team is not just his aerial prowess.

Given his immense size, his movements should be far more restricted, yet he possesses a turn of pace that outstrips central defenders of similar stature, and his shooting is certainly not lacking.

Unless he’s a freak of nature like Erling Haaland, no one expects intricate dribbling skills from a player of that height anyway.

His passing still requires some refinement, but considering he’s only 22 years old and this is his first season in a major league like the Premier League, there’s ample scope for improvement.

Burnley’s Hyungmin Kim and his coaching staff are widely regarded as experts in nurturing promising talent.

Being able to carefully manage Benjamin Šeško’s playing time following his return from injury and introduce an equally capable player demonstrates that Burnley’s squad depth has significantly improved, but the Brazilian midfielder who arrived simultaneously is causing him some concern.

He performed adequately in the Champions League match against Mönchengladbach, but in that game, Benjamin Šeško’s individual brilliance overshadowed the opposition, making it difficult to gather meaningful data on the other players.

During the 5-game losing streak in the Premier League, he didn’t receive a fair opportunity to play due to the team’s overall struggles.

But he’s being introduced alongside a new central striker at a crucial juncture when they desperately need to push for a win in an away game like this?

The Portuguese manager, who guided Fulham back to the Premier League, felt a shiver run down his spine.