Became The Premier League’S Youngest Manager [EN]: Chapter 182

“Uwaaaaaah!!!”

As the cheers of the home fans echoed once more, the Burnley players hung their heads again.

From 2-1 to 2-2, now the score was 2-3.

Above the cheers of the Arsenal fans, the excited voice of the stadium announcer could be heard.

[Goal! It’s a goal! The score is 3-2! This goal is by the Gunners’ pride~]

“Bukayo~ Sa! ka!”

In response to the announcer’s shout, the ecstatic home fans chanted the player’s name in unison.

Following Emile Smith Rowe, Amine Gouiri, and now Bukayo Saka.

Not even 30 minutes had passed in the second half, and Burnley had conceded 3 goals, completely losing control of the game.

They had faced harsh trials at the beginning of this season, but they had rarely been so thoroughly dominated by an opponent.

They suffered a 5-1 defeat against Tottenham, but Tottenham was filled with experienced players, led by Harry Kane and Son Heung-min, who are considered among the best strikers in the Premier League.

The feeling of being defeated by Arsenal players, who are just as full of youth as the young Burnley players, who are sometimes ridiculed as ‘Burnley Kindergarten,’ is different. It felt more disheartening.

In particular, the fact that the situation, which they had completely dominated in the first half, was reversed in just 20 minutes drained the strength from their legs.

While waiting for the kickoff, Nicolas Seiwald, who had a gloomy expression, was startled when he saw the fourth official raising the substitution board on the sideline. He was surprised to find himself relieved when he saw the disappointed Emanuel Vignato running off for the substitution.

He had completely forgotten that he had heard the manager’s explanation during halftime that Emanuel Vignato, who had not yet fully adapted to the intense physical battle of the Premier League, would be substituted midway through the second half.

While he was lost in thought, André Anderson, who had been substituted in, ran up to him.

“Get your head in the game!”

“What?”

André Anderson shook his head at the bewildered Nicolas Seiwald as if he were pathetic.

“The manager said. He told me to tell you to get your head in the game.”

“Ah···!”

When he looked at the technical area, where he had been unconsciously avoiding his gaze, he saw the manager sitting on the bench with his chin resting on his hand, looking at him.

*What are you doing right now?*

Nicolas Seiwald looked down at the orange armband on his arm and then looked around, seeing a mixture of disbelief and disappointment on the manager’s face, but still a relaxed expression.

Amidst the Emirates Stadium’s frenzy, the Arsenal players beyond the halfway line had eyes shining with life, and the Burnley players had slumped shoulders.

“Focus!!”

The players on the field all looked at him at Nicolas Seiwald’s shout.

“Focus!! The game isn’t over yet!!”

The Burnley players looked at their captain.

“16 minutes is enough!!”

Nicolas Seiwald pointed to the electronic scoreboard, which now indicated 74 minutes, and encouraged the Burnley players.

“We just need to score 1 goal every 8 minutes!!”

As the Arsenal players wore bewildered expressions and the Burnley players wore determined expressions, the referee’s whistle blew once again.

“Let’s go get them!!”

***

In later years, when critics were asked to name memorable games from the 2023/24 season, various opinions emerged.

In terms of importance, many critics cited the final league match, a one-off game between the 1st and 2nd place teams, which determined the Premier League champion.

Others cited Norwich’s crushing defeat, which symbolically marked the beginning of Manchester United’s long decline, after they had once dominated the Premier League.

But from a neutral point of view, what was the most enjoyable game?

The slugfest between Arsenal and Burnley in the 12th round of the Premier League received overwhelmingly high support.

The first 45 minutes, which Burnley dominated.

The first 29 minutes of the second half, when Arsenal retaliated.

And now, the last 16 minutes of the game were beginning.

***

“Block them!! Block them no matter what!!”

“Shut up, you X!”

Burnley midfielder Luka Sukic cursed at the stern instructions coming from behind, but he didn’t take his eyes off the opposing player.

Arsenal’s Martin Ødegaard, who was constantly trying to shake him up by twitching to the right and then to the left, also had a frustrated expression.

While the previous game had been one-sided, with one side taking the initiative and unilaterally pushing the other, the last 16 minutes of the game were turning into a tight slugfest, with both sides quickly exchanging attacks and defenses.

The Burnley players were desperately running to score the equalizer, and the Arsenal players were trying to score more goals to completely cut off the opponent’s momentum.

Conversely, as the game progressed and they became more and more physically exhausted, both teams were developing holes in their defense.

Thanks to this, the midfielders of both teams, who had to block the gaps in the defense and lead the attack, were dying on their feet.

“Damn it, damn it!”

Finally, Luka Sukic lunged forward, stretching out his leg.

“No!”

Nicolas Seiwald, who was running from behind, heard him shout urgently, but it was already too late.

His body was cutting through the air.

Martin Ødegaard, who had been defending the ball under his right foot, was about to lightly break through to the left by shifting the ball to his left foot in response to the opposing player’s reckless tackle, which he had been holding out well until now, but…

“Gasp!”

The fatigue accumulated in his legs made his toes feel heavy, and his touch was clumsy.

The ball, which bounced forward instead of to the left, headed towards the end of Luka Sukic’s outstretched foot.

With this unexpected windfall, Luka Sukic swung his right foot forcefully while still lying down and kicked the ball away.

“Get it!!”

“Cut it off!!”

“You have to get it first!!”

The players from both teams shouted at the same time as the ball suddenly bounced into the middle of the midfield without an owner.

From Arsenal’s midfield, it was Thomas Partey.

Among Burnley’s midfielders, it was Patrick de Paula who ran fiercely towards the ball.

Patrick de Paula’s feet were faster, but Thomas Partey’s position was closer.

In the precarious moment when it was unclear who would reach the ball first, Patrick de Paula simply threw his body.

“Hey!! What the X!”

Nicolas Seiwald cursed again at the absurd scene.

Tackling first in such a tight competition is just gambling.

Unless it was Alessandro Nesta, the legend of Lazio and AC Milan, who was considered one of the best defenders of his time, who had excellent defensive skills and succeeded in all kinds of impossible tackles.

Now, that tackle is just a matter of luck, even if Alessandro Nesta’s grandfather came instead of him.

No, it would be fortunate if the opposing player was caught in the tackle and a foul was called and a card was given.

At least they can cut off the opposing team’s attack and reorganize their defense.

In the worst-case scenario, one player could be excluded from the game for a while as he slides across the grass, while the opposing team that has possession of the ball can rapidly launch a counterattack.

As Luka Sukic and Patrick de Paula repeated their reckless choices, Nicolas Seiwald was tempted to tear his hair out in the midst of his urgency.

*Is this why Zinedine Zidane went bald so quickly?!*

Even as Nicolas Seiwald was thinking absurd thoughts in his head, he quickly turned his steps towards Luka Sukic and ran desperately to support Patrick de Paula.

However, the goddess of victory, whose heart is like a reed [unpredictable and easily swayed], seemed to have decided to smile on Burnley for the last 16 minutes of today’s game.

“Damn it!”

With Thomas Partey’s curse, the ball caught on the end of Patrick de Paula’s foot first.

It’s not a situation where he can send a proper pass.

However, to get to the ball that Patrick de Paula kicked out with his right foot, he had to go around or jump over him lying on the grass, and that amount of time was enough for Nicolas Seiwald.

“Uwaaaah!!”

Reaching the ball with a long shout, Nicolas Seiwald swung his right foot with all his might and sent the ball, which had been kicked around in the midfield, forward to the left.

It was a long and clumsy pass sent beyond the halfway line, but it was Burnley’s young gem, Dwight McNeil, who was running to receive the ball.

The ball flew high and fast, making it difficult to receive, but Dwight McNeil, gracefully leaping and extending his left foot, gently landed the ball on the instep of his foot and landed back on the grass with the ball.

Amidst the applause from home and away fans alike for the young ace’s beautiful technique, Burnley’s left winger, who had perfectly controlled the ball with his back to the left sideline, raised his head and scanned the field.

The midfielders of both teams are gathered near the halfway line, so they cannot be directly involved in the game.

So, exclude them.

Arsenal’s attack is now desperately running towards the defense.

Then exclude them.

Arsenal’s left defender Kieran Tierney is now rushing towards the defense with the attackers, so it’s meaningless, and Arsenal’s right defender Ben White is…

…Ah, he’s tackling me.

Dwight McNeil, glancing at the opposing team’s defender who was flying in with a fierce tackle, tapped the ball to the left about 1 meter with the outside of his left foot.

Then, as he leisurely moved his steps to the left, he caught sight of Ben White’s bewildered expression as he slid across the grass to his right.

Tsk tsk.

That’s why you should have listened to Niki’s warning.

You shouldn’t tackle in this situation.

Oh, but you’re not on our team. Sorry.

Unimportant thoughts were flowing in one corner of his head, but his eyes were fixed on the ball as he raised his left foot again and swung it.

The ball, gently wrapped around the inside of his left foot, flew low and fast into Arsenal’s penalty box.

“Ugh!”

Although it looks like it’s just flying, the ball, which is fiercely spinning to the right, curves into the penalty box.

Goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale, who had hesitated to run out of the goal, let out a groan close to a scream.

The ball, which pierced the very center of the triangle formed by Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale and central defenders William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhães, headed towards Benjamin Šeško, who had been fiercely rushing into the penalty box as soon as Dwight McNeil received the ball.

The young hope of the Slovenian national team, lowering his upper body at the same speed as he was running, simply brought his right foot to the flying ball.

There’s no need to kick it hard.

The ball bounced out like a cannonball with a soft shot that simply changed the direction while maintaining the momentum of the flying cross.

As goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale, who was staring straight ahead with a bewildered face, was unable to move from his spot, the ball shook the goal net as if tearing it apart.

“Uwaaaah!!!”

The cheers of the Burnley fans, who had been suppressed by the momentum of the home fans during the second half, echoed as if filling the Emirates Stadium.

3 to 3.

The game is back to square one.

82 minutes into the second half.

Now there are 8 minutes left.