Became The Premier League’S Youngest Manager [EN]: Chapter 189

“Thank you! Congratulations on the completion of New Turf Moor!!”

“Waaaaah!!!”

With the cheers of the crowd, the singer, having finished the song with gusto, waved and descended from the stage, offering a final greeting.

As the staff busily dismantled the stage, Helena, observing the stadium from the director’s box, inquired,

“How is it, Dad?”

“It’s great.”

The remark was understated, but Helena smiled, detecting the satisfaction in her father’s voice.

It was a subtle nuance, perhaps unnoticed by others, but it resonated deeply with her family.

The sight of New Turf Moor, finally complete with its roof, was indeed impressive.

The rectangular pitch of green grass was encircled by gently sloping, oval-shaped stands, topped by a ring of box seats.

The clever slope design created a sense of proximity, making the players’ efforts feel immediate even from the back rows.

The bright lights installed in the roof could illuminate the entire stadium or focus on a specific area, as demonstrated during the performance.

Separate entrances for home and away fans, along with divided passageways to various amenities, made it a state-of-the-art stadium prioritizing convenience, safety, and modern facilities.

It was already being lauded as a must-visit destination for football enthusiasts.

In contrast to the stadium’s grandeur, the completion ceremony itself was fairly standard.

Originally, there were plans to invite the president of the official supporters club to deliver a special congratulatory speech. However, upon realizing that this would involve speaking in front of 36,000 spectators and being broadcast nationwide, the supporters club board responded to all inquiries and suggestions with resolute silence, making their refusal abundantly clear.

The unnamed club employee who suggested inviting Arthur Brimlow as a special guest speaker was swiftly sentenced to the task of polishing all the soccer equipment in the Banfield Training Center until it gleamed like new – a unanimous decision by the remaining club employees.

As a consequence of this folly, the employee remained confined to the warehouse, paying the price for such a suggestion.

Ultimately, Helena delivered a speech as CEO, followed by a performance from an invited pop singer. Once the stage was removed, the Carabao Cup quarter-final match against Manchester United was set to begin.

Of course, the Burnley faithful hadn’t lost their characteristic enthusiasm.

“The atmosphere here is incredible, isn’t it? Is it always like this, or is it just because it’s a special day?”

Ian Cartwright III expressed his admiration for the fans’ cheers, who had already begun singing their anthem during the brief interlude between the performance and the game.

“Turf Moor always has this atmosphere,” Helena replied proudly, listening to the familiar chant.

***

“For ever and ever”

“We’ll follow a team”

“It’s Burnley FC”

“We are supreme!”

“We’ll never be mastered”

“By the Blackburn b***ards”

“And keep the claret flag flying high!”

Outside, the passionate cheers of the fans reverberated, while inside the New Turf Moor home team locker room, a different kind of enthusiastic support was underway.

“You can do it, Lorenzo! Blast it into the net! Let’s get a hat trick today!”

The veterans, including captain Nicholas Seiwald, who had been with Burnley for at least a season, vigorously cheered while patting Lorenzo Luca’s shoulders and back as he prepared to start the game.

“It’s okay, Benjamin! You can score even more in the next game. The top spot is just around the corner!”

Conversely, the newcomers who had joined Burnley during the summer transfer window offered words of comfort and encouragement to Benjamin Sesko, who was starting on the bench.

Interestingly, the Italian players, including Tomaso Pobega, were all rooting for Benjamin Sesko rather than their fellow countryman, Lorenzo Luca.

Luca Pellegrini’s explanation for this was a gem.

“Damn it, every time I get a call from home, it’s all about Lorenzo! My friends are always asking if I’ve played with Lorenzo, how he’s doing. Even when my mom calls, she only asks about Lorenzo! I’m her son!”

The new darling of the Italian national team, Lorenzo Luca, had burst onto the scene.

His outstanding performances at Burnley had earned him a call-up, and remarkably, in his debut international match, he scored a hat trick, dismantling the Spanish national team’s defense like a tank.

Lorenzo Luca, a striker who emerged seemingly from nowhere amidst Italy’s long search for a traditional center-forward, was already being compared to legendary Italian strikers like Christian Vieri and Luca Toni, igniting enthusiasm among Italian fans.

Adding to the excitement was the friendly rivalry between Benjamin Sesko and Lorenzo Luca: 14 goals versus 15 goals, respectively.

What began as a friendly competition between strikers and positional rivals on the same team was now intensifying.

Currently, Lorenzo Luca held a slight advantage, having played more games earlier in the season.

However, Benjamin Sesko, displaying a peak sense of goal since returning from injury, was rapidly closing the gap.

Fortunately, the two players remained on good terms.

The issue, if it could be called that, was that the rest of the players were placing bets on who would score more goals by the end of the season.

“What are the odds looking like these days?” Hyeongmin, observing the players’ lively banter with his arms crossed, approached Taejin and asked slyly.

“It’s almost even now. Lorenzo has a slight edge at around 1 to 1.1.”

“But why are the odds changing? We’ve already placed our bets, right?”

Taejin sighed at his friend’s naive question.

“Hey, you can bet more money after every game.”

“Can you change the target too?”

“Of course. There are even guys betting on both sides simultaneously.”

“Heok…!”

While Hyeongmin was shocked by this blatant betrayal and collusion, Taejin chuckled.

“People’s true colors tend to emerge in situations like this.”

“Surely Nikki [short for Nicholas] wouldn’t do such a thing, would he?”

Taejin turned to his friend at Hyeongmin’s trembling voice.

“What are you talking about? He’s leading the charge in betting on both sides alternately. He claims he has to maintain fairness as captain? Heh, his intentions are obvious.”

He’s essentially hedging his bets, shifting his allegiance like a reed in the wind whenever one side scores a goal.

But if he keeps averaging down like that, there will come a day when he takes a proper dive [suffers a significant loss].

Taejin smiled slyly at the thought of teaching a lesson to the young captain who hasn’t yet experienced the harsh realities of life.

***

“Ooooooh!!!”

As groans and exclamations erupted from the stands, Christian Medina, having narrowly missed a long-range shot, shook his head in disappointment and turned to retreat to the midfield.

The Manchester United defense and goalkeeper looked visibly aged by the near miss.

It had been a clear opportunity, and a successful finish would have significantly eased the pressure on Burnley. However, Hyeongmin, watching the game with his arms crossed in the technical area while already leading 1-0, remarked to his companion,

“Why does everyone think they can dominate our midfield simply by packing it with midfielders?”

“Well? Usually, the team with the numerical advantage controls the midfield, right?”

“Against those guys?”

The ‘those guys’ Hyeongmin referred to were still energetically pressing forward, attempting to prevent Manchester United’s defense from building an attack.

Nicholas Seiwald and Patrick de Paula.

While commentators were dedicating a significant portion of their broadcast time to discussing strategies for overcoming these two, Premier League managers facing Burnley were adding another line to their prayer list.

‘Thank you for only having to face Burnley twice a season, in addition to Manchester City and Liverpool.’

Burnley, having overcome their early-season struggles, were being touted as the most likely candidates to disrupt the established dominance of Manchester City and Liverpool. At the heart of Burnley’s success was their relentless front-line pressure, fueled by tremendous energy.

And the engine of that front-line pressure was the midfield duo who squeezed the opposing team from the center of the field, allowing them little room to breathe.

Only Liverpool, capable of matching them strength for strength, and Manchester City, able to overcome them technically, could effectively compete in midfield. The remaining teams were learning firsthand just how challenging it was.

“Well, coach Simone Inzaghi must have wanted to experiment. After all, the Carabao Cup is less critical. He’d face serious criticism if he tried this in the Premier League, wouldn’t he?”

Hyeongmin glanced at the opposing team’s technical area in response to Carolina’s comment.

Simone Inzaghi.

47 years old, Italian nationality.

The younger brother of Juventus and AC Milan legend Pippo Inzaghi, he himself had a career as a professional soccer player.

Coincidentally, he also played as a striker, like his brother.

However, unlike his brother, who forged a legendary career with the Italian national team, Juventus, and AC Milan, he was a more ordinary striker.

He played for Lazio in Serie A for 10 seasons and won the Serie A title once, but was generally considered a level below his brother as a player.

However, his coaching abilities appeared to surpass his brother’s. After retiring, he began his coaching career in the Lazio youth system. He progressed through the ranks, managing the youth team and reserve team before taking over the first team as an interim coach when Stefano Pioli was dismissed.

Just as he anticipated stepping down when Marcelo Bielsa was appointed as the official coach in the summer, Bielsa resigned after only a week due to disagreements with the club’s management. At the request of a desperate Lazio club, Inzaghi was then appointed as the official coach.

In some ways, his career trajectory mirrored Hyeongmin’s, who had also taken over as an interim coach in a pinch before being officially appointed.

He subsequently led Lazio to win the Italian Cup and qualify for the Champions League. After Antonio Conte’s sudden resignation, Inter Milan, impressed by Inzaghi’s achievements, hired him after he had led them to a Serie A title and consistently competed with AC Milan and Juventus, finishing 2nd and 3rd.

Manchester United, who sacked Erik ten Hag after only half a season due to poor results, signed Inzaghi in the 2023 summer transfer market after his success with Inter Milan.

He favored the 3-5-2 formation popular among Italian coaches, but the team’s performance had yet to match his tactical preferences.

After 16 rounds in the Premier League, they sat in 7th place with 24 points, having won 7, drawn 3, and lost 6.

They hadn’t even secured a spot in European competition, but critics and fans generally agreed that this wasn’t the coach’s fault, but rather a reflection of the deep-seated problems within Manchester United.

Of course, Manchester United’s owners and management were unlikely to agree.

Despite investing heavily in the transfer market, they had failed to establish a clear team identity and direction, leaving Simone Inzaghi to struggle alone.

At least Chelsea’s coach, Graham Potter, was receiving the owner’s full support, at least publicly.

With rumors of his dismissal already circulating, the focus of attention for everyone except Manchester United fans was whether the club would add another chapter to their history of coaching instability, a trend that had persisted since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement.

The pale-faced coach stood in the technical area, issuing loud instructions to the players, but Burnley, buoyed by the enthusiastic support of their home fans, remained resilient.

As the game intensified, Hyeongmin glanced at his player warming up on the sidelines.

“Then, shall we bring him on?”

Carolina, following Hyeongmin’s gaze, checked the player he was referring to and smiled.

“Okay.”