Became The Premier League’S Youngest Manager [EN]: Chapter 210

210. The Wall of Europe is High

“Ale! Ale! Ale! Milan ale! (Go! Go! Go! Go Milan!)”

“Forza lotta! Vincerai! (Fight! We will win!)”

“Non ti lasceremo mai! (We will never leave you!)”

“Ale! Ale! Ale! Milan ale! (Go! Go! Go! Go Milan!)”

With most of the 80,000 seats filled with red and black-clad home fans, enthusiastic cheers for the home team echoed throughout the stadium.

Burnley’s young manager and squad, who had opted for a head-on confrontation in enemy territory, were viscerally experiencing the power of AC Milan, the prestigious club dominating Serie A [Italy’s top professional league for football clubs].

“Cover! Don’t let him through!!”

Vice-captain Tommaso Pobega shouted towards the defense from the midfield.

“Support me!!”

Burnley’s right-sided defender, Oscar Mingueza, facing AC Milan’s left-sided attacker Rafael Leão with his back to the sideline, shouted back without taking his eyes off his opponent.

Sandro Tonali’s long pass, orchestrating AC Milan’s attack from the rear, pierced through the midfield line.

Having been caught on the counter-attack the moment they lost possession while attacking, Oscar Mingueza was desperate to buy time until the midfielders could provide support.

Since the start of the game, he had been outplayed by the young Portuguese international attacker several times, and had despondently stared at the number 17 on his back more than once.

Fortunately, they were preventing goals thanks to the cooperative defense of central defenders Nathan Collins and Mika Marmol, and goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi’s saves, but the pressure was gradually becoming overwhelming.

But now was not the time for such thoughts.

Watching Rafael Leão’s left shoulder drop slightly, Oscar Mingueza tensed, alternating his gaze between the opponent’s feet and eyes.

Is it real, or a feint?

The opponent’s upper body leaned to the left along with his shoulder, but Oscar Mingueza waited patiently until the very end.

If you don’t have speed, skill, or priority, all that’s left for a defender is patience.

But that patience alone can be enough.

A welcome voice reached him as he endured, recalling the words the youth team coach had repeatedly told him since childhood.

“Oscar, I’m going right!!”

Burnley’s central defender, Nathan Collins, appeared to Oscar Mingueza’s right with the sound of the wind, blocking the direct path to the goal.

Now that support had arrived, Rafael Leão clicked his tongue and passed the ball back, noticing the young Spanish defender preparing to actively challenge for the ball instead of passively defending.

“Daniele!!”

He called out only after sending the ball, but AC Milan’s young attacking midfielder had already appeared silently behind Oscar Mingueza’s left rear and received the ball.

“Gasp!”

Oscar Mingueza gasped in surprise.

If Nathan Collins had been just a step late, he, the defender, would have been facing a 2-on-1 situation instead of the attacker Rafael Leão.

Before Oscar Mingueza could recover from his panic and take a step towards his opponent, Tommaso Pobega finally stuck to Daniele Maldini, who had turned his body upon receiving the pass and was trying to shift the attack from the left flank to the right flank.

“Tommaso!”

“Daniele.”

The two players, who had grown up together in the youth team, struggled fiercely, bumping shoulders to protect or steal the ball.

The referee’s decisions today were lenient.

He was tolerating rough defense almost at the level of the English Premier League.

Daniele Maldini seemed to be pushed back by his tough friend, who also plays as a defensive midfielder, but as his body was pushed back, Daniele Maldini pulled the ball back with his right foot, cleverly moving his body and the ball out of Tommaso Pobega’s reach at the same time.

“Damn it!”

As he cursed and tried to follow the ball, Daniele Maldini pushed Tommaso Pobega away with one arm and kicked the ball long with his left foot.

“Oooo!!!”

The crowd applauded and cheered at the attacking midfielder’s witty play, as his pass crossed the field in one go, switching the focus of the attack from the left sideline to the right sideline.

This time, AC Milan’s right-sided attacker Alexis Saelemaekers was facing off against Burnley’s left-sided defender, Luca Pellegrini, who was charging at him.

Both friends, who had been competing to regain possession immediately after sprinting to provide support, were panting, and Tommaso Pobega barely managed to speak.

“To send it all the way over… isn’t that a bit much… huff…?”

“Damn it… then why didn’t you just… wheeze… leave me alone?”

Tommaso Pobega started to follow Daniele Maldini’s movements, who was already starting to move his feet while catching his breath.

“Hey, go bother someone else! Sandro or Ismaël!”

“They’re way back there, why would I go there?”

Daniele Maldini pretended to be annoyed at Tommaso Pobega, who was grinning and following him.

“Ah, don’t stick to me. It’s annoying….”

“I like it? It reminds me of the old days….”

“Haa….”

After letting out a long sigh, Daniele Maldini suddenly sped up to support his teammate who was facing off against the opposing team’s defender.

Tommaso Pobega shook his head as he watched his friend take off in a surprise move.

Are you kidding me? I’m Burnley’s vice-captain, notorious for having the highest work rate in the Premier League.

Tommaso Pobega checked the armband on his arm once again, tilting his body forward and starting to pick up speed.

“Wait for me, buddy!”

“Ah, get lost~!”

***

“Hmm….”

Hyeongmin, standing in the away team’s technical area with his arms crossed, glanced at the scoreboard and then turned his gaze back to the field, swallowing a groan.

30 minutes into the first half.

On the surface, both teams were playing a tight game, but the managers of both teams who had set up the tactics knew very well.

Burnley had rushed in with all their might from the start to score the first goal, and AC Milan had succeeded in firmly defending against Burnley’s all-out attack.

Rather, AC Milan’s counterattacks, which occasionally broke through Burnley’s high press, were smooth and sharp.

Burnley’s defense was still holding strong, but the defensive line was starting to visibly retreat.

In the end, it was a tactical defeat for Burnley, who had gambled from the start of the game.

To be precise, it was a tactical victory for AC Milan’s coach Stefano Pioli, who had foreseen Hyeongmin’s tactics.

But with the game not yet clearly leaning to either side, Carolini approached Hyeongmin, who was hesitating.

“Doesn’t look easy.”

“The defense is more solid than I thought. No, I knew the defense was solid, but definitely….”

Hyeongmin pointed slightly with his chin at AC Milan’s young midfielder, who was orchestrating the game from the rear of the midfield.

“…He deserves to be called the hope of the Italian national team.”

Sandro Tonali.

It’s amazing that he’s even getting the nickname ‘Next Pirlo’ [Andrea Pirlo, a legendary Italian midfielder], but he even goes around saying that he himself is the ‘Next Gattuso’ [Gennaro Gattuso, another famous Italian midfielder known for his tenacity].

But both are understandable.

If you only look at pure activity or defensive ability, he doesn’t measure up to Nicolas Seiwald, but with that level of defense and activity combined with such passing ability, he becomes a truly fearsome all-around midfielder.

Having a player who does at least 1.5 people’s worth in the midfield, and a player who can contribute to the attack while not giving up defensive contribution and holding his position, really has a big impact on the team’s strength.

Will Nico Gonzalez, who returned to Barcelona, look like that when he becomes more complete?

Anyway, thanks to the strong central midfielder, Daniele Maldini, who played as an attacking midfielder, can continue to connect the attack with less defensive burden than expected.

“Should we pull the line back now?”

“Hmm….”

It was a logical suggestion, and it would be strange if the head coach didn’t make the suggestion to the manager at this point.

The role of the head coach is not just to help the manager set up tactics, but also to offer opposing opinions in the current situation and consider responses together.

Hyeongmin tilted his head again at Carolina’s suggestion and swallowed a groan.

“Wouldn’t that just boost the opponent’s momentum?”

“But the counterattacks keep coming anyway? You can already see the midfield is getting overloaded. It’ll be pretty battered by the end of the game, you know?”

Tommaso Pobega, who was in good condition today, was doing reasonably well, but Patrik Dępała, who should have been checking Sandro Tonali, was not.

On top of that, since he can’t completely block the midfielder who is orchestrating the opposing team’s attack alone, Luka Sučić, who played with him, has to provide cooperative defense, which frees up Ismaël Bennacer.

So far, the three midfielders are just mindlessly making up for the difference with their activity, but they may have to bear the brunt of that stamina consumption in the second half.

“Hmm… First, tell Niki that he might be subbed in around the 60th minute of the second half.”

“To replace Patrik?”

Hyeongmin tilted his head at the head coach’s question.

“Or Luka. Whichever one is more exhausted.”

“Hmm….”

Carolina also had a troubled expression, but it was a situation where she was hesitant to rashly suggest changing the tactics altogether, as only 30 minutes had passed in the first half.

It’s not like Burnley was being pushed back for sure.

If they could end the first half like this, it would be a decent situation to evaluate the first 45 minutes of the San Siro [AC Milan’s home stadium] away game as a good fight, with the Burnley home game still remaining.

Both of them were well aware that it was a vain expectation to want to be superior in every scene of every game in a stage like the Champions League main stage.

The Champions League main stage is a stage that can only be reached when the manager’s cold tactical judgment, the players’ passion and experience, and even luck are combined.

“Okay. Then I’ll assume that we’re planning to switch things up by making substitutions in the second half.”

The head coach agreed with the manager’s words to trust the initially conceived tactics and players a little more.

“If necessary, let’s also consider attacking. It might not be a bad idea to switch from Jamal to Dwight or Adam, or even Keane.”

Switching from Jamal Lewis, whose strength is fast and direct attacks, to Dwight McNeil or Adam Hložek, who are capable of flexible and technical play, or Keane Lewis-Potter, could change the game and confuse the opposing team.

Carolina nodded at Hyeongmin’s suggestion.

“Okay. Then let’s bet on the second half.”

“We’ve been betting since the game started. Let’s make the second half a turning point.”

Carolina smiled back at Hyeongmin, who was speaking with a smile.

“Okay.”

But the turning point came much earlier than the two had anticipated.