Became The Premier League’S Youngest Manager [EN]: Chapter 224

224: Destiny in Our Hands

Thwack!

“Oooooooo!!!”

As the Burnley fans filling Turf Moor unleashed a storm of fierce boos, Burnley’s midfielder, Sebastian Szymanski, spun around like a marionette with severed strings after a rough tackle by Liverpool’s midfielder, Jude Bellingham, and collapsed onto the grass.

“You son of a bitch!!”

The enraged Burnley players rushed in, but the referee, moving quickly, stepped between them and blew his whistle.

“Liverpool number 8, foul!”

The Liverpool players protested vehemently as the yellow card emerged from the referee’s pocket, but the referee stood firm.

“Hey, you okay?”

Sebastian Szymanski grabbed the outstretched hand, asking in heavily accented English as he got up.

His whole body was covered in grass.

Next to Sebastian Szymanski, who was brushing himself off, a sigh was heard.

“They’re playing pretty rough.”

At his teammate’s words as he helped him up, Sebastian Szymanski had to control his facial muscles to avoid making a ridiculous expression.

Dude, you’re the roughest one here!

Patrick de Paula, who, alongside captain Nicholas Seiwald, was known for forming the fiercest and toughest defense in the Premier League.

The young Brazilian midfielder, already exuding the air of a seasoned veteran with his face and expression, and known for his infamous, combative demeanor in the Premier League, was, in reality, a very kind and gentle friend to his teammates.

Hmm, if either he or I end up on different teams in the future, I definitely need to avoid facing him.

“Then, I’ll get going.”

Seeing Burnley being awarded a free kick, Patrick de Paula started to move again.

Watching the players from both teams facing each other, building up their momentum, Sebastian Szymanski sighed softly.

It hasn’t even been 10 minutes since the game started, and already more than half the players have hit the ground at least once.

The game is definitely getting rough.

Among the players from both teams, who were flashing fierce glares, the Polish midfielder, himself notorious, tilted his head from side to side, examining the Liverpool players.

Let’s see, who would be best to mess with…

***

The final game of the season.

Some teams give opportunities to promising players and those who have stood out from the reserve team because further points won’t affect their ranking. Occasionally, if there’s a retiring player who is beloved by the fans, they might be substituted in the second half or come on at halftime to greet the fans.

On the other hand, teams that still have something to play for don’t hold back any more of their strength and pour everything in to secure as many points as possible and climb the rankings even by one spot.

And Liverpool, who lifted the FA Cup [Football Association Challenge Cup, a prestigious annual knockout competition in English football] three days ago, and Burnley, who are playing in the European Champions League final in two weeks, were clearly in the latter category.

Liverpool deployed their best attacking lineup, consisting of Mohamed Salah, Darwin Núñez, and Luis Diaz, at the forefront, centered around a midfield featuring Fabinho, Jude Bellingham, and Thiago.

Meanwhile, Burnley sent out Nicholas Seiwald and Patrick de Paula together, entrusting Sebastian Szymanski with orchestrating the attack, and fielding Dwight McNeil and Adam Hložek around Benjamin Šeško.

The defense consisted of Guðmundsson, Anselmo García McNulty, Anel Ahmedhodžić, and Mika Mármol from right to left.

With both teams fielding their best starting lineups, an uncompromising clash commenced with the start of the game.

The sixth encounter this season alone.

They know each other well by now.

What both teams aim for is an intense high press and counter-attack based on vigorous activity, and if they gain an advantage from there, they trap the opponent in their defensive zone and overwhelm them with brute force.

The players from both teams, having clearly realized that the moment they concede, they’ll be pushed all the way back to their own penalty box, were fighting fiercely to take control of the midfield.

Liverpool, desperate to avoid losing the league title they had never doubted since the start of the season, at the last moment.

Burnley, equally desperate not to miss the opportunity to win the league, which they had never imagined, for the first time in a whopping 64 years, now within their grasp.

Amidst the burden and expectation, hope and fear, it was Liverpool, filled with seasoned veterans, who gained the upper hand first.

***

“Mika!”

“I know! Just block them from breaking through the middle!”

“Got it!”

For the first time, an offensive play was developed to the vicinity of the opponent’s penalty box.

A long pass from Thiago, exploiting the gap created by Liverpool’s midfielders Fabinho and Jude Bellingham.

The pass, which instantly pierced through both teams’ midfields, was delivered right to the feet of Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah, who started as the right winger.

And blocking the opposing team’s attacker, who was about to rush straight towards Burnley’s penalty box, was Mika Mármol, who calls himself Burnley’s Maldini [referring to Paolo Maldini, an Italian former professional footballer widely regarded as one of the greatest defenders of all time] and is called the leader of the Maldini cult by his teammates.

“Hmph!”

Mika Mármol, watching the opponent’s leaning shoulder and toes, flinched and took a slight half-step back.

“Tch!”

Mohamed Salah clicked his tongue, seeing that his opponent wasn’t falling for the feint.

This is only the second game facing him properly, and he’s not easy to deal with.

He’s been watching him with some interest since their first encounter, and his skills are definitely improving rapidly with each game.

More than anything, you can see the confidence that he can stop anyone, no matter who the opponent is, when he steps onto the field.

Even if he makes a mistake or gets broken through, he doesn’t give up and chases to the end to defend again.

A bothersome, clingy, and annoying defender from an attacker’s perspective.

Naturally, the best defender from his teammates’ perspective.

Should I not have asked to exchange jerseys that day?

At that moment, a rapidly moving figure came into the corner of Mohamed Salah’s vision, who was bitterly clicking his tongue while trying to resume the attack, seeing the young defender reaching a turning point where his skills exploded after their match.

If it’s this…!

“Gasp!!”

Burnley’s young defender, Mika Mármol, who was checking Liverpool’s world-class attacker Mohamed Salah right in front of his eyes, screamed in astonishment.

The moment he took a slight half-step back to thwart Mohamed Salah’s renewed feint.

The short Egyptian national team ace facing him chipped the ball over Mika Mármol’s head with his left foot.

No, wait a minute.

A chip shot?

This is outside the penalty box?!

As Mika Mármol, horrified along with the home fans’ uproar, turned around, Liverpool’s central attacker Darwin Núñez, who had succeeded in shaking off Burnley’s central defenders, was leaping into the air, receiving the incoming ball with his chest.

It wasn’t a chip shot, but a lob pass!

A perfect chance where the attacking line properly capitalized on the opportunity created by Liverpool’s midfielders.

Burnley’s defenders were all rushing towards him, but it was already too late.

Not to mention Guðmundsson, who was guarding the right flank and checking Liverpool’s left winger Luis Diaz.

Darwin Núñez, with his exquisite movement, caused Burnley’s central defenders Anel Ahmedhodžić and Anselmo García McNulty to collide with each other.

Numb from the impact of bumping into each other, they tried to get up and chase somehow, but the tall Uruguayan attacker leisurely landed at the same time as the ball he had received with his chest fell to the ground, and fiercely swung his right foot towards it.

Thwack!

A perfect half-volley shot.

Burnley’s goalkeeper, Marco Carnesecchi, dove with a desperate expression, but the ball that flew straight past him ignored his outstretched hand and passed through the upper left corner of Burnley’s goal, embedding itself in the top netting.

“Aaaaaaa!!!”

As the away fans occupying a corner of Turf Moor sent out enthusiastic cheers, Mohamed Salah grinned at Mika Mármol, who was wearing a blank expression.

I told you it wouldn’t be easy next time, right?

***

“No one likes us!”

“We don’t care!”

“We are Burnley!”

“Super Burnley!”

“We are Burnley!”

“From the Moor!”

“Led by the man!”

“From the east!”

“Super Burnley!”

“Super Kim!”

The fanatical chants of the home fans were still echoing throughout Turf Moor, but Hyungmin’s expression, who was watching the fierce battle unfolding with his arms crossed in the technical area, was not bright.

Liverpool, having scored the opening goal, were stubbornly determined to score an additional goal.

Burnley, desperately pushing to score an equalizer somehow.

It was intense from the start, but as the heat gradually increased, the players became rougher, and as a result, delicate techniques or precise offensive plays were not being executed.

And in that situation, it was Liverpool, overflowing with veterans, who were gaining a slight advantage.

Having scored the opening goal and being one point ahead, they could win the championship even if the game ended in a draw in the worst-case scenario.

Their situation was different from that of Burnley’s young players, who absolutely had to win today’s game, and Liverpool’s veterans were cleverly exploiting that difference to gain an advantage in various parts of the field.

“It’s not easy, is it?”

“Liverpool is never easy.”

Carolina, who came out to the technical area and was watching the game together, replied to his muttering.

Hyungmin glanced at the opposing technical area at her words and shook his head.

Liverpool’s manager, Jürgen Klopp, was also watching the game with a determined expression, his arms crossed.

“They probably don’t want to lose the championship now either.

From August 19, 2023, when the first round of the 2023/24 season’s Premier League game was held, to May 19, 2024, when the 38th round game is held, exactly 10 months.

Having maintained the top spot in the league for a whopping 275 days, it would be too devastating for Liverpool to have to relinquish the top spot on the last day.

However, neither Hyungmin nor Carolina, nor Burnley, who had recorded a rise that would go down in Premier League history over the past three seasons, would allow the opposing team to take the championship trophy at their home game.

“Anyway, I think I need to tell them to pull themselves together at halftime.”

Carolina muttered, watching the game.

As the heat of the game rises, the vision of Burnley’s young players is narrowing, and their movements are becoming sluggish.

Although the Liverpool players, who played the FA Cup final just three days ago with a similar but opposite starting lineup, also seem to be moving a little slower than usual, they clearly have an advantage over Burnley in terms of vision and composure.

“Should I kick a water bottle or something?”

Carolina gave him a dumbfounded expression at Hyungmin’s question.

“That ridiculous thing you did in your first season with Arthur? Are you kidding me?”

“Um, no, well… I was just saying.”

The situation is more about the Liverpool players doing well than the Burnley players doing poorly.

Rather than urging the players to wake up, it’s necessary to tell them to calm down and play the game coolly.

At the same time, they need to have the passion and spirit not to be pushed back by the Liverpool players.

Reaching that point, Hyungmin looked back at the bench and grinned.

“I happen to have the perfect person for the job.”

“What?”

Carolina asked, but Hyungmin just smiled.