Became The Premier League’S Youngest Manager [EN]: Chapter 27

27. Burnley’s Onslaught

Fifteen minutes before the match started.

Hyungmin, after reviewing the tactics with the team as usual, stepped onto the field and was greeted by a powerful metal sound and a new chant sung by the fans.

“Welcome! Welcome to the Jungle!”

“Kim’s got fun and games!”

“Kim’s got everything you want, honey!”

“Kim knows the names!”

“In the jungle, welcome to the jungle!”

“Watch it bring you to your shaking knees!”

(From Guns N’ Roses’ “Welcome to the Jungle”)

Hyungmin turned to Arthur with a bewildered expression at the new chant, which cleverly adapted the song of a world-renowned rock band that dominated the 1980s and 90s.

“What is this?”

“What else could it be? It’s a cheer the fans made for you.”

Arthur replied with a grin.

“Welcome to the Jungle?!”

As Hyungmin muttered with an incredulous look, Helena, who was watching the game in person for the first time in a while, chuckled in the executive box above.

“Guns N’ Roses… What a nostalgic song!”

Mike Garrick, who was listening to the chant next to her, laughed.

“Hehehe. The fans are expressing their gratitude to Kim.”

“And also trying to dampen the away team’s spirit?”

“Oh, that’s a given.”

While the directors were chatting happily, Arthur urged Hyungmin from the home team bench.

“What are you doing?”

“What do you mean, what am I doing?”

“Hurry up and go out to greet the fans. They even made a chant for you. Not just anyone gets that, you know?”

At Arthur’s urging, Hyungmin reluctantly went out to the technical area and awkwardly raised his hand to the fans.

“Waaaaah!!!”

As the fans roared, making Turf Moor seem like it would collapse, Hyungmin felt his face heat up. He awkwardly waved to the four stands before returning to his seat.

Helena smiled as she looked down at the young manager, who had now captured not only the board and the team but also the fans.

Soon, the players entered, and the referee’s whistle blew.

While fellow managers were full of praise for the fierce and powerful style of Burnley’s new manager, the media had already given it a name.

Burnley’s pressing football, which the media dubbed “Jungle Football,” reached its peak as they welcomed Southampton to their home ground.

In the home game against Southampton, Burnley fielded their full starting eleven, who had now firmly established themselves as regulars.

In goal, Nick Pope.

The defense, from right to left, was Matt Lowton, James Tarkowski, Ben Mee, and Charlie Taylor.

In defensive midfield, Nicolas Seiwald had completely pushed out Jack Cork.

In central midfield, Josh Brownhill firmly held one spot, with Hannibal Mejbri having a relative advantage over Jacob Ramsey.

And the attacking line, which was slowly becoming a source of fear for opposing teams, consisted of Karim Adeyemi, Chris Wood, and Dwight McNeil.

In response to Hyungmin’s 4-3-3 formation, which had become Burnley’s signature, Southampton adopted a 4-4-2 formation.

Veteran goalkeeper Fraser Forster guarded the goal, while the defense consisted of Kyle Walker-Peters, Jan Bednarek, Mohammed Salisu, and Tino Livramento from right to left.

The four-man midfield consisted of Stuart Armstrong, Ole Selnæs, Oriol Romeu, and Nathan Redmond from right to left.

The attack featured Che Adams and Nathan Tella.

For Southampton’s manager, Ralph Hasenhüttl, it was painful to be without James Ward-Prowse, the club’s proud youth academy product and England national team central midfielder, and Armando Broja, the striker on loan from Chelsea who had been receiving rave reviews for his outstanding ability.

However, Ralph Hasenhüttl, an Austrian who led RB Leipzig to second place in the German Bundesliga [German professional league] and consistently achieved mid-table finishes after joining Southampton in 2018, had a reputation for making the best of difficult situations, despite the annual outflow of key players.

Having lost two key players, he instructed his team to play a defensive and stable game in the away match against Burnley, who were causing a sensation this season.

First, they would retreat and solidify with a two-line defense, then draw in the pressure to exhaust the opponent’s stamina.

Then, when cracks appeared in the tired Burnley formation, they would launch counterattacks through the fullbacks and midfielders on both flanks, as well as the forwards penetrating the front line.

A tactic that could be effective against teams that use typical forward pressing and counterattack tactics.

However, against Burnley, who were on a continuous upward trend and full of momentum, it was close to being an own goal.

Confirming the vast space in front of them and the shrinking opponent’s camp, Burnley’s players, backed by the enthusiastic support of the home fans filling the stadium, gleefully began to bombard Southampton’s camp.

First, in the 3rd minute.

Burnley’s center back, Ben Mee, who had advanced to just below the center circle, headed away a cross from Southampton’s left back, Kyle Walker-Peters.

Chris Wood, Burnley’s center forward, who had come down to just above the center circle, receiving Ben Mee’s headed pass, drew out both Southampton’s center back, Jan Bednarek, and central midfielder, Ole Selnæs.

With the gap between Burnley’s forward and last defender compressed into a narrow space of less than 20 meters, Chris Wood’s quick pass forward was received by Burnley’s central midfielder, Hannibal Mejbri, who ran up and controlled it with deft footwork.

“Stop him!”

Southampton’s midfielders, Ole Selnæs and Oriol Romeu, shouted in unison, having missed the opposing midfielder who was dribbling and breaking through.

Southampton’s center back, Mohammed Salisu, hurriedly rushed out of the defense and lunged into a tackle at Hannibal, who was trying to dribble and break through the front of the penalty box.

Just before Hannibal and Mohammed Salisu collided, the young midfielder, Manchester United’s highly-regarded prospect and a key contributor to Burnley’s sensational run, showcased a high-level technique, sharply changing direction to the right while dribbling at full speed, easily dodging the sliding tackle.

Mohammed Salisu, already committed with speed and momentum, slid on the slippery grass, watching with a hopeless look as the opposing midfielder and the ball smoothly passed him by.

Ignoring the collapsing mental state of his prone teammate, Hannibal softly tapped the ball again with the inside of his right foot.

The softly spinning ball rolled across the smooth grass and arrived at the feet of Burnley’s right winger, Karim Adeyemi, who was running towards the open right space.

Southampton’s left back, Tino Livramento, ran out to stop Karim Adeyemi, who was accelerating along the sideline with the ball.

However, the young Burnley prospect, the moment the opposing defender left the penalty box, as if he had been waiting, confidently sent a low cross towards the penalty spot with his left foot.

The right back who started the counterattack, the two center backs who tried to stop the attack, and the left back who tried to block the final cross were all drawn out of the penalty box.

With Southampton’s four defenders scattered, Burnley’s proud youth academy ace, Dwight McNeil, leisurely entered the wide-open Southampton penalty box.

This was even more relaxed than practicing on the training ground.

Dwight McNeil calmly received the ball with his left foot, then swung his left foot again to powerfully kick the ball into the bottom left corner of the goal.

Southampton’s goalkeeper, Fraser Forster, desperately dove to protect the goal alone, but unfortunately, the ball had already crossed the goal line.

This time, in the 15th minute.

A set play from the left.

Burnley’s left back, Charlie Taylor, passed the ball long forward to Burnley’s left winger, Dwight McNeil, who dribbled up to the corner flag in the opponent’s half.

“Don’t get too close!”

Southampton’s center back, Jan Bednarek, who was coordinating the defense line, shouted, but Southampton’s right midfielder, Stuart Armstrong, who was facing McNeil, had already committed to a challenge.

McNeil lightly evaded Armstrong by dribbling the ball to the left, then crossed the ball towards the center of Southampton’s penalty box, where a melee was taking place among Southampton and Burnley players.

Inside the penalty box, excluding the goalkeeper, were 7 Southampton players and 4 Burnley players.

Eleven players simultaneously threw themselves towards the ball or each other.

However, unlike the 10 players who jumped up to reach the incoming ball, Burnley’s right winger, Karim Adeyemi, anticipated the ball’s landing point and turned to run backwards.

“Tino!”

Southampton’s left back, Tino Livramento, who had tracked back at the direction of Southampton’s goalkeeper, Fraser Forster, ran out.

Karim Adeyemi, facing the opposing defender who followed him, slightly raised his left foot as if to cross, drawing the Southampton defender towards him.

Tino Livramento, anticipating a cross or shot from Karim Adeyemi’s left foot like in the previous goal, slightly shifted his body to the left, blocking the shooting or crossing angle.

In that subtle moment when the opposing defender changed his stance and blocked further movement, Karim passed the ball with a backheel to Burnley’s right back, Matt Lowton, who was surging into the penalty box from behind him.

And Matt Lowton, receiving the ball, immediately sent a cross in front of Southampton’s goal, as if he was Karim Adeyemi’s substitute.

Mohammed Salisu, Jan Bednarek, and Kyle Walker-Peters.

Southampton’s three defenders were marking Chris Wood, Hannibal Mejbri, and Dwight McNeil one-on-one, respectively.

Goalkeeper Frazier Forster punched away the low, driven cross, but unfortunately, the ball fell in front of Chris Wood, who was battling with Mohammed Salisu.

Burnley’s veteran striker did not miss this golden opportunity and powerfully shot the ball into the net with his right foot.

However, Southampton, who had steadily maintained a mid-table position in the Premier League [English professional league] by refining their system for a long time under the guidance of an experienced manager, were not an easy opponent.