Became The Premier League’S Youngest Manager [EN]: Chapter 29

29. Burnley’s Onslaught

The day after their overwhelming victory against Southampton.

While fitness coach Paulo Morais was leading the squad through recovery training, Hyungmin continued preparing for the next match with Arthur.

They were in the middle of analyzing Tottenham’s recent video footage (though Hyungmin was convinced Arthur was dozing off), when Technical Director Jonathan Landris burst into Hyungmin’s office without knocking.

“Kim! Tottenham fired Nuno Espirito Santo!”

“Really?”

Hyungmin and Arthur were shocked by the news Jonathan Landris delivered.

“Their recent performance hasn’t been great, but… hasn’t he only been in charge for four months?”

“Technically, he was appointed on June 30th, so it’s almost been four months. But that’s not the point. Do you know who they appointed as the new manager?”

“…Who is it?”

Hyungmin asked, trying to suppress an uneasy feeling.

“Antonio Conte!”

“…?!”

Antonio Conte’s career is illustrious.

During his playing days, he was considered one of the best Italian midfielders of his time, a starter for both the Italian national team and the prestigious Juventus club.

After transitioning to management, he led his former team Juventus to three consecutive Serie A [Italian professional league] titles, including their first undefeated season in Serie A history.

After resigning from Juventus, he took charge of the Italian national team, leading a team in decline to the Euro 2016 [European Championship] semi-finals, where they defeated Belgium, then ranked number one in the world, and the previous tournament champions, Spain, in succession.

They eventually lost to Germany in the quarter-finals after a penalty shootout, but it was generally agreed that he laid the foundation for Italy’s Euro 2020 victory.

After resigning from the Italian national team, he took over as manager of Premier League club Chelsea, winning the Premier League in his first season.

In his second season at Chelsea, the team’s performance plummeted due to player rebellion and internal strife, leading to his dismissal. However, he returned to Italy and led Inter Milan, a prestigious club that had been in a slump for some time, to their first Serie A title in 11 years.

Although his hot-tempered personality and excessive obsession with football led to disputes with club executives and even the squad, his tactical abilities and ability to motivate players were considered to be among the best of his era.

To be honest, many in the media and among critics said that it was not a good fit for Antonio Conte, who was used to managing teams that competed for the league title every year, to be appointed as Tottenham manager.

But for Hyungmin, who had to face one of the best managers of his time without any data, that didn’t help at all.

Hyungmin urgently convened a meeting with his assistant coach Arthur and fitness coach Paulo Morais.

“First of all… we need to discard all the Tottenham data from Santo’s era, except for the player condition information.”

“Ugh… we worked so hard to create that…”

Arthur grimaced at Hyungmin’s words, but he knew there was no other way.

“We need to study Conte’s tactics from his Chelsea and Inter Milan days and see how they can be applied to Tottenham.”

“Okay. But isn’t this a problem that Conte himself is just starting to study?”

They had to create an answer sheet for the problem presented by the opposing team’s manager, but the opposing team’s manager was only just starting to create the problem.

“This could be a complete farce…”

Arthur and Paulo Morais looked at Hyungmin anxiously at his mutterings.

***

Why is it that bad feelings are never wrong?

Hyungmin wondered in the technical area [coaching area] as he watched the game turn into a slugfest, with all his predictions and plans thrown into the trash.

Players and balls were flying around haphazardly in front of his eyes.

The home fans gathered at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium were cheering for the thrilling game and the score that gave them the advantage, which no one had expected, but both managers were feeling lost.

In the home team’s technical area next door, Tottenham’s new manager Antonio Conte was furiously berating his players.

“No! That’s not it! Close down more there! Close down more, you idiot!”

Antonio Conte’s eyes met Hyungmin’s empty gaze as he finally swore at a player who didn’t understand his instructions, his face red with anger.

We’re winning, but this isn’t what I intended, you know?

I know. But I’m still losing, so I feel terrible.

The two men, who had communicated their shared frustration about their ruined game plans with just a look, turned their eyes back to their respective teams.

Generally, football tactics have consistency within the same team.

In other words, the promise to take specific actions so that we score goals and the other team doesn’t is tactics.

But while it’s good to try something the other team doesn’t expect, it becomes a problem if our team doesn’t expect it either.

The 4-3-3 formation-based forward press and counterattack tactics that Hyungmin was trying at Burnley were closer to the concept of you know it and I know it, but you can’t stop it, you know it but you still get hit.

Antonio Conte also made a name for himself with his own unique 5-2-3 formation, in which a strong back three defended and aggressive wingbacks ran up and down the flanks.

In particular, Conte’s tactics were not just simple defense and counterattack tactics, but also involved sophisticated build-up from the back, delicate partial tactics in each zone, and tremendous activity, which led to every team he managed winning the league based on these tactics.

But today, the Tottenham squad, less than a week after welcoming their new manager, were in complete chaos, with half the players following the previous manager’s tactics and the other half following the new manager’s tactics.

Some players were even putting on a crazy show, following the instructions of the former manager at some moments and the instructions of the new manager at others, depending on their level of understanding and memory.

The problem was that Burnley was getting caught up in the chaos, leading to scenes of Hyungmin’s mental breakdown.

23 minutes into the first half, Tottenham’s attack.

In keeping with Conte’s style of having both wing-backs advance deep, Burnley’s full-backs Matt Lowton and Charlie Taylor each marked Tottenham’s left wing-back Sergio Reguilon and right wing-back Emerson.

Burnley’s defensive midfielder, Nicolas Seiwald, was stopping Tottenham’s most dangerous central striker, Harry Kane, and Burnley’s two central defenders were marking Son Heung-min and Lucas Moura, respectively.

Tottenham’s central midfielder, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, dribbled the ball up from the center of Tottenham’s formation, getting past Josh Brownhill, and then made a penetrating move after passing to Harry Kane, who had come down to receive the ball.

To be precise, Hyungmin was confident enough to bet his UEFA Pro License [highest coaching certification] that Conte had definitely instructed him to do so.

But for some reason, the Danish midfielder ignored the bewildered face of his teammate and England’s starting striker, Harry Kane, who was looking at him and gesturing for the ball, and calmly dribbled the ball towards the Burnley goal.

It was a promised situation, but the promised play didn’t come out.

The bewildered Tottenham players all stopped at once, and the Burnley players who were marking them automatically stopped as well.

In the meantime, Hojbjerg, who had not even reached the penalty box, was unable to find a teammate to pass to due to Burnley’s pressure defense, so he fired a long-range shot at the distant goal.

All the players on the field and even some of the spectators watched with bewildered expressions as the long-range shot, fired while the goalkeeper was perfectly guarding the goal, defied everyone’s expectations.

The ball, which had a subtle backspin, betrayed everyone’s expectations and narrowly passed through the upper left corner of the goal, brushing past Burnley goalkeeper Nick Pope’s desperate fingers.

The 21 players on the field stared blankly as Hojbjerg ran off, raising both hands in the air and celebrating to the cheering crowd.

“No way! How can that be?!”

Hyungmin looked at the bench next to him, shouting in anger, and Antonio Conte, who was watching the goal scene with a slightly disgruntled expression, showed Hyungmin both palms and shrugged slightly.

He didn’t have many Italian friends, but Hyungmin, who had been in European football for nearly 10 years, roughly translated the gesture into Italian…

Sorry, but what can I do? Accept it.

The game resumed with a goal kick from the frustrated Burnley players.

This time, it was the 26th minute of the first half.

After a quick and serious conversation, with Harry Kane’s strong forearm wrapped around his neck, as he returned to his own half after scoring a goal two minutes earlier.

Tottenham’s central midfielder, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, regained possession of the ball.

This time, he didn’t dribble unnecessarily and passed the ball straight to Harry Kane, who was coming down to receive it.

The problem was that Burnley’s defense, which had been caught off guard by the previous play, all moved towards Hojbjerg.

Hojbjerg, who had suddenly played the role of the perfect bait, drew Burnley’s defense and some of the midfielders towards him, while Tottenham’s star central striker, Harry Kane, connected a pass to Son Heung-min, a Korean national striker who was penetrating the penalty box from the right with a subtle pass.

“Help! Support!”

Burnley’s left-back, Charlie Taylor, screamed as he lunged at Son Heung-min, yelling at the defense that had suddenly been pushed to the right because of Hojbjerg.

But the 29-year-old Korean striker, as if excited by his teammate’s long-range shot a moment ago, shot at the goal with his left foot before the defender could get close.

The shot went straight into the lower right corner of the goal.

This time, Burnley’s goalkeeper Nick Pope threw his tall frame in vain, but the ball brushed his fingers, bounced off the right goalpost, and fell inside the goal.

“Aaaaaaaaaah!”

As he watched the young fellow manager kick the innocent turf and scream in anger, Italian master Antonio Conte sighed and ran his hand over his face.

It seemed that both managers would not be able to sleep tonight, regardless of the outcome.

They would have a rematch in just three days, should he just ask that friend for a drink after it’s over?