Became The Premier League’S Youngest Manager [EN]: Chapter 3

3. The End and the Beginning

After much coaxing and comforting of the gloomy Hyungmin, Arthur soothed the young, interim manager and began preparing for the opening game.

“The first thing you need to do is convince the locker room.”

“That’s right.”

“Since you’re only the interim manager anyway, if you can persuade the key players to follow your direction for a few games, they’ll take care of organizing the locker room.”

“Who would be considered the key players in the first team locker room right now?”

“Hmm… in the first team, Ben Mee, Jack Cork, and Jay Rodriguez are the ones who have some influence.”

Hyungmin thought about the first team’s starting defender and captain, the starting midfielder and vice-captain, and the veteran striker who came from Burnley’s youth team and returned a few years ago to lead the attack, and he became gloomy again.

“Will they even listen if I call them?”

“I don’t know about you. They’ll come if I call them. Maybe?”

“…”

As befitting the core members of Burnley, who had been playing Sean Dyche’s straightforward, direct style of football, all three players who gathered in the manager’s office were solidly built men over six feet tall [approximately 183 centimeters].

Watching the scene of the manager’s office sofa being filled to the point of bursting as the three broad-shouldered men sat side by side, Hyungmin carefully sat on the opposite sofa with Arthur.

Facing the three players who were looking at him with a common expression of, ‘We came because we were called, but we don’t really know why,’ Hyungmin parted his lips with difficulty.

“Uh, I’m Kim, the new youth team manager who was appointed last month. Well, it’s not that important who I am. I’m temporarily taking over as the first team manager until a new manager is appointed. So, I’m here to ask for your help.”

Fortunately, thanks to the previous manager who strictly selected players, considering professionalism as the most important factor, none of the three men sitting in front of Hyungmin laughed or burst into fits of giggles.

However, all three of them wore similar expressions of bewilderment.

“You’re going to lead the first team?”

As captain Ben Mee spoke in an incredulous tone, Hyungmin tried to brace his shrinking shoulders and replied.

“Sean resigned, and reserve team manager Mike followed Sean. So, I think the club has temporarily entrusted me with the position. I think it’s because I’m the only one at the club with a UEFA Pro License [the highest coaching license available in Europe]. Maybe soon? Soon? A formal manager will be appointed, so if you could just follow my lead until then… wouldn’t that be okay?”

The moment the expressions of the three players watching Hyungmin, who was trailing off at the end of his sentence, were about to turn sour, Arthur, who had been watching the conversation from the side, intervened.

“Hey, you guys! What’s with all the complaining about Kim temporarily leading you for a few games?! Do any of you have a UEFA Pro License? Or do you want to lead?!”

Ben Mee, the captain who had been with Burnley for over 10 years and had been under Arthur’s wing in the reserve team in his early playing days.

Jack Cork, the vice-captain who had also spent time with Burnley on loan early in his career and had been under Arthur’s guidance in the reserve team.

And Jay Rodriguez, who was from the Burnley youth team and had been coached by Arthur since he was a young boy.

All three players, who had deep ties with Burnley Football Club, hurriedly began to manage their expressions in front of the grumpy old British man.

“I’m telling you, uh! Since you guys couldn’t even tell your elbow from your backside…”

“No, that’s not true. Arthur also…”

“Arthur? Arthur?! Am I your friend?!”

“No, that’s not what I meant… Coach Arthur, I mean, Manager Brimlow!”

“Right, Sean has been too lenient with you guys, so you don’t even know your place anymore, huh? Good, I’ll give you guys a proper dressing down today!!”

Watching the old man start to berate three professional soccer players who looked twice his size with his colorful language and grumbling, Hyungmin once again realized the truth of the common saying about old men: that British old men are no different from Korean old men.

After listening to Arthur’s roar for over 30 minutes, the three players and Hyungmin (who, for some reason, had become the target of the mental education along with the players at some point) who had their minds completely blown, tried to pull themselves together and finally began to talk about preparing for the next game, which was their main purpose.

“The opening game is against Everton. I think it would be good to approach it with a 4-3-3 formation.”

At Hyungmin’s words, vice-captain Jack Cork tilted his head and asked.

“Is there really a need to change the formation now? We’re all used to 4-4-2 anyway… and, um… if a new manager is appointed, the tactics might change again, wouldn’t that be more confusing?”

He glanced at Arthur, but Arthur didn’t react in particular because the fact that a manager would be appointed to replace Hyungmin was true, so he breathed a sigh of relief for a moment.

Jack Cork stiffened at Hyungmin’s explanation that followed.

“Sean’s 4-4-2 method has already been figured out by all the opposing teams in the Premier League. We have to see that pushing forward like that has reached its limit.”

“We’ve survived in the Premier League for four seasons with that method.”

Hyungmin shook his head at captain Ben Mee’s rebuttal.

“That’s true, but the Premier League itself is changing. Even if we stick to the old ways, our opponents are changing, so we can’t just ignore that change. Look here. This is data summarizing the attacks of Premier League teams over the past four seasons.”

Hyungmin took out some data from somewhere and began to explain it to Arthur and the other three players, handing them the data.

“If you look at this chart, you can see that not only is the number of passes per game generally increasing, but also the number of pass sequences that continue without losing the ball is increasing. This means that more and more teams are getting used to playing the game by passing the ball short without giving it away.”

On the front page of the report, there was a chart drawn with a smooth curve rising towards the upper right.

“This means that the ability to play against teams like us that sit deep in the back is improving.”

“Wouldn’t that be solved by having a solid defense?”

Hyungmin shook his head again at Ben Mee’s point.

“Before, we could defend solidly, and the opponents would try to attack recklessly, which we would block. Then, we would finish by sending the ball long to our attackers, Chris Wood or Ashley Barnes. But look, even just last season, we were cornered and beaten for a much longer period.”

As Hyungmin turned over a page of data, the other four, who were listening intently, followed suit.

“Here, you can see that the opponent’s possession rate, the absolute number of passes, the pass sequences, and even the number of shots are overwhelmingly different and widening. It means the opponent is possessing the ball for longer and turning that into shots. Even if those shots are blocked, the opponent gains time to reorganize, reducing our chances for a counterattack. And if the opponent takes the ball again and shoots, it becomes a game of probability. If we get bombarded with shots like this, we’ll inevitably be breached, no matter how solid our defense is. Now, if you refer to the next chart…”

The three players, who had been blankly listening to Hyungmin’s explanation, glanced at Hyungmin, then at Arthur, who was also blankly listening beside them, and finally realized.

Ah, not only this stubborn old man but also this young fellow, once they start talking, it’s an endless hell gate.

With slightly dazed expressions, but seemingly understanding something, the three players promised their full support to the locker room and left as if fleeing. The Burnley Football Club’s interim manager and the only staff member (interim, soon to retire) began a tactical meeting to analyze the opposing team.

“Donny van de Beek? Why is Donny van de Beek, who belongs to Manchester United, coming out of Everton?!”

“I don’t know either. It seems like Manager [Ole Gunnar] Solskjaer allowed the loan.”

“Oh, what should we do? Donny van de Beek wasn’t in our calculations?!”

Hyungmin was lamenting in the meeting room where the first-team staff gathered for meetings, unable to use Sean Dyche’s office (still Sean Dyche’s office in Hyungmin’s mind), while they were planning tactics for the opening game, after checking the Everton’s first-team roster.

“Ugh! Dominic Calvert-Lewin is the striker, and Donny van de Beek is attached as an attacking midfielder below him? How do we stop this?”

“How do we stop it? Just stop it well.”

Arthur said nonchalantly from the side, and Hyungmin glared at him.

“We’ve seen plenty of how Rafa Benitez uses attacking midfielders with the Je-To line at Liverpool!”

“…Je-To line?”

“Oh, you know… [Steven] Gerrard and [Fernando] Torres! Anyway, Calvert-Lewin will be up front as a striker, and the wingers and attacking midfielder will exploit the gaps he creates. Van de Beek has excellent passes, so he can draw out the defense and distribute the ball, or he can dribble in and finish himself…”

Hyungmin muttered to himself, searching for data on his laptop.

Soon, the large screen in the meeting room turned on, and Donny van de Beek’s 모습 [image/footage] from his Ajax days (Hyungmin mercilessly dismissed the Manchester United data as meaningless), when he was considered one of the best midfielders in the football powerhouse Netherlands, began to appear on the screen.

“But, can we perform the 4-3-3 formation’s high press? These are guys who have been playing long-ball-centered defensive football under Sean for the past eight years.”

As Arthur worriedly muttered, Hyungmin, who was slowly replaying and analyzing Donny van de Beek’s video, replied without turning his head from the data.

“We have to keep changing through training. First, we simplify the movements as much as possible and train them, then slowly increase the complexity.”

“Is that possible? We only have 5 days left?”

“Well… we have to try. Anyway, once we play this opening game, a new manager will come, so I won’t have to worry about what happens after that, right?”

“That’s true.”

***

“Did you sleep?”

Arthur asked as soon as he saw Hyungmin’s face when he came to work on the day of the opening game.

Hyungmin shook his head weakly.

“I think I ate something wrong. I couldn’t sleep at all and threw up all night.”

“Ate something wrong? I had dinner with you, and I’m fine.”

“Then what did I eat wrong?”

“What else could it be? You’re nervous.”

At Hyungmin’s puzzled expression, Arthur shook his head.

“You, you’ve never fully commanded a first team or even a reserve team at the professional level, let alone amateur or semi-pro, right? At most, you’ve directed a few games as an acting youth team coach at Salzburg, right?”

“Uh, that’s true…”

“But suddenly you’re being told to direct a game in the Premier League, the world’s top league, with adult professional players, it’s strange if you’re in your right mind. Even experienced veterans can’t sleep well the night before a high-pressure game, so it’s natural for a rookie like you.”

“Is that so?”

“That’s right! So, straighten your shoulders, and since we’re going to lose anyway, go and lose coolly!”

Hyungmin snapped at Arthur, who was laughing heartily.

“I’m telling you, we’re not losing!”

“I don’t know. I don’t know.”

‘If I hadn’t spent the night hugging the toilet, I could have chased after that escaping old man,’ Hyungmin thought, moving his trembling legs towards the meeting room.

Before the players arrived for the afternoon game.

It was time for one last review of the tactics.