Became The Premier League’S Youngest Manager [EN]: Chapter 34

34. A Time of Pain and Endurance

Why is it that joyful memories seem fleeting, while painful ones linger so vividly?

Hyungmin, lost in thought, rephrased the question to himself.

Which is more agonizing: to triumph over a formidable team only to suffer a ridiculous defeat, or to be held to a draw by a weaker opponent?

“Ughhhhh!”

In the 82nd minute of the second half, Hyungmin clutched his head, a scream of agony escaping his lips as he watched his team concede the equalizing goal.

Beside him, assistant coach Arthur and the bench players mirrored his frustration.

It felt as though the goddess of fortune, after their stinging defeat against Arsenal, had returned to deliver another slap.

The elation of confidently invading Crystal Palace’s home stadium and securing a 3-1 victory in the 13th round of the Premier League proved short-lived.

In the very next 14th round, they suffered a 1-0 defeat at home against Leicester.

Now, in the 15th round, Burnley was on the verge of a 2-2 draw against Norwich City Football Club, the second most likely candidate for relegation, who, with 3 wins, 4 draws, and 7 losses, surprisingly held 14th place.

***

Approximately 100 minutes earlier.

A light drizzle graced Carrow Road, Norwich’s home ground.

For December in England, a month typically marked by a blend of snow, rain, and wind, the weather was unusually mild.

Norwich, having earned the moniker of a ‘yo-yo club’ [a team that frequently alternates between leagues] due to their repeated movement between the Premier League and the Championship in recent seasons, was now under the leadership of Dean Smith, formerly the manager of Aston Villa.

Dean Smith was at the center of the ‘managerial merry-go-round’ that baffled the English football scene this season.

On November 7th, after enduring five consecutive losses, Aston Villa’s co-owners, Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens, dissatisfied with the team’s performance, finally dismissed Smith.

Then, just a day prior, Norwich, having also dismissed their manager, Daniel Farke, due to poor performance, eagerly appointed the newly unemployed Dean Smith as their new manager.

Dean Smith received his full severance package upon being dismissed.

Norwich acquired a manager they had long coveted from another team without paying a single penny in compensation.

Moreover, Dean Smith managed to secure re-employment in a mere week.

While former Norwich manager Daniel Farke faced a disheartening defeat, Dean Smith had been in charge of Norwich for about a month.

With the combination of the experienced manager’s guidance and the shock therapy of a managerial change, Norwich, previously mired in the relegation zone, showed significant improvement, climbing to 14th place.

Conversely, Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard, newly appointed as Aston Villa’s manager, failed to demonstrate a marked improvement in performance compared to Dean Smith, raising questions about the judgment of the Aston Villa owners who had hastily dismissed their manager.

Dean Smith, who had already suffered a thorough 3-0 defeat at home against Hyungmin’s Burnley during his tenure at Aston Villa, now faced Burnley, still a strong force ranked 6th in the league, with a 4-3-3 formation, despite their recent dip in momentum.

However, with both Josh Sargent and Kieran Dowell, the left and right wingers, dropping back into midfield, their formation resembled a 4-1-4-1, with the remaining nine players, excluding striker Adam Idah, focused on defense.

Hyungmin disregarded the predictions of the media and critics, relying on his own analysis to instruct the team to play defensively against Norwich and exploit the wide spaces by pressing high.

At kickoff, the Norwich players, having solidified their defensive posture at home, were determined to remain inside their penalty box.

Only striker Adam Idah ventured outside the penalty box to disrupt Burnley’s attacking plays.

Burnley’s defense and midfielders reveled in the freedom and space they hadn’t experienced in recent seasons, except when facing lower-league teams in cup competitions, passing the ball around with ease.

On the other hand, Burnley’s attackers struggled against Norwich’s tenacious defense, with two or three players marking each of them.

“Ugh! Get off me!”

Karim Adeyemi, starting as Burnley’s right winger, snapped irritably at Norwich’s left-back Brandon Williams, who was glued to him, disregarding formations or positions.

“Didn’t Hannibal tell you?”

The serious-faced blonde defender, sticking close to Karim Adeyemi, who was at least 10 centimeters taller, inquired.

“Hannibal what? And how do you know Hannibal?”

“I’m also on loan from Manchester United. Anyway, that’s not important…”

Karim Adeyemi continued to move, going up and down the right side, but the young defender, maintaining his distance as if they were on a date, even placing a hand on his uniform, persisted.

“Didn’t Hannibal tell you what my nickname is?”

“Ugh… What’s your nickname?”

Karim Adeyemi asked in a tone that suggested he’d rather not know.

“Leech.”

“…You’re more talkative than you look?”

Karim Adeyemi sneered, but Brandon Williams simply smiled and continued to shadow him.

Karim Adeyemi clicked his tongue inwardly at the opponent’s unwavering persistence.

This guy… I saw in the video analysis that he’s fast…

Sensing that he had met his match, Karim Adeyemi looked down at the opposing defender clinging to him with a slightly despairing expression.

With Karim Adeyemi, Dwight McNeil, and Chris Wood all contained by the opposing defenders and midfielders, Burnley’s three midfielders exchanged glances.

It was clear that attempting to penetrate the penalty box would only result in being repelled by the opponent’s fierce defense.

Burnley knew better than anyone that they had solidified their position in the Premier League over the past few seasons with their rock-solid defense.

It would be wiser to attempt long-range shots from outside the box; if they were lucky, the shots would find the net, and if not, they would make the opponent realize that defending only the penalty box was insufficient.

In fact, the manager had provided detailed instructions on how to handle the situation if the opponent adopted an all-out defensive strategy.

Five minutes into the first half.

Burnley’s three midfielders exchanged glances once more and initiated rapid movements.

Hannibal, receiving the ball, began to dribble towards the space between central striker Chris Wood, who was trapped in the middle of the penalty box, and right winger Karim Adeyemi, positioned along the right sideline.

“Focus on your assignment!”

Norwich’s goalkeeper Angus Gunn cautioned the defenders not to be drawn in by the suddenly charging Burnley midfielder.

Norwich’s central defender Grant Hanley, acting as a sweeper [a defender who covers space behind other defenders], approached to defend Burnley’s central striker Chris Wood in a 2-on-1 situation.

Norwich’s central midfielder, Jacob Sorensen, who had been marking Chris Wood alongside the other central defender, Andrew Omobamidele, stuck to Burnley’s Hannibal Mejbri, who was attempting to enter the penalty box.

At that moment, Burnley’s defensive midfielder, Nicholas Seiwald, who rarely ventured into the penalty box, suddenly began to penetrate from the left.

“Left! Left!”

Norwich’s right-back Max Aarons, who had been marking Burnley’s left winger Dwight McNeil, hesitated between Dwight McNeil and the newly penetrating Nicholas Seiwald.

The moment the eyes of Norwich’s other defenders and midfielders were momentarily drawn to Nicholas Seiwald, Hannibal Mejbri suddenly bent his right ankle 120 degrees and passed the ball backwards.

Josh Brownhill, Burnley’s central midfielder, having cleverly shaken off Norwich’s central midfielder Kenny McLean, received the ball heading towards the center of the penalty arc.

The moment the Norwich players flinched, Josh Brownhill, with a smooth pass received, shot with his favored right foot.

The powerful shot, leaving Norwich’s goalkeeper Angus Gunn unable to react, pierced the upper right corner of the goal.

“Ugh-ah-ee-ah!!!”

While the Burnley players and away fans erupted in cheers, the stadium announcer calmly announced the home team’s goal.

“Goal. Burnley’s number 8, Josh Brownhill, scores.”

Josh Brownhill, having scored a long-range goal from outside the penalty box for the first time in a long time, was elated.

Later, in the 35th minute of the first half, Norwich’s Adam Idah scored the equalizing goal.

The ball was kicked long forward by Norwich’s goalkeeper Angus Gunn.

Nathan Collins, starting in place of captain Ben Mee, who was resting due to fatigue from the continuous games, lost the short-distance race with Norwich’s striker Adam Idah, giving the Norwich striker a 1-on-1 opportunity against Burnley’s goalkeeper Nick Pope.

The promising player from Norwich’s youth academy did not hesitate and shot to the right of Nick Pope, rippling the goal net.

The Burnley players were taken aback by the unexpected equalizer, and as the game transitioned into the second half, a new phase unfolded.

Beep!

“You son of a…!”

Josh Brownhill writhed in pain from the back tackle, while the enraged Burnley players rushed over and surrounded the perpetrator.

“You did that on purpose!”

“What are you talking about! I just bumped into him!”

“Don’t be ridiculous! You came in with your studs up!”

James Tarkowski, consumed by anger, grabbed the collar of Norwich’s defensive midfielder Jacob Sorensen, who was spreading his hands as if he had no malicious intent.

“Woah! Woah! Stop it!”

The players from both teams, rushing over in surprise, and the referee intervened to separate the two players, but James Tarkowski, already enraged, couldn’t hear them well.

While Burnley’s veterans, including Chris Wood, Matt Lowton, and Charlie Taylor, were pulling James Tarkowski back, the referee, after a brief exchange with VAR [Video Assistant Referee], blew his whistle.

Norwich’s Jacob Sorensen was immediately shown a red card.

The problem was that the referee then pulled out a yellow card and warned James Tarkowski.

“Why me?!”

The referee gestured as if to grab his collar at James Tarkowski, who ran over to protest his innocence.

“Are you kidding me? Grabbing another player’s collar on the field. You should be grateful that it’s only a warning.”

Amidst the jeers of the crowd, Jacob Sorensen trudged off, and Nicholas Seiwald and Nathan Collins forcibly dragged James Tarkowski away, who was attempting to protest to the referee again.

“Uh, James?”

James Tarkowski snapped at the cautious call of his central defense partner, Nathan Collins.

“Ugh, what now?!”

James Tarkowski turned his head at Nathan Collins’ gesture, and the manager and assistant coach were staring at the team’s starting central defender, who had received an unnecessary warning, with their arms crossed and stiff faces.

“Ah… I’m screwed…”

James Tarkowski muttered, suddenly regaining his senses.