Became The Premier League’S Youngest Manager [EN]: Chapter 36

36: No Room to Retreat

“We need to decide which games to forfeit.”

Arthur frowned, but Hyungmin shook his head.

“We have no choice. With our squad size, we can’t afford to try and win all seven games.”

As Arthur sighed, Hyungmin first clicked on the Carabao Cup [a major English football cup competition] quarter-final match scheduled for December 14th.

Coincidentally, it was another away game against Norwich, the team they had drawn with the previous day.

“Dean Smith will also be 고민 [Korean for ‘in 고민(trouble/worry)’], but regardless of their approach, it’s impossible for us to chase both the league and the cup. We’ll field mostly reserves and non-starters for the Carabao Cup, and if necessary, we’ll bring up players from the reserve team. Of course, Wayne will be in goal.”

Arthur nodded, seemingly displeased but resigned.

“Lastly… it’s going to be tough to win both games against Leeds and Southampton. It’s better to go all-in on one of them.”

The Premier League Round 19 match against Leeds is on Boxing Day, December 26th.

The Premier League Round 20 match against Southampton is on December 28th.

Thanks to the British tradition of playing on Boxing Day [the day after Christmas, a public holiday in the UK], which foreign managers in the Premier League universally hate, they had to play the next game with only one day of rest.

Having played 15 rounds each, Leeds is currently 9th and Southampton is 16th.

Moreover, they had a pleasant memory of crushing Southampton 5-2 in their home game in October.

If they only considered points, it would be right to go all-in on Southampton, but the fact that Leeds is a home game and Southampton is an away game is also bothering him.

After pondering for a while, Arthur slowly opened his mouth.

“I think it’s best to decide after the Manchester United game on December 22nd. We should check the squad’s fatigue and injuries at that point. Anyway, since we’ve already decided to go all-in on one of the two games, let’s see which one is better then.”

Hyungmin, who had been listening attentively to Arthur’s opinion, nodded.

***

Chelsea Football Club, a prestigious club in the English Premier League.

Just by hearing the name, one might easily assume that it is located in Chelsea, one of the most bustling and glamorous boroughs [an administrative division of London] in London, or more precisely, the ‘Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea’.

However, Chelsea Football Club is actually located in Fulham, another borough in London, and there is a rather quirky story behind this.

In 1904, Gus Mears, who had purchased Stamford Bridge Stadium located in the Fulham borough, tried to lease it to Fulham Football Club, the football team representing the borough, but was rejected.

In the end, unable to leave the empty stadium idle, he founded his own team, but since there was already a team using the name of the Fulham borough, he borrowed the name of the neighboring borough and named it Chelsea Football Club.

Chelsea, which was just one of the many football teams in London, rose to the forefront of history after the club was acquired by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich in 2003, after floating around the mid-table of Premier League.

Owner Roman Abramovich, who poured his immense wealth into the team, appointed José Mourinho as manager in the summer of 2004. Mourinho had led Porto to two consecutive Portuguese First Division titles and a Champions League title.

In his first season as manager, José Mourinho immediately won the Premier League title, which had been monopolized by Manchester United and Arsenal, except for one occasion.

The following season, he achieved back-to-back titles, leading Chelsea into a full-fledged renaissance.

During the 18 seasons under Roman Abramovich’s ownership, Chelsea Football Club won 5 Premier League titles, 5 FA Cup titles, 3 Carabao Cup titles, 2 Champions League titles, and 2 Europa League titles.

With a total of 17 trophies, Chelsea reached the peak of its history, solidifying its position as one of the Premier League’s Big Four, along with Manchester United, Arsenal, and Liverpool.

From the late 2010s, Manchester City, backed by Abu Dhabi’s oil money, quickly jumped into the top ranks, and Tottenham, which rose to the top ranks through smart investments and management, joined in, now forming the so-called Big Six.

Meanwhile, Chelsea was also notorious for replacing managers ruthlessly if their performance was even slightly poor, replacing managers as many as 15 times during the 18 seasons under Roman Abramovich.

Even Thomas Tuchel, the renowned German manager who had brought Chelsea their long-awaited second Champions League trophy last season, was sacked in late November, less than a year after taking office, due to poor league performance.

Amidst numerous rumors about the candidates for the new manager, Chelsea, with the club’s head of youth development, Neil Bath, serving as interim manager, visited Turf Moor.

“It’s embarrassing to call it an opportunity, but honestly, it is an opportunity.”

The day before the game, in the afternoon.

At the manager’s candid confession, self-deprecating laughter flowed among the players.

With the squad gathered in the strategy room, Hyungmin briefed them on the tactics for the next day.

“Thomas Tuchel has been sacked, and the new manager hasn’t been appointed yet. Interim manager Neil Bath is using a style that the players are familiar with and comfortable with, rather than making big changes.”

The formation of Chelsea displayed on the tactical board was 4-2-3-1.

“Fortunately, central striker Romelu Lukaku is definitely injured and won’t be able to play tomorrow. Left-back Ben Chilwell is also injured. However, that doesn’t mean that any of the players who replace them are easy opponents.”

First, a small but determined face of a player appeared on the large screen.

“In the center, N’Golo Kanté will start and dominate. Niki’s role is important.”

The young Austrian prospect, who had to face one of the world’s best defensive midfielders, nodded seriously.

“The attack will probably consist of Kai Havertz, Christian Pulisic, and Mason Mount. Hakim Ziyech can’t play because of accumulated yellow cards, but we have to be careful because Timo Werner might play as a lone striker instead.”

An attacking lineup combined with a transfer fee of a whopping 180 million pounds, excluding Mason Mount, who came from the Chelsea youth academy.

That’s the amount even after excluding Romelu Lukaku, who was signed for 98 million pounds in the summer transfer market.

Facing the players who were looking at him with a mixture of envy, fear, and ‘so what’ attitude, Hyungmin confidently smiled, regardless of what he felt inside.

“So what? There wasn’t a single team we faced that had a lower value than us.”

Amidst a more genuine-sounding laughter than before, Burnley’s squad began to listen attentively to the manager’s instructions to win the next day.

“Manager, can I talk to you for a moment?”

Jack Cork, Burnley’s vice-captain, made a sudden request after the strategy meeting.

Hyungmin tilted his head and headed to his office with the veteran midfielder.

The place that had now become Hyungmin’s office.

Jack Cork, who briefly looked around as if trying to spot the differences from Sean Dyche’s era, looked at the young manager who was sitting on the opposite sofa with a gentle smile.

Although they were only two years apart, their life trajectories were extremely different, except for the common thread of football.

He had enjoyed a relatively glamorous playing career, while Hyungmin had retired early due to injuries and transitioned to coaching.

Now, Hyungmin had become a manager making a name for himself in the Premier League, while he was at the end of his playing career.

Wondering if he could reach this level if he chose the path of a manager, Jack Cork began to speak.

“I spoke with my agent, and he said that the club has decided not to renew the contracts of the veterans whose contracts expire this time.”

“Ah… that. That’s…”

“Ah, no. It’s okay, that’s fine.”

Jack Cork stopped the manager who was trying to explain in embarrassment.

“I understand. From the club’s perspective, they need to rebuild, and it would be a burden to keep veterans who are getting older, whose skills are declining, and whose wages are high.”

“…I’m sorry, Jack.”

“This isn’t something you need to apologize for, is it? It’s too natural.”

Looking at the manager who was making a pitiful expression, Jack Cork smiled.

“I’m in my fifth season at Burnley now. If you count the time I was loaned to Burnley when I was in Chelsea’s reserve team, it’s seven seasons. I’ve played a lot of games under Sean Dyche and received a lot of undeserved love from the fans.”

The veteran midfielder, who had played 176 games for Burnley, smiled comfortably.

“But it’s been getting harder and harder since last season. The pace of the game keeps getting faster, but my body can’t keep up. I thought I was still young…”

“Jack…”

“But I realized it when I saw the new players who were loaned in this time. Ah, I’m getting old now. If it were before, I would have been competitive. I would have wondered if I could have the same work rate as Niki. If I could hone my creativity and skills like Hannibal. If I could build a solid foundation like Jacob.”

As Hyungmin looked at him with a pitiful expression, Jack Cork continued to speak with a rather comfortable expression.

“But now I realize it. I don’t have the talent they have, and even if I did, I don’t have the time anymore. I know that I don’t have much time left in my playing career. I want to play as many games as possible during the remaining time.”

Hyungmin nodded at the veteran midfielder’s sincere words.

You can’t beat the passage of time, and the veteran who has played 474 games in his career was well aware that the end was closer than the beginning.

“It’s not a replacement, but I think we can bring in good players for the vacant wages when I leave. There are some other friends who think similarly to me. Of course, there are also friends who want to stay with Burnley until the end of this season.”

So Jack Cork said that he would talk to the friends who were thinking of leaving and convey it in advance.

Hyungmin, who swallowed his emotions, asked.

“Do you have any plans where to go?”

“I don’t have any specific plans yet. But I asked my agent to look for opportunities overseas, not in England. Before I retire, I want to experience a completely new kind of football with new people in a place that is different from what I’m used to.”

“Thank you, Jack.”

“No, I’m the one who’s thankful. It was fun being with Sean Dyche and in the Premier League, but I really enjoyed the last few months with you, manager. It’s time to go now.”

Jack Cork, who finished speaking, got up from his seat and extended his hand.

Jack Cork smiled brightly at Hyungmin, who shook the veteran’s firm hand.

“Thank you for everything, manager.”