Became The Premier League’S Youngest Manager [EN]: Chapter 61

61. Did You Forget How to Lose?

One week after cleanly defeating Doncaster Rovers Football Club, a League One team, 1-0 in the FA Cup 4th round away game, Burnley faced Brentford.

Burnley welcomed Brentford to Turf Moor with pleasant memories of winning 2-0 away in the second game of the first half of the season, when Hyungmin took over the baton [became manager].

And in the first half alone, Burnley conceded two goals, sending about 1,000 away fans who visited Turf Moor into a frenzy.

“Damn it! I kept telling you to mark Eriksen!”

Arthur, standing next to Hyungmin, whose expression was growing darker in the technical area, clicked his tongue.

Christian Eriksen.

The midfielder from the Danish national team, who went through Ajax, blossomed after transferring to Tottenham in the 2013/14 season and rose as the core of the so-called DESK line.

Dele Alli (D), an attacking midfielder who is the future of the English national team.

Christian Eriksen (E), a world-class midfielder who supplies creativity from the midfield.

Son Heung-min (S), a two-footed, sharp striker who can play on both flanks and at the forefront.

And Harry Kane (K), a starter for the English national team and an all-around striker who began to make a name for himself.

Tottenham was considered inferior in terms of finance and power compared to the two teams located in Manchester, Liverpool, and London’s local rivals Chelsea and Arsenal.

However, the four-man attack formed under the guidance of manager Mauricio Pochettino at the time contributed decisively to Tottenham’s consistent participation in the European Champions League, finishing second in the league and runner-up in the Champions League.

However, the DESK line collapsed when the creative midfielder, who was considered world-class, transferred to Inter Milan in the 2019/20 season winter transfer market.

Tottenham, which failed to reinforce the creativity of the midfield, has not been able to reproduce the glory of the days when the DESK line was thriving.

On the other hand, Christian Eriksen himself was in danger of being seen as a failed signing because he could not integrate into the team in the early days of his transfer to Inter Milan.

However, after finishing his adaptation period in early 2021, he performed well in the second half, and finally, Inter Milan decisively contributed to winning the Italian Serie A in the 2020/21 season under the guidance of coach Antonio Conte.

Having rediscovered his peak performance and enjoying the joy of winning the league, he participated in Euro 2020, which was postponed for a year due to Corona [Covid-19].

However, he collapsed due to cardiac arrest during the match between Denmark and Finland, shocking the football world and fans.

Fortunately, he was safe thanks to the quick action of the players, medical staff, and organizers, but he was at a crossroads in his career as he had to wear an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator [ICD] for treatment.

Since the Italian league does not allow players with ICDs to play for safety reasons, the original team, Inter Milan, terminated the contract by mutual agreement.

Christian Eriksen, who became a free agent, finally chose Brentford, which succeeded in being promoted to the Premier League, after considering retirement, return, and the league and team to which he belonged.

And Brentford, with the addition of a world-class midfielder, was enjoying the added creativity in midfield, breaking through the solid defense of the home team in the Burnley away game.

Hyungmin gritted his teeth at the sight of Brentford striker Ivan Tony, who scored twice with passes artistically delivered to the front line, even though he had been so careful to prevent Christian Eriksen from continuously distributing the ball.

“This won’t do if we just leave it like this. It seems like everyone’s lost their edge since we’ve definitely escaped from the relegation zone.”

“Then what are you going to do?”

At Arthur’s question, Hyungmin clenched his teeth.

Half-time, the atmosphere in Burnley’s home locker room at Turf Moor was uneasy.

Of course, the fact that they were being dragged down by two goals to an opponent they had expected to overwhelm after inviting them to their home was a big factor, but more than anything, it was because neither the manager nor the head coach had come in to deliver instructions for 10 minutes of the 15-minute half-time.

“Did something happen?”

Left-back Charlie Taylor asked, giving captain Ben Mee, who was sitting next to him, a look that said he should go out and check.

“If you’re so curious, you go to the stadium.”

However, before Ben Mee, who was wearing a bothered expression at his defensive teammate Charlie Taylor, could open his mouth to answer, the locker room door burst open with a bang.

Kim, who clearly kicked the door open.

The young manager, who came in panting with a face full of anger, found a plastic water bottle in the middle of the locker room and sent the water bottle flying to the other side of the locker room with all his might.

In the locker room, which was frozen in shock, Kim, whose face was reddened, shouted.

“Are you out of your minds?! Is this what you call soccer?! Aren’t you ashamed to go out there and say you’re a Burnley Football Club player?! If you don’t go out there right now and crush those guys in the second half, I’m going to pluck all your heads off and bury them in the trash!”

Bang!!!

The roar of the manager, who unilaterally spewed out a threat-filled rage, echoed in the Turf Moor home team locker room, which was locked in silence, as he turned around and slammed the door shut with all his might.

When someone who usually smiles gets angry, it’s really scary.

That thought fleetingly passed through one corner of my blank head.

Pale captain Ben Mee looked around the squad, which was paling in a similar way.

Wout Weghorst and Abdou Diallo, who joined at the end of the winter transfer market, were also making shocked expressions, but the shock to Burnley’s existing squad, who had been directed by Hyungmin for the past six months, was indescribable.

Our manager is usually gentle, and hardly ever gets annoyed.

Except for fining in training, he’s so nice, and he even had a slightly pushover-ish feeling.

The players, who had only seen the manager’s gentlemanly side, were completely frozen at the manager’s new side.

Some of the players were touching their necks as if to check if their necks were properly attached to their heads.

Max Cornet, who narrowly avoided being hit directly by the water bottle on his face, was gaping with his mouth open, having been showered with the water that burst out as the plastic water bottle shattered against the wall instead.

“Uh… we…”

Ben Mee, swallowing saliva in his suddenly parched mouth, continued speaking in the locker room, where silence reigned.

“…Let’s… definitely do better in the second half…?”

[Goal! Burnley players score their third goal!]

The caster said in a tone that was more dumbfounded than excited now.

And the commentator, who was making an absurd expression next to him, continued that remark.

[Just now, Burnley’s left winger Max Cornet almost made it on his own with individual skill. Max Cornet, without even doing a goal celebration, picks up the ball from the goal again and runs to the halfway line.]

[I don’t know what happened at half-time, but the atmosphere of the Burnley players is no joke. Behind them, captain Ben Mee is clapping and encouraging his teammates.]

While the bewildered caster and commentator were struggling for their own interpretation, the Burnley players quickly brought the ball back to the center mark, then stood in their formation and glared at the referee and the opposing team players.

[What on earth is it? I understand that they were hurried until they scored the go-ahead goal, but now they have the advantage. Goal difference is not that important of a variable in the league, but Burnley, who have seized the advantage, are urging the opposing team and the referee to resume the game as if they are going to score one more goal before the game ends.]

[Brentford’s Christian Eriksen, who recorded 2 assists in the first half, hasn’t even touched the ball in the second half. No, it seems that Brentford players hardly ever complete passes more than twice since the second half started.]

[I understand that they are reacting strongly because they are losing in the home game, but is urging resumption even after seizing the lead an expression of their will to definitely finish the game on this opportunity?]

While the bewildered caster and commentator were struggling for their own interpretation, the commentator, whose eyes fell on one area of the stadium, pointed out another question.

[What’s unique is that Burnley’s manager Kim, who used to come out to the technical area and encourage the players, is sitting on the bench with his arms crossed and not moving at all in the second half.]

“Hey, hey. Niki. How’s it going? How’s it going, Boyoung?”

Max Cornet, who scored a goal for the first time in a while but couldn’t even do a celebration and was being urged again to start the game, asked defensive midfielder Nicholas Seiwald, who approached him, in English with a strong French accent.

Nicholas glanced at the bench and then shook his head.

“He’s still sitting on the bench with his arms crossed? I can’t see his face well, but his posture is not good…”

“Aish. Even though we came back?”

While Max was frustrated, captain Ben Mee’s desperate cry, which was closer to a scream than a roar, was heard from behind.

“Let’s go for one more goal! We need to go for one more goal!”

In the end, Hyungmin, who was watching the players urging resumption, only glanced at the bench even after scoring the go-ahead goal, and couldn’t even make eye contact with the high-spirited manager, slightly tilted his head towards Arthur, who was sitting next to him, with his chin resting on his hand.

“Arthur.”

“Yeah?”

“…Those guys, they’re not angry or too upset at me, are they?”

Arthur chuckled as he watched the Burnley players, who seemed like they were going to destroy the opposing team with their spirit as they attempted desperate forward pressure and counterattacks again with the referee’s whistle.

“Probably not?”

“Hoo… That’s a relief. I was really nervous.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes. And next time, I think it would be better to prepare a smaller water bottle, or put even less water in it. I almost sent Max flying for real. Don’t you have paper packs like that in England?”

“Those are only for juice or milk. Anyway, I’ll put less water in it next time.”

While Hyungmin was trying to manage his expression using the hand that was resting his chin, Arthur and Paulo Morais chuckled with their hands covering their mouths so that the players couldn’t see.

***

After the Premier League 25th round, where Burnley made Brentford battered after conceding 2 goals in the first half and then scoring 4 goals in the second half.

Burnley, who gave the neutral fans a thrill and the home fans a roller coaster ride between hell and heaven, faced Everton in the Premier League 26th round.

Everton, who had been a Premier League mainstay and had been consistently performing above mid-table, were drawn into the most miserable relegation battle in the club’s history in the 2021/22 season and were fighting a bloody battle every game.

However, with the team’s performance, which had fallen to the relegation zone, not improving easily, Everton fired Frank Lampard, Chelsea’s legend who had been appointed as the successor of manager Rafa Benitez, who suddenly resigned in the early season, after only half a season.

And then, in order to appease the furious fans and the desperate hope about performance improvement, they took a strong measure by appointing Wayne Rooney, a legend of Manchester United and a youth product of Everton, as manager.