Became The Premier League’S Youngest Manager [EN]: Chapter 69

Dwight McNeil.

His nickname on the team is Dwight.

Born in 1999, he’s 22 years old.

A product of Burnley’s youth system, he debuted in the first team at the young age of 18 and has already played over 100 Premier League games, making him a young but experienced veteran.

Burnley fans were ecstatic about the emergence of a homegrown player in the starting lineup after a long time.

In Sean Dyche’s Burnley, which was more famous for its rugged defense than flashy offense, Dwight McNeil was like a ray of hope for the team and its fans.

Stamina, technique, physical ability, and even dedication and durability – he had it all.

With an excellent left foot and a right foot capable of basic techniques, he was a threat on the wing.

Born with ideal conditions for a soccer player, except for being a bit weak in aerial duels and physical battles, he honed these qualities through constant effort to become Burnley’s young ace.

Since Hyungmin took over the team, he has secured the left winger position, relentlessly disrupting the opponent’s defense and acting as the starting point or bait for attacks.

He is an all-around attacking resource who can even play as a right winger, or even as a central striker or attacking midfielder.

This season, he has started in 24 Premier League games, scoring 6 goals and providing 12 assists, making him the team’s top assist provider.

Looking at the entire Premier League, he is competing for the top spot in assists with Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes and Arsenal’s Martin Ødegaard.

Considering that Burnley’s firepower is weaker compared to Manchester United, which has a deadly striker like Cristiano Ronaldo, or Arsenal, which boasts abundant attacking resources such as Alexandre Lacazette, Bukayo Saka, and Gabriel Martinelli, the quality of his assists is arguably even higher.

Having risen to prominence as a starting player in the world’s best league at a young age, he could easily become arrogant. But Dwight McNeil, under the pressure and burden of being the only pure-blooded [a player who came up through the team’s youth academy] player in the current Burnley squad, was even more quiet and didn’t express his emotions well.

Hyungmin looked at Burnley’s young ace, who was sitting quietly on the sofa opposite him with his arms full of tattoos, with a friendly smile.

“How are you doing these days?”

At the young manager’s words, McNeil shrugged.

“Well, just okay.”

“Oh really? I thought you’d be depressed because you were substituted in the 60th minute in the last two games and couldn’t get assists, so you fell behind in the assist rankings?”

Dwight McNeil chuckled at the manager’s joke.

Dwight McNeil, as the person involved, couldn’t possibly be unaware that the newly appointed young manager was meticulously managing his playing time.

Unless there are any special issues, he is unconditionally in the starting lineup, but during the game, coach Paulo Morais carefully checks his activity level and physical condition. If he thinks he is entering a zone where there is a risk of injury, he immediately substitutes him, even at the expense of the team.

As a young player, he also had the desire to play more games, but he himself cannot deny that his pace is much better than in the previous 2020/21 season, when he recorded 2 goals and 5 assists in 36 games, or in the 2019/20 season, when he played all 38 games and recorded 2 goals and 6 assists.

Hyungmin, noticing that Dwight McNeil’s tension was visibly easing, got to the point.

“The reason I asked you to come here is because I want to adjust the role you play in the team.”

Seeing McNeil’s face visibly harden again with doubt and tension, Hyungmin hurriedly waved his hand.

“Ah, I called you to praise you! Praise!”

“…?”

Slightly flustered, Hyungmin opened the laptop on the table and turned the screen so that it faced Dwight McNeil.

“It’s better to explain with data, so I don’t make mistakes.”

The data systematically summarized Dwight McNeil’s 2021/22 season in numerical form.

Starting with representative indicators such as games played, position in those games, recorded playing time, and activity level, to the number of shots, number of shots on target, goals scored, assist attempts, effective assist indicators, and assists actually recorded.

Going into even more detail, it included ball touches and passes made in each area of the field, and the success and failure of those passes.

The number of attempted pressures and the number of successes and failures, and even the results of the attempted pressures.

Dwight McNeil, who had glanced at the detailed reports that the analysis team provided to the manager after each game by combining video and GPS information, still tilted his head as if he didn’t understand.

“Um, is there a problem?”

As far as he could see, there was nothing particularly wrong with the indicators.

His activity level hadn’t dropped, the pressure was being applied at the front line as the manager had instructed, and the quality and quantity of passes and chance creation were at their highest since he started his professional career.

Even though he was a winger, his number of successful tackles per game was 6th in the entire Premier League.

Hyungmin chuckled at the young ace’s puzzled expression.

“Yeah. It’s kind of exciting to see this.”

“…?”

Hyungmin pointed to the expected goals (xG) and actual goals figures that appeared on the screen to Dwight McNeil, who was expressing curiosity on his face.

In 24 Premier League games, the expected goals were 10.43, but the actual goals were 6, with the actual goals being almost half of the expected goals.

Considering that the expected goals and actual goals can deviate in the short term, but generally converge probabilistically after a season, his scoring ability was definitely lacking.

“Um… Do you want me to score more goals?”

Hyungmin shook his head at the young player’s question.

“Um… well, if I had to say, I don’t think that’s it.”

*So what do you want to talk about after calling me all the way here?*

Hyungmin smiled with satisfaction at the slightly annoyed expression that finally appeared on the ace’s face.

“Yeah. That’s exactly what I want.”

“Yes?”

“Okay, let’s analyze your stats here. Your shots per 90 minutes are 2.97, which is 20th in the entire Premier League. But to be ranked 20th in the Premier League scoring charts right now, you would have had to score 11 goals.”

Dwight McNeil, who was looking at the indicators, tilted his head and asked.

“Um, so should I take fewer shots? I have a high number of assists anyway…”

“No. It’s the opposite.”

Hyungmin interrupted the young player’s question, who was becoming even more confused.

“Why do you take so many shots but not score goals? Why are your actual goals lower than your expected goals? Have you ever thought about it?”

“Um…”

Dwight McNeil was lost in thought for a moment.

He hadn’t really thought about it because he had so many assists this season, and especially in the first half of the season, the strikers and midfielders, including Chris Wood and Karim Adeyemi, had finished well.

Even in the second half of the season, as the team continued its undefeated streak, there was no particular time or reason to think about this.

“That’s because you’re not greedy enough.”

“…?”

Hyungmin played a video clip from his laptop to Dwight McNeil, who had a surprised expression on his face.

A highlight from the last game.

His own uniform with the number 11 on it could be seen.

Dribbling into the opponent’s penalty box and meeting an opponent’s defender, he cut back.

He looks for someone to pass to again, but there is no one, so he meets the defender again and cuts back.

He looks for someone to pass to again, but when there is no one, he cuts back again.

Eventually, he takes a shot, but it is easily caught by the prepared opponent’s goalkeeper.

The next clip, the next clip, the next clip.

All of them showed him dribbling in the penalty box, unable to find someone to pass to, and then being blocked.

“Um, is my dribbling too long? Should I pass the ball sooner?”

“My friend. Your dribbling and breakthrough is one of the key elements of our team’s attack, what are you talking about? From the moment you successfully dribble into the penalty box, the fact that you couldn’t create an angle to receive a pass is the fault of the other players, not your fault.”

“Then…?”

“You need to take shots sooner.”

“…?”

Hyungmin showed Dwight McNeil the basic data he had shown him before.

“Okay, you take a lot of shots, but the shooting opportunities themselves are quite poor. As you saw in the video just now, most of the shots are taken when you’re trying to pass but end up being cornered. So, you’re third in the Premier League in assists, and you’re sending an incredible 2.83 key passes per 90 minutes, but all you’re picking up are low-quality opportunities.”

“Ah…”

Hyungmin smiled as he explained to the young striker, who tilted his head as if he knew but didn’t know.

“Okay, look at this.”

The video Hyungmin prepared showed Chris Wood, Jay Rodriguez, or Wout Weghorst playing as central strikers and dropping back, and Karim Adeyemi, Johann Berg Gudmundsson, Hannibal Mejbri, or even Jacob Ramsey breaking into the gap created there and taking shots.

Take a shot directly when there is a good opportunity, and pass when you judge that there is no opportunity.

Although the results seem the same, the process of reaching the conclusion is almost the opposite.

The same situation had occurred countless times when he was on the field.

However, every time that happened, he thought about how to turn the central striker around and draw out the opponent’s defense, but the idea of breaking into the gap created there himself and finishing it off didn’t occur to him first.

“Don’t just think about being used by your teammates, think about using your teammates. It’s good to be dedicated, but you’re ultimately a striker, and if a striker doesn’t take shots, it becomes easier for the opponent to defend.”

He was still tilting his head, but this time it was a movement of accepting a new concept into his head rather than finding it difficult to understand.

“I want you to attack much more comfortably and freely. What if you fail? The responsibility for the win or loss lies with me, the manager, and your teammates will share the burden on the field.”

Dwight McNeil’s face gradually brightened with understanding and acceptance.

“So go out there and do what you want. I’ll take responsibility as long as you don’t score an own goal. And then if the results aren’t good, we can talk about it again together. How about it?”

Some time after Dwight McNeil left.

The door to Hyungmin’s office, where he was sitting on the sofa and fiddling with his laptop, opened.

“How was it?”

“As expected, good kids are difficult.”

“Hehehe. That’s right. But making a good kid bad is easier than making a bad kid good.”

Hyungmin frowned at Arthur, who was half-lying on the sofa opposite Dwight McNeil.

“Making a bad kid? I’m just being a little more proactive…”

“…Be more selfish, more self-centered, and run more for yourself, that’s what’s best for the team. It’s harder for good kids to follow those words.”

“Arthur, you agreed to have this conversation with Dwight.”

“I agreed. I never said it would be easy or that it would work out well.”

“Aish…”

The moment Hyungmin was about to get annoyed at the wily remarks of the experienced head coach, Arthur lay down completely on the sofa and waved his hand.

“Ugh… your office sofa is the best. I’m going to take a nap, so wake me up in a bit.”

“No, take your nap in Arthur’s office! You have a head coach’s office!”

“The sofa there isn’t as soft as this one…”

“Oh, this old geezer, really!”