Became The Premier League’S Youngest Manager [EN]: Chapter 72

72. Is April Cruel?

The away game against Arsenal, currently in first place, has transformed the league’s top spot competition between Manchester City and Liverpool into a thrilling three-way battle, leaving the other clubs trailing behind.

The Emirates Stadium is packed with home fans, and the game is only six minutes into the first half.

Both teams are cautiously testing each other’s defenses.

For Burnley, Abdou Diallo is in the starting lineup as a central defender, taking the place of captain Ben Mee. Hannibal Mejbri occupies one point of the midfield triangle. Aside from these adjustments, the starting players, now recognized as ‘Burnley’s 4-3-3 formation,’ are all present.

Arsenal, on the other hand, counters Burnley with a 4-2-3-1 formation, which has firmly established itself as their primary formation in the latter half of the season.

The goalkeeper is Aaron Ramsdale, 24, acquired from Sheffield United for £24 million during the summer transfer window. He has surpassed Bernd Leno, a German international goalkeeper, to secure the starting position and is now being considered as a potential future goalkeeper for the England national team.

The full-backs are Takehiro Tomiyasu, a 23-year-old Japanese right-back signed from Bologna in the Italian Serie A for £16 million in the summer transfer window, praised for his solid defense and effective overlapping runs, and Kieran Tierney, a 24-year-old Scottish international left-back.

The central defenders are Ben White, a 24-year-old English international central defender who was signed from Brighton for a significant £50 million in the summer transfer market.

Alongside him is Gabriel, a 24-year-old Brazilian international central defender acquired from Lille in the French Ligue 1 for £23 million during the summer transfer window of 2020.

In central midfield are Granit Xhaka, a Swiss international and one of the last major signings under Arsenal’s legendary manager Arsène Wenger, and Thomas Partey, a Ghanaian international signed from Atlético Madrid in the Spanish Primera Liga [Spanish First Division] for £44.5 million in the summer transfer window of 2020.

The forward line features French international veteran Alexandre Lacazette as the center forward, with both left and right wingers emerging from Arsenal’s youth academy.

One is Bukayo Saka, a 20-year-old talent who has become a regular for the England national team.

The other is Gabriel Martinelli, also 20, expected to join the Brazilian national team soon.

However, even within this impressive starting lineup, the most dangerous player occupies the attacking midfielder position.

He joined Real Madrid at 16 but struggled to establish himself at the Primera Liga giant, being loaned out several times.

However, after a successful loan spell at Real Sociedad in the Primera Liga, he joined Arsenal on loan last season.

He injected a higher level of creativity and dynamism into Arsenal’s attack, leading to his permanent signing for £30 million in the summer transfer market. He is the 23-year-old Martin Ødegaard.

Furthermore, with Granit Xhaka, protecting the midfield, at 29, Thomas Partey at 28, and Alexandre Lacazette, the center forward, at 30, the remaining starting players are young and dynamic, all under 24.

Although it was uncertain whether he would join the ranks of great managers, Mikel Arteta, 40, returning to his former club, quickly reorganized the team and entered the competition for first place in the 2021/22 season, exceeding expectations by several seasons.

Arsenal’s executives were laying a solid foundation for long-term success.

Of course, assembling the starting lineup that played today required a staggering £120 million investment in the summer transfer market alone, nearly half of Burnley Football Club’s estimated value of £260 million.

Including the winter transfer market, the immense financial power to sustain a net expenditure of £130 million for player recruitment this season alone was a key factor in supporting their investment for success.

From a fellow professional’s perspective, the team’s gradual rebuilding was admirable, but from the viewpoint of a manager of a weaker team facing them in a game, a strange mix of admiration and concern was inevitable.

“Wow! Wouldn’t it be great if Nick could pass like that too?”

“Wouldn’t it be better to be realistic about what to expect?”

Hyungmin exclaimed in admiration, watching Arsenal’s goalkeeper, Aaron Ramsdale, casually exchanging long passes with the full-backs, who had pushed up almost to the halfway line.

Nick Pope, also an England international and Burnley’s starting goalkeeper, unexpectedly suffered a slight blow to his reputation because of his manager and head coach’s comments.

Arsenal’s full-backs move up and down around the halfway line, constantly trying to escape Burnley’s pressure.

One of them sends a back pass diagonally across the field with almost the force of a shot, and Aaron Ramsdale, coming out to the edge of the penalty area to receive the ball, calmly controls it and sends a sweeping pass to the opposite full-back.

“Oh! Did you see that? If we passed to Nick at that speed, he’d probably concede a goal, right?!”

“Well, not necessarily concede a goal. But Nick would be busy clearing it.”

“Hmm… They say Aaron Ramsdale pushed out Bernd Leno because of his excellent passing skills, and it’s true. Looking at his performance when he played for Sheffield United last season, he didn’t seem this good.”

“What chance would a goalkeeper have to pass the ball at Sheffield United? He’d be too busy blocking shots and clearing the ball.”

Arthur replied dismissively to Hyungmin’s excitement.

It was an added bonus to downplay Sheffield United, who had the worst record in Premier League history, winning only one of their first 18 games last season and being relegated to the Championship [English second-tier league].

Of course, despite this, it was remarkable that Arsenal’s scouting team recognized the talent of the starting goalkeeper of the team with the lowest score in the league and selected him, and the club executives’ will and belief in fully supporting this decision.

“Ah! That, that!”

“Ugh!”

Burnley’s young manager and veteran head coach, briefly lost in thought and conversation, screamed in surprise, startled by the sudden turn of events on the field.

It was as if they sensed that Burnley’s players, like Hyungmin and Arthur standing in the technical area, were leisurely enjoying the spectacle of passes unfolding before them, momentarily losing focus.

Arsenal’s right-back, Takehiro Tomiyasu, instead of sending a back pass to the goalkeeper or midfielder as he had been doing for the past few minutes, suddenly played a low, fast pass to the right winger, Bukayo Saka, who was positioned in front.

“Gabriel!”

“I know!”

Bukayo Saka, the starting winger for the England national team who received the pass, quickly dribbles the ball from the left side of Burnley’s defense while calling out to his teammate on the opposite side.

In response, Arsenal’s left winger, Gabriel Martinelli, shakes off Burnley’s right-back, Matt Lowton, who is marking him, and begins to move into the penalty box.

There, Arsenal’s center forward, Alexandre Lacazette, anticipates an opportunity and drops back, drawing Burnley’s center back, Abdou Diallo, out with him.

Finally, Arsenal’s attacking midfielder, Martin Ødegaard, having escaped Nicolas Seiwald’s persistent marking, penetrates, alternating positions with Alexandre Lacazette, who is moving out of the penalty box.

All three of Arsenal’s talented young attackers successfully penetrate Burnley’s penalty box, instantly creating a 3-on-3 situation with Burnley’s defense.

Burnley’s defense, paying a heavy price for a moment of inattention by allowing three players from the opposing team to penetrate the penalty box, is thrown into disarray.

Bukayo Saka, who had already shaken off Burnley’s left-back, Charlie Taylor, chasing him from behind, feints slightly, lowering his right shoulder towards James Tarkowski, the central defender blocking his path.

James Tarkowski, anticipating Bukayo Saka’s direction based on his shoulder movement, shifts his weight to the left, realizes his mistake, and flinches.

Bukayo Saka immediately takes another step to the left, bypassing the opposing team’s central defender, who is caught off balance.

With a shooting angle towards the goal now open after a simple feint, the young attacker from Arsenal’s youth academy raises his left foot to shoot.

“Support me!”

“I’m going!”

At James Tarkowski’s urgent cry, Burnley’s defensive midfielder, Nicolas Seiwald, who had been tracking Arsenal’s attacking midfielder, Martin Ødegaard, penetrating the penalty box, abandons his opponent and sprints back.

But it is already too late to prevent the shot without risking a penalty kick.

In fact, it is too late to block him entirely, but interim captain James Tarkowski still desperately throws himself in front of Bukayo Saka.

And behind the central defender throwing his body on the line, goalkeeper Nick Pope quickly moves a few steps, narrowing the shooting angle for the space that James Tarkowski cannot cover.

It was a crisis from the moment the breakthrough was allowed, but Burnley’s experienced defense and goalkeeper still chose the best option within the limited choices.

However, as if anticipating all those movements.

Bukayo Saka lowers his left foot, which he had raised as if to shoot, and gently pushes the ball to the left with the outside of his left foot.

And the true intention of the play, planned since Bukayo Saka began his run, is now revealed.

While the defense and goalkeeper, moving to block Bukayo Saka, are all caught off guard by the sudden pass.

Arsenal’s left winger, Gabriel Martinelli, who had already shaken off Burnley’s right-back, Matt Lowton, and leisurely moved into the open space, fires a first-time shot.

“Aaaaargh!!!”

The Emirates Stadium erupts with cheers from Arsenal’s home fans, and the Arsenal players, having scored the opening goal in just 7 minutes, swarm to the corner flag to celebrate with the fans.

“Today… isn’t going to be easy, is it?”

Hyungmin, his face darkening rapidly, says to Arthur, who is silent beside him.

Just now, Arsenal succeeded in tearing Burnley apart by calmly passing the ball from the back and then surging forward the moment a gap appeared in the opponent’s defense.

In other words, both the tiki-taka [a style of play characterized by short passing and movement], which involves endless passing, and the quick attack and finish have become much more refined than in the first half of the season.

Arsenal can execute the movements that Burnley can only implement when Nico Gonzalez is in central midfield instead of Hannibal Mejbri or Jacob Ramsey, without needing to make substitutions.

Technically, each individual player can pass the ball at the level of Josh Brownhill or Nico Gonzalez, considered the best passers in Burnley.

The average age of the squad is also the lowest in the Premier League, so their stamina is excellent.

In addition, the main attackers and defenders are faster than all but Karim Adeyemi and Dwight McNeil, who are the fastest in Burnley.

As such, Burnley, beginning to fall behind in terms of technique, stamina, and speed, is starting to be toyed with by Arsenal, just as Hyungmin feared.