Became The Premier League’S Youngest Manager [EN]: Chapter 74

74: Blooming Spring

Saturday, April 16, 2022.

Wembley Stadium was packed with 90,000 spectators for the FA Cup semi-final.

I don’t know how they managed it, but the 35,000 seats allocated to Burnley, a town with a population of only 70,000, were filled with their enthusiastic fans, singing their hearts out.

Manchester City, still reeling from their unexpected loss to Leeds United in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley Stadium, had the championship trophy snatched away from them at the last moment.

However, they had also advanced to the semi-finals of both the FA Cup and the UEFA Champions League.

The Premier League title race was also still fiercely contested.

The chance to achieve an unprecedented quadruple [winning four major trophies in a single season] disappeared with their elimination from the Carabao Cup final, but the Manchester City players, now aiming for a treble [winning three major trophies], were determined to crush Burnley, a team considered far inferior.

On the other hand, Hyungmin, having secured a week’s break between the previous game against Arsenal and the upcoming game against Leicester, abandoned his usual policy of neglecting cup competitions and fielded his strongest starting eleven.

With Hannibal Mejbri, who had regained his composure and form in the second half of the season, in the starting lineup, Burnley’s best eleven was ready for action.

Manchester City’s manager, Pep Guardiola, always faced a selection headache due to his team’s incredible depth. He fielded a mix of starters and substitutes, with star player Kevin De Bruyne rested for the Premier League and Champions League title races.

Even so, with the exception of American reserve goalkeeper Zack Steffen, the rest of the team were of a standard that could secure a starting position in any Premier League team.

Hyungmin and Burnley’s players, vividly remembering their narrow 2-1 defeat in the first half of the season against a seemingly relaxed opponent, approached the first half more cautiously than usual, patiently seeking opportunities.

“Charlie!”

“Okay, okay!”

Dwight McNeil, Burnley’s left winger, dribbled the ball into Burnley’s attacking zone on the left, passing it back and forth with Charlie Taylor, the left back, as they advanced slowly.

Manchester City’s right winger today was Serge Gnabry, whom they had acquired from Bayern Munich, the dominant force in the German Bundesliga, for a staggering 62 million pounds in the last winter transfer market.

However, the young German international winger, who came through Arsenal’s youth academy and blossomed in the Bundesliga, was primarily focused on guarding the space behind Charlie Taylor to prevent counterattacks, rather than actively participating in defense as instructed by the manager.

Therefore, Sergino Dest, the right back who Manchester City signed from Barcelona for 28 million pounds in the last summer transfer market, and Bernardo Silva, who started as a central midfielder, were tasked with blocking Dwight McNeil and Charlie Taylor.

The young American international defender and the creative Portuguese international midfielder were closely marking them, but it wasn’t quite enough to completely shut down Burnley’s well-established left-wing attack.

The eyes of the Manchester City players were naturally drawn to Burnley’s attack, which was comfortably passing the ball back and forth and advancing from the left.

And subconsciously shifting their positions slightly in the direction of the attack is a natural human tendency, even for professional players.

Of course, Joao Cancelo, the left back guarding Manchester City’s left side, and Ilkay Gündoğan, the left central midfielder, were experienced enough not to lose their focus so easily.

Therefore, they kept a close eye on Burnley’s right winger Karim Adeyemi and right back Matt Lowton, ready for a sudden switch in Burnley’s attack.

Nevertheless, Manchester City’s overall defensive line, almost imperceptibly, began to tilt slightly towards their right, where Burnley’s attack was developing.

“Brownhill!”

At that moment, Charlie Taylor, sensing the shift, played a short pass to Josh Brownhill, Burnley’s central midfielder, who was waiting in the center.

“Wout!”

Josh Brownhill, receiving the short pass, immediately sent the ball towards Wout Weghorst, Burnley’s central striker, who had dropped back from the penalty box to receive the pass.

The Dutch international striker, who joined Burnley in the last winter transfer market, successfully drew two Manchester City players, central defender John Stones and defensive midfielder Fernandinho, out of position.

The tall striker, having created a gap in Manchester City’s defense, watched the low, fast pass heading towards him.

Wout Weghorst, leaning his upper body slightly back to check for any defenders approaching from behind, and using his large frame to create space, reached out his right foot to receive the ball.

Just before gently trapping the ball, he noticed Josh Brownhill’s subtle gesture of raising his chin slightly as he made the pass, and a thought flashed through his mind.

Could this be…

Wout Weghorst, quickly reassessing the trajectory of the ball, let it pass between his legs with surprising agility, simultaneously redirecting it with a flick of his right heel.

“Gasp!”

Manchester City’s central defender John Stones and defensive midfielder Fernandinho, who were closing in on Burnley’s central striker from both sides, gasped in unison.

The ball, having smoothly bypassed the two defenders while maintaining its speed, found Hannibal Mejbri, Burnley’s central midfielder, who was making a penetrating run into Manchester City’s penalty box from behind Fernandinho.

“Block him!”

Manchester City’s goalkeeper Zack Steffen urgently instructed central defender Rúben Dias, while simultaneously rushing out of the goal to narrow the shooting angle.

Right central midfielder Bernardo Silva was still occupied with Dwight McNeil and Charlie Taylor, who were developing Burnley’s left-wing attack, along with Sergino Dest.

Left central midfielder Ilkay Gündoğan was still monitoring the runs of Burnley’s right winger Karim Adeyemi and right back Matt Lowton, along with left back Joao Cancelo.

With Manchester City’s defense stretched wide, Hannibal Mejbri had a golden opportunity thanks to the clever play of Burnley’s midfielder Josh Brownhill and central striker Wout Weghorst, who had unlocked the defense in front of the penalty box.

Avoiding Manchester City’s central defender Rúben Dias’s sliding tackle by nudging the ball slightly to the outside with his right foot, maintaining the ball’s speed.

He was now in a one-on-one situation with Manchester City’s goalkeeper Zack Steffen, who was rushing out to meet him.

The Manchester United prospect didn’t hesitate, wrapping his right foot around the ball and taking a shot a fraction of a second faster.

The ball narrowly evaded the outstretched left hand of the goalkeeper, who was diving towards it with arms wide open.

“Yes!”

Hyungmin and Arthur, watching from Burnley’s bench, along with the coaches and substitutes, all raised their hands, watching the ball fly past Manchester City’s goalkeeper Zack Steffen and towards the goal.

Half of the fans filling Wembley Stadium grabbed their heads in frustration, while the other half stood up in anticipation.

The ball, seemingly destined for the empty net, struck the far post at the last moment and bounced back out.

“Ah!!!”

The Burnley fans who had just risen to their feet slumped back down in disappointment, while the Manchester City fans who had been holding their breath erupted in cheers.

But the ball was still in play.

As the ball rebounded into the middle of the penalty box, players from both teams converged on it.

The first to reach it was Manchester City’s central defender Rúben Dias, who had been outmaneuvered by Hannibal Mejbri in terms of speed and skill.

He kicked the ball with all his might, aiming to clear it in any direction away from the goal, but it bounced back into the penalty box off Hannibal Mejbri, who had thrown himself in front of the defender.

The ball, deflecting off Hannibal Mejbri’s back, then struck the face of Manchester City’s goalkeeper Zack Steffen, who was desperately reaching for it on the ground, and ricocheted towards the goal.

The Manchester City goalkeeper covered his face and fell backwards into the penalty box, stunned by the unexpected blow.

A heart-stopping moment for Manchester City fans.

Manchester City’s central defender John Stones, who had chased back after dispossessing Burnley’s central striker Wout Weghorst, barely managed to scoop the ball away with his left foot just before it crossed the goal line.

Unable to stop his momentum, the defender slid into the net, shaking it not with the ball, but with his own body.

As John Stones’ desperate clearance succeeded, Manchester City’s left back Joao Cancelo and Burnley’s right winger Karim Adeyemi, both vying for the loose ball rolling back towards the penalty spot, engaged in a shoulder-to-shoulder sprint.

However, the experienced Manchester City defender subtly lowered his left shoulder and nudged it upwards, causing the young Burnley striker to lose his balance and momentarily lift off the ground.

While impeding Burnley’s players in this way, Manchester City’s goalkeeper Zack Steffen, still dazed, threw himself on the ball and finally secured it, bringing the chaotic situation to an end.

“Ah, damn it. If only that had gone in!”

Hyungmin, realizing that this had been the best opportunity of the first half, sighed in frustration.

Following the referee’s signal, Manchester City’s medical staff rushed onto the field to assess the injured goalkeeper.

Manchester City’s manager Pep Guardiola, watching the medical staff with a worried expression, unleashed his pent-up anger on the players who had allowed Burnley the opportunity, once the medical staff signaled that the player was okay.

“Wake up! Wake up! Watch their runs and stop them!”

The Manchester City manager and players, shaken by the near-concession, spent the remaining time of the first half stringing together passes with angry and wary faces.

As if determined to prevent Burnley’s players from even touching the ball, from goalkeeper Zack Steffen at the back to Phil Foden, the central striker playing as a false nine [a striker who drops deep to create space for other players], dropping back to the halfway line.

In this uninterrupted passing display, Burnley’s players calmly solidified their defense in their own half.

So, you guys are good at passing, huh? Well, we’ll show you our defensive strength, which has already recorded 13 clean sheets in the Premier League this season.

Manchester City circulated the ball to maintain possession, while Burnley prevented them from even approaching the goal, applying intense pressure and maintaining a solid defensive line from the moment the ball crossed the halfway line.

Both teams finished the first half without creating any significant chances and headed into halftime.