Became The Premier League’S Youngest Manager [EN]: Chapter 79

79: May in a Frenzy

Burnley took the lead early in the second half, scoring the first goal.

Despite half the match remaining, Aston Villa’s players seemed disheartened, their heads drooping after conceding.

“It’s okay! Plenty of time left! Focus and rebuild from the ground up!” Steven Gerrard yelled encouragement from the sidelines, but the negative atmosphere surrounding Aston Villa proved difficult to shake off.

Conversely, Burnley’s players, energized by their goal, seized the initiative and launched a full-scale attack.

“No one likes us!”

“We don’t care!”

“We are Burnley!”

“Super Burnley!”

As the second half progressed, a light rain began to fall at Wembley Stadium, but it couldn’t dampen the fervent spirits of the Burnley fans, who were in full voice.

While the fans continuously chanted the praises of their team, manager, and individual players, the Burnley players on the field, their faces etched with determination, pressed Aston Villa relentlessly, eager to seal the victory.

Capitalizing on this momentum, Hyungmin substituted Nico Gonzalez for Josh Brownhill, a midfielder showing signs of fatigue. This move aimed to solidify the defense while reigniting the attack.

Nico Gonzalez, while possessing similar passing skills to Josh Brownhill, offered superior energy and defensive capabilities.

Alongside Nicolas Seiwald and Hannibal Mejbri, who were already on the pitch, Burnley’s youthful three-man midfield, averaging around 20 years old, began to dominate Aston Villa’s four central players, becoming increasingly influential.

“Nico!”

“Easy, stay calm,” Matt Lowton, Burnley’s right-back, cautioned anxiously as a pressured pass came his way. Nico Gonzalez, however, calmly controlled the erratic ball with the outside of his right foot, reassuring the veteran defender.

The passing game that Hyungmin had integrated into Burnley’s tactics since Nico Gonzalez’s arrival in the second half was now on display.

While it might appear unrefined compared to the likes of Barcelona or Manchester City, it represented a significant shift for Burnley, a team known for its intense pressing and counter-attacking style.

And if this tactical flexibility confused their opponents, forcing them to adapt, then any perceived clumsiness was irrelevant.

The product of Barcelona’s La Masia [Barcelona’s youth academy] began to disrupt Aston Villa’s defense, drawing their midfielders, who were attempting to contain him, towards himself.

Protecting Gonzalez’s flank was Nicolas Seiwald, a defensive midfielder who had pushed further forward since Gonzalez’s introduction.

Ahead of them, Hannibal Mejbri dropped deeper from his usual position near the penalty area.

Based on the strong connection forged through training, matches, and shared experiences in the same accommodation, the three young midfielders maintained close coordination within the tight space.

To check Nico Gonzalez, who was disrupting their team’s balance, Aston Villa’s attacking midfielders, Emiliano Buendía and Philippe Coutinho, quickly converged on him.

“Nico, two coming from behind.”

“Got it.” At Nicolas Seiwald’s brief warning, Nico Gonzalez nodded and made eye contact with Hannibal Mejbri, who was dropping back to offer a passing option.

Typically, Burnley’s central striker would drop deep to link up with the midfield, while one of the central midfielders would surge into the penalty area, unsettling the opposition’s defense.

However, after observing Wout Weghorst, Burnley’s starting central striker, effectively occupying Aston Villa’s central defensive pairing of Tyrone Mings and Calum Chambers throughout the first half, Hyungmin decided to keep Weghorst inside the penalty area from the second half onward.

With two central defenders preoccupied with a single striker, the defense’s functionality was compromised.

Before Aston Villa’s Steven Gerrard could devise a countermeasure, Burnley’s players capitalized on the advantage created by their manager.

“Hannibal!” Nico Gonzalez called out, and Hannibal Mejbri accelerated towards his teammate.

To intercept the pass to Hannibal Mejbri, Aston Villa’s central midfielder, John McGinn, was forced to stick tight to Burnley’s young prospect.

Before Aston Villa’s other central midfielder, Douglas Luiz, could fill the gap left by John McGinn, or the defenders could adjust their positions.

“Hmph.” Nico Gonzalez, having further disrupted Aston Villa’s formation with a simple maneuver, chuckled and unleashed a sweeping diagonal pass across the field with his right foot.

“Ooh!!!”

“Wow!!!”

Amidst the rising tide of exclamations, lamentations, and shouts from the stands, Dwight McNeil, Burnley’s left winger, latched onto the long pass that had traversed the field from Burnley’s right sideline to the left in a single, swift movement.

The young Burnley star, who had already scored the opening goal, shrugged off the challenge from Aston Villa’s right-back, Matty Cash, who was frantically chasing him, and began to dribble into the penalty area at full speed.

“Quickly! Close him down!”

“Midfielder! Get in there!”

“Just slow him down!”

As urgent calls for support echoed, Aston Villa’s defense faltered. However, remembering the costly mistake of releasing all opposing players and opening up passing lanes during the opening goal, the Aston Villa defenders hesitated to abandon their positions rashly.

Only Tyrone Mings, Aston Villa’s central defender, momentarily broke away from Burnley’s central striker, Wout Weghorst, to block a potential passing lane.

Dwight McNeil, charging into Aston Villa’s penalty area at high speed, saw Aston Villa’s goal and Robin Olsen, the goalkeeper guarding it.

Olsen had started in this crucial FA Cup final due to an injury to Aston Villa’s first-choice goalkeeper, Emiliano Martínez, but appeared somewhat subdued after conceding an early goal in the second half, especially given his declining match fitness as a substitute.

Now, if Dwight McNeil took just one more step into the penalty area, his shooting angle would be blocked by Wout Weghorst, who was positioned near the penalty spot, and the two Aston Villa central defenders marking him.

Conversely, if Robin Olsen advanced just two or three steps, the angle for a direct shot would also be obstructed.

In the past, Dwight McNeil would have stalled for time, drawing the goalkeeper towards him before dribbling in, seeking out Karim Adeyemi, Burnley’s right winger, who would be making a penetrating run from the opposite side, or Hannibal Mejbri, who would be surging from midfield.

From the perspective of competing for the top spot in Premier League assists this season, that approach would be more certain to disrupt Aston Villa’s defense and increase the likelihood of scoring.

Always choose the side with the higher probability.

Always minimize mistakes to avoid disappointing the team and fans who have expectations of him.

At this critical juncture, with only one step remaining for the Burnley youth academy [Burnley’s player development system] product who had always adhered to that philosophy.

Dwight McNeil unleashed a shot with his favored left foot.

As the spectators leaped to their feet, the shot from Burnley’s young talent grazed the fingertips of Robin Olsen, who desperately stretched out his hand, and nestled into the lower left corner of Aston Villa’s goal.

“Aaaaargh!!!”

The young man from the youth academy, sprinting towards the corner flag, roared in triumph, having scored both the opening goal and the go-ahead goal in Burnley’s most important match in 60 years. He pounded the badge on his chest with his fist, directing his celebration towards the wildly cheering spectators.

Aston Villa was sinking.

Although approximately 20 minutes remained in the second half, most of Aston Villa’s players lowered their heads, sensing defeat.

[Burnley’s Manager Kim has no intention of easing up at all.]

The commentator observed, noting Burnley’s substitution following the second goal.

Right winger Karim Adeyemi and central striker Wout Weghorst, both visibly fatigued, were replaced by Johann Berg Guðmundsson and Jay Rodriguez, respectively.

This move served both to invigorate the attack and to honor the two veterans who were expected to leave the club at the end of the season.

As Burnley’s fans rose to applaud the newly introduced veterans and the departing players, the commentator shook his head in the commentary box.

[Even if Aston Villa mounts a desperate attack to score a consolation goal, it appears that Burnley will stand their ground rather than retreating defensively. In fact, Steven Gerrard is still contemplating his next move, delaying the substitution.]

[Aston Villa also lacks impactful options on the bench to change the game’s momentum. Striker Danny Ings has been ineffective, struggling against Burnley’s central defensive duo, James Tarkowski and Ben Mee.]

The game resumed with Aston Villa’s kickoff, but they showed little attacking threat, while Burnley’s players continued to press for more goals.

The Burnley fans, sensing victory, loudly sang their new anthem, which had become a hit song this season.

“Welcome! Welcome to the Jungle!”

“Kim’s got fun and games!”

“Kim’s got everything you want honey!”

“Kim knows the names!”

“In the jungle, welcome to the jungle!”

“Watch it bring you to your shaking knees!”

(From Guns & Roses’ “Welcome to the Jungle”)

The commentary team, listening to the anthem, shook their heads in admiration.

[Truly, Burnley’s success this season can be largely attributed to Manager Kim’s influence. The fans seem to recognize this, singing their own anthem for the manager, rather than for Dwight McNeil, who scored two goals, or other players.]

[Honestly, that’s accurate. The players who joined Burnley this season have exceeded expectations, but even with a healthy financial situation and Sean Dyche remaining as manager, few fans would have anticipated Burnley winning the FA Cup.]

The game continued, but Aston Villa’s players had lost the will to mount a full-scale comeback.

The commentary team also sensed that the game was effectively over, and their conversation became more relaxed.

[Well, there are now 10 minutes remaining. Considering added time, it will likely be around 13 minutes. Burnley’s Manager Kim, having already used all of his substitutions, is sitting comfortably on the bench, observing the game. Is this a display of confidence, suggesting he is unconcerned with Steven Gerrard’s plans?]

Nodding in agreement, the commentator pointed out the activity on the Aston Villa bench.

[Ah, Aston Villa is finally making a substitution. They are replacing left-back Lucas Digne, who had a poor performance today, with veteran Ashley Young. And in central midfield, Douglas Luiz is replaced by Marvelous Nakamba. It appears they intend to launch a counterattack using the veteran’s experience on the flank while reinforcing the center defensively.]

[Haa… I think it’s already too late. Burnley seems unfazed and continues to attack in their own way. Aston Villa has a long way to go, but Burnley is actually increasing their shot count.]

The commentator concurred.

[The expected goals are 1.59 for Burnley and 0.42 for Aston Villa, a difference of exactly 1 goal. It seems unlikely Aston Villa can turn this around without something extraordinary in the next 5 minutes.]

[Meanwhile, Burnley’s players are relentlessly pressing and attacking. Under Burnley’s pressure, Aston Villa continues to lose possession in their own half and struggles to connect with their forwards.]

Burnley, confident of victory, focused on solidifying their lead.

Aston Villa, sensing defeat, saw their legs grow heavier as time ticked away, diminishing their will to fight back.

As frustrated Aston Villa fans began to leave the stadium, the referee finally raised the whistle to his mouth after confirming that all four minutes of added time had elapsed.

[Ah! The whistle blows! Burnley! Burnley lifts the FA Cup for the first time in 108 years since 1914!]

The game concluded with the commentary team’s enthusiastic exclamation.

***

“Aaaaargh!!!”

At the referee’s whistle, all the players and coaching staff on Burnley’s bench surged onto the field.

Hyungmin, barely maintaining composure to quickly approach Steven Gerrard in the opposing technical area for a handshake, was soon seized by the jubilant Burnley players and dragged to the center of the field.

“One, two, three!”

“Woo-hoo!!!”

“One, two, three!”

“Woo-hoo!!!”

Responding to the cheers of the tearful spectators, the players tossed their young manager high into the air.

James Tarkowski, watching the manager ascend with a pleased expression, noticed the assistant coach beside him, gasping for breath with his hand on his chest.

“Arthur, are you okay?”

“I’m okay, I’m okay. Just a little too excited.”

James Tarkowski, enjoying the celebration next to the breathless assistant coach, inquired, but Arthur waved him off, urging him to join the festivities.

Although concerned, James Tarkowski saw the old assistant coach sit back down on the bench. Realizing that many others, both in the stands and on the field, were experiencing similar emotions, he plunged back into the joyous chaos.