Became The Premier League’S Youngest Manager [EN]: Chapter 9

9: Interim Manager

From the start, Burnley’s three attackers pressed Brentford’s three defenders in a one-on-one situation, with Burnley’s three midfielders mirroring this pressure on Brentford’s midfielders behind them.

All six players in the back line and center of the field were under intense, individual pressure.

Overwhelmed by Burnley’s relentless pressing, Brentford struggled to complete passes among themselves before hastily sending the ball out to the left and right wing-backs, as they had planned.

However, Burnley’s full-backs, anticipating this, worked with supporting midfielders and wingers to create a 3-on-1 situation, easily winning back possession.

The recovered ball was quickly distributed forward with the one-touch, short passes that Burnley’s players had become increasingly adept at, launching a swift counterattack.

“Good! Well done!”

In the 11th minute of the first half, Burnley’s right-back, Matt Lowton, working in tandem with defensive midfielder Jack Cork, dispossessed Brentford’s left wing-back, Rico Henry.

Hyeongmin, standing in the technical area, clapped and offered words of encouragement to his players.

Having won the ball back, Burnley’s players immediately initiated a counterattack, a tactic they had honed through relentless fast passing and movement drills over the past two weeks.

As soon as Lowton secured the ball, he passed it without hesitation to Burnley’s center-back, James Tarkowski, who was positioned nearby.

Tarkowski, in turn, swung his right foot and delivered a long ball to central midfielder Josh Brownhill, who was stationed in the center circle.

With just two passes, five of Brentford’s attacking players were effectively taken out of the play.

Meanwhile, Brownhill, upon receiving the pass in the center, controlled the ball with his right foot while simultaneously pivoting his body.

Scanning the field, he spotted Burnley’s left-winger, Dwight McNeil, advancing along the left sideline, waiting for the pass. Brownhill immediately threaded a ball to his teammate.

Thus, before the opposing team could react, the ball was accurately delivered from Burnley’s right-back to Burnley’s left-winger, traversing the field in just four touches.

Brentford’s defender, Pontus Jansson, and right wing-back, Mads Roerslev, rushed towards McNeil, who had received the ball with his back to the goal.

However, McNeil remained composed, pushing the ball to Burnley’s left-back, Charlie Taylor, who was overlapping from behind along the sideline to provide support.

In the moment when Jansson and Roerslev hesitated, unsure of whom to chase—McNeil or the ball—McNeil spun and darted into the space between them.

“Ah!”

As Brentford’s manager, Thomas Frank, watching the game from the home team’s technical area, let out a brief exclamation, Taylor lofted the ball over McNeil’s head towards the penalty box.

McNeil, timing his run perfectly, received Taylor’s precise pass, which dropped right over his head, and sprinted into Brentford’s penalty box.

In the rapidly developing one-on-one situation, Brentford’s goalkeeper, David Raya, rushed out to narrow the shooting angle, his anxious face now in McNeil’s view.

Suddenly, a heavy impact from the side sent McNeil tumbling onto the grass.

The referee’s whistle blew.

Burnley’s players, enraged by the blatant foul on their teammate, rushed towards the spot, shouting their protests.

Brentford’s players, while trying to restrain them, appealed to the referee with their own shouts.

A cacophony of noises reached McNeil’s ears as he lay on the ground, recovering from the impact.

Among them was Brentford’s defender, Pontus Jansson, who had collided with the opposing attacker in the penalty box, muttering with a click of his tongue.

“Ah, damn it···.”

It came as no surprise when the referee, after consulting VAR [Video Assistant Referee, a system used to review decisions], pointed to the penalty spot and brandished a yellow card.

Cheering Burnley players swarmed into Brentford’s penalty box.

Chris Wood, receiving the ball from the referee, placed it on the penalty spot and began a psychological battle with Brentford’s goalkeeper, David Raya, who was desperately waving his arms to distract him.

The distance from the penalty spot to the goal is 11 meters (approximately 12 yards).

Despite the attacker’s inherent advantage, the success rate of penalty kicks in professional football is surprisingly only around 76.4%. This means that nearly one in four penalties are missed.

In over 70% of those missed penalties, the goalkeeper makes the save.

Statistically, 23.6% of 70% is approximately 16.5%.

So, roughly one out of every six times, the goalkeeper manages to save the penalty.

Of course, at this moment, Burnley’s New Zealand international striker, Chris Wood, wasn’t dwelling on these complex statistics.

After confirming that the Burnley and Brentford players had retreated outside the penalty box, the referee blew his whistle again. Chris Wood took his run-up and smashed the ball into the left side of the net, past David Raya, who was flailing his arms frantically.

“Uwaaaaa!”

Chris Wood, watching the ball ripple the back of the net, ran towards the corner flag, pounding his chest and roaring in celebration.

As Burnley’s players piled on top of him, sharing their joy with the traveling fans, the scoreboard changed from 0 to 1.

It was the 12th minute of the first half, and Burnley had taken the lead against Brentford.

The game’s dynamic remained largely unchanged after the restart.

Brentford’s three defenders—Pontus Jansson, Kristoffer Ajer, and Bruno Valdez—continued to circulate the ball amongst themselves in their defensive formation, searching for an opening.

However, Burnley’s three forwards relentlessly pressed them, preventing them from comfortably distributing the ball to Brentford’s midfielders.

Ultimately, Brentford was forced to repeatedly play long balls to Henry and Roerslev, who were attempting to make runs down the left and right flanks.

Then, as if according to a pre-determined plan, Burnley’s players on the flanks immediately won back possession through coordinated defense with the midfielders and launched another counterattack.

Conversely, if Brentford’s defenders, unable to contain their frustration, opted to send long passes directly towards their attackers?

Burnley’s center-backs, James Tarkowski and Ben Mee, who were patrolling the center, and defensive midfielder Jack Cork, who dropped back to provide support, swarmed Brentford’s attackers, Ivan Toney and Bryan Mbeumo, like a pack of hounds, winning aerial duels and initiating yet another counterattack.

In the 41st minute of the first half, just as Brentford’s frustrating attacking attempts and Burnley’s counterattacks, fueled by their relentless full-court press, were becoming a familiar pattern, the game reached another pivotal moment.

Pressure, pressure, and more pressure.

Evading Burnley’s attackers, who were hounding them relentlessly, the ball circulated nervously and precariously among Brentford’s defenders.

Finally, unable to transition the ball from defense to midfield, they passed it back to Brentford’s goalkeeper, who was the only player not under immediate pressure.

As if trying to release his mounting anger and frustration, David Raya unleashed a powerful kick, sending the ball soaring across the field, only to land squarely on the chest of Burnley’s center-back, Ben Mee, who had anticipated the play and positioned himself accordingly.

After a controlled first touch, Ben Mee played a short pass to Ashley Westwood, who was dropping back from midfield to receive the ball.

Sensing Brentford’s midfielder, Vitaly Janelt, closing in from behind, Burnley’s veteran midfielder, instead of trying to control the ball, cleverly flicked it to the left with the outside of his left foot while simultaneously turning sharply to the left.

In the brief moment it took for Vitaly Janelt to adjust his position, Westwood passed the ball to Josh Brownhill, who had advanced to just outside Brentford’s penalty box.

Brownhill, receiving the ball just outside the penalty area, gently stroked it forward with the inside of his right foot, just as he had done in the Everton game.

A pass that instantly outwitted all three of Brentford’s defenders, who were quickly closing down to prevent a long-range shot, and the two midfielders approaching from behind.

The ball flew low and fast, landing perfectly at the feet of Jay Rodriguez, who was making a run into the open space on the right.

As in the Everton game, Jay Rodriguez found himself receiving the ball on the right with Brentford’s defense completely disorganized.

The key difference this time was that Rodriguez faced the goalkeeper in a one-on-one situation, completely unmarked and without any defensive pressure.

David Raya, who had inadvertently created the counter-attacking opportunity with his long kick, desperately rushed out once again, attempting to narrow the shooting angle.

However, this time, without the threat of a clumsy defensive foul that would concede a penalty, Rodriguez subtly feinted with his left shoulder, sending the ball to his right, easily rounding the onrushing goalkeeper.

All that remained was to tap the ball into the empty net.

It was the moment when the visiting team, Burnley, scored their second goal.

Next to the jubilant Burnley players and the ecstatic away fans, the dejected Brentford players and the distorted faces of the home supporters vividly conveyed their despair.