I became the Premier League’s youngest manager

A panel of retired veterans took over, explaining the details of Watford's goal conceded.

"When a powerful striker like Chris Wood comes in, it's hard to stop him unless it's a foul. That's why you have no choice but to try to stop him outside the penalty area. Watford's central defenders have no choice but to chase him, even if they see him as bait. They have to keep him away from the goal, anyway."

A red arrow was drawn, coming straight from the right into the empty penalty box.

"Hannibal Mabry took advantage of that gap," the veteran continued.

"Then, what kind of tactic should we use to stop this?"

Another panelist, who had been listening to the retired veteran's explanation, answered the moderator's question.

"The most basic thing is to sit back and try to counterattack with a minimum number of attackers. The rest should stay focused on defense. That's the style that Jose Mourinho is good at."

"What other way?" the moderator asked.

"It's a fight to the death. If there's a team that can press harder and move the ball faster than Burnley, Burnley might get crushed. After all, if you play against a team with the same style, the pressure and speed will come into play," the panelist responded.

The last panelist, who had been listening intently without saying anything, spoke up.

"Whatever it is, if this performance continues, the clubs that play against Burnley will become increasingly polarized. Either they sit deep and focus on defense, or they trust their style and go all out. There's one more variable there."

"What is that?" the moderator inquired.

"These pressing tactics are incredibly exhausting. Can Burnley's thin squad sustain them all season long?"

Anfield, the home stadium of Liverpool Football Club, stood tall with its 53,394 seats, making it only the seventh-largest in the UK. However, every player who had experienced the passionate atmosphere of the stadium, regardless of their affiliation, spoke in unison about how special it was.

The first club to call Anfield home was Everton Football Club, a team with a passionate following that represented half the population of Merseyside, where Liverpool is based. However, in 1892, Everton attempted to purchase Anfield from owner John Orrell. When negotiations broke down, Everton moved to nearby Goodison Park, and Liverpool Football Club was founded by John Orrell to fill the empty stadium.

Liverpool, which grew in stature alongside its local rival Everton, reached its peak in the 1970s and 1980s, winning 11 First Division titles and four European trophies in just 20 years. Between the 1978/79 and 1989/90 seasons, Liverpool and Everton combined to win 10 titles in 12 years.

The pride of Merseysiders, who had become the heart of English football, was sky-high. Moreover, the so-called Merseyside derby, where Liverpool and Everton clashed, gained prominence as one of the most intense and exciting derbies in the world.

However, after the 1989/90 season, Liverpool entered a long period of decline, failing to win the league title for 29 years, as if consumed by a burning flame. During that time, Liverpool fans watched as their arch-rivals Manchester United surpassed their record of 18 top-flight titles under the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson.

In 2010, the Fenway Sports Group (FSG), the owner of the Boston Red Sox, acquired Liverpool. Then, in 2015, Jurgen Klopp, who had previously led Borussia Dortmund to two titles, took over as manager. In the 2018/19 season, Liverpool won the Champions League, and in the 2019/20 season, they overtook Manchester City to win the league title for the first time in 30 years.

In the 2020/21 season, injuries caused Liverpool's defense to collapse, but they barely finished in third place. However, after a strong recovery, the team has been performing well in the 2021/22 season so far.

Anfield was filled with Liverpool's passionate home fans, whose intensity could rival any other supporters in England, a country known for its fervor for football. Jurgen Klopp, who had won the league title for the first time in 30 years and the Champions League on top of that, was a manager with the charisma to fuel the atmosphere even further.

Anfield, which had been cheering non-stop whenever the 191 cm tall manager stood in the technical area and gestured to the players, responded with even louder cheers.

But all of this was a complex headache and heartburn for Hyungmin, who was feeling the stress and pressure mounting inside him.

"Madam..." Hyungmin muttered, rubbing his chest as he felt his stomach ache while watching the opposing team on the field.

If things had gone as they were, Hyungmin, a Liverpool fan, would have felt his heart racing whenever he saw them, but now, facing them as the opposing team's manager, he saw them as nothing less than terrifying monsters.

Alisson, a goalkeeper with footwork better than most field players, had even forced Manchester City's starting goalkeeper, Ederson, to sit on the Brazilian national team's bench.

Right-back Trent-Arnold Alexander and left-back Andrew Robertson had each averaged more than 10 assists per season over the past few seasons.

Thiago, who came from Barcelona's youth academy and led Bayern Munich to both the Bundesliga and the Champions League, added elegance and creativity to a midfield that had previously been criticized for being rough.

Mohamed Salah, considered the best striker in the Premier League, and Sadio Mane, who had a slightly lower profile but was just as effective, formed a deadly attacking duo.

Diogo Jota, who had replaced Roberto Firmino as Liverpool's regular center-forward, further strengthened the attack.

The team was filled with regular national team players, to the point that even Virgil van Dijk, widely regarded as the best defender in the world, was out due to injury, leaving Hyungmin to offer silent thanks for his absence.

At the team level, manager Jurgen Klopp had perfected pressing football with gegenpressing, transforming Liverpool's style into one of tempo control and passing.

Burnley's players were left reeling, their breath taken away by the Premier League's fastest, most aggressive press combined with Liverpool's quickest and most threatening attacking force.

As the match continued, it became evident that Burnley was barely able to maintain possession. They touched the ball only a handful of times in the first 25 minutes. Every attempt to build from the back was met with relentless pressure from Liverpool's attackers and midfielders, suffocating any chance to move forward. Burnley's attempts were either pushed out of bounds or intercepted, leading to counterattacks that were stifled before they could even gain momentum.

Even when they managed to pass to Josh Brownhill or Hannibal Mabry, who were known for their passing ability, the relentless pressure made it impossible to turn toward the opponent's goal.

If it weren't for the dedicated defense of goalkeeper Nick Pope, Burnley would have conceded multiple goals by now.

As the match progressed, the frustration of Burnley's inability to break out of their defensive third became palpable. And finally, Liverpool cracked Burnley's solid defense.

"Oh, what is he doing?" Arthur, standing beside Hyungmin, clicked his tongue in disbelief.

Burnley left-back Charlie Taylor, trying to stop Liverpool's right-back Mohamed Salah from breaking through, fouled his opponent, earning a yellow card amidst boos from Anfield.

"If I had broken through that, I would've been one-on-one with the goalkeeper. It was a good decision," Hyungmin muttered.

Before Hyungmin could finish his sentence, Liverpool's Thiago, who was waiting to take a free kick, passed the ball by surprise to striker Diogo Jota, who was running right next to the wall of Burnley players.

"Ah!" Hyungmin and Arthur sighed simultaneously as Jota, in sync with Burnley goalkeeper Nick Pope, lightly nudged the ball to Pope's right, shaking the net.

"Ugh!!" Arthur clutched his head in frustration as Liverpool's home fans erupted in cheers, celebrating the breakthrough they had been waiting for.

At that moment, just as Hyungmin was about to react similarly to Arthur, he suddenly shouted.

"No! It's offside!"

The referee's flag was raised high.

Liverpool players rushed to protest, Burnley players sought clarification, and the referee, caught in the middle, covered one ear while communicating with the VAR assistant referee.

The referee, having been tossed around by the chaotic scene, finally blew his whistle and gestured toward the goal.

"It's been ten years!" Hyungmin muttered, shaking off the shock, as the game resumed at 0-0 following Nick Pope's free kick being ruled offside.

However, the situation didn't improve much as the game continued. Hannibal Mabry had received a yellow card in the 2nd minute, followed by Charlie Taylor in the 25th minute and James Tarkowski in the 41st minute. Burnley had already accumulated three yellow cards in the first half and were becoming increasingly discouraged.

On the other hand, Liverpool, with an expected goal of 1.44, had produced 10 shots, 5 on target, and 8 corner kicks, yet they were still frustrated by Burnley's unyielding defense.

As the second half began, Liverpool made a subtle tactical change under Jurgen Klopp's instructions. The intensity of the press remained the same, but when they won the ball, they chose to slowly break down Burnley's defense with patient passing rather than rushing to counterattack.

Burnley's fatigue began to show as they struggled to keep pace. The cracks Liverpool had been looking for began to appear.

"Ugh!" Hyungmin screamed, clutching his head as Hannibal Mabry, defending near the Burnley corner flag, brought down Liverpool's left-back Andrew Robertson, who was trying to break through.

The young midfielder, arms raised in protest, was shown a yellow card after VAR reviewed the incident, followed by a red card for a second yellow.

In the 56th minute of the second half, Hannibal, having already collected one yellow card, was sent off. His head hung low as he walked off the field, leaving Burnley with just 10 men against Liverpool's 11.

Liverpool, eager to capitalize on the numerical advantage, pushed forward with all-out attack, while Burnley, exhausted and depleted, fought to hold their ground.