Chapter 10: Interim Manager (4)

The Carabao Cup, originally known as the League Cup, was considered a tournament of lesser prestige compared to the FA Cup, the oldest competition in English football.

Nevertheless, it was a significant event, with 92 clubs participating from the Premier League, England's top tier, down to League Two, the fourth tier.

Due to the nature of the tournament, upsets were frequent, with underdog teams often securing thrilling victories over stronger sides. Meanwhile, top teams typically rotated their squads, giving opportunities to reserve players.

For this reason, it was also the only competition where mid-table Premier League teams could realistically aim for a trophy.

Of course, for Burnley—a team barely scraping by match after match with a paper-thin squad and considered the prime candidate for relegation—this was hardly relevant.

"The second round of the Carabao Cup is against Everton. I assume you're not exactly holding your breath for this one, right?"

It was Tuesday morning, the week after a victory in an away match against Brentford.

With no permanent manager yet appointed, the interim manager, Hyung-min, had been summoned to attend the board's regular meeting.

At Hyung-min's words, Mike Garlick and John Banaszkiewicz gave wry smiles and shook their heads.

"We don't intend to put that much pressure on you," Garlick replied.

"Yes, well, for this match, I plan to give some opportunities to players who haven't had much game time so far. Though, to be honest, even saying that doesn't mean much when our available squad is so thin…"

Letting out a deep sigh, Hyung-min shook his head as he continued.

"But we need to give rest when we can if we're going to somehow make it through the regular season."

The board members all wore grim expressions at the interim manager's painfully honest assessment.

"But didn't we beat Everton in the first round? And they've just appointed a new manager, so maybe we've got a chance?" Helena ventured, trying to highlight a silver lining.

Hyung-min looked at her with an incredulous expression.

"Everton is a historic powerhouse that hasn't been relegated to the second tier since the Premier League era began! Last season, they finished 10th under Carlo Ancelotti, while we barely clung to 17th to avoid relegation. We're not even in the same league—literally. And this time, it's an away game at Goodison Park."

Unfazed by Hyung-min's sharp rebuttal, Mike Garlick and John Banaszkiewicz flinched slightly, while Helena let out an awkward laugh and quietly backed down.

As he looked at the board members, Hyung-min silently prayed that, in his absence, Arthur wasn't pushing the first-team players too hard.

---

True to his declaration of rotating as many players as possible, Hyung-min made wholesale changes to the lineup, keeping only four players from the previous two matches: right-back Matt Lowton, whose position had no viable replacement, and midfielders Jack Cork, Ashley Westwood, and Josh Brownhill.

The defense, in particular, was a concern. Left-back Erik Pieters was an aging veteran whose physical condition was visibly declining. Among the center-backs, Kevin Long was a perennial substitute, while Nathan Collins was just a 20-year-old prospect.

Even so, Burnley held their own against an Everton side now led by Frank Lampard, employing aggressive pressing, ball recovery, and quick counterattacks.

Of course, for a club like Burnley, the gap in quality between the starting lineup and the reserves was stark.

While the regular starters like Dwight McNeil, Chris Wood, and Jay Rodriguez could create chances in the final third, the reserves—Jóhann Berg Guðmundsson, Ashley Barnes, and Maxwel Cornet—struggled to match their quality or output.

"Should we switch Guðmundsson and Cornet's positions?" Hyung-min asked Arthur, who had approached him after watching the starting lineup squander yet another attacking opportunity with a wayward cross.

"I don't think that'll change much. Look at them floundering out there," Arthur replied.

"Haa…" Hyung-min sighed, glancing at the bench.

Seven substitutes were allowed in the Carabao Cup, and they were all seated there—players who had already played nearly 180 minutes across the last two matches and were expected to continue as starters moving forward.

The Premier League season consisted of 38 regular matches. Add in cup games, and they'd need to prepare for 40 to 45 matches in total.

Considering not just physical fatigue but also the risk of injuries, Burnley's razor-thin squad depth meant they had to be bold about what to prioritize and what to let go.

And as the interim manager, Hyung-min couldn't hand over a worn-out squad to the incoming permanent manager.

"For now… let's just stick with this for the first half."

"For now?"

"If we're clearly losing, we'll keep it like this in the second half too. Otherwise… well, not trying at all feels a bit off, doesn't it?"

"Heh heh heh. I'm all for it. Absolutely, we should give our best in every match!" Arthur chuckled.

It wasn't exactly helpful advice for managing the squad's stamina, but the still-green interim manager and the past-his-prime interim assistant coach exchanged knowing glances.

By the 60th minute of a second half that had gone from tense to sluggish, Hyung-min decided to roll the dice.

He substituted the visibly exhausted veteran forward Jóhann Guðmundsson, shifted Maxwel Cornet—who had been playing on the right—to the left to better utilize his stronger left foot, and brought on veteran striker Jay Rodriguez to fill the vacant right flank.

Rodriguez, who had scored a goal and provided an assist in the last two matches, was in the best form of any Burnley player, and Hyung-min hoped he could tip the tightly contested game in their favor.

In contrast, Everton's Frank Lampard, perhaps still getting a handle on his squad, showed little reaction to Burnley's proactive move.

But as the saying goes, "Man proposes, Heaven disposes"—was the outcome truly up to fate?

During a routine attacking move, the ball went out of play off an Everton touch near the right sideline.

As Everton's players settled into their defensive positions, Burnley's right-back Matt Lowton threw the ball in to center-back Nathan Collins.

Collins carried the ball up to the halfway line before passing it to central striker Ashley Barnes, who had dropped into midfield to draw out Everton's defenders.

Thanks to Everton's lack of aggressive pressing, Barnes received the ball without much trouble.

Scanning his surroundings calmly, Barnes spotted Josh Brownhill closing in and played a short pass to the midfielder tasked with orchestrating Burnley's attack.

Following a rehearsed move, Brownhill sent a long pass to Maxwel Cornet, who was sprinting down the left flank toward Everton's goal.

Cornet's weak shot was easily saved by Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, resulting in a corner kick. It was a scene that had played out countless times in the match—Burnley's counterattacks thwarted by Everton's defense.

But on the 13th corner kick of the game—and Burnley's seventh—they struck gold.

Ashley Barnes, making his first start of the season, shook off his markers and met Josh Brownhill's corner with a powerful header.

"Raaaahhh!"

Barnes raced to the corner flag, roaring in triumph, as his teammates rushed to embrace him. Hyung-min scratched the back of his head.

"Huh?"

Why did winning feel so awkward?

Standing in the technical area, watching Burnley's goal celebration, Hyung-min silently questioned himself.

Glancing to the side, he saw Arthur wiping his face, seemingly embarrassed that he'd agreed to let the team's in-form striker play 30 unnecessary minutes in a cup match.

"Couldn't he have scored earlier?" Arthur grumbled.

"Well… a win's a win, right?" Hyung-min replied, trying to stay positive.

"In the grand scheme of things, winning might actually make things harder later… ugh. Anyway, I'll tell Dwight and the others to come back out."

"Yeah, that's probably for the best. As long as no one gets injured."

Grimacing as if tempting fate, Arthur trudged toward the sideline to instruct the warming-up substitutes to return to the bench.

Whatever the case, it was another match somehow navigated by Burnley's interim manager and assistant coach.