Chapter 19: Preparing for the Leap (3)

The retired veteran pundit continued explaining Watford's conceded goal.

"When a powerful striker like Chris Wood pushes forward, it's tough to stop him without fouling. That's why they have no choice but to try to block him outside the penalty box. For Watford's center-backs, even if they recognize he's a decoy, they have to follow him—anything to keep him away from the goal."

A red arrow was drawn on the screen, streaking straight into the now-empty penalty box from the right.

"And that's the gap Hannibal Mejbri exploited."

"So how do you counter this tactic?" the host asked.

Another pundit, who had been listening to the retired veteran, responded.

"The most basic approach is to sit deep and focus solely on counterattacks with minimal attacking personnel. The rest just hold the defense. It's a style José Mourinho excels at."

"Any other methods?"

"Fight fire with fire. If a team can press harder and move the ball faster than Burnley, they could overwhelm them instead. When two teams with the same style clash, it comes down to who executes the pressing and speed better."

The final pundit, who had been quietly listening, spoke up.

"Whatever the case, if Burnley keeps up this form, the teams facing them will start to polarize. They'll either sit deep and focus entirely on defending, or trust their own style and go head-to-head. But there's one more variable."

"What's that?"

"This high-pressing tactic is incredibly draining. Can Burnley's thin squad sustain it for an entire season?"

---

Anfield, the home stadium of Liverpool Football Club.

With a capacity of 53,394, it ranks only seventh in size in England.

Yet every player who has experienced its electrifying atmosphere, regardless of their affiliation, unanimously speaks of its uniqueness.

Originally, the first club to call Anfield home was Everton Football Club, which enjoyed fervent support from half the residents of Merseyside, the region where Liverpool is located.

But in 1892, after negotiations to buy Anfield from its owner, John Orrell, fell apart, Everton moved their home ground to nearby Goodison Park.

Left with an empty stadium after losing their tenant, John Orrell founded Liverpool Football Club to fill it.

Growing in rivalry with their local neighbors Everton, Liverpool hit their golden era from the 1970s to the 1980s, winning the top-flight league 11 times and securing four European titles over two decades.

From the 1978/79 season to the 1989/90 season, Liverpool and Everton combined for 10 league titles across 12 seasons.

The pride of Merseyside residents, who had made their region the heart of English football, soared sky-high.

The so-called Merseyside Derby, pitting Liverpool against Everton, became renowned as one of the fiercest and most passionate derbies in football.

However, after the 1989/90 season, Liverpool entered a long decline, failing to win the league for 29 years as their once-blazing flame seemed to burn out.

During that time, Liverpool fans could only watch as their rivals, Manchester United, under the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson, surpassed their record of 18 top-flight titles.

But in 2010, Fenway Sports Group (FSG), the American owners of the Boston Red Sox, acquired the club.

In 2015, Jürgen Klopp, who had led Borussia Dortmund to two Bundesliga titles, took over as manager.

In the 2018/19 season, they won the Champions League, reclaiming their status as European champions.

Finally, in the 2019/20 season, they outlasted a fierce challenge from Manchester City to win the league for the first time in 30 years.

The 2020/21 season saw their defense collapse due to injuries, barely finishing third, but in the 2021/22 season, they were charging forward with an unbeaten record so far.

Anfield, packed with Liverpool's home fans—whose passion for football rivaled any in England—was a cauldron of energy.

Jürgen Klopp, who had delivered a league title after 30 years and a Champions League trophy to boot, was a charismatic figure who could whip those fervent supporters into an even greater frenzy.

Every time the 191 cm giant of a manager stood in the technical area, urging his players to push harder, the Anfield crowd—never pausing their passionate support—responded with even louder roars.

And for Hyung-min, all of this translated into a stress-induced headache and heartburn.

"Damn it…"

Hyung-min rubbed his chest, feeling his stomach churn as he watched the opposing team move across the field.

As a Liverpool fan, this grandeur should have swelled his chest with pride, but facing them as the opposing manager, they felt like terrifying monsters.

Their goalkeeper, Alisson, had footwork rivaling most field players and had relegated Manchester City's Ederson to the Brazil national team bench.

Right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold and left-back Andrew Robertson, who had each averaged over 10 assists per season in recent years.

Thiago, a Barcelona youth product who won the Bundesliga and Champions League with Bayern Munich before joining Liverpool, adding creativity and elegance to a midfield once considered rugged.

Mohamed Salah, regarded as the Premier League's top attacker, and Sadio Mané, slightly less hyped but rated just as highly by experts.

Diogo Jota, who had displaced Roberto Firmino, Liverpool's long-time central striker, to claim a starting spot.

The fact that Virgil van Dijk—arguably the world's best defender—was sidelined by injury was something Hyung-min could only thank his lucky stars for. Liverpool's lineup was otherwise stacked with players who'd start for any national team.

On top of that, Jürgen Klopp had brought his perfected Gegenpressing from Germany, blending it with tempo control and a passing game tailored for England.

The Premier League's fastest, most ferocious pressing combined with its quickest, most lethal attack left Burnley's players reeling.

Twenty-five minutes into the first half since kickoff.

You could count on one hand how many times Burnley's players had touched the ball.

Whenever they tried to build from the back, Liverpool's front three and midfield three pressed so tightly that Burnley either lost possession and faced a counterattack or booted the ball out of bounds.

Even when they managed to connect with Josh Brownhill or Hannibal Mejbri—Burnley's better passers—the pressure was so intense they couldn't turn toward the opponent's goal.

Burnley hadn't crossed the halfway line once, constantly losing the ball and conceding shots.

Without goalkeeper Nick Pope and the backline's desperate defending, they'd have conceded multiple goals already.

As Burnley struggled, unable to register a shot on target or even enter Liverpool's penalty box, Liverpool finally cracked their stubborn defense.

"What the hell is he doing?"

Arthur, standing beside Hyung-min, clicked his tongue.

Charlie Taylor, Burnley's left-back, had collided with Liverpool's right winger Mohamed Salah to stop his breakthrough. Amid Anfield's boos, the referee pulled out a yellow card.

"If he'd let him through, it would've been a one-on-one with the keeper. It was a good call. A good call, but…"

Hyung-min muttered.

Before he could finish, Thiago, preparing to take the free kick, slipped a surprise pass to Diogo Jota, who darted past Burnley's wall.

"Oh no!"

Hyung-min and Arthur gasped in unison as Jota, maintaining his momentum, faced Nick Pope one-on-one and slotted the ball past the keeper's right side, shaking the net.

"Woooaaahhh!!"

Anfield erupted as Liverpool's home fans celebrated finally breaking down Burnley's goal, while Arthur clutched his head in despair.

Just as Hyung-min was about to mirror him, he suddenly shouted, "No! It's offside!"

The assistant referee's flag was raised high.

Liverpool players swarmed to protest, Burnley players sought confirmation, and the referee, caught in the middle, covered one ear to communicate with the VAR official.

After being jostled from both sides, the referee in black finally raised his whistle.

With Anfield, the players, and both benches holding their breath, he pointed toward the goal and blew the whistle.

"Phew, that took ten years off my life!"

Amid the home fans' boos, Hyung-min and Arthur sighed in relief, clutching their chests as the offside call led to a free kick for Nick Pope, keeping the score at 0-0.

But as time ticked on, the stats didn't improve.

Hannibal picked up a yellow card in the 2nd minute of the first half.

Charlie Taylor got one in the 25th.

James Tarkowski received one in the 41st.

With three bookings in the first half alone, Burnley's players were visibly shrinking.

Meanwhile, Liverpool—despite 10 shots, 5 on target, 8 corners, and an expected goals tally of 1.44—grew frustrated at their inability to breach Burnley's goal.

At the start of the second half, Jürgen Klopp made a subtle tactical tweak.

The pressing intensity remained unchanged.

But instead of launching rapid counterattacks after winning the ball—before Burnley's defense could regroup—Liverpool opted to circulate possession leisurely, slowly probing and unsettling Burnley's backline.

Unable to win the ball easily, and with counters snuffed out when they did, Burnley's players grew frustrated, anxious, and fatigued—exactly the crack Liverpool had been waiting for.

"Argh!"

Hyung-min clutched his head and screamed.

Near Burnley's corner flag, Hannibal Mejbri, who had dropped back to defend, rashly tackled Liverpool's left-back Andrew Robertson, bringing him down.

The young midfielder with the lion's mane threw up his hands to plead innocence, but after a VAR check, the referee unhesitatingly showed a yellow card—then a red.

In the 56th minute of the second half, Hannibal, already cautioned in the first half, was sent off for a second booking.

As the dejected prospect trudged off the pitch with his head bowed, Hyung-min, too frantic to console him, turned to the bench, desperately seeking a solution.

Already on the back foot, Burnley now had to face 11 with 10.

Liverpool, seizing their numerical advantage, pushed even their goalkeeper near the halfway line, committing fully to the attack.