The signs suggest the Clarets are finally adjusting – Opinion

admin | November 12, 2023 | Other Clubs | No Comments

It’s understandable that so many people may be depressed given Burnley’s awful start to the season.

The Clarets have only managed four points from their first 12 Premier League games and have lost their last five league games in addition to six games overall.

Burnley’s struggles to adjust to the new level have been evident for some time; the difference between the Championship and the top flight is maybe the largest it has ever been.

However, the indicators have been far more encouraging during the last two games, even though zero points have been earned. Are the men under Vincent Kompany finally catching on and making the required corrections?

It was the best performance they could have given against Crystal Palace. They had 17 shots on goal and shown a level of control that hasn’t been seen since the conclusion of the last campaign.

But in a season when it seems like everything that could have gone wrong has gone wrong, the Clarets managed to lose a game against a team that didn’t even try to score, much less win the match. I’ll never know how Palace managed to win 2-0 and away with it.

When it came to the difficult test this coming weekend against Arsenal, not much was expected. More than anything, Clarets supporters traveled to North London with high hopes, but even so, those hopes were remote.

Although the outcome was about what we would have predicted, with the Gunners winning 3-1 with relative ease, Burnley’s effort was comfortingly mature.

Mature was the term Kompany chose to highlight in his press conference following the game. The description is exactly right.

Game plan

Burnley knew they couldn’t match one of the greatest teams in the league, so they went into the match with that knowledge. You have to be respectful of this league as a newly promoted team.

However, Burnley played with enthusiasm, were well-organized, and shown discipline in their tactics. This was by far their strongest defensive performance of the season when it came to open play. They maintained their form, stayed on the low block, and committed very few, if any, basic mistakes as a result of dribbling too much, which has been a common problem this season.

It was going about as well as anyone who supported Burnley could have predicted in the first half. The hosts, who were seeing lots of the ball but weren’t accomplishing much with it, were getting frustrated as they held out. The visitors seemed to be at ease, if I may say so.

But, it wasn’t the case at all, therefore this wasn’t a defensive back-up play in which they posed no danger to attack. They were a nuisance for Arsenal and had their moments, best demonstrated by Johann Gudmundsson’s goal-saving save from David Raya. For either team, it was maybe their best opportunity of the half.

The most annoying thing, though, was that Burnley’s resolve was shattered in the last minute of regular time, leaving them unable to complete their half.

Furthermore, it was an extremely soft goal to give up. Infuriatingly so. Bukayo Saka of all persons won a very basic cross into the box, heading back across the face of goal for Leandro Trossard to bundle home.

You’re kind of anticipating the floodgates to open at this point. Again, though, this was not the case as Burnley played with character and adhered to their strategy. The sold-out away end celebrated when Josh Brownhill’s low strike glanced past Raya and into the net.

If Arsenal’s first goal’s timing wasn’t already annoying, the second goal was considerably more so. It took Burnley just three minutes to tie the score.

Once more, the most annoying thing about Arsenal’s second was its nature. From just a few yards away, William Saliba had the easiest of things heading home as the visitors failed to handle a corner.

How is it possible for a center back, who Zeki Amdouni of all people was marking, to have a free header this close to your goal? It is unacceptable.

The Gunners added a third and never really looked back. What do you think? It originated from a different angle, Burnley’s weak point.

Ahead of Oleksandr Zinchenko’s brilliant volley into the goal, Dara O’Shea somehow managed to head the ball against his own bar. That was it at that.

When Fabio Vieira’s reckless and crunching attack on Brownhill saw the hosts justifiably reduced to 10 men, Burnley experienced a late frenzy of sorts, but by then it was too little, too late. It would have been a far more exciting conclusion if there had been only one goal.

Time to assess

Here we are, once again defeated. It is currently 10 out of 12. If this keeps up, we all know where this is going.

However, this defeat along with the one from last week gives at least greater optimism. You have to seize the good things in life while you can, even if it may seem like a desperate situation.

Still, I have faith that Burnley is improving. If the opposition isn’t out of sight in the first thirty minutes, at least they’re making a fist of games. Although it may not seem like much, progress has been made. little steps.

Naturally, there will come a time when better displays will still mean little if the outcomes don’t improve.

But compared to two weeks ago, I feel much more secure going into the West Ham match after the international break. It is now necessary to record those points on the board.