Sport
Is time up for Burnley in the Premier League?
After six straight seasons in the Premier League, time could be running out for Burnley. Bottom of the league having won just once all season, their chances of securing Premier League survival are looking increasingly bleak.
While many opposition fans would welcome the Clarets’ demise, there is no doubt Burnley offer something a bit different from the norm in the Premier League. But why have they struggled so much this time out?
Not enough goals
It does not take a tactical genius to pinpoint Burnley’s main issue: they do not score goals.
While Sean Dyche has restored a stingy defence that was too leaky earlier in the campaign, the Clarets have found the net just once in their past four Premier League games. Burnley have the best defensive record in the bottom half, but they have drawn 11 of their 21 games so far.
The departure of Chris Wood to relegation rivals Newcastle United during the January transfer window for around £25 million caught Burnley on the hop. The release clause in the striker’s contract was not even expected by the New Zealand international to ever be triggered.
Wout Weghorst was then signed from Wolfsburg as a direct replacement for Wood but the Netherlands international is yet to score for his new club. Summer signing Maxwel Cornet has scored six times in the Premier League, but injuries and international duty at AFCON have restricted him to 11 league starts. Burnley need Cornet and Weghorst to click – and fast.
Zero investment
Burnley have been under new ownership for over a year, with Alan Pace’s ALK Capital now in charge at Turf Moor having bought out local businessmen including ex-chairman Mike Garlick.
Pace has been credited with playing a key role in the signings of Cornet and Weghorst, but the American did not do enough to boost Dyche’s squad during the January window. Burnley needed a new central midfielder and a winger at a minimum, but only secured a replacement for Wood. They made around £13 million profit in January, which feels bizarre for the bottom club.
Garlick was an unpopular figure with fans after turning off the taps years ago in order to bulk up the club’s bank balance ahead of a sale. Seasons of under-investment in players has left Burnley with an old squad – they often name an XI with an average age of around 30 – and no young players have been able to break through since Dwight McNeil, who has 118 Premier League appearances at the age of 22. It is a case of chickens coming home to roost.
Key players under-performing
McNeil has long been linked with a move away from Turf Moor, but he is one of Dyche’s key players who have not met their usual standards this season. McNeil was dropped for Burnley’s recent 1-0 home loss to Liverpool, the first league game he did not start during this campaign.
Nick Pope looks back to his best of late but the England international made a handful of errors earlier in the season, with the usually reliable defensive duo of James Tarkowski and Ben Mee also having been culpable for a number of goals being conceded. Wood had been struggling ahead of his sale – he had three league goals to his name, having hit double figures in each of his seasons at Burnley – with the striker looking out of sorts and regularly being substituted.
Perhaps the biggest problem for Dyche has been the drop-off in Ashley Westwood’s form. The midfielder sets the tempo for Burnley but has struggled to replicate his usually solid displays in the heart of the pitch. Westwood’s passing radar has been off and Burnley have not threatened from his set pieces as much as usual. A new partnership with Josh Brownhill – one of the few younger players in the XI – has not gelled with Westwood also looking leggy in many games.
Hope is not completely lost for Burnley. They have played four games fewer than Brentford – the only side they have beaten in the league – due to a spate of postponements. Their fate is in their hands. After facing Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool in recent weeks and performing much better, their upcoming matches against Brighton, Crystal Palace, Tottenham and Leicester look more winnable. But with Newcastle finding form under ex-Clarets boss Eddie Howe after spending heavily during January and Everton also looking to move up the table under their new manager Frank Lampard, it is hard to see how Dyche could propel them out of the bottom three.
