Burnley aim to reproduce great 2018

by Jimmy Whitehead

Last season:
Premier League: 7th
FA Cup: 3rd Round (lost vs Manchester City)
Carabao Cup: 3rd Round (lost vs Leeds United)

Last season exceeded all expectations for Burnley. They finished Seventh in the Premier League, there best since the Premier League era started. For the first time in over 50 years the Lancashire based team has qualified for European football where they have already met with success against Aberdeen.

This is a big challenge for Burnley as they are not used to the extra games the Europa League provides. As the more experienced teams have showed the Thursday night trips away can provide sluggish performances to teams that are not well prepared on the following Sunday.

One thing you can say about the manager Sean Dyche is that he is prepared. The tactical knowledge and preparedness of the Burnley manager is one of the reasons why they finished where they did. He has started to get comparisons to a young Jose Mourinho, from this the nickname “the Ginger Mourinho” has been donned.

Transfer Business

Burnley hasn’t had the busiest of transfer windows this summer. The team haven’t always had a huge transfer budget and with the escalating transfer market it is always difficult for a smaller club to get the signings they need so Burnley have only made three.

The team have signed Joe Hart from Manchester City, who has valued European experience and can help the team in their first Europa League adventure. Burnley signed centre-back Ben Gibson from Championship side Middlesbrough. The 25-year-old has previous experience in the Premier League with Middlesbrough during the 2016/17 season. Their third signing is Championship Golden Boot winner Matej Vydra from Derby County. Dyche is hoping the Czech international can add an extra dimension to the Clarets.

A handful of players have left the Lancashire team however the mainstays of the club have all stayed with them. Centrre forward Chris Long and central midfielder Dean Marney have left the side, both going to League one side Fleetwood Town. Centre back Tom Anderson went to League one side Doncaster Rovers. Left winger Scott Arfield went to Scottish Premiership side Rangers. All of these were free transfers.

Preseason and Europa League Qualifying

The Clarets didn’t really get a preseason. With their Europa League qualifying starting so early and the World Cup not finishing until mid-July, the team only had a handful of friendlies before getting down to business.

The friendlies the team played was against weaker opposition to get the fitness levels up of the players. The only team the played at the same level is La Liga side Celta Vigo, which ended in a 2-2 draw,

The Europa League Progress for Burnley has been successful so far. They entered the competition at the second qualifying round who they were drawn against Scottish Premiership side Aberdeen. Although the Clarets had a few injuries they were the victors in the end but needed extra time to do it.

The third qualifying round is a tough trip to Turkish side Basaksehir. The first leg has been played and the teams drew 0-0. This was a good result for the team especially as they are playing at home in the next leg. There still is a long way to go to the group stage for Burnley but it would be a great achievement to get there.

Expectations for this season

The expectations for Burnley this season are all dependant on how far they progress in the Europa League. As much of an achievement it is to get there, the toll on the team could cost them. Countless times we have seen teams who have deeper squads struggle after a difficult game away in Europe.

The Clarets had an amazing season last year and defied all expectations. As much as it would be great to see them again, it may be a big ask to repeat.

Although Burnley have no superstar players, the team is a solid unit. When the team are on the same page the team can beat any other team in the League, as they showed last season. They are a stubborn side who are hard to score against. If they can capture the fire they created last season, then they could be knocking the door for Europe again.