As Sean Dyche’s men walked off Turf Moor for one last time in late July, the emotions were bittersweet ones. A season that saw Burnley exceed expectations in England’s first division was marred by the last matchday defeat against Brighton & Hove Albion.
The past few seasons had been turbulent for the side from Lancashire. After incredibly finishing seventh in the 2017/18 season, the club had a big breakdown as they finished 15th in the following year.
Key reinforcements in specific areas were made. Some important tactical decisions around the first-team squad were deployed. Couple their available resources with Premiership experience and the Clarets started their journey towards the top half of the table.
Burnley Return to Top Half of the Premier League Table
Signings Pay Off
It was always going to be a big blow for Burnley to lose any first-team player. The club lost it’s first player before the campaign even began as Peter Crouch announced his retirement from the beautiful game.
A replacement in the form of an attacking option was imminent for the Premier League club. Jay Rodriguez was brought in from Championship club West Bromwich Albion in a £5 million deal, and what a deal it proved to be. Burnley born and bred, Rodriguez ended up scoring 11 goals and provided two assists in all competitions for the Clarets this season.
Other incoming transfers included Bailey Peacock-Farrell from Leeds United and Danny Drinkwater from Chelsea on loan. But the highlight signing for the season was surely Josh Brownhill, as Burnley signed the Bristol City midfielder for £9 million.
A Complacent First Half of the Season
Burnley had a dream start to their Premier League campaign. The Clarets faced the Saints from Southampton in their opening day fixture at Turf Moor, and unbelievably efficient display saw the home side clinch a 3-0 win.
But happy times didn’t last long. Consecutive fixtures against top sides of the division played their part, as the club went on a five-game winless run in all competitions. This also involved a 3-1 home loss to Sunderland that led to their elimination from the Carabao Cup.
With 11 losses in 21 games played, Burnley ended their calendar year 2019 on a complacent note altogether.
2020 – A Blessing in Disguise for Burnley
The year 2020 has surely been one of the worst years in the history of this world, let alone in the world of football. But not for Burnley – they have lost only four games this year.
The year started with a massive 2-0 win at home against Manchester United. What followed was an amazing turnaround for the Lancashire-based side. Disciplined defending and taking their chances against inferior oppositions meant that Burnley have not lost a single game against a top half club apart from Manchester City in 2020.
The defensive prowess of the Clarets has been evident in their minute statistics too. This Burnley side conceded 30 goals in the first half of the season, just to reduce the figure to 20 goals in the remainder of the season.
They faced a difficult opening fixture as football made a return in England in June after the global pandemic, visiting reigning champions City. The Citizens went on a 5-0 rout, and Sean Dyche’s men could all but hang their heads in shame.
What followed has been an incredible comeback by Burnley. The top-flight club went seven games unbeaten to seal a 10th position finish in the Premier League. The biggest feat? The Clarets were closer to second-placed Manchester City than they were to the relegation zone.
The Tactical Setup
Sean Dyche used the traditional 4-4-2 formation for almost 98% of the games played. The 4-4-1-1 was also occasionally on show in cup ties or during an injury crisis.
Nick Pope was the first name on the squad list. His statistics define how good the English ‘keeper has been this season. The 28-year-old goalkeeper started all of Burnley’s 38 games in the Premier League and had a save percentage of 71.1%, which is amongst the top-three in the English top-flight. He even kept 15 clean sheets this season.
The back four was spearheaded by the dynamic duo of Ben Mee and James Tarkowski, who have been arguably the best centre-back pairing in the Premier League season alongside Sheffield United‘s Chris Basham and John Egan.
Full-backs Phil Bardsley and Charlie Taylor operated almost as dynamic wing-backs. This was one of the big reasons why Burnley conceded a lot of goals from the flanks.
The positioning of the high-flying full-backs meant that the midfield was a close-knit group on-field. Midfielders Ashley Westwood and Jack Cork dropped into deeper positions, as wider midfielders Jeff Hendrick and Dwight McNeil moved into the half-spaces in an advanced role.
Forwards Chris Wood and Jay Rodriguez were a revelation for the Clarets in the attacking role. The duo contributed 24 goals and assists out of Burnley’s total of 43 goals scored this season.
Matthew Lowton, Erik Pieters and Ashley Barnes played their cameos this season and were quite impressive in their performances too.
The SWOT Analysis
Most of Burnley’s goals this season came through set-pieces. The mid-table side were almost invincible attacking the opposition during corner-kick situations and indirect set-pieces. As the two tall centre-backs Ben Mee and Tarkowski attacked the near post, the forwards, Rodriguez and Woods, were always ready on the far post to pounce on the loose balls.
On the contrary, the club’s great weakness lay in defending against long-ranged efforts. As the midfielders failed to close down loose balls just outside the box, long shots seemed the only way Nick Pope could be beaten.
A big problem for the Clarets going into the forthcoming seasons would be to find goal-scoring midfielders. It was evident this season that the mantle of scoring goals created a lot of pressure on Wood and Rodriguez. While the duo delivered more than what was expected, there is no doubt the club needs players in other positions who can score more than five goals every season consistently.
Though they finished above usual top half sides Everton and Southampton, they conceded more goals than they could manage to score. The shortage of goals has been an evident issue in the squad for quite some time now.
Game of the Season: Manchester United 0-2 Burnley
Not every club goes to Old Trafford and walks away with a win, but Dyche’s men did it with finesse. The 2-0 win for the Clarets away from home at Manchester United surely is their game of the season.
It was a complete performance by the travelling side. Pope saved all the seven shots on target that he faced. The outfield players won 15 tackles and made 17 interceptions to break the United momentum time and again. With a combined Expected Goals figure of 0.5, Chris Wood and Jay Rodriguez both managed to get on the score-sheet.
Despite having just 30% possession of the ball, and facing 23 shots on goal, the motivated visitors made most of their meagre chances and walked away with three points and a clean sheet from the red half of Manchester.
It will not be an exaggeration to say that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was totally outclassed by Sean Dyche on that very day.
Player of the Season: James Tarkowski
It’s been a tough choice between Nick Pope and James Tarkowski for the player of the season. Despite having the best season of his career, Pope may just miss out on the accolade here to James Tarkowski.
An aerial duel success rate of 78.2%, 329 clearances coupled with 137 tackles and interceptions. 442 ball recoveries and having played every minute of Burnley’s season, these are just some of the highlights of Tarkowski this season.
The centre-back has been the side’s most influential player this season. A vibrant personality on the pitch and a ‘not holding back’ attitude, while flying in during tackles, might just be the perfect description of the 27-year-old Englishman.
He is also one of the few defenders to have more than 25 shot-creating actions in the Premier League this season. There is no doubt, the central defender has been the cream of the crop for Burnley this season.
The Final Verdict & Future Ahead
Sean Dyche’s ‘Route One’ approach paid off for sure this season. Being one of the sides with the lowest possession statistics this season, the idea was clear. Invite pressure from the opposition, brutally defend your fortress and send in long balls for your forwards to finish.
Moving to the ‘Category One’ academy status at the end of this season, there are only exciting times for the club ahead. As the first team is ageing rapidly, there is going to be a need for academy graduates to flow into the 25-man squad soon.
Burnley have been on the positive receiving end of some top half sides failing to perform according to their standards this season. Everton and Southampton have been working towards moving back into the top-half of the points table, while promoted sides Leeds United and Fulham will be all set to make their mark on the Premier League with immediate effect.
This season Sean Dyche’s men have surely exceeded expectations and taken their chances to grab the tenth spot. But even a slight drop in the levels next season, could have grave consequences for the side.
Nevertheless, the club should work towards securing a top half finish in the upcoming season right from the first matchday on the 12th of September, 2020.
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