Over Easter weekend, and with seven games to spare, Burnley secured an immediate return to the Premier League having constructed a campaign so imperious and impressive it has led some to claim they have been one of the best teams to ever compete in a second tier.
That is a debate for another time but certainly there is no questioning their dominance and consistency, losing only twice all season and – to date – out-scoring their nearest rival Sheffield United by a full 18 goals.
No side have conceded fewer times. No side has come close to matching them for well-drilled verve or attacking intent. From the get-go, the Clarets have bossed the Championship betting and for very good reason. They have been a class above.
It has been a model of excellence overseen by Vincent Kompany who arrived at Turf Moor last June to mixed reviews and raised eyebrows.
At Anderlecht the former Manchester City colossus had hardly pulled up trees, leading the Belgian side to consecutive top four finishes but frankly, given the club’s stature, that was to be expected.
Furthermore, the style of football that Kompany favours – a patient, possession-based approach that has understandably drawn comparisons to what is adhered to by his manager and mentor at City, Pep Guardiola – felt like an ill-fit for a club that had been comprehensively Sean Dyched over a period of ten years.
Last season, as Burnley finally succumbed to gravity after regularly finding themselves favourites in the Premier League relegation betting, they had an overall possession average of 41.3% as they relied more and more on direct forays and physical fare.
Could a fairly inexperienced and unproven coach implement a seismic culture change at an institution that appeared to be so set in its ways? That alone felt like one hell of a challenge.
What helped Kompany was ironically a situation that on paper looked like a big problem as relegation prompted a summer-long exodus of established stars.
In total 13 senior players departed and with funds limited despite making £67.3m in sales, the incoming gaffer turned to the loans market and affordable players from Belgium’s Jupiler Pro League to craft what was essentially a new team from scratch.
Leaning on his old contacts at the Etihad, Arijanet Muric and Taylor Harwood-Bellis were brought in, giving Kompany a ball-playing keeper and a ball-playing centre-back to form a foundation for his plans.
Alongside Harwood-Bellis, fellow loanee Jordan Beyer has been a rock and to their left Chelsea’s Ian Maatsen a revelation.
Wingers Manuel Benson, Anass Zaroury and Nathan Tella meanwhile have all been integral and brilliant, the latter borrowed from Southampton, the other two recruited for just £6.5m combined.
With such an influx of youngsters under his spell, Kompany now had the legs to put in the hard yards, endless running being a crucial element of his blueprint. He also now had players willing to buy in wholly to his philosophy.
Vincent Kompany’s first season in charge for Burnley: 25W 12D 2L
— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) April 7, 2023
Promoted to the Premier League…and there are still seven games left to play 😱👏 pic.twitter.com/dFEhDL3WW1
Setting them up as a 4-2-3-1 and training them twice a day, sometimes until seven in the evening, the real work could begin.
What Burnley have produced this season has been little short of breath-taking, artfully deconstructing opponents on a weekly basis and winning plaudits by the bucketful.
“That team could easily play in the Premier League now.” That’s what a dazzled Neil Warnock said in February after his Huddersfield side lost to them 3-0. Elsewhere, Clarets fans have widely acclaimed their gaffer a genius.
And now they have confirmed their top-flight status a conversation can be had about what we can expect from Kompany’s Clarets and moreover, to what extent they’ll prosper.
Will they be a Norwich, superb in the Championship, but a punchbag among the elite? Or will they do a Brentford, continuing their development and evolving into a formidable outfit who do considerably more than hold their own?
It’s a conjecture that leads us only to negatives but that’s only because the many positives have been there for all to see this season. Burnley pass and probe in a manner that will suit the Premier League and they will thrive in that regard.
Furthermore, they are not a high-risk-high-reward collective, pressing ferociously from the front, as they’ve been portrayed by some.
Instead, they reserve their pressing for the middle-third, happy to stand off and keep their shape when sides have the ball in their own half. Again, this will serve them well. All the same, tweaks will for sure have to be made.
This term they have averaged 63% possession and they cannot expect the same next August against much better opponents.
That means a successful deployment of a low block is paramount, an option that would have definitely helped when Burnley lost to both Manchester giants in the cups this season.
And prior to executing that, and enjoying their Premier League adventure next year, the forthcoming transfer window will be key.
We all watched spellbound last summer as Nottingham Forest embarked on a crazy recruitment drive to compensate for losing so many of their loan stars.
With the real risk of the same predicament occurring at Turf Moor a more sensible approach must be applied, or else disrupt the clear identity that Kompany has already forged.
Beyond these details however, it is exciting times in this historic enclave of Lancashire. They’re heading back to the top with a fantastically put-together team and very possibly a genius at the helm. The Premier League will be lucky to have them.
*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to AP Photo*
