Vincent Kompany finds positives in Burnley performance despite defeat

Planet Sport writer
26 November 2023

Burnley manager Vincent Kompany is confident the club is headed in the right direction even though they suffered yet another loss in the Premier League.

Kompany was left to pick the bones out of yet another defeat after West Ham scored twice late on to stun Burnley 2-1 on Saturday but insisted their performance showed his side can compete in the Premier League.

Burnley looked like securing their first home win of the season at the seventh attempt after going ahead through Jay Rodriguez’s 49th-minute penalty and comfortably containing an under-par West Ham side for almost the entire afternoon.

But Dara O’Shea inadvertently turned in Mohammed Kudus’ 86th-minute cross to score an own goal and five minutes later Kudus set up Tomas Soucek to win it with a fine volley.

Defeat left Burnley bottom of the table having suffered seven successive defeats in all competitions for the first time since the 1931/32 campaign, and it was all the more disappointing given there had been few signs of danger until it all came crumbling down.

“It looked like a solid performance all-around without any drama, disciplined defensively and calculated in possession and always with a threat whether we had the ball or didn’t have the ball,” Kompany said.

“That’s the way we have to be in the Premier League. It’s definitely a good template going forward, but it’s hard to take.”

Kompany must now lift his players once again with a crucial fixture next Saturday at Turf Moor, when fellow strugglers Sheffield United will be the visitors.

“I’m always big on saying that you don’t wait for confidence to come,” Kompany added. “I understand that in this moment in time it’s tough but come Monday we’ve got to go again and build towards the next game.

“Be ready, prepare well, and show all the habits and standards we have done so far to continue and be a good team in this league.”

West Ham boss David Moyes admitted his side had been far from their best in what had been an uninspiring display for most of the afternoon.

The absence of Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio through injury was a factor, but the manager also said several players were showing the effects of lengthy travel during the international break.

With West Ham struggling to lay a glove on Burnley for most of the match, the travelling fans had been chanting the name of Divin Mubama, who came off the bench just after the hour-mark and would play a key role in forcing O’Shea into the own goal.

“We want to play Divin,” Moyes said. “He’s got quite a lot of competition. I don’t know how many 19-year-old centre-forwards are playing in the Premier League at any clubs. It’s something that is getting harder.

“It’s such a difficult role and the level of competition to be a centre-forward is really high at nearly every club. I’ll tell you how Divin is different from the rest. Divin has got a mentality and an attitude as good as any top player because he’s so determined and works incredibly hard for the team.

“We know what we’re going to get with Divin. We need him to develop his actions and his technical ability, but he’s 19 and he’s done a great job when he came on.”