Premier League 2023/24 club previews: Burnley

Ahead of the 2023/24 Premier League season, Alex Keble takes an in-depth look at each of the 20 clubs.

Burnley

It might take Premier League fans a little while to unlearn what they thought they knew about Burnley.

Six years in the top flight under Sean Dyche have given many the impression that Burnley are a tough team to play against, sticking to old-school principles of how the game should be played.

But in a single summer Vincent Kompany changed all that and the Premier League welcomes back a club reborn.

Kompany is a Pep Guardiola disciple, plain and simple, and his Burnley team won the Championship last season in a style irreconcilable with our image of them.

It was a brilliant achievement that has supporters hopeful the old pattern of relegation battles will be avoided this time around.

Performance last season

PL performance last five seasons

How to improve on 2022/23

The transition from Championship favourites to Premier League underdogs is always difficult, but perhaps particularly so when the style of football is so ambitious and attack-minded. In other words, the real work starts now.

Having remoulded the club in such a short space of time last season, supporters will trust that Kompany has the nous to adapt again. But swashbuckling possession football is a lot easier from a position of strength. Finding their new place in the hierarchy won’t be easy.

Then again, Burnley lost only three matches in the Championship last season, became the first team to smash the 100-point barrier since 2013/14, and beat AFC Bournemouth 4-2 on their way to the FA Cup quarter-finals.

Key transfers

Burnley have moved fast. Signing James Trafford, the star of England’s European Under-21 Championship win renowned for his ball-playing ability, is a clear sign Kompany intends to continue down the same tactical path.

Zeki Amdouni, arriving from Basel, was the top scorer in the UEFA Europa Conference League last season with seven goals and has scored five goals in five appearances for the Switzerland national team. Clearly he has the quality to step up.

Jordan Beyer and Michael Obafemi have had their loan moves made permanent, while Dara O’Shea and Nathan Redmond make their return to the Premier League.

Tactics

Burnley will have to learn how to cope with holding less of the ball this season, and yet there will be plenty of matches against bottom-half clubs in which they can stick to Plan A.

So let’s focus on that, where the Guardiola influence is clear to see. Burnley often line up in a 4-3-3 that morphs into a 3-2-5 formation with the full-backs dipping infield to help create triangles in the middle. A high defensive line and calm recycling of possession (64.6 per cent average) evoke the Manchester City style.

However, not unlike Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal, Burnley are more open to counter-attacks and letting things stretch than Guardiola’s side, often arriving in the final third at speed when the opportunity arises. That aspect of their game will come in handy when more technically proficient opponents have the Clarets pinned back.

Reasons to cheer

Last season was Burnley’s best ever outside the Premier League and supporters have every right to be hopeful for the future. We shouldn’t underestimate the power of momentum in football, and few clubs can match Burnley for morale.

That buzz has certainly extended into pre-season with Burnley recording some decent results, including a 1-1 draw with Real Betis and 2-0 victory over Benfica – their fifth victory out of six friendlies.

Reasons to fear

Nathan Tella, last season’s top scorer with 17 goals, remains at Southampton after his loan spell ended while left-back Ian Maatsen has returned to Chelsea. Despite some promising signings, Burnley arguably remain low on Premier League quality.

Case in point, their excellent run in the FA Cup last season ended with a 6-0 defeat to Man City, a match in which Kompany’s open and expressive style was badly exposed. The biggest fear, as we’ve already touched upon, is that Burnley will be unable – or unwilling – to rein in those instincts.

Opening six matches

Considering what happened in March when Burnley conceded six goals in that loss to Man City, the last thing Burnley wanted was to open against Guardiola's side at home.

With their trip to Luton Town postponed due to work at the Hatters' Kenilworth Road stadium, Burnley host Aston Villa (H) in their second match, before they face Tottenham Hotspur (H), Nottingham Forest (A), Manchester United (H), and Newcastle United (A).

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Frankly it could hardly be a more difficult start for a promoted side. The match at Forest already looks like a crucial six-pointer.

Predicted XI v Man City

4-3-3: Trafford; Roberts, Beyer, O’Shea, Taylor; Cullen, Brownhill, Gudmundsson; Vitinho, Amdouni, Zaroury.

See: Each club's 2023/24 preview