Could a victory over Nottingham Forest spark some life into Burnley?
When Vincent Kompany’s new-look Burnley romped their way to Championship glory last season, casting aside their classic route-one style to make way for a more attractive brand of football under the Belgian at Turf Moor, the consensus was that The Clarets were going to be just fine in the Premier League this season.
They weren’t in the bottom three of the relegation betting odds with their fellow promoted sides Luton Town and Sheffield United prior to the start of the 2023-24 top-flight campaign, and some of the more optimistic fans perhaps even had Burnley as high as midtable in their predictions for the new season.
However, the Lancashire side found themselves rock bottom of the Premier League standings as we entered the first international break of the year after what can only be described as a dire start to life back in the promised land of English football.
In Burnley’s defence, they certainly haven’t had an easy first three games of the season. All eyes were on them as they raised the curtain for the new campaign at home against Manchester City on Friday Night Football.
Some might have thought Kompany beating his old boss Pep Guardiola and the side he once captained in his first game as a Premier League manager was written in the stars, while others predicted it to be a tricky opening night for the defending champions. But it proved the opposite as Man City won 3-0.
Burnley’s struggles have continued in their two games since, losing 3-1 at Turf Moor to Aston Villa after an additional week off due to Luton Town requesting their first home game of the season against the Clarets to be postponed due to the extensive work being carried out on Kenilworth Road, before a 5-2 thrashing at the hands of Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham Hotspur.
The international break has arguably come at the right time for Kompany. The 37-year-old, his assistant manager Craig Bellamy, and the rest of the backroom staff have a fortnight to come up with a way to beat Nottingham Forest at the City Ground in a bid to get this season up and running on Monday Night Football on September 18.
Steve Copper’s side have had a solid start to the season, beating Sheffield United at home and Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, while only going down narrowly to Arsenal (2-1) and Manchester United (3-2). Therefore, it will come as no surprise the midlands side are the favourites in the Forest v Burnley betting odds.
However, this is arguably Burnley’s most winnable game of the season thus far on paper and they can perhaps take inspiration from their 1-0 win over Forest in the second round of the EFL Cup. Kompany’s side dominated proceedings and Zeki Amdouni finally made the breakthrough in the 90th minute to give the Clarets the win at the City Ground.
Given their opening games and the fact Kompany brought in some 15 players this summer, who will need time to bed into the system, there are plenty of excuses for Burnley’s dire start to the season. But it is getting to the point now something needs to change, and a victory over Nottingham Forest is crucial before upcoming matches against Man United, Newcastle United and Chelsea in succession.